Normally I try to avoid reviewing books that are part of a series, because so often they build on spoilers from an earlier book and/or end on cliffhangers. But The Green Ember doesn't end on a cliffhanger, and it's the first book in its series, so I'm going ahead with this.
[EDIT, 12/30/2025: Time has proven that "I try to avoid reviewing books that are part of a series" is manifestly not the case.]
This was actually recommended to me by Michael, and then when I noticed it on a stack of books in the hallway, I picked it up and was intrigued.
The Green Ember is (mainly) about two rabbits named Heather and Picket, who were perfectly normal rabbits until Chapter Six, when their home gets attacked by wolves. They escape with the help of their Uncle Wilfred and a white rabbit named Smalls, heading underground.
I honestly really liked Picket's character arc. He goes from being a whiny noob at the beginning to a much more mature Picket at the end of the book.
Since this confused me until I was like halfway through the book, advance warning: There is no magic in The Green Ember. The white rabbit on the cover is Heather, and not a wizard. Or a witch. Or nothing even remotely magical, aside from a talking rabbit. And yes, the brown rabbit on the cover is Picket.
Anyway, the actual Green Ember is a bit of a spoiler (I think), so I really shouldn't tell you what it is. But yes, there are wolves and hawks, and they talk too. Well, not hawks all sorts of birds of prey, including hawks. There are also no humans that I've seen, but there might be some in the later books (although they would be very mystified).
If this was a movie, I would rate it PG there are swordfights! And fire! Swordfights are awesome, and fire is sometimes awesome, but I think little kids would get scared by it.
And I'll rate this book four stars, because I spent much of it yelling at Picket. Like "Dude, Picket! Stop that, you're just going to embarrass yourself, and I don't really want to have to read that!" Really, if a book gets a four-star review, that really just means "I liked it despite its faults". I really should edit that on my rating system page.
Favorite lines:
"What do I always tell you? 'Not enough salt is an in-salt', and 'Too much salt is an as-salt!'"
Page 156.
"All right, Captain Grouchypants," Emma said.
Page 134.
Do you have any interest in reading the sequels?
ReplyDeleteMaaybe, but I'm actually fairly happy with where The Green Ember ended, so I might just stop with it. And I'm definitely not going to go looking for Ember Falls now, because we're discussing The Green Ember on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteAha! So this is the book you read for Homeschool Book Club???!!! It sounds like a really good one for your family, since you like animals who talk. Great review. Now I want to read it too!!!
ReplyDeleteYou totally should read it too! That is, if you can get past all of the places that made me go like "PICKET!!!!! STOP THAT!!!!!"
DeleteBut yeah, it is a good one for us.
HOPEFULLY this one isn't going to mess up like my earlier reply (which was supposed to be a reply to the comment above it, btw).
This is from Grandpa O. I enjoyed your comments about the new series of books that you are planning on reading. Like you, I imagine the same characters plus a few additional new ones, and who knows whether some of the old ones will drift out of focus, will find a spot in the up and coming series. I look forward to your insightful comments, and find them very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting me into your world! Grandpa O.
Thanks! I'm pretty sure that some characters died (although, nobody dies onscreen in the entire book, I don't think, except for bad guys).
DeleteThank you for coming into my world! I really like answering comments from you guys (:3