Ember Burning

Trinity Forest, Book 1

By: Jennifer Alsever

Narrated by: Moira Todd

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Author Jennifer Alsever delivers an addictive story ideal for fans of The Uglies, We Were Liars, and Before I Fall about a teen grieving over her parent's tragic death who becomes entangled with a mysterious forest teeming with urban legends of strange disappearances and witchcraft.

Ember Trouve used to be alive, driven to become a musician and on a path to college. That was before her parents died. One day, after venturing into the fabled Trinity Forest, she goes missing. Now, Ember must confront the truth behind her parents' death - or lose herself to the forest forever.

In this fresh and compelling novel, Jennifer Alsever creates a paranormal world of loss, mystery, love, and survival as Ember searches for escape - and a path back to herself. Ember Burning is the first installment of the three-book Trinity Forest series.

©2017 Jennifer Alsever (P)2017 Jennifer Alsever

Ember Burning

Where does Ember Burning rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ember Burning is a good audiobook.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tre was my favorite character. He has a great back story, and is well-written.

What does Moira Todd bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She sings, which gives a depth to the main character that wouldn't be there, otherwise.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I very much enjoyed the ending; it made a lot of sense to me, considering what Ember had been through.

Enchanting paranormal tale

I received these audiobooks as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jennifer Alsever. The gifting of these audiobooks did not affect my opinion of them.

What an enchanting book that drew me in and kept me curious.

The story begins with a melancholy teenager, who we learn is depressed because she just lost both her parents in a car accident. Throughout the book, she blames herself for their death, but we still don't really know the exact circumstances. She just wants the pain to end and wants to disappear, and that we understand.

So she starts falling into dangerous behavior - drugs, hanging out with the bad boys, and continues to spiral into her depression. Until the one day, she decides to go camping in this forbidden forest. Where suddenly, the pain inside her goes away, and she finally feels light again.

Only to realize the forest is a vortex where some unknown sorcery keeps them there, suspended in time, while the world goes on spinning around them. Try to leave? Bad things happen to your family. Finally give in? Well, then you'll be reborn. But what does that even mean?

I loved the narration. Moira Todd has a lovely speaking and singing voice too, and I enjoyed that there were actual songs included in the audio. I thoroughly enjoyed her audio interpretation of this story and will be looking for other books she narrates.

The storytelling is lyrical and lovely and the effect this witchcraft has on our character is so well-described. I am enjoying Jennifer Alsever's writing and story weaving.

The story ends in a slightly open did it or did it not happen, which knowing the title of the second book gives us our answer. I can't wait to dive into it.

Do not lose sight of the forest for the trees

YA and Urban fantasy are my jam, so you should know this going into my review. That said, the cover tagline "Would you sacrifice your future to forget your past?", makes a big promise that it cant necessarily deliver in the first installment of the Trinity Forest series but I truly believe Jennifer Alsever has the ability to make it happen given more time (ie 2nd and 3rd books). I wrangle with world building in the most cleverly crafted stories many times and this series is no different. Ember Trouve begins as a mopey, angsty teen and her constant description of her synesthesia is simultaneously intriguing and distracting. The book's plot meanders a bit, not quite divining the forest from the trees and then, just as suddenly as the meadow delivers the cast of Trinity's characters, the plot tightens and the arc develops into something that is suspenseful and dramatic. The writing, however, is well done overall.

There are a host of themes in the book that can either attract or repel young audiences, from grief and depression to date rape and drug addiction. Certainly they are all handled with care and the story weaves around them without making anything an overarching theme (aside from the grief, as that is the critical motivation for Ember's actions and reactions most of the time both in and out of Trinity Forest). The secondary characters are quite interesting and as the sinister side of Trinity unfolds, the drama highlights the good and bad in everyone. Time takes on new meaning and the insane ramblings of her now gone mother may hold the key to her survival. How can you not get wrapped up in that? Despite it's slow start, Trinity Forest picked up speed and became an out of control freight train that I couldn't stay away from and definitely need the next installment to. For readers who enjoy action, mythology, like a little romance with their fight to survive, and fans of stories that keep you listening past your bedtime, Trinity Forest is right up your alley.

As for the audio narration, Moira Todd does an outstanding job narrating. I agree with the author when she says, "you are Ember". She manages a decent vocal range of character voices and sings beautifully which is fairly important since Ember is a musician/singer. I think the overall narration and the last 3rd of the storyline are my favorite parts.

I give Trinity Forrest four chocolate dipped strawberries and I'll be back for more adventures with installment #2, Oshun Rising!

A haunting read!

Ember must confront the truth behind her parents' death - or lose herself to the forest forever...

A marvelous, marvelous read that was well executed and written beautifully.

So real. So emotional. So intriguing and mysterious.

Lovely read.

The narration was good. Great listen.

Fantastic Read

Once I started listening, I was immediately captivated. Ember, a senior in high school, and the main character of the book, is 'beckoned' to go to Trinity Forest, after the death of her parents in a car accident. Once she is in the forest, she meets a group of folks who invite her into their home. This is her undoing, since too much time has lapse and she cannot leave unless she is "reborn" ....which will lead us up to book 2. Looking forward to the rest of this series!

Moira Todd, did an excellent job narrating and I could actually feel as if she was truly the character in the book, Ember. Great job!

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Mystery and Magic

Ember Burning by Jennifer Alsever was definitely a unique book. The story of being stuck in a house in the forest that makes you feel good brings an eerie aspect. I honestly felt like it had hints of Hansel and Gretel. I do not know if this was done on purpose but there were definitely aspects of this story that I could relate to the old folk tale. I really enjoyed the way each character was “trapped” in the forest but it made them feel good at the same time. Ember investigating what was really going on kept you in suspense. I thought the idea was truly original and definitely held my interest. The more you learned, the more you wanted Ember to find her way out.

My biggest issue with this book was the characters. Well, more so Ember. I had a hard time relating to her when she was not inside of Trinity Forest. While it was necessary for her to fall apart and give up, I had a hard time with that part of the book. I know, I am probably not being sensitive enough because the situation was a horrible one. I found Ember to be whiny and self involved. I liked her so much better when she was in Trinity Forest and she was fully aware of her surroundings. I could definitely see the reasoning behind the drastic changes in Embers personality and why Trinity Forest would be so intriguing to her. Once you learn the backgrounds of the other characters, they were easier to relate to as well. While I did enjoy the story, I felt like the beginning was a little too slow and I would have enjoyed the characters more if there was less time spent outside of the forest.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Ember Burning by Jennifer Alsever was a unique and enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the suspensefulness and the development of the story. The twist and turns I did not see coming were truly surprising. Once I was able to get into the characters the story took a life of its own. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries and magic!

Audio Review
Moira Todd nails this audio. I was blown away with the soothing voice she provided for Ember and all other characters. She inflected her voice so well with each scene that needed. I think my favorite part of the audio was her singing. Moira is truly talented and I am so glad I did this on audio to experience her songs.

Paranormal for Young Adults

Ember is in the prime of life; she is young, smart, and talented, and she should be ready for graduation. But she is not. After their parents' death and the terrible secret she harbours related to this tragedy, Ember is not the same anymore. Without any motivations in life she drifts towards the Trinity Forest, a mysterious place where people disapears. Why is Ember so attracted to this place and will she ever come back from there?

I usually don't read paranormal but the blurb of this book called my attention and decided to go for it. I especially enjoyed the first part, where Ember deals with a problem with drugs, and how the Trinity Forest could be interpreted as a metaphor for being high and out of the world. The character is well developed, although not completely likable. It is easy to feel her pain in her new situation, but the guilt is more difficult to understand, since we do not learn about what exactly happened the day her parents die until the end. Somehow that was one of the reasons that kept me going, since this terrible secret is mentioned several times throughout the book but no clues are given to the reader.

From the very beginning it is clear that there is something wrong with the Trinity Forest and the people she meets there. The scenes have an oniric quality that is difficult to miss. Things don't make sense, and events appear blurry, like in a dream. Also, Ember's sinesthesia seems to work in a different way than ouside the Forest.

The end of the book focus more on the paranormal side of the story, which I am sure will be enjoyed by fans of paranormal, but was not my cup of tea. There is also romance, the kind you find in YA books, so I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone into Paranormal and Young Adult. For those not into these two topics it may still work, since the chracter evolution and the experinces lived by Ember are interesting enough.

Mora Todd's narration was really good. It was possible to identify all the characters by their voices and styles, and her interpretation of Ember was top notch.

I received these audiobooks as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jennifer Alsever. The gifting of these audiobooks did not affect my opinion of them.

Great Start to this Series!

The author does a really good job developing the characters and giving each one their own backstory. It was an intriguing listen to say the least, it had a lot of unique ideas like the forest vortex that kept me interested throughout. There are a lot of deeper messages woven throughout this fascinating listen. Overall, I think this was a great start to this young adult trilogy, but it does leave you wondering where the author will take it next.

The narration was simply perfect for this book. Her voice captured Embur's age perfectly and the lyrical nature of her as a character. Great performance!

I received a review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

A brilliant YA

When the paranormal twist is introduced near the beginning of the novel, my jaw dropped and I became hooked. Information in this book is delivered at the perfect place throughout, and the descriptions are always beautifully vivid. I'm not a fan of YA novels, but this one really sticks with me. The concept really gets the mind going and the intricate infrastructure is meticulously built. This story is more than just great entertainment value, as it holds deep meaning toward the reflection of the human condition. The narrator also did a phenomenal job, and she is one of the best I have ever heard.

Thrilling to the end

Who was your favorite character and why?

Trey is my favorite character. I think he is the most selfless character in the story. Ember gets on my nerves a little sometimes. She's so book smart, but she can also be so stupid sometimes.

What about Moira Todd’s performance did you like?

I thought her dry comedy fit in Embers voice very well

Any additional comments?

It really is a page turner. The mystery has you guessing until the end. There is romance, but it's not a romance book. Not only that, but it digs into some tough subject matter that many teens struggle with. I want to hear book two to find out what happens!