*REVIEW* Rift

Synopsis:

Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

Well... I had really high hopes going into this one because Nightshade is a favorite of mine. (Though don't get me started on the third and final book in that trilogy cause it still ticks me off sometimes!!) Anywho... Rift had a lot to live up to and while I didn't LOVE it, it was another solid book from Andrea Cremer and I will for sure be checking into the rest of these books.

Rift introduces us to Ember, a young girl who desperately wishes to escape the life her father has planned for her. Marriage, homemaking, and raising children may be the life most girls dream of, but for Ember it marks being chained and shackled into an existence she does not want. Ember dreams of far greater things, and sneaks away to practice swordsmanship and fighting skills when she can. While her family dreads the day she must report to Conatus, Ember impatiently waits, hoping Conatus is the beginning of a brand new life...

Turns out, Ember got all she wanted... and MORE. In Conatus, she is able to finally begin to achieve her dreams of becoming a female warrior. And what could be better than being tutored by a sexy knight who makes Ember desire things she never would have imagined herself wanting? The only negative on the horizon is a new evil--an evil that could be more dangerous than anything the Guard has faced before. Will the Guard recognize the danger before it's too late? Or will Ember lose everything?

This book was good. I have to admit that it was a bit slow for me at times and it took me longer to read than I would have predicted, mostly because I found it easy to put it down and walk away from. That being said, I'm finding that I like it more the more I think about it. So while I wasn't in love while reading it, I'm still thinking about it long after I put it down for good.

And Ember? Ember is a FANTASTIC female character. She's independent, stubborn, motivated, and strong of character and mind. I love the way Andrea Cremer writes her female protagonists. Ember is the kind of chick I could see myself hanging out with. And Barrow? YUM! I love strong and supportive males. I'm really curious to see where the story goes now. Bring it, Cremer! :)