Review of THE EMBER GODS

Andrea Pearson has done it again!

Before you get to read my review, I've asked Andrea to tell us a little about herself.


Me: Hi, Andrea, I just finished The Ember Gods in your Key of Kilenya series.
A thoroughly enjoyable book. It was a lot of fun to see what has happened
to Jacob since leaving Eklaron. It seems that Jacob is having a tough time
fitting into either world-earth or Eklaron. But in spite of his misfit
feelings and frustrations, Jacob lands on top. So Andrea, where does the
idea of this series come from?

Andrea:We used to live in an old house – when I was a kid. I found a skeleton
key, and used to pretend it was magical. I built on that idea over several
years, eventually adding Jacob and Dmitri to the story. For book two, The
Ember Gods, I just continued what I'd started. I knew my ideas would end
up becoming several books in a series – I would need time to explain where
Jacob's abilities came from.

Me: Is the character of Jacob modeled after anyone real?

Andrea: Partially. He’s a mixture of a couple of my brothers plus a friend.

Me: When is your muse most likely to find you at work? Mornings? Nights?

Andrea: Yes and yes. :-) Usually, I get in my best work in the mornings, but
occasionally the afternoons are productive, along with the evenings. I do
this all day and work everything else around my writing.

Me: When you’re writing do you like silence or is there some kind of music or
din that fills your background for inspiration?

Andrea: Music all the way! :-) It has to be something I’ve heard before, otherwise
I get distracted and listen instead of write.

Me: I know for me I like to have someone cheering me on. My husband loves to
ask me “What have you written today?” And then he loves for me to read it
to him. Who is your greatest fan and/or supporter?

Andrea: My husband—he always checks up on me, then helps me get over rough parts.
Also, my immediate family: Dad, Mom, and a couple of my brothers. They’re
very involved in my writing.

Me: You’ve had lots of great response to your series thus far. Have readers
suggested what they’d like to see happen with your story line? Does that
influence what goes into the story?

Andrea: They give me their theories about what will happen, but the series is
pretty much set in stone so those theories don’t sway me. They usually
make me smile, however. :-) I do enjoy it when people guess what’s going
to happen next, and occasionally I’m surprised when they figure out the
truth. It’s great! They don’t usually tell me how they think it should
go—thank goodness. :-)

Me: How do you handle rejection? I know I cry shamelessly in public while
dining with my husband. He entreats me not to since people might think
we’re getting a divorce (which, of course, we are NOT).

Andrea: Rejection, as in a bad review, or someone deciding not to publish me? I don’t have to deal with that last part—thankfully—but when I get a
negative review, I read it to my husband and let him do the ranting and
raving. :-) He’s great that way—my fierce defender. :-) He’ll go on for
hours and hours about the review, picking it apart and explaining why the
person didn’t really think through what they said. (Unless they support
their argument with really good points, then he’ll say, “I’ll give them
that,” or “Fair enough.” In which case, there’s no point in being upset,
and he reminds me of that with his response.) (And congrats on NOT getting
a divorce. Ha ha!)

Me: When I get a great review or a contract for a book I love to celebrate
with chocolate or ice cream (or both). Sometimes my wonderful husband
takes me out to dinner where people think we are madly in love because I’m
smiling so much. (We are madly in love by the way.) How do you celebrate
your victories?

Andrea: Ice cream! We go to Sub Zero with my family every time another book comes out. Sometimes I celebrate by writing more—those little victories really
give me energy! They spur me to continue. (And I love being madly in love.
Isn’t it fun? :-))

Me: I see that you have a completed romance based in Kilenya and another one in the works. Do you have other ideas on the back burners? A different
series? Or do you see Kilenya as sandbox full of possibilities?

Andrea: I plan to write probably five Kilenya Romances. And there are six books in the Kilenya Series. After that, though, I’m moving on (aside from possibly writing Dmitri’s story). I’ve got a gazillion ideas that need to be
written! :-)

Me: Tell us a little bit about yourself that perhaps others might not know
about you?

Andrea: I used to have pet black widows. And I was homeschooled my entire life. The black widows were a learning/scientific/fascinating project my brother
and I did together. We fed them flies, mainly. Mine, Mahana, lived for
four years. Pretty cool! Also, I’m really shy when I first meet people.
I’ve been pegged as stuck up a few times—which isn’t the case. It just
takes me time to feel comfortable opening up. Once I’m comfortable, I’m
okay with being in front of large crowds, though, and teachers used to
struggle with getting me to be quiet. :-)

Me: What’s your greatest passion?
Andrea: Music, movies, and books. I knew my husband was the one when I learned these were also his passions. We watch a lot of movies, read, and listen to music together.

Me: What’s your biggest dislike?

Andrea: Arrogant authors! Arrogant anyone, really. :-)

Me: If you could meet anyone who would that be? Why? What would be the first thing you’d ask him/her?

Andrea: I’d have to say my grandpa (and I know, I know—I’ve met him already. :-)).
He passed away when I was 17—long before I knew I wanted to be a writer.
He’d written (and published) over 50 books—most of them as a ghost writer.
I’d ask him how he kept up with everything, and what the biggest thing is
he’d want to have me tell his posterity. I’d also like to know what he
thinks of me being a writer, though I’ve got the feeling he’d say he was
proud. :-) He was a great man.

Me: When you dream big, you’re often not disappointed. What is your biggest
dream?
Andrea: That all of my good ideas will become books. :-) Sometimes I worry that someone will come along and tell me I can’t write anymore. That would be
very depressing!

Me: Andrea, thank you so much for letting us get to know you.

Andrea: No problem! And thanks for interviewing me. :-)

And now, here's what I think about The Ember Gods:
If you haven't read The Key of Kilenya, then go back and start with that one. Then you HAVE to read number 2, The Ember Gods. This delightful book, while geared for middle grade readers, is a fun read for teens and adults as well. 

Set in two worlds, The Ember Gods follows the struggles of Jacob Clark, a not so typical teenage boy, whose biggest challenges are learning how to control his developing powers, saving the girl he had to leave behind, and making the basketball team.


I'm thoroughly enjoying the characters, the epicness of the story, and craving to find out what happens next. Pearson weaves a fun tale that's hard to put down. I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series.


You, too, will love this second book in The Key of Kilenya series. To purchase it in paperback click here or on Kindle click here.