'From Embers' is set in a world where supernatural creatures rule the Earth, with humans having retreated underground. When a war between the supernaturals and the humans threatens to break out, protagonist Jai-Jai finds herself joining a diverse group of characters on a mission to stop another apocalypse. Her past, however, is not what it seems. Will the group be able to save the world?

I have to admit, I was preparing for major clichés when I read the description. The execution of this story, however, was very well done! The worldbuilding is very good, introducing interesting backstories and races of supernaturals, which strengthens the story greatly. I also loved how the story was able to keep itself intriguing, only feeding us bits and pieces to keep us interested in the secrets that haven't yet come to light.

I found the characters to be interesting too. The group, and other characters like the Madin family, have a nice chemistry and the dynamics between the different characters are also well done. I can appreciate how all of them seem to have distinct voices, too; the Scottish accents of the elven twins, for example, really do serve to make them stand out. But even aside from the voices, the dialogue is strong, which is also a big pro.

The GPS starts out well, but I found the quality to be decreasing the more of the story I read, as if the editing got sloppier along the way. I'd recommend some more editing, though the mistakes are minor and don't interrupt the flow of the story that much. In terms of style, I was also fond of the nice descriptions; especially the first few chapters did a good job at painting vivid images in the reader's imagination.

A surprisingly entertaining read, overall!

Rating: 8,5!