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.

Box a

Seriously? Smalls is alive?

(Before you send flaming darts and other things at me, please note that I rated this book 4/5 and not lower. I enjoyed it, just not fanatically.)

I can't help but wonder if Mr. Smith failed to anticipate the success of his first book and found himself written into several corners by the time it came to write the sequel(s). We see some remediation attempts with his two intervening short stories that paint some background, generate some cash flow and answer some previously unanswered questions.

My main complaint is consistent in this series: the near-constant frenetic action leaves no room for either the characters or the reader to breathe. I'm sure someone will set me straight, but it appears the events of this book all take place in something over 84 hours. Of non-stop hopping and slashing and plotting and blowing things up. Lots of great action and excitement, but when do the characters (and readers) breathe?

And that leads me to my second complaint. When the "bad guys" are just about the only ones who kill their enemies and the "good guys" frequently only knock out their enemies or bind them or forgive them and set them free (only to be betrayed later on), the "good guys" don't look heroic or noble, they look foolish for not fully eliminating the threat.

There's already a disclaimer in the book's front-matter:

Bunny discretion advised: May contain scenes of violence against rabbits.

When the stakes are this high, the "good guys" sometimes need to kill the "bad guys".

Just saying. ( )

What a glorious story! Each Green Ember book has gotten steadily better in its storytelling and pacing, and its world has grown both vaster and more richly layered. I enjoyed the earlier books, but Ember Rising is truly an achievement.

One of my favorite aspects of this book, and really the series as a whole, is that small, weak, and seemingly marginal rabbits have their heroic roles to play as well—not just the frontline soldiers, kings, and princesses. Everyone is called to their “little work,” as Emma wisely says, which has its part among all the thousands of others in the great Story.

And so many interesting characters, both male and female! Harmony, Heyna, wonderful Helmer. WEEZIE. So many backstories I’d love to see explored in future novellas. ;)

The violence in this book is grimmer, and there are more chilling moments (perhaps for adult readers even more than for children). But the tender moments ring truer as well.

And the ending...!

The next installment can’t come quickly enough. And I do hope it won’t be the last. ( )