![]() Our hero and heroine, siblings Picket and Heather Longtreader, are in the middle of their story. And that is what I was thinking when I first read Ember Falls, the second book in The Green Ember series by S.D. The middle of the story is hard-in real life and in fiction. ![]() This world, these headlines, this darkness surrounding us-it is not the end. I hope in Christ and trust that, because of His life, death, and resurrection, evil will be defeated and true justice and mercy will ultimately prevail. As a Christian, I have a very real faith that all will be restored and set right. When I get lost in those moments of hopelessness and fear, it is usually because I have briefly forgotten an important truth: we are living in the middle of the story. Sometimes, especially when I think about my children and the world they are inheriting, I can tend to despair and lose hope. Turn on the news for even just a few seconds and it is hard to deny that we are living in perilous times. It means to bear the fatal flames of the enemy, to bear up under the scorching heat of these hateful days.” ![]() These are not to be missed, but rather to be treasured.“To bear the flame means more than only holding on to the fire kindled in the Green Ember’s rising. These little books are exciting, full of laughs, and bursting with high-intensity adventure. And Jo and Emma together are extremely funny. And, as I said in my spoiler-free review of The Last Archer, Jo is very funny. The Archer books give us an opportunity to understand why we find them so compelling. Because the action is moving so fast in those other books, however, we have less of a chance to study these delightful characters. As the series progresses, Emma and Jo become as important as Heather and Picket. While it was necessary for us to get to know these characters first, there is plenty of room in our hearts and imaginations for other fantastic characters. We also get to know Emma well, but she is still more of a secondary character in that book. These are the central characters for the series overall. Rightly so, The Green Ember puts special focus on Heather, Picket, Helmer, and Smalls. “Yes, one who hunts the fowl,” (the prince) said, “a fowler.” “He’s a fowler,” the prince said, walking up. “Jo is one of our finest archers,” Helmer said, “as you saw.” The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner (review coming soon) For readers who are reading this way, I would recommend that you read in this order: While Sam advocates for reading in publication order ( click here to learn more), and I fully agree, if you have eager fans who are not ready for the hardness of the future books, this is one that can be enjoyed sooner rather than later. Short and sweet but full of excitement, this book entertains while also filling in some gaps in the bigger story.įamilies with young readers will appreciate this book because it is lighter than the later books, and it takes place before the sad events of Ember Falls. This little story tells the harrowing journey that Heather, Picket, Smalls, Emma, Jo, Helmer, and crew made through wolf and raptor-occupied territory to get from Cloud Mountain to Halfwind. When Ember Falls opens, our friends are at Halfwind Citadel making preparations for the war that is starting. I so love these Jo Shanks books! This installment is set between The Green Ember and Ember Falls. Together with the old war veteran, Helmer, these young bucks and their elite squad of fighting friends would give rabbit-kind the desperate hope that was needed that this war could in fact be won. At the end of The First Fowler, with Heyward’s help, Jo not only flew, but used his bow to send killing shots at raptors which found their mark. At the end of The Green Ember, Picket flew, and changed how rabbits fought forever.
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