Embers & Echoes

October 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-When Ashline Wilde, 16, reincarnation of the volcano goddess Pele, learns that her younger sister has been abducted by a dangerous Miami-based cult, she heads to Florida to rescue her. Ash discovers that the Four Seasons are power-hungry deities, and that the group's leader hopes to use the child's powers to open a portal into the netherworld where their older sister is trapped. To complicate matters, Aztec god Wes and former flame, the trickster Colt, are vying for Ash's affection. Each one has his own agenda. When buried memories from her past incarnations resurface, Ash learns of her volatile history with both boys-and with her sisters. She must reconcile her past if she's to have a future. This thrilling follow-up to Wildefire (S & S, 2011) reads like the script for an action movie. Despite the mythological angle, however, the haphazard mishmash of deities makes the story feel more X-Men than Clash of the Titans. Violence; underage drinking; and steamy sexual innuendo between characters make this title better suited to older teens. Exciting plot twists, interesting characters, and snappy dialogue will keep them hooked, and a cliff-hanger ending will leave them burning for the final installment.-Alissa J. Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI

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