{Review} City In Embers (Collector #1) by Stacey Marie Brown

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: February 4th, 2015
Finished Date: February 2nd, 2015

Publishers: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

Zoey Daniels has been tossed from foster home to foster home, where she grows up fast and tough. When she is placed in her “last-chance” home, she finds a reason to stay and turn her life around: her foster sister, Lexie, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Zoey will do anything to keep her safe. After high school, Zoey is hired by a special government agency, the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG), where she meets the other reason to remain: Daniel, her co-worker. The man she loves.

But there is something unique about Zoey. She can see fae. Because of this, the DMG hires her to work as a Collector: catching, researching, testing, and using the fae to save human lives. The work never registers on her sympathy radar. She was raised to think of fae as beasts that feed on humans and want to destroy them.

When devastation hits Seattle, Zoey's whole world is turned upside down. The electric storm connects her to a ruthless fae, a Wanderer named Ryker, whose dealings expose them to even more trouble and danger. They embark on a journey, running and hiding from both the government and fae, both of which threaten their lives and those they love.

The review: Stacey Marie Brown wowed me with her Darkness series so I was thrilled to see that she has started a new series and she really comes through with this one too.
City in Embers is set in the same world as the Darkness series so we are already aware of what kind of people/species that we will meet and the tensions that start to happen between humans, Fae and such. What we didn’t know was that some humans already knew of the Fae’s existence – the government in fact – and has a special government agency which captures Fae and uses them for experiments that will better humankind and hopefully create cures for all that ails them. In order to catch them, they first have to see them and that is where our heroine – Zoey Daniels – comes into play, she has the sight, she can recognise Fae from their aura and along with her partner – Daniel – they make an awesome team who always get their mark. Zoey’s homelife isn’t great and the only things that keep her where she is, is Daniel – who she secretly loves – and her foster sister Lexie who is paralysed and in a wheelchair and the driving force of her taking the job with the agency because if there’s a cure to be found for Lexie, then she’s in the best place to make sure she gets it.
Whilst Zoey and Daniel are out on the hunt for a Fae, they uncover something big happening but also find themselves outnumbered and needing to fight for their lives…… but then the storm hits and the lightning strikes and Zoey’s world is turned upside down so that not only is she dealing with devastating loss, she ends up running for her life…. With one hot Fae wanderer known as Ryker on her tail because she has something of his…. And he wants it back!
Zoey was a cool character, very tough and a ‘what you see, is what you get’ kind of girl. She is not a soft woman who needs love or a man to make her complete, she is more than capable of looking after herself but her love for her foster sister and partner add a softness to her that shows us a vulnerable side so that the reader can connect to her. She’s had it bad but will be a better person for those she considers family, she is selfless and will risk it all regardless of consequence. The way she sees Fae is put to the test with the arrival of Ryker, she has something of his that he wants and will stalk her until he gets it, Zoey is forced to run from everything she knows and ends up having to team up with the enemy making them an unlikely pairing – both can’t stand each other and they aren’t afraid to let that show but over the course of the book will start to understand and soften their views about each other.
As I mentioned earlier, I was thrilled to find out about this series because I adored the Darkness series and know what the author can do. I was even more excited when I saw that we were in a different part of the world we had already heard about in the other series and that they were connected by the massive storm which gives us some common ground and a sense of familiarity to the story. This also gave us a view into the aftermath of the storm and how it affected peoples’ lives giving the story a dystopian feel. I liked the fact that it shows us how others know about the Fae, I had no idea that the government knew and even had their own agency to ‘deal’ with them which will automatically make a ‘them against us’ scenario for humans and Fae. I also liked that the story challenges the characters view and beliefs, in stories such as these, there a never clear cut good guys and bad guys – it’s a matter of perspective and knowledge and that is what Zoey must find out. She is predisposed to think that all Fae are evil just as Ryker is against humans but what happens when neither can count on their ‘side’? The lines become blurred and it’s a matter of survival until all of the dots can be connected. The story is very much a run and chase scenario, many enemies are hunting for Zoey and Ryker which has them in a LOT of life threatening situations that really amps up the excitement and tension in the book and the action and fight scenes are awesome too. Zoey and Ryker need to count on each other and those type of situations form strong bonds and through this we also see them softening towards each other but there wasn’t much in the way of romance….. but knowing Stacey… there will be a lot of tension before we get to see any sexytime. This is a fab read though and if you loved the Darkness series, you will love this too. 

4.5 flowers! 

Thank you to Twisted Fairy Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Review} Blood Beyond Darkness (Darkness Series, #4) by Stacey Marie Brown

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: August 28th, 2014
Finished Date: August 28th, 2014

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

After months of searching, Ember and her friends have finally located the Sword of Light, the only weapon capable of destroying Queen Aneira and ending her rule. This is Ember’s destiny. Or so she thought. Now a pact to save the man she loves changes everything.

In this final installment in the Darkness Series, when the truth comes to light, Ember will learn some things are better left in the dark as her world is ripped even further apart. It is no longer a rabbit hole, but a never-ending black void full of endless lies, betrayals, and secrets.

The fight for Earth has begun, and Ember will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of innocent lives and those she loves.

But this price may be too high—even for her.

The Review: Blood Beyond Darkness is the final book in the Darkness series and what an ending it was, it was just brilliant!!
It has all been leading to the ultimate showdown between the Queen of Light –Aniera- and Ember Brycin – Dae, Dark Dweller, Abomination, Fire starter & prophesised one – in this epic finale. We start this book knowing that Ember and best part of her allies have been betrayed & captured after finally obtaining the only weapon capable of killing the Queen but Ember had been forced to make a deal for the man she loves and that could seriously hinder her quest to save Earth. Now, of course there is a lot more to this book than that but I think I will let you find out for yourself what happens next because I don’t want to give away a thing. Let’s just say that it’s everything you want in a finale, it has action, it has training, it has magic, it has fights, betrayals, alliances, heartbreak, incredible loss, sorrow, determination, sacrifice, violence and epic battles but it also has hope, faith, love and the sense of family, where everyone is willing to pay the ultimate price to be free & safe from tyranny and to keep Earth safe from one who would enslave them all and still has time to give us a ton more secrets that we don’t see coming and plenty of Ember & Eli sexytime too.
I have loved watching Ember grow in character throughout the books from a misunderstood teenager unaware of herself or her power, who finally begins to get answers about who and what she is leading her to acceptance. She had a rough journey when all she wanted was to keep the people in her life safe and everyone else wanted to use her for their own gains. Meeting Eli may have been the start of her journey of self discovery but he never thought he would fall for the enemy, the one kind of person he should hate with all of his being and bringing about one of the best couplings that I have ever read in a series. Even though they shouldn’t have fit, they did and their sexual tension was off the charts, not just hot but scorching, waiting for their stolen moments as they clashed time and time again until finally! They came together in an almost brutal passionate encounter that totally rocked my world. He was a savage, seemingly incapable of love and Ember couldn’t trust or let people in but I have never been more satisfied when they set aside their prejudice, fear & doubt for each other and even if they wouldn’t admit it – loved each other fiercely.
I expected this book to be awesome, I knew after reading the books before that it would be because they are consistently amazing and they have each blown me away each time – this is no exception – except possibly even better. I spelled out above what it has to offer, I was so invested in this series that I was routing for everyone and I refused to believe that Ember would fail. I loved that the book wasn’t just about one battle at the end and it was all about getting there – yes it did head to that – BUT there was a long way to go before we got to the showdown, there was more than one for a start, there were a good few spanners thrown into the works and the fact that I was still being shocked by secrets that were continuing to come out of the closet shows just how good this series had actually been. You may think that Ember is ready after all she had been through – but is she? She has a lot on her shoulders being burdened with a prophecy and everyone's belief in her. I think this series has been brilliant and this book is just the icing on the cake, I went through it all with them, I fought with them, I felt their betrayals, their losses, I felt their love and I believed in it all – I would recommend this series to anyone, Eli Dragen will be on my book boyfriend list for a long time and I can’t wait to see what Stacey Marie Brown comes up with next. 

Thank you to Stacey Marie Brown for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.