The best installment in the Green Ember Series yet. Heroic, soulful, and inspirational, Ember Rising has ascended to the top of my list of recommendations for children and adults alike. --Jaime Showmaker, Storyformed The most intense and thrilling Green Ember adventure yet! It has the same spectacular action and soul-sweet beauty we have come to expect from S. D. Smith's fantastic tales, but here all is amplified. In Ember Rising, The Green Ember Series truly soars! --Jamin Still, painter, author, Ellen and the Winter Wolves From the Inside Flap Hope for a healing Work for the mending Fight for the rising The best installment in the Green Ember Series yet. Heroic, soulful, and inspirational, Ember Rising has ascended to the top of my list of recommendations for children and adults alike. --Jaime Showmaker, Storyformed The most intense and thrilling Green Ember adventure yet! It has the same spectacular action and soul-sweet beauty we have come to expect from S. D. Smith's fantastic tales, but here all is amplified. In Ember Rising, The Green Ember Series truly soars! --Jamin Still, painter, author, Ellen and the Winter Wolves A harrowing adventure inside enemy territory. Heather and Picket are plunged into the darkness of Morbin's shadow, fighting to bear the flame of the cause and light the way for rabbitkind's upright insurrection. Hope for a healing Work for the mending Fight for the rising The best installment in the Green Ember Series yet. Heroic, soulful, and inspirational, Ember Rising has ascended to the top of my list of recommendations for children and adults alike. --Jaime Showmaker, Storyformed The most intense and thrilling Green Ember adventure yet! It has the same spectacular action and soul-sweet beauty we have come to expect from S. D. Smith's fantastic tales, but here all is amplified. In Ember Rising, The Green Ember Series truly soars! --Jamin Still, painter, author, Ellen and the Winter Wolves A harrowing adventure inside enemy territory. Heather and Picket are plunged into the darkness of Morbin's shadow, fighting to bear the flame of the cause and light the way for rabbitkind's upright insurrection. S. D. Smith lives in West Virginia with his wife and four children. Smith creates new stories with an old soul from his writer's shed, The Forge. Sam loves his family, soccer, Africa, walks, chocolate chip cookies, and the sound of a perfect high five. Read more
Features & Highlights
A harrowing adventure inside enemy territory. Heather and Picket are plunged into the darkness of Morbin's shadow, fighting to bear the flame of the cause and light the way for rabbitkind's upright insurrection.
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
★★★★★
60%
(1.9K)
★★★★
25%
(790)
★★★
15%
(474)
★★
7%
(221)
★
-7%
(-221)
Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
3.0
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Not for the very young
I struggled with how to rate this book. It is well written and the story is well developed. I hope that he continues to write more books and do well.
I am giving it 3 stars because the Green Ember series has been advertised as a fun read aloud for the whole family. This book, Ember Rising, is quite a bit darker and more violent than the first two books. Without giving spoilers, parents should be aware that this book is more violent and involves much more intentional cruelty. There are villain sociopaths in this book who take great pleasure in hurting others. Starvation, slavery, depression, and a lot of fear are major themes.
This book has some great themes and ideas to explore for older children. If you feel your kids are too young for the later books in the Harry Potter series or the Hunger Games, you will want to hold off on this book for a while.
Thoroughly enjoyed this latest episode in the Green Ember series. Kudos to West Virginia author, S.D. Smith for another inspiring tale of adventure.
When I revealed its arrival to my kids, my 14 year old, actually jumped up and down with glee! It was all she could do not to tear it out of my hands and start reading. It did not disappoint: lots of loyal friendships, exciting battles and brave heroes. As someone else stated, this story will certainly cause you to consider where you came from and your purpose here. Both are wonderful questions to consider.
Some have said it's not for younger kids. There are a number of battle scenes, and the author doesn't shy away from main characters being injured. Great, brave heroes arise out of great villainy, that's part of what makes them so heroic. I do LOVE this series, but I'm not sure I'd read it to those under 7 or 8; it would depend on the child. Read it yourself and decide it's appropriateness for your own child.
For the rest of us - do your kids a favor: find a way to seal off the final chapter so they're not tempted to skip ahead. Ours is sealed until everyone is caught up (I finished first) and we can read it aloud together. It will definitely be worth the wait.
21 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Best children’s literature by far!!
We absolutely love the Green Ember Series and the great writing of S.D. Smith! I love his use of a broader vocabulary, better written than most adult books and yet kids can easily grasp the meaning and broaden their vocabulary too! The stories are filled with tension, excitement, danger, adventure, humor, heroism, redemption, humility, honor, and more!! This one is the most dark of the three, taking a glimpse of the ‘dark side’ so to speak. But it has sparked conversations with my kids to how wicked evil is and following a path of sin will lead to such darkness and destruction. And also how to remain true to truth and right when the world calls wrong, right and darkness, light. The story line is intricate and weaves in and around the characters, unfolding more as you read through the trilogy. And yet there is still more questions needing answers and truths unlocked, I’m sure the author will continue to reveal in the next book...hopefully!!! We await its arrival but for now, we may just re- read them all again, they are that good!!
19 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Ember Rising doesn’t disappoint!
Like the other books in the Ember series, Ember Rising is amazing! It is richly crafted, with the depth of character and plot we have come to anticipate from S.D. Smith. The book picks up where Ember Falls left off and carries us onward toward the vision of the Mended Wood. Filled with twists, turns, hills and valleys, we are taken on a wild adventure with Heather and Pickett as they face separate, but equally threatening forces against the cause. Along the way, we fall in love with new characters and are reacquainted with old ones that could never be forgotten. We weep as we watch in our mind’s eye the laying down of one’s life for a cause greater than any individual; we rejoice as the rabbits press on in the midst of the heartache and terror of the world they live in. All the while, looking to the restoration they know will one day come. There is no cost too high, no sacrifice too great, no danger too perilous, for these sword-wielding rabbits. The book has sparked many deep discussions with my children about loyalty, bravery, and of course, theology. Not that the book necessarily takes any theological stance, but one cannot help but draw the parallels. More than anything, it reminds us that this life is temporal and we live not for what we see, but for what we don’t yet see but have assurance of by faith. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
The book ends with a a shocking cliffhanger, (rivaling the “Who shot J.R.” level of suspense!) and as always, the sure hope that perseverance in the righteousness will one day overcome the evil of this world. Our family is eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series!
“For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.”
15 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Excellent story!
Third installment in the series and as always, it kept us on the edge of our seats. I've been reading aloud to my 8 and 6 year olds and we've all been sucked into this epic adventure. Fantastic storyline that keeps the rowdiest of boys engaged and mama sneaking ahead ;-)
7 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Fantastic!
My kids LOVE this book; it is a great addition to the series. You know it is a good book when they keep asking for the next one! "Rabbits?", you might ask. Well, the story draws you in and keeps you interested. Great characters and plot; teaches good morals. Nothing politically correct or questionable. I love that my kids can enjoy this author and his books without me having to worry about what they are reading.
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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It introduces some awesome new characters such as the Tunneller
First, a brief synopsis of the book.
Heather is brought to Akolan and imprisoned there while Picket and Helmer infiltrate the First Warren. Everything then narrows down to a incredible battle at the end.
I got the Kindle version of this book for $6.00 and after reading it I would have paid more. I would have given it 5 stars, but part of the target audience for this book was 8-10 year olds and it seemed to have more violence in it then the other books. The violence includes young rabbits being snatched by preylords for Morbin's rites as well as evil traitors torturing their prisoners (Gory details are not explained). Besides that, the story is incredible! It introduces some awesome new characters such as the Tunneller, Weezie, and Captain Moonshine. It also keeps on going with old favorites like Jo Shanks (My personal favorite), Picket, and Heather. All in all, this is no doubt a masterpiece worthy of 6 stars, but the violence and the intended audience force me too sadly give it 4 stars.
5 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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What kind of person do you want (your kids) to be?
Do you aim to be trustworthy, brave, kind, and a little less selfish every day? If that is your aim, read this book (and the series).
[A NOTE ABOUT CONTENT (for parents): This story is NOT too violent for children. It is tasteful and terrible, and Smith is a trustworthy guide through some difficult content, for you and your children. If you actually read (for example) the Bible to your children, if your children actually go out into the world, then this is the kind of story that you want in their hearts as they go.]
S. D. Smith continues his Green Ember saga as Picket and Heather go their separate ways into new territory, not only in terms of character growth, but we also get to venture with them into more of the world of Natalia: Akolan, First Warren, and more secret citadels. In the vein of Tolkien, we're invited into a story that has a history, maps, and feels lived-in.
Ember Rising introduces many new characters (not caricatures), which are woven into the tapestry of the entire world. Villains are given real motivations with real difficult choices. Heroes are given the same.
Similar to the previous stories in the series, Smith artfully weaves the narrative of the book into the greater narrative of the whole series. You never feel like a book is just a setup for another book (although we can't wait for the next story!), and each book has real, seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome, which are believably faced and... resolved by the characters. I can't imagine how difficult it is to write a believably "impossible" task to accomplish and to then have the characters (believably) overcome that task (without the help of the author sweeping in to the rescue).
There are genuine twists, pleasant surprises, and plenty of redemptive moments in this exciting story. I hope that more and more people discover this book (and series), because I want to live with people who live their real lives in the same way Picket, Heather, and Emma live.
4 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Good Book! But...
Overall, this book is outstanding. My favorite book in the series and I can't wait for the fourth installment.
However, I was noticing some serious similarities between this book and The Hunger Games trilogy.
Think about it...
In Ember Rising, the town of Akolan has "Districts" just like The Hunger Games. It has 6, but later, Heather discovers a "revolution" in the 7th district, a district that is kept secret (just like Hunger Games as well...).
Not to mention in Ember Rising, they are also taking children (bunny rabbit children) and they are being fed to Morbin (just like in Hunger Games, children and teens are being taken and forced to fight to the death).
Also, "Heather screamed" seems to be a popular sentence (not just in this book but in the rest of the series as well. Seems a little redundant...)
Besides the similarities between the two series', Ember Rising is a very good book and good storyline. Would recommend. Four Stars!
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Till the Green Ember Rises!
Smith’s Books continue to get better and better! My 9 year old has grown with these books. If he were only 6 he could not have handled the intensity. These books have actually helped him outgrow some of his fearful spirit and emboldened him.
These books are filled with great characters with character whom a child is likely to both identify with and want to grow into. I don’t want to give away any plot spoilers, so I won’t. We are already theorizing what the 4th book of the Green Ember series will bring about! My son jumped around for hours after we finished and kept saying, “I am still on about (character not named)! Why am I still on about (character not named)?”
We are Rabbit Fans! It is so hard to find excellent reading material for children these days full of truth and goodness. We supported the Kickstarter for this release and plan to do so for the next one!
If you have not read the first two books and two side stories, do that! They are fabulous, too!
