I found this book generally enjoyable.
I find it very hard to entirely avoid spoilerly stuff when talking about the core points I want to address so I will only put strong spoilers in tags. I believe all the mild spoilers were either visible from a mile away to the reader anyway or only make sense after you read past the point in the story so they won't ruin anything.
I enjoyed the slow-burn romance and found it relatable which was a refreshing change from the rest of the lot (uf&pnr).
I had a hard time with the whole out of the blue "Electric-Storm" thingy that somehow toppled some tower. It was never explained why everyone without further information just took the entire thing as a well-known weather(?) phenomenon. It sounded like some kind of combination of weird lightning tempest able to fell a single tower at its base combined with a somehow localized solar storm. As a reader, we are never even told what exactly happened.

A pet peeve of mine that was present in all action scenes was the weird turn-based order of events where one character has his turn and can now freely deal out one action without anyone reacting, then the next and so on. This frequently resulted in a very weird and unbelievable flow and caused a lot of eye rolling on my part.
Another common flaw was Zoey's fighting prowess and reaction to stressful situations. She apparently was through something close to the worst shit that can happen to a kid and she had to toughen up a lot very early on but nothing of that is reflected in any of her actions. She doesn't win a single fight in the entire book without major help and repeatedly brushes by major hysteria. Her entire personality would've made a lot more sense without this bloodthirsty street-fighter past. It just wasn't necessary and would've been easy to remove/leave out as well. It's not required for anything in the story so far.

Another minor thing. Just because you point out a lazy writer trope doesn't make it less cheap if you use them yourself later anyway.

I liked how Zoey is able to defuse Ryker's threats just with hopelessness. I could really relate to this state of numb despair where you don't really want to die but you don't have anything to live for either so just drift with the flow but are not scared by death anymore. What annoyed me was that later on when she was again in a similarly hopeless situation tied to a radiator expecting abuse, rape and torture and she believed the only other person that kept her afloat dead she didn't react in a similar way at all. She didn't try or even plan to escape through her own or at least mutual death for the bastard responsible. That entire thing felt all wrong to me.

The ending was pretty abrupt and I can imagine that this might be quite frustrating for readers without fast access to the next book.
I won't continue the series. I just never became all that interested in the world or the entire DMG business. In the end I only cared about seeing how (hopefully) Zoey grows and where the relationship to Ryker might go. ( )

I stumbled across this book randomly and thought I would give it a try. OMG I was not disappointed! Loved it!

The plot was action-packed and drove me to keep reading...as in finished it in a day...and could not/did not want to put it down. It has a good amount of darkness in the plot with a post-apocalyptical setting, and some darker situations, which pushes what would otherwise be a young adult story to a solid new adult story. As usual though while the plot was well done, it was the characters that really did it for me.

I loved Zoey and Ryker's characters and that they both had awesome levels of badassness. Also, Ryker= muscled ferocious growly protective VIKING FAE...ENOUGH SAID! Their relationship is a slow burn that develops throughout the book and at a pace that actually makes sense since it is stemming from the enemies to lovers trope (which I won't lie, I am a sucker for). I also freaking loved the addition of Sprigg to the plot, since he added the right level of comical relief and a little bit of cuteness.

Cannot wait to start the next book!! ( )

My original City In Embers audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Zoey, a tough and independent young woman, who has learned to fight for herself growing up in various foster homes, is a Collector working for a secret part of the government called the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG). Together with her co-worker Daniel, with whom Zoey is desperately in love although he is considerably older and hasn't been reciprocating her advances, they track and collect fae. However, when Seattle is devastated by a powerful, magical electrical storm, Zoey's entire life changes, as she finds herself thrown together with Ryker, who is a Wanderer, a merciless and intimidating fae. Ryker hates humans. Zoey catches fae. Not a promising basis for a functioning relationship that both of them suddenly have to rely on.

City in Embers started out a bit strange in the way the characters, their backgrounds, and the world around them were introduced. It sort of threw you into the action and then took a step back, which was confusing at first, but in hindsight, actually worked well with regards to the plot development. I knew I had to listen to the second book long before finishing this one. I became so enthralled with the characters, the dystopian setting (cleverly linked to the author's Darkness series), and the mystery surrounding the DMG, Daniel and Zoey. I loved Sprig, the talking, narcoleptic monkey fae! His obsession with honey, his love for his cuddly toy, and some of his remarks were just absolutely adorable and so funny. There is no insta-love in this and no love triangle. Instead, there is a totally enthralling budding romance with a lot of sexual tension. Age wise, I think this is New Adult material and should appeal to anybody who enjoys paranormal romances. I've previously listened to Stacey Marie Brown's Darkness series. If you enjoyed that series, you are bound to love this one, too.

The narration by Amy Landon was excellent. She was a very good fit for Zoey, and I was happy with her male voices, too. Good acting, in particular when voicing Sprig, without overdoing it. Nice pacing and delivery. There were no problems with the quality of the audio production.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )

Collector, Zoey Daniels’, life shifts after Seattle is destroyed by an electrical storm, and she becomes tied to a Fae Wanderer named Ryker.

City in Embers is a fast-paced and imaginative book that I could not put down.

Zoey is a wonderful heroine. Raised in foster homes, she had a tough life. She does what she has to in order to persevere. She is a survivor. She is often underestimated, which goes to her advantage. My heart went out to her. She is an easy character to cheer for.

I enjoyed getting to know Ryker. He is the ultimate alpha male. He is strong both physically and mentally. He is a complex character that we discover a lot about during the story.

The dynamics between Zoey and Ryker throughout the novel was interesting. They start out as enemies and due to circumstances, they need to work together. They end up having a lot in common despite one being human and the other Fae.

I love Sprig. He adds a lot of humor to the story. I could totally picture the cute little monkey sprite. He seems like an adorable creature that would be great to snuggle with.

The plot was incredible. It takes place when The Electrical Current Storm from Darkness of Light (Darkness, #1) hits Seattle. I appreciated reading about what the people of Seattle had experienced as a result of that storm. The occurrence was a clever spin off into this series. City in Embers is well-written and full of unexpected twist. I look forward to the next book in the series, The Barrier Between.

Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
City in Embers" is about Zoey Daniels an orphan who has been bounced around in foster homes her whole life. After high school, she is hired by DMG (Department of Molecular Genetics. DMG discovers a hidden talent in Zoey. She can see Fae. She is hired as a "collector" Her job is to catch Fae so they can be tested and experimented on to save human life.

Then an electrical storm hits Seattle and turns it into a apocalyptic nightmare. Something very strange happens to Zoey and her life changes. She also meets Ryker and finds out the truth. Their journey will change everything.

This book had a lot of twists and turns. I did not expect what happened to Zoey. This book had strong characters. Also some humorous moments courtesy of Sprite. The changing relationship between Ryker and Zoey was believable. (I hate in when characters "instantly' fall in love at first sight without getting to know each othe ( )