Review: VERY good read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 22, 2013
http://bookbutterflyreviews.blogspot.caI feel like I have read something else by this author before... if I did, I am sure I loved it, because I loved Embers in a Dark Frost. I bought this book along with Reviving Bloom and let me tell you, boy am I glad that this book didn't suck as bad as the last one did. In fact, this book was Reviving Bloom's polar opposite. Where Reviving Bloom was torture to through, Embers in a Dark Frost finished before I knew it and had me wanting more.I only had one complaint about the book, so lets start with that so I can get into the good stuff. As with all novels that take place in a fictional land and have foreign names, it was hard to remember who was who some times as well as what was what and where was where. It all kind of blended together. The fact that the author has a love for D names didn't help... There were a lot of gods and people with names starting with D... I had to actually stop and memorise the main characters names  over and over in my head so I wouldn't be so confused. My only other complaint, which is something I never thought I'd say, but the intimate scenes between the main characters were extremely brief and made it sound like it happened in 5 seconds... so it kind of dulled the romance there...Now for the things I loved. I LOVED the main character. Born a halfling, and raised by people who hate her human half, she carries a big chip on her shoulder. A chip that Balen starts chipping away at (see what I did there?). Deira was an amazing main character with so much depth and personality, I was feeling for her the moment she appeared on the page. Balen was no exception either. I have this weird thing about fire. I LOVE books with fire in them. So when Kelly Keaton wrote the love interest as a sexy, selfless, fire-wielding King, I fell in love. No seriously, I almost wish I were in Deira's shoes.After reading Reviving Bloom, I was SO happy to read a book that was written so beautifully. Keaton, unlike Michelle Turner, trusts her audience to pick up on the subtle hits she throws your way. The story had a smooth flow and I was withering in anticipation with every page turned. I didn't even realise I had reached the end of the book until I turned the last page to read 'About the Author'.Everything from the plot, to the characters, to the flow was out standing. I have to give this book a good 9/10. I absolutely cannot WAIT for the next book in the series... I'll have to keep an eye out for it.NOTE: After writing this review I looked into my library and discovered that I had, indeed, previously read another series by Kelly Keaton. The Gods & Monsters series, (Darkness Becomes Her, Beautiful Evil) was an outstanding series... I am still waiting for the third and final instalment in said series... but the jury is out on when that will arrive...[...]