teen/adult romance fiction, audiosync 2023 free download (11hrs, 50min)

Ember O'Dair, a young well-mannered witch, meets a Lantern named Jack (a guardian of the veil/border between the worlds of the living and the dead) who shepherds the newly deceased to the other side, whose ember is protected in a carved-out pumpkin. Jack warns her of goblins and other dangers (he's already somewhat smitten by her, and has been low-key stalking her in a way that's supposedly romantic) and is unable to convince the curious Ember not to venture into the world of the dead. Takes place over Samhain/Halloween, journey starts in a small Irish village.

Kind of a fun mix of cryptid lore + steampunk fantasy (automatons, skyships, parasols, corsets that fasten themselves with a little witch magic), but Ember is annoyingly naive--she will turn out to be more powerful than anyone is aware, but until then she will daftly follow any genteel-seeming man around, being too naive to distrust their intentions. Fortunately for her, Jack the lantern, Dev the vampire, and Finny the human tinkerer are instantly smitten by her friendly nature and diminutive yet bosomy figure, so she doesn't come to that much harm in her ignorance (unless you count being unknowingly drugged into complacency), but she isn't really the clever heroine you would hope for. Even the pirate captain Delia (Dev's sister, as it happens) is not totally immune to the charms of a werewolf ex-lover-turned-traitor--she'll probably end up killing him off again in the end, but not likely before forgiving him after he gets a chance to explain.

It's a fun(ish) adventure with good narration if you're just looking to pass 11 hours more quickly, but it is several hours longer than ideal, and don't expect this one to win any awards. ( )

1.5 Stars

Oh dear.

I really wish this was actually a spooky Halloween story and not a fantasy version of The Bold and the Beautiful.

Ember, our alluring witch, has three guys in love with her. Three. A Lantern guardian who has watched over her for years , a vampire who yearns for her sweet sweet blood and a human who just wants to make her happy.

Aaaand Rune, some kind of nefarious Lantern Boss who wants to possess her and control her incredibly enticing power.

Aaaand, the Overlord of the Otherworld needs her because she is super special and he needs her to power the entire Otherworld because she is that special. She is a highly sought after young woman. Now if I could just work out why, witchy powers aside, she was so appealing then things may make more sense to me.

The blurb promises nightmarish, scary creatures. I don't think the blurb writer and I read the same book. The evil creature is called the Boogeyman. Need I say more.

My favourite character was the pumpkin. The whole story should have been written from its point of view. I would buy that book. ( )

This is one of my favorite books. First of all the cover is absolutely beautifulul. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so maybe that's why I loved this book so much. Jack and Ember's relationship almost kills me. Jack tries to fight his feelings for Ember because he watched her grow up and he feels it's wrong for him to love her because of what he is. Ember is amazing! I love her fiery attitude. She can take care of herself and she's not afraid to let the boys know it. When she wants something she will do anything to get it. When I finished this book I instantly turned back to the fist page. I wanted to spend more time with the characters even. They each had their own flaws but that just made them all the more real. This book sort of tells how Halloween got its name with its own twist. There was a surprising twist that I did not see coming but in the end made perfect sense. ( )

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Fall has officially started (despite Texas not getting the memo), which makes this the perfect time to read spooky stories and eerie tales! I save all of my horror, suspense, and mystery books for the end of the year -- eeep!

The Lantern's Ember was inspired by the legend of Sleepy Hollow, which has always been one of my favorites. I enjoyed the little references that were peppered in throughout the story! Jack is a Lantern and carries his soul in a pumpkin, he compared Finney to Ichabod (a wizard he terrorized by appearing to look like a headless horseman), and then Ember's Sleepy Hollow. There were others, but I'll let you discover those on your own.

Ember was my least favorite character. I found her to be incredibly naïve as she continued to make bad decision after bad decision. She feels drawn to the Otherworld, but ignores all of Jack's warnings. He explained that the two worlds would start blending together, entire towns disappearing on both sides, but she was undeterred. Her decisions only get worse when she meets Dev and the two of them take off without Jack's knowledge. She was way too willing to trust Dev, a vampire that she had just met, even though she sensed he was hiding something and had ulterior motives.

Jack was many things. I thought he was sweet and kindhearted, but he would also bully humans and try to be intimating just for fun. He wanted to justify his actions by saying he was only protecting the crossroads, but he enjoyed tormenting people and giving them reasons to be superstitious. He himself has caused much of the lore surrounding his name, and simply because he was toying around while serving his time.

Dev was something else. He started off cocky and self-assured, but he quickly became hesitant and possessive. I'm not really sure what sparked the change, but it felt sudden and rushed. I also didn't care for the way he used Ember like a battery. He offered her to anyone that could use her powers, but he made sure he benefited from everything she did. He also seemed to know more than he should, about her powers specifically, which didn't really make sense. He's known witches in the past, but his knowledge seemed extensive.

I wish Ember had had another motivation or reason for going to the Otherworld. Yes, she felt compelled to go there, but she never questioned it. She never asked Jack what it might mean, or even Dev. She just carried on like it wasn't abnormal or concerning. I wanted her to question everything and hesitate before siphoning off her power for unknown reasons. There were a few times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to think about what she was doing.

A Lantern's Ember was slow at times, because they spend a lot of time doing nothing as they travel through the Otherworld, and we get a lot of descriptions about the nothings they're doing. Nevertheless, I devoured this book in a single sitting. I don't know if it was the atmosphere of the book (think spooky steampunk), my desire for cooler weather, or just my interest in the legend of Sleepy Hollow (there were other tales sprinkled in, too). Overall, I enjoyed Colleen Houck's writing, and I thought the story had a very unique twist!

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on September 24, 2018. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Recommended
Level: Upper jr. high to high school.

This is marketed as a scary, Halloween-type story but I didn’t find it all that scary. More of a spooky thriller. It has a haunting, late fall, cool temps, dry leaves atmosphere to it. It has lots of elements of and characters from traditional folklore (Jack (jack o”lantern, Ichabod) but they are just part of a mix that involves alternate worlds, all your favorite scary types (witches, ghosts, devils, werewolves, vampires, etc), thrills and adventure, and a love triangle. When I think scary Halloween, I think horror [ie: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc] I liked that we delved right in to the subject at hand and didn't have to suffer from a lot of backstory in the beginning. We are told why Jack is bound to serving as a Lantern for the rest of his days from the very beginning and the action of the story begins within the first chapters. Houck deftly creates an atmosphere that is haunting and other-wordly. The cover is gorgeous despite featuring a skull. This is a standalone novel that your fantasy readers will love. ( )