A Dream of Embers by Jane Washington

Okay, this book has officially solidified my descent into this series. I am fully hooked.

All of my hesitations about the FMC’s age from book one have been completely resolved, and honestly, it’s been handled even better than I expected. That lingering discomfort I had early on? Gone. Now, I can just focus on the story itself without any weird distractions.

The plot is still intricate and very much the main driving force, which sometimes leaves the character development, particularly for side characters, feeling a little underwhelming. But I am deep in the trenches now. I devoured all 450-ish pages of this book in a single day, which should tell you how much fun I’m having.

One of my absolute favorite parts of this series continues to be the true enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamic with just enough romantic undertones to keep things simmering. The slow-burn is slow, and I love that the story isn’t rushing to force relationships before they feel earned. That kind of build-up makes the eventual pay-off so much more satisfying.

That said, I still think some of the world-building details are a bit of a miss. There are occasional time-period-inaccurate words that pull me out of the setting, and too many everyday terms have been swapped for this world’s unique versions. It’s not necessarily bad, but it does make things feel jarring or unnecessarily confusing at times.

At this point, I’m 100% committed to reading the series to completion. It’s fast-paced, entertaining, and keeps me turning pages. However, I suspect this may still end up being a “three-day series” where I’m completely immersed while reading, but if you ask me to explain the story three days after I finish, I might struggle to give you a coherent answer.

Either way, I’m strapped in for the ride.