Witch Ember by John Lawson

Esmeree at the age of 6 was living a life that no child should ever have to live. She was used, abused, sexually sought out, and was pretty much a nobody. But Esmeree possesses something very special on the inside, this little witch is about to discover a whole new power from within. A power that is mentioned in legends. Although, she must always be on the lookout for those that are seeking the ember carriers, she is taken under Andelliza's wing as an apprentice so that she can learn to harness her ember's power.


Esmeree is a ruthless child hardened by the life she has lived. She will kill anyone that gets in her way, but she will also feel the pain of seeing people she cares about die. Always on the run and finally accomplishing her dream of being a sellaria, she is still a child... but she does crave the love and lust from one of Andelliza's men, Drake. As young Esmeree's life goes on she is used as a homing device of sorts to seek out others that carry the ember for the Medianists. I think this is where the story begins to escalate into a much needed climax.


Witch Ember by John Lawson is in my opinion a good read for young adults that love fantasy. For me, I didn't start getting interested until Esmeree became a sellaria and worked for the Viscount Jacobus. So that was about halfway through the novel before I really wanted to continue seeing what would happen along the way to Esmeree. The details were great, the characters were very life like, but the storyline just seemed to go on and on without much success at keeping my attention. Once I began this important new part in Esmeree's life, the novel was a quick read and it finally pulled everything together leaving me with the knowledge that a second book is on the way. 4 Hearts