Ember of Night

Gr 10 Up–Harley has been waiting her whole life to be 18, when she can get an apartment and remove herself and her sister, Ray, from her neglectful and abusive father. One night, with her sister safe at a friend’s house, Harley and her best friend Kai go to a concert, where she allows herself to dance with a guy named Draven. One week later, Draven is the newest employee at the deli where Harley works. Then on her 18th birthday, creatures attack her. When she wakes up, Draven describes a world separated from ours by a veil, where Hell, demons, and divine beings are very real. The veil can be opened with a Key...and Harley might be it. Now they race against the clock to protect our world and keep Harley alive. With a story structure reminiscent of Sarah J. Maas’s works, this is a paranormal tale of an underdog hoping for a bit of peace, free of the men who try to control her, but who instead is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Harley is a very strong character, though the trauma she’s experienced at the hands of her father has taken its toll, making her feel worthless. Harley is consumed by her instant attraction to Draven, who feels something for her but runs hot and cold, and their romantic scenes read like adult romance. The story is slow to start but interesting to follow, and while it resolves at the end, the epilogue promises another book. Harley and Kai are white and Draven is described as having golden skin.