Review: I know it says prequel, but do not read Ember first
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2012
If you are at all interested in reading Firelight I wouldn't suggest reading Ember first. Even though it is touted as a prequel, Ember reads for the most part like deleted scenes - you know the kind of scenes a good author writes to develop a character's back story, but then religates to the cutting room floor in order to make their finished work stronger. This is especially true for Miranda's part in Ember, her parts just flesh out things that are mentioned in passing for Miranda in Firelight.While this isn't as much the case for the Archer bits in Ember, there are just too many hints about Archer's condition and his past that would spoil the tantalizing mystery that surrounds him in Firelight.  The dream scene between the pair too would also take away from the development of the relationship in Firelight, here it was heavy handed unlike the excellent build up of the sensual tension between them in the full length book. Most of all, the deleted scenes feel of Embers doesn't give the reader a good sense of Callihan's writing in the longer book, and it would be a shame if readers missed reading the excellent Firelight thinking that Ember was a fair representation of what to expect from Callihan.If you've already read Firelight? Ember is fine. I'll be the first to admit that it was hard to leave Miranda and Archer behind after finishing Firelight, so if you are looking for just a bit more of them (separately) it's worth a look.  But really Ember just doesn't 'add' that much more since the power of Firelight was the two of them, Miranda and Archer together, slowly letting their 'masks' slip.