![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3bPl5xYo6VE/TENeo7MmKcI/AAAAAAAADSI/_wQn3nczz3w/s400/Embers_LauraBickle.jpg)
Genre: urban fantasy
About Embers:
Anya Kalinczyk book 1
Unemployment, despair, anger--visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Source: Info in the About Embers was taken from the author's website at http://www.laurabickle.com/index_files/novels.htm on 10/11/2010.
Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya--who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern--suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya--with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team --can stop it.
Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.
My Thoughts:
I looked forward to this book because I liked the premise. But somehow it fell just short of my expectations. It is still a very good book. It was just that maybe I was expecting a bit more than what I got. My expectations was just a bit too much and I got a little disappointed. This was the main reason why this book did not get a 5 out of 5...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhfQTjwqw56lFXrlwx_uxqL3O4PDRUNZhZ7cbsTDukuEGscjWYKUgBCcsXpyvKX47KE-aeXmV1moRuzLTilSE1FTClqiwDa5UTIuykpLdJie0Gans4l_mFE0i3-9A9ksj32kvFMDr2h-e/s200/Sparky.gif)
What I don't like about this book: The main protagonist is portrayed as a kick-ass chick. But for a kick-ass chick she does get stupid sometimes. I get exasperated when she does not acknowledge her limitations which could most likely get her and everyone else in trouble. But this I could easily forgive for the wonderful reading experience I get out of this book. The story ended with a bang and a happy-ever-after but was just a shade this side of predictable.
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eUrVMMVtiAinsM2jswyEmEO95rdC7soArHnoI4d7mdf5LUxTaq7xhBDXnBMwLD5nC3QQeynX0KGIB6S5Nx0d8-YxaPXDEHjLhRosnWDQRFTfmwiUFYmYpYEjoj7O1Uk78dtkocAylYB/s200/cherry_wet.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eUrVMMVtiAinsM2jswyEmEO95rdC7soArHnoI4d7mdf5LUxTaq7xhBDXnBMwLD5nC3QQeynX0KGIB6S5Nx0d8-YxaPXDEHjLhRosnWDQRFTfmwiUFYmYpYEjoj7O1Uk78dtkocAylYB/s200/cherry_wet.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eUrVMMVtiAinsM2jswyEmEO95rdC7soArHnoI4d7mdf5LUxTaq7xhBDXnBMwLD5nC3QQeynX0KGIB6S5Nx0d8-YxaPXDEHjLhRosnWDQRFTfmwiUFYmYpYEjoj7O1Uk78dtkocAylYB/s200/cherry_wet.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5eUrVMMVtiAinsM2jswyEmEO95rdC7soArHnoI4d7mdf5LUxTaq7xhBDXnBMwLD5nC3QQeynX0KGIB6S5Nx0d8-YxaPXDEHjLhRosnWDQRFTfmwiUFYmYpYEjoj7O1Uk78dtkocAylYB/s200/cherry_wet.png)
![Simon & Schuster](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8g4RSY6P9oyHq3nLOWWCyr9wY0BQPaJ99-an3RBpPHkSX0OhTsSGw-ZwzFpalj6KcHlLs5gStWx84tpUpN6OZqpI39cblmbdMdmZZXOEds20V0zRVjJGhoACRHqtWPsKgBdcolJujyNQ/s200/SimonSchuster_logo.png)
![Juno Books](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBAJfAaAu1PobRUIj2XFH_ZJiLb7MSgY5bXEe8rKJNVC_qF7rnkBrZnXo7RU_GME6zcYXFKJpKYQj54T9QOHPL8I94aPYj8E5F6NvBXhqZ9Bly9y3_eyd7_UAMMWJ53HaijZNC84i1GcB/s200/JunoBooks_logo.png)
![Disney](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_3bPl5xYo6VE/TVKJ-sH6tCI/AAAAAAAAFVQ/0NcnCmsmx5U/s200/disneylogo_gimpd_cropd.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBUl0_c_q4gsVQDeqD6TWHAQAiPbPAwpsQdytMpcPX2VzkaKAa_dK-Gw9c-NvVpbgfyZoQi4KX_FIr5p2FzCjzc7hSJK8VJMPpAfVER3QFZFUWEe29TQYobMXPqrSS739hBv-9RvRLxTO/s320/CherryPinkSigi.png)