I’ve been waiting for Emberling for almost a whole year now, so to finally have gotten the chance to read it has been amazing! Note: I received an ARC of this book, and all opinions expressed are my own!

Ratings for Emberling

Story: 5/5

Worldview: 5/5

Story

I am not sure if I’ve said it before, but Kaytlin Phillips (and her sisters) are comfort authors to me. I love that when I pick up one of their books I know it’s going to be full of heart, adventure, and encouragement. Emberling was absolutely wonderful to read! I loved how the world was laid out from the first few chapters in a way that didn’t drag the plot–lots of action happening here–and Iya and Malcolm were great characters. They had such clear goals and motives, and I loved rooting for them to grow as people. So many threads laid down at the beginning came together at the end, which was awesome. I know this is the beginning of a series, but Emberling really feels like a standalone (with some solid threads of intrigue for future books). Ben was a great side character that I hope we see more of moving forward!

Worldview

The worldview was phenomenal. I really loved the clear faith elements woven throughout Malcolm’s and Iya’s arcs, as well as other supporting characters. Malcolm’s people hate the Emberlings and have a very holier-than-thou attitude, like wiping the Emberlings off the face of the earth is the way they serve Elohim (God). I liked seeing the contrast of looking at this perspective from the outside and from within. It added some understanding to what could otherwise be a very black-and-white discussion of “you’re wrong and I’m right” but never knowing why. Some of my favorite quotes:

“Elohim has a plan and whatever it is, […] you can be assured that His plan is best. He has weighed all the costs, all the outcome, and He will decide what He deems is best, even if His best does not feel like it at the time.”

“There were still many things I didn’t understand, but I was beginning to see that Elohim was a God of mercy. He forgave, He loved, and, most importantly, He accepted even the worst parts of me and made them new.”

Overall Thoughts

I was excited to read this book and it definitely delivered! Emberling hit so many high points of character arcs, action, faith, and love, and it was a joy to read. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series!

Emberling releases this November, just around the corner! Here’s the link to preorder!

If you like Christian allegorical fantasy, I highly recommend To Bind Fire by D.E. Carlson or Where Darkness Dwells by Andrea Renae. Emberling is great for readers 12+, and the other recommendations are more for readers 14+. Happy reading!