Eyes of Ember - Review

Eyes of Ember (Imdalind #2)

By: Rebecca Ethington

Published: April 6, 2013 by Imdalind Press

400 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository)

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Summary:

Joclyn is in hiding, hunted by the man she still desperately loves. Ryland is gone, his mind erased, no memory of Joclyn remains. But, Joclyn’s heart desperately begs her to hold out hope. While, in reality the black eyed monster that possesses him, attempts to kill her over and over.

If it wasn’t for Ilyan, Joclyn would be dead by now. 

Ilyan. The man who once stalked her, is now Joclyn’s protector, the only thing she has left. He protects Joclyn from the men who seek to end her life, and while she is haunted by dreams where Ryland begs her to break the bond between them. 

Ilyan is there. Always there.

Ilyan trains and prepares her, teaching her everything she needs to know in the hope that one day she can avenge Ryland, if not protect herself from him.

And then there is her father.

The man who has never been there, is suddenly responsible for everything. And who he is has made Joclyn into something she never wanted to be.

The Silnỳ.

MY REVIEW:
After finishing book one, Kiss of Fire, I IMMEDIATELY purchased book 2 and started it the next day (seeing as how I finished book one late at night).  Book 2 BLEW ME AWAY!  I loved Kiss of Fire but Eyes of Ember really take your emotions up to the next level as you live through the hiding and the running with Joclyn and Ilyan as he protects her.  This is one serious roller coaster!  There is love, pain, joy, sorrow, confusion, betrayal, and lots of magic, of course.

The book opens with Joclyn being in utter heartbreak.  {I spent the next three days trapped in overwhelming heartbreak that I could not escape, try as I might.  My body ached with emotional pain and erased any desire that I had to move.}  {Everything inside me was shattered.  Rather than a broken heart, this felt more like broken everything.}  The reader gets caught up very quickly in these all consuming emotions she is feeling.

In a lot of ways Joclyn grows tremendously and becomes very strong, not only in her own power, but her maturity as well.  She still desperately loves Ryland and is trying to hold out hope that he is still there somewhere in his mind, despite knowing his father, Edmund, erased his memories and is using him as a weapon, a weapon intent on killing Jocyln.  How can you continue to love someone when all they do is hurt you over and over again?  Thankful for the connection she still has with him through the dream state they share due to their bonding, even if he is back to being a little boy in the dream state, she ignores or maybe pushes aside is more accurate, her growing feelings for Ilyan, who is always faithfully there to take care of her.

Ah....Ilyan.  My heart broke again and again for him in this story.  He is Joclyn's one and only constant.  He is loyal and takes his responsibility to watch over her with the utmost importance, literally nothing else matters.  "Every night, I will try everything to save you, to protect you, Joclyn.  Until the day you die.  I promise you all that and more."   As loyal and protective as he is, he is also incredibly secretive, keeping back some things from Joclyn he doesn't feel she is ready to know yet. Their relationship changes a lot and he becomes a part of her life that she can't live without.

The events that take place will leave all of them, Joclyn, Ryland and Ilyan, forever changed.

As with Kiss of Fire, the Czech language is spoken in this book by Ilyan as that is his native tongue and because of my experience reading the first book I still looked up what he was saying using Google Translate. If you didn't do this I promise you are missing out on some interesting details!

Wow, there is just so much that happens in this story and as I try to keep my reviews spoiler free, I will just say this, if you liked book one, you'll LOVE this one!  And if you loved Kiss of Fire then get ready, because you'll be over the top in love with Eyes of Ember!!  Bravo Rebecca Ethington!!  I am officially one of your biggest fans!

Favorite Quotes:
"You already have so much pain in your heart, Silny.  I do not want to add to that.  I only wish to see happiness in your soul.  And when the time comes for your knowledge to change, I will be there to help you carry it."

"Ilyan is one of a kind.  His heart is good..."

"Ugh!" Thom groaned loudly as he flailed around on his couch in obvious discomfort.  "Will you two get a room?  With a door?"

But I wasn't normal anymore, and I had changed.  I had grown stronger and more confident than I had ever felt.

Final Rating - 5 stars!