Review: Ember X (Death Collectors, #1) by Jessica Sorensen
Ember X (Death Collectors, #1) by Jessica Sorensen
(Good Reads) For nineteen-year-old
Ember, life has always been about death. With a simple touch, she can
see when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes
herself from the world. The only person that knows her secret is her
best friend Raven.
But that changes when she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous and mysterious and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. The silence he instills in her mind and body allows her to feel things she’s never been able to before, so despite her initial reservations, Ember lets Asher into her life and lets herself to get close to him. But the closer they get, the more Ember realizes that Asher is keeping secrets from her.
When unexplained deaths begin to surface in her town, Ember questions why she can’t see Asher's death and what it is he’s hiding from her.
Once again, Jessica Sorensen has decided to turn one of her young adult series, Death Collectors, into a more "mature adult" version. I say "mature adult" because I'm not actually sure what her purpose behind doing this is, as there only seems to be a few sexual scenes in the re-told Ember X edition.
Now, I don't expect - nor necessarily want - this type of a paranormal book to be turned into pure smut. It's just that I don't understand the point of retelling a story only to include one or two fairly mild sex scenes and then bumping the rating to 18+. I get that it allows the book to satisfy two different crowds. But I just don't see the point of such minor refinements.
(Note: I haven't actually read the original Ember book, but judging from other reviews I'd say it's very similar to this Ember X minus a sex scene and a half.)
I found it hard to really get into Ember X for the first 1/3 of the book...which is really unfortunate. Usually, if a book doesn't have me hooked in the first chapter or two there are usually two ways the book could then go: 1.) I hit chapter 3ish and decide not to continue - or return when I'm desperate OR 2.) I stumble my way to about the 20% mark and then finally start getting into the characters and plot.
The first 1/3 was so boring that I actually fell asleep...twice...and then woke up and continued on! Maybe my brain felt recharged which is why I kept on pluggin' on.
Once I managed to actually stumble just past 1/3 of the way (shout out to my Kindle for ticking off the percentages like a countdown to the end and the promise of a new book), it was like an amazing turn around. Suddenly the dialog wasn't forced sounding, the characters had real emotion, and character connections between one another picked up.
Because of this, I'm not sure what I think of the book...which is a rarity. I could easily go 2 stars or 4 stars depending on what qualities I weight more. Maybe a list will help me make more sense of it?
Cons
Another of her young-adult-gone-more-mature series is Shattered Promises (a remake of the Fallen Star series). As of now, if you are looking for a more interesting paranormal Sorensen book I would recommend that book over Ember X. Keep in mind there is only one installment of Shattered Promises so far.
Ratings:
Steam (connection): **+
Characters: ***
Writing: ***
Plot (progression): **+
Plot concept: ****
My rating:
Only because the storyline itself was interesting and I will continue on with the next book to see where this thing is going...
Amazon: 4.4
Good Reads: 4.0
(Good Reads) For nineteen-year-old
Ember, life has always been about death. With a simple touch, she can
see when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes
herself from the world. The only person that knows her secret is her
best friend Raven. But that changes when she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous and mysterious and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. The silence he instills in her mind and body allows her to feel things she’s never been able to before, so despite her initial reservations, Ember lets Asher into her life and lets herself to get close to him. But the closer they get, the more Ember realizes that Asher is keeping secrets from her.
When unexplained deaths begin to surface in her town, Ember questions why she can’t see Asher's death and what it is he’s hiding from her.
Once again, Jessica Sorensen has decided to turn one of her young adult series, Death Collectors, into a more "mature adult" version. I say "mature adult" because I'm not actually sure what her purpose behind doing this is, as there only seems to be a few sexual scenes in the re-told Ember X edition.
Now, I don't expect - nor necessarily want - this type of a paranormal book to be turned into pure smut. It's just that I don't understand the point of retelling a story only to include one or two fairly mild sex scenes and then bumping the rating to 18+. I get that it allows the book to satisfy two different crowds. But I just don't see the point of such minor refinements.
(Note: I haven't actually read the original Ember book, but judging from other reviews I'd say it's very similar to this Ember X minus a sex scene and a half.)
I found it hard to really get into Ember X for the first 1/3 of the book...which is really unfortunate. Usually, if a book doesn't have me hooked in the first chapter or two there are usually two ways the book could then go: 1.) I hit chapter 3ish and decide not to continue - or return when I'm desperate OR 2.) I stumble my way to about the 20% mark and then finally start getting into the characters and plot.
The first 1/3 was so boring that I actually fell asleep...twice...and then woke up and continued on! Maybe my brain felt recharged which is why I kept on pluggin' on.
Once I managed to actually stumble just past 1/3 of the way (shout out to my Kindle for ticking off the percentages like a countdown to the end and the promise of a new book), it was like an amazing turn around. Suddenly the dialog wasn't forced sounding, the characters had real emotion, and character connections between one another picked up.
Because of this, I'm not sure what I think of the book...which is a rarity. I could easily go 2 stars or 4 stars depending on what qualities I weight more. Maybe a list will help me make more sense of it?
Cons
- very slow start
- repetitiveness - both in the beginning with Ember's mulling over her unfortunate life and later when the plot was revealed and the various stories of "The Collectors" are told.
- some confusing sentences (wrong phrasing, some very minor edits missed)
- lacks a really strong connection with the characters. I sometimes felt like the friendship between Ember and her best friend Raven was forced. And it took a long time before I felt a little something between Ember and Asher.
- When it picks up, it really picks up. Secrets are revealed and there are a few twists in the plot.
- While the connections between all of the characters are not as strong as what I would like, I at least felt something for Ember and Asher by the time Ember X ended.
- I found the plot to be really interesting. I don't know how to explain it, but it's one of those plots that could have easily developed from real life questions that many people have - such as, what happens just before/just after death?
Another of her young-adult-gone-more-mature series is Shattered Promises (a remake of the Fallen Star series). As of now, if you are looking for a more interesting paranormal Sorensen book I would recommend that book over Ember X. Keep in mind there is only one installment of Shattered Promises so far.
Ratings:
Steam (connection): **+
Characters: ***
Writing: ***
Plot (progression): **+
Plot concept: ****
My rating:
Only because the storyline itself was interesting and I will continue on with the next book to see where this thing is going...
Amazon: 4.4
Good Reads: 4.0
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