The Green Ember by S. D. Smith

MG Fantasy. 365 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember rises, or the end of the world.

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

My Review:

Oh my goodness! This was such a fun, adventerous read!! I’ve heard about this series for the last year or two off and on, and I finally stumbled across the audio book. So, while at work, I listened to the adventure of Heather and Picket and the Green Ember!

I do very much enjoy Middle Grade fiction, and I’m looking forward to getting around to the rest of this series at some point. I must add a quick note to say that I very much enjoyed the narration in the audio book. He really brought the story to life and infused so much heart into the reading.

I really loved how the story started. It caught me off guard. It was simple and embodied the innocence of childhood, and I loved the nostalgic yearning it produced. But it was also a very clever introduction that showcased our two MCs very well. And, come on, a story about rabbits! How fun is that! The book quickly dipped into high tension action and racing against unknown villains, trying to figure out the past they were only beginning to unwravel when everything fell to pieces. On more than one occasion, I was at the edge of my seat and found my heart thumping as I listened. I had no idea how this story was going to go or what turns it would take. And that was a real treat.

The community Heather and Picket ended up in was really cool to see, and the rabbits they met along the way and in the community each had such neat personalities. I loved getting to meet the cast of characters and seeing how each one played a particular part. I’m very excited to see more of them in the upcoming stories. I also found it intriguing how Picket developed throughout the story. I related a lot to Heather, as the eldest myself with a close younger brother who was always eager to grow faster and be more. But Picket really touched my heart. I saw his hurt and I saw his shame and I wanted to comfort him. He made so many decisions that just made me want to explain how awful he was being to him, but I always understood exactly why he’d done what he had. And I pitied him for it. I’m very excited to see him grow into the noble rabbit I do so hope to see!

Oh man, there were so many characters I just relished, and I won’t remember all their names or how to spell them cause I listened to the audio book, but I hope to see much more of them in future books!

And the adventerous plot was full of hints of a deeper story that I am very excited to learn more about. I loved the threads of hope and the allusions to a world that isn’t broken any longer. It had some wisps of allegorical threads, too. The mystery behind the community and the stained glass stories! Ugh, I just really enjoyed this book. I also really liked the setting and world that Smith crafted to tell his story. Everything felt like it all tied togehter and supported the story he was trying to tell.

I don’t know why I didn’t find these sooner, but I’m very excited to add them to my MG collection. I would very highly recommned this book and I look forward to finishing the series. There is no foul language and no romance. There is a war going on and some potentially frightening wolves, but there’s nothing graphic or explicit. There are some deeper themes of hope and redemption and forgiveness that are excellently handled. The book would make for great conversation with kids.

More:

Book 2 in The Green Ember series is Ember Falls (4 Stars)

Book 3 is Ember Rising (4 Stars)

Book 4 is Ember’s End

I am currently reading through the series, so stay tuned for updates! The series does need to be read in order.

On GraceBought

Check out my thoughts on the next book in the series!

Ember Falls