It's been a while since I've read a book in a day or less. This is one of those books. I couldn't force myself to put it down, and stayed up most of the night.

Ember can see a person's death when she touches them. She prefers to stay to herself and write poetry so that she doesn't get overwhelmed. That is until she meets the two new boys in town, Asher and Cameron. Both guys seem to be competing for her attention. When a string of murders take place, and Ember see things that aren't there, she begins to question everything.

The storyline was paced perfectly, and there was something happening at every turn. I never felt like the plot was choppy or anything like that, it just flowed. The characters were easy to relate to. Raven, Ember's BFF, got on my nerves, but her personality is pretty superficial. Garrick totally gave me the creeps. I knew he was bad news the minute he entered the story. There were times that I thought Raven and Ember were a little too comfy with the situations and topics thrown around. That was my only peeve. I loved the unique spin on death. I haven't ready anything similar. At the end fo the book I was left wanting more, and can't wait for the next installment.

Definitely pick this one up. You will not be disappointed!!!! ( )

While not perfect (note the occasional typo), there are some books that have just got "it." Know what I mean? That unexplained something that draws readers in. This one definitely had a life of its own.

The characters were easy to relate with, the story world believable, and the conflict was ominous with just a hint of it appearing at a time. Ember (the MC) was constantly overwhelmed with her predicament, which twisted gratifyingly until the very end.

I guess there are two versions of this book, the YA version, and the X rated version. This one (YA) was very much rated PG-13 (by TV standards), and I would not feel comfortable with a younger audience reading it. Expect some blood, some (but limited) language, and steamy situations. Readers who enjoyed Hush Hush (Becca Fitzpatrick) and Fallen (Lauren Kate) will enjoy this read. ( )

"In separate fields of black feathers, the birds fly.
Four wings, two hearts, but only one soul.
They connect in the middle, but are separated by a thin line of ash."
—Cameron

The first thing that had drew me to this book was actually the cover. It was pretty, and conveyed the book's theme quite well. When I came across it on Goodreads, I knew that I have to give it a try. And now I'm glad I did.

Ember told us about a not-so-ordinary life of a girl named Ember who lived in a small city in United States. Having a strange ability to sense people's death, she was viewed as a freak and weirdo by the society. Things gone bad, if not worse, when Ember's father died and vanished mysteriously, and she was the sole suspect to the case. But years later, when three strangers from New York moved out to her small town, things began to stir up once again, and Ember must found out who was behind all of it when the strange murder identical to her father's was brewing around . . . again.

I found the plot of this book was quite interesting. It was fast-paced, while still gave the readers time to understand what exactly was going on. It was also intriguing, and Jessica had done a marvelous job at keeping us curious and excited about what was going to happen next by dropping a hint here and there. And yes, this book kept me guessing until the last pages where everything was revealed.

The character was actually quite flat at first, except for some case. But as the story progressed they showed a remarkable change and began to have a certain uniqueness.
Ember Rose Edwards as our main character was easy to remember. She stood out from the rest of the cast, and I love how she was able to stay strong alone and secluding herself from the rest of the world. Sure, it may sounds gloomy, but I like how she stood for her belief, and wasn't swayed by another people's perception.
Asher Morgan, as Ember counterpart, was what I called flat at first exactly. He was not unique at all the first time he made an appearance, but later he actually showed a nice and remarkable side of him.
One character I found quite interesting was Raven, Ember best friend, and also the tools that the antagonist had use to get his way to Ember. She was sparkly, bold, and all bossy and strong. But in some parts, we got a glimpse of how she actually was : fragile and broken. It was also interesting to read about her when she was possessed, how she would shift from a cheerful-and-all-sun to a gloomy-and-oh-so-depressed mood.

One thing I'm not quite fond of this book was how Ember showed a switching, inconstant personality sometimes. Like, she could be all goody next door type of girl, but changed into a hot and passionate girl at another time.

Overall, I love this book, and it was totally a refreshing read about angel and grim reaper and death, unlike any other book that I've read. If you love urban-fantasy book, or a book that will keep you guessing until its last page, you should totally try this one. ( )

Amazon's description "What if you knew when someone was going to die?

For seventeen-year-old Ember, life is death. With a simple touch, she knows when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person who knows her secret is her best friend Raven.

Then she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous, mysterious, and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. So when he pushes into her life, she doesn’t mind.

But when unexplained deaths start to haunt her town, Ember starts questioning why she can’t sense Asher's death and what he may be hiding."

This was an interesting young adult paranormal book. As the book is described above, it centers on a girl, Ember, and her abilities/experiences with death.

Characters: The book is written in first person, so the reader follows Ember throughout the whole book. Ember has had a tough life and fears being around people (because if they touch she can see how they die). She is a poet and essentially obsessed with death (with her ability/curse). She is also a fighter, which is a necessary characteristic when death is constantly around you. Mysterious characters also enter the picture: where touching someone does not show Ember a death scene, those that feel like they are losing their sanity, and two new guys who take an interest in Ember.

Plot: The overall plot is a little gritty for a young adult book, but pretty clean in the writing. (I only noticed one F-word.) There is mention of drug abuse and death scenes. The book contains some twist and turns as the reader learns more about the grim reaper/angel of death and the whole good versus evil. The plot, for me, didn't give me too many unique surprises (those that haven't read many books within this genre might disagree). However, I was able to finish this book in a quick read (about 2 days), and it kept my interest. One small glitch that I don't personally care for (not that it took away from the value of the story) was that fact that the book was written in the present tense, which is just a little weird for me. I'm use to reading books in the past tense.

Overall, it was good a book. The epilogue feeds the reader information to make sure that they want to read the next book in the series, but the book itself nicely ties up a lot of loose ends that pertain to this part of the story (in other words, no weird cliffhangers in the middle of a climax.) If you like to read about good versus evil, angels, and even death, I think you will like this book. I wouldn't mind reading the next installment. ( )

I didn't know too much about this book going in to it. The blurb does not give much detail other than a young girl who can 'see' death when she touches you. That, in itself, was enough to peek my interest and the story was enough to hold it throughout the book.

Ember takes her first life at the age of four, albeit unwittingly. From that point on death becomes a constant in her life. She can see each persons death every time she touches them and she is visited regularly by the Grim Reaper himself, a faithful companion for much of her life. That alone would be enough to drive any young girl to the brink of madness, but it's only part of Ember's problems. Plagued with the mysterious disappearance of her father, a substance abusing mother, a brother battling his own demons of death and depression and the erratic behavior of her life long best friend; Ember is about the loneliest person you could ever come across. Yet she never truly gives up and never looks to further the burden on others with her problems.

Murders and disappearances are erupting around Ember and all with eerily similar details to her fathers crime scene. Several newcomers to town are showing their interest in Ember, the police see her as Undesirable Number One and someone seems determined to kill her.

Ember and Asher both develop well as characters. Asher is intense but caring and protective. His relationship with Ember moves a bit quick but it's not an instant love situation just a mutual magnetic attraction. However, I found most of the other characters a bit lacking in substance. Raven is about the worst best friend you could ask for and through much of the book I just flat out didn't like her. Ian, Ember's brother, I think has real potential as a character. He's a broody artist and I would have liked to get more insight on his story.

I do have to say that too often the dialogue felt off or immature. It is a young adult book and not being a young adult myself...perhaps that is just my personal hang up.

I don't normally gravitate to stories with angels and reapers and though I can't say that there were many twists and turns, there were a few things I didn't expect and that was enough to keep me intrigued. It's not a very long book and I think maybe that was it's problem for me with character development. But overall this is a good base to what is sure to continue to be an a great story filled with a dark and romantically Gothic feel. ( )