Blog Tour: Ember by Madison Daniel(Review and Giveaway!)

About Ember:
Ember is the story of Max Valentine, a teenager with secret abilities and many inner demons. His life revolves around music and his love for it. When his father dies he seeks answers with his last living relative, his fathers brother Frank. Frank lives on the island of Maui and eagerly takes Max in as his own. Max soon learns that healing his past will be more difficult than he could have ever believed. Two major complications will tempt and torment him as he tries to make sense of his abilities.

The first temptation comes in the form of a mysterious island girl. Asia Lyn Michaels is rich, spoiled, angry and beautiful. Her path crosses with Max on the beach one afternoon, forever changing both of their lives. Max saves her life and she discovers his secret. From that moment on they are connected, no matter how much they fight it.

The second temptation will test Max’s very soul. Samantha Ann Summers is sweet, artistic, smart and confident. She will help Max find his smile again and maybe even heal his past mistakes. She is possibly his soul mate and Max will fight that with every fiber of his being.

Max’s temper and indecision with the girls will send in motion events that will cost him dearly. He will test the limits of his powers and the new relationship with his protective uncle. He will gain a powerful love and lose another.

Romana:

Recenzia mea:

Ember e genul de carte care poate nu te prinde chiar de la bunul inceput, insa cand ajungi sa-i dai de gust, nu-ti mai vine sa o lasi din mana. Nu stiu, are acel ceva care te tine lipit de ea, hranindu-ti curiozitatea, iar uneori te poate face sa ajungi de la o extrema la cealalta: ori o adori, ori o urasti, dar mereu te intorci la capitolul adorare.

Toata actiunea cartii are loc in imprejurari exotice, aflam ca Max Valentine se muta in Hawaii, la unchiul Frank, dupa niste intamplari nefericite care l-au determinat sa faca acest pas. Ne este descris foarte frumos cadrul natural, aproape ca putem simti briza usoara sau picaturile de ploaie, iar sunetele de chitara ne insotesc aproape pe tot parcursul cartii, menite parca sa detensioneze spiritele.

In prima parte a cartii, observam ca Max este putin melancolic cand vine vorba despre trecutul lui si parca printre randuri ii putem zari tristetea, care ii marcheaza unele actiuni. Asta pentru ca viata lui de mult timp nu a mai fost roz, datorita unei tragedii petrecute cu mult timp in urma si care si-a lasat grav amprenta aspura lui. De remarcat este faptul ca Max nu este un tanar obisnuit, ci este inzestrat cu o putere supranaturala definitorie atat pentru el, cat si pentru caracterul lui. Nu degeaba el e Mad Max.

Fata de romanele din ultimul timp, din start observam ceva diferit la aceasta carte. Exista acel binecunoscut triunghi al iubirii, insa acesta nu mai este centrat pe o fata, ci pe un baiat. Da, in Ember, doua fete, respectiv Asia si Sam lupta pentru inima lui Max.

Asia e tipul fetei la care nimeni nu poate ajunge,desi toti o doresc. Intangibila, extrem de frumoasa(bruneta cu ochi albastri), bogata, dar totodata tacuta, toata viata ei petrecandu-si-o solitara, fara strop de iubire si numai cu lucruri materiale drept substituenti, fara succes, insa. Iar ea tinde mereu(chiar daca nu se dezvaluie prea mult) in interiorul ei sa primeasca iubire, dar de la persoana potrivita. Si datorita faptului ca este inzestrata cu un talent supranatural deosebit, o apropie si mai mult de natura, prin intermediul ploii, dar si de Max, cu care nu are o relatie tocmai buna de la inceput. Vazuti prin prisma talentelor lor, Max si Asia se completeaza unul pe celalalt, se atata si se sting reciproc, ca un vulcan trezit la viata, dar un vulcan al pasiunii. Desi in descriere se spune ca Asia e rasfatata, mie nu mi s-a parut deloc asa, ci mi se pare normal felul in care se comporta, avand in vedere viata nu tocmai usoara pe care a avut-o. Ori definitia mea de rasfatata e mai aparte de restul. :D

Sam, pe de alta parte, e tipul fetei dulci, careia ii place sa ajute, populara, si pe deasupra, frumoasa si inteligenta. Este blonda cu ochii verzi si se remarca mereu prin firea-i placuta de toti. Max se simte ‘’ca acasa’’ cand se afla prin preajma ei si are impresia ca o cunoaste dintotdeauna.

Intr-un interval destul de scurt de timp, Max reuseste sa se ataseze de cele doua fete, fiecare reprezentand concurenta serioasa pentru cealalta(si cand spun serioasa, I mean it! ), datorita faptului ca acesta este confuz in privinta alegerii lui. Le iubeste pe amandoua si nu stie pe care sa o aleaga. Insa, nu e totul chiar atat de usor, nu totul se rezuma la o alegere, caci evenimente importante au loc in vietile celor 3, evenimente care dau povestii o cu totul si cu totul alta nuanta.

Parerea mea:

Am citit cartea asta pentru ca m-a atras descrierea si ceva imi dadea sentimentul ca ar fi o carte pe placul meu. Desi la inceput am avut dificultati sa intru in atmosfera romanului, in scurt timp am ajuns sa nu mai pot lasa cartea din mana, iar la final am putut spune ca a fost o lectura placuta.

De departe, Asia este personajul meu preferat, si pun pariu ca daca o sa cititi cartea, o sa o urati foarte tare la inceput, :D dar apoi o sa ajungeti sa o adorati. Apropo de extreme. :D

Max, in schimb, mi-a placut ca este asa spiritual(dupa parerea mea), altfel cum s-ar numi un tip asa pasionat de muzica si totodata fascinat de elementele naturii? :D

Ce nu mi-a placut a fost indecizia lui. E ok sa nu te poti hotari pe cine alegi, dar nu e ok sa faci persoanele sa sufere din cauza asta, oricat de mare ar fi iubirea ta fata de ele.

Cred ca la capitolul supranatural, ideea nu a fost foarte bine valorificata, accentul se pune mai mult pe relatiile dintre cuplurile pe rand formate, Max-Asia si Max-Sam. Un alt punct negativ pe care l-am remarcat, e legat de unele neconcordante in privinta nararii. Nu cred ca e posibil ca un personaj sa relateze niste evenimente la care nu e prezent, dar asta este o mica scapare ce a trecut la editare. In ciuda acestor mici scapari, mi-a placut foarte mult romanul, chiar am ajuns sa ma atasez de personaje, ceea ce spune ceva. :D

Sunteti curiosi cu cine a ramas Max pana la urma? :D Veti afla daca veti citi cartea. :D Abia astept sa gasesc niste timp sa citesc si Downpour, eu una sunt curioasa sa aflu cum evolueaza povestea. :D

Nota mea: 4 stelute :D (este o nota mare, tinand cont cat de pretentioasa sunt in privinta cartilor:D )

English:

My review:

Ember it is the kind of book that maybe doesn’t catches you from the very beginning, but when you start to feel its taste, you will never want to let it go of your hand. I don’t really know, but it has something special that keeps you tight, feeding your curiousity, and sometimes can make you go from one extreme point to another: either you love it from your entire heart, either you hate it.

The events from this book are happening in exotic circumstances, we find out that Max Valentine is moving to Hawaii, at his uncle Frank, after some unhappy events that made him take this step. Everything is well described, you can almost feel the sea breeze or the rain drops falling from the sky, and the sounds of guitar are following you through the pages, like they are meant to loosen up the spirits.

In the first part of the book, you can notice that Max is a little melancholic when it comes about his past, and between the lines we can sense his sorrow, that marks some of his actions. That’s because his life is not pink anymore, because of a tragedy that happened long time ago. It is worthy to note that Max is not a normal young boy, he is gifted with a supernatural power peculiar to him, as for his character. After all, he’s not being called Mad Max for nothing. :D

In contrast with the novels from now, from the very beginning we notice something different about this book. That specific love triangle exists, but it’s not centered on a girl anymore, but on a boy. Yes, you’ve heard right, in Ember, two girls are fighting for a guy, for Max’s heart, and their names are Asia and Sam.

Asia it’s the kind of girl that no one can get to, even though everyone desires her. Intangible, extremely beautiful(dark hair and blue eyes), rich, but at the same time reserved, she had spent her entire life being alone, without a drop of love and only with material things as love’s substitute, but with no success, however. She is tending(even though she doesn’t shows it too much) to receive love, but from the right person. Because of the fact that she is gifted with a special supernatural talent, this approaches her to the nature, through the rain, and to Max, even if the two of them don’t get along from the beginning. Seen in terms of their talents, Max and Asia do complete each other, they are burning and extinguishing together, like an awaken violent volcano, but a volcano of love and passion.

Sam, on the other hand, is the sweet girl’s kind, that likes helping people, she’s popular, and very beautiful and brilliant. She’s a green eyes blonde, and makes herself remarked because of her pleasant being. Max feels like home when he’s around her and he has the feeling that he always knew her.

In quiet a short time, Max gets attached to Asia and Sam, each one of them representing serious competition for the other one(and when I say serious, I mean it!:D), because of the fact that he’s confuse when it come about his decision. He loves them both, and doesn’t know which one to choose. However, everything it’s not that easy and it doesn’t sums up to a choice, because important events are happening soon in the life of the three of them, events that give to the story a whole another shade.

My opinion:

I started reading this book because the plot atracted me and gave me the feeling that this book is going to be a nice read. Even though I had some difficulties at the beginning with entering in the book’s atmosphere, in short time I got to the point when I couldn’t let go the book of my hand and in the end it turned out to be a very good read. By far, Asia is my favorite character, and I bet that if you read the book you will truly hate her at the beginning, :D but then you will love her. :D

I really liked Max for his spiritual angle(after my opinion), otherwise what name would you give to a guy so passionate to music and at the same time by the elements of nature?:D But what I didn’t like about him was his indecision. It’s ok not to be able to decide which girl to choose, but it’s not ok to continue with this indecision and make people hurt, no matter how great is your love for them.

I think that at the chapter with supernatural things, the idea wasn’t very well exploited, the accent falls on the relationships between Max and Asia and between Max and Sam. Another thing I’ve noticed it’s a disaccord regarding the narration. It’s not possible for a character to relate some events where he wasn’t present at, but this is just a little inadvertence that passed when the book was edited. But despite all of this, I find this book a good one, I got attached to the characters and all I can say is that it was a really nice read.

Aren’t you curious who is the chosen girl in the end? Well, you’ll find out when you’ll read the book. :D By the way, I really need to find some time to read Downpour, I’m so curious with what happens next with the characters… In these moments, I hate school. Trust me.

My rating: 4 stars :D (it’s a great rating, considering how hard is to please me when it comes about books:D )

About Downpour, the second volume of the series...

A little sister lost.

A family tree withered.

A journey to save the past.

Max Valentine is a walking supernova.
On the run and searching for answers, his light darkens.
Dark skies on the horizon make his next chapter ominous.
His powers are fading but still he pushes toward the storm.
Embers still burn but can he survive this one truth...

...love is eternal but the heart is not.

About Madison Daniel:

Music is LIFE and the written word is our SOUL. Music and writing have been my true ambition since I was a child. I have used music in every form possible; writing it, performing it, healing with it, etc. I call it my "life's soundtrack." I have always written in some form; from comic books to screenplays to short stories and now the new series "Ember." I have found a true passion for my stories and characters and am eager to share them with the world. See you on the next book tour...M.D.

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