From the Dust: A Dystopian Novel

Ember Society, Book 1

By: AR Colbert

Narrated by: Jennifer Groberg

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The new American government does everything “for the greater good”. Or, does it?

When Claren Greenwood is identified as an Empath during her aptitude test, she’s offered a rare position among the Peacemakers in her city. Becoming a Peacemaker may finally be Claren’s ticket to a better life, allowing her to overcome a turbulent family history.

But when her brother gets into trouble with the city again, Claren finds herself straddling two worlds - one begging her to work for “the greater good” and the other destroying everything she thought she understood about life in the city. Claren must discover what’s true and what’s a lie in order to save her brother. And she must do it without losing the trust of either side.

Fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games will love this new series by debut author AR Colbert. With political intrigue, espionage, and little romance along the way, this series has it all. Prepare to get hooked!

©2020 AR Colbert (P)2020 AR Colbert

Good Listen

Wow! There was a lot going on in this book. You are in a totally different society from what we live in and it is a little scary. They choose your job, your spouse and who lives and dies. Any differing opinion will get you exiled or executed. The main character is having a hard time deciding who’s side she is on and it makes for an interesting story. The author did a good job with the story, I would be interested in reading more. The narrator did a good job with the emotions and nuances of they story. All in all it was a very interesting and entertaining listen.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from StoryOrigin for an honest review.

Meh

The basis of the book was decent and different however it was not well written. The heroine was okay but lacked in personality or maybe it was the narrator. Her decisions all lead to problems but the author tries to make it seem like this was okay. I made it to the third book and still no resolution. Not worth purchasing any other books.

Really good

I really enjoyed this book. Really good story, great characters and a ton of conflict. Very interesting tho. I will definitely read the next on the series, cant wait to see what happens next. Good narration

Great new series

I was super impressed with A.R. Colbert’s first audiobook and can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series when it’s released! First off, the society is amazing. I loved the dystopian setting, and the creativity that Colbert gave to the community and ruling parties. The characters were also really addictive and I can see how many different readers could see pieces of themselves in Claren. I love a strong heroine, and she is very fierce. I can’t wait to watch her develop and grow throughout the series. I also loved the idea of the “empath” and the creativity and uniqueness that the ability brought to the reader or listener. All together the plot was fast moving and addictive, the writing was really engaging and well composed, and the narration was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend!

Great Beginning

I love a great Dystopian book, especially, when it's a reformat of America.


We start of with a young Claren who has a sharp mind & a great love for her brother. She does have a bit of a complex view of her brother not being intelligent and of needing her to save him. But that's very common of girl siblings in her situation. :-)


She was totally sabotaged by the system, so it seems. Buuttt, that's where the excitement begins. Poor girl, didn't know what hit & it throws here in to a tizzy. Remember, she's only 17!


World building is great and it's easy to visualize all that happens and where at. I kinda think of it as Washington D.C. and the suburbs/cities surrounding with the wilds encircling all of it. But that's just me. ;-)


I'm "reading" via the Audible book. The narrator is great and reads as if their are no editing issues at all which is great!


As for the ending, well, I started book 2 right away but it was after 3am & I fell asleep. Couldn't wait to pick it up the next day. :-D


My star ratings include these 5 elements:

1★ story line

1★ engaging characters

1★ use of world building/descriptions

1★ narration or editing

1★ the ending


"I was given this free review copy/audiobook at *MY* request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great tale

The narrator was fantastic at bringing out the characters personalities and told the story well and the authors story is well written and is very well thought out

Oh My Goodness, it's Such a Good Series Starter!

So, it's 2:40am and I can honestly say that I couldn't find a good place to stop this one nor did I want to... even knowing I will pay for the lack of sleep. This story really grabs you pretty quickly and the author does a fantastic job of getting you attached to the different characters. Book one is a clean book free of bad language, bedroom scenes and no overly graphic violence so I would feel comfortable with my middle schoolers reading it. This book doesn't leave off on a cliffhanger per say but it definitely leave you wanting book two quickly. This author has created a very interesting and believable socialist/communist society in "New America" that is very eerie, intriguing, and true to human nature... The lie of socialism is that everyone gets the same and will be on the same level is shown so well. I don't want to give anything away so I will keep this short, if you like the dystopian genre then you will love this one!

The narrator does a great job and was fun and easy to listen to.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Very Good

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was a great kick-off to a new series. And I have a feeling this is going to be a great one! I always enjoy books that look at the What ifs in life. What if our country had gone in a more socialist direction. Sounds good on paper but never really works in practice. Funny, I ended up listening to this on election day... or week...this time. But anyway... The narrator was fantastic. She fit this book perfectly. I definitely can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

This audiobook was given to me at my request. I am providing an honest review. Thanx!

Great story

Great story. I loved the characters. The world building was great. I want to know what’s on the outside of the wall. Hopefully the next book will take us there!

Narration by Jennifer Groberg was excellent. Really enjoyed her voice.

I did find myself yelling at a Claren not to trust anyone.... she had to learn the hard way.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

A great start to a new dystopian series!

Wow, talk about a story that grabs you and doesn’t let go! I thought I’d listen to a little bit and then take a break to get some stuff done... no way. Once I started listening I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.

AR Colbert has done a fantastic job of building this dystopian world. It was reminiscent of the Divergent series, but with its own twists to make it unique. I also love how Claren is a strong female lead. This is definitely a series to jump into.

Jennifer Groberg’s performance was fantastic. I almost forgot I was listening to an audiobook. It was like I was watching a movie in my head.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.