The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck
Summary
Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.
Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.
Book Details
The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck
Published September 11, 2018 by Delacorte Press
Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up
Hardcover, 416 pages
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Book Review
The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck is a delightfully creepy read with its cauldron mix of Halloween folklore and the supernatural.
I have been a fan of Colleen Houck since reading her Egyptian themed Reawakened series. When I heard she was writing a standalone taking inspiration from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and twisting it with Halloween lore, I could not have been more excited!
What makes this story stand out and such a fun read for the Fall time are all the references made to Gothic horror stories and supernatural creatures we're all familiar with.
Houck takes bits and pieces from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (just to name a few) and mixes them with a unique new take on the origin story of the Jack-o'-lantern and the Will-o'-the-wisps. There is also a surprisingly Halloween Town/Wonderland vibe sprinkled with a steampunk-inspired backdrop for the Otherworld in which Amber and Jack are whisked off to.
The story follows Jack, once a mortal, who is now a Lantern assigned (cursed) to act as a watchman guarding the crossroads leading into the Otherworld—keeping stray mortals and not-so-mortals from entering into each other's realms. He is completely adorable and reminded me a bit of Jack from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Filled with curiosity and adventure, seventeen-year-old witch Ember O’Dare longs to cross into the Otherworld. When she accidentally discovers Jack there is an instant spark between the two. Jack, who has been acting as a secret guardian to her ever since she's been a little girl, finds his feelings changing from protector to something more.
When roguish vampire Deverell “Dev” Blackbourne, with secret nefarious designs of his own, crosses into the mortal realm and entices Ember into returning home with him, Jack follows—what ensues is a madcap adventure filled with the strange, steampunk-ish, and the monstrous...literally.
I really enjoyed all the spooky references, atmosphere, and Jack's character especially. I do feel like the story reads with a younger teens voice though, rather than what the gorgeous cover suggest, and could make for a possible cross-over read from mature middle-grade to YA.
Although I enjoyed her sense of daring and sweet charm, Ember does come across rather naive and immature at times. She often lets others make her decisions for her and when she makes one of her own they're rash—landing her in deep trouble.
The story includes two other love interests that make for a bit of a love triangle and adds tension to an already busy plot. The end raps ups rather nicely, if somewhat quick, and left me excited for all things Fall and Halloween.
In the End
The Lantern's Ember is an entertaining read perfect for those wanting an atmospheric story that will have you excited for all things spooky. Readers are sure to enjoy discovering all the creative twists given to monster myths and horror stories by Colleen Houck.
