Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
Def: Pyromania - a mental derangement, excitement, or excessive enthusiasm for fire.
Ember Fury - Londoner, punk princess, and aspiring artist - finds herself on a plane from Heathrow to L.A. Her mother has died, leaving Ember with her estranged father, Lyndon Fury (rock-star royalty), and her newly acquired step-mum (who she is not particularly fond of).
Ember brings a lot of baggage with her - emotionally draining baggage. She has never really dealt with her mother's death, and is angry with her father for leaving. To cope, Ember develops an obsession with fire - an obsession that quickly spirals out of control.
She also creates an imaginary friend, Ned, who whisks her off to London, circa the 1940's, when things get too hard to handle.
Ember does not adjust well to Hollywood living. The plastic, Barbie-doll girls try to initiate Ember into their group, but those attempts go down in flames. Ember also meets a cute, punk boy named Finn, who turns out to be a player in sheep's clothing.
Through it all, Ember maintains a nonchalant, don't-give-a-crap attitude; pretending not to care about anyone, including herself. Then, she hits rock bottom, and Ember has to figure out how to pull herself up out of the void.
Cathy Brett has written a fresh, funky story that is part graphic novel, film script, diary, sketchbook, and blog. I think teen readers will appreciate the diversity this novel offers. It was definitely a fun book to read!
I am looking forward to Brett's forthcoming novel, SCARLETT DEDD. Ms. Brett is actually running a contest to help promote the new novel. Check out her blog at www.emberfury.co.uk to see how you can become an illustrated character in SCARLETT DEDD!
Def: Pyromania - a mental derangement, excitement, or excessive enthusiasm for fire.
Ember Fury - Londoner, punk princess, and aspiring artist - finds herself on a plane from Heathrow to L.A. Her mother has died, leaving Ember with her estranged father, Lyndon Fury (rock-star royalty), and her newly acquired step-mum (who she is not particularly fond of).
Ember brings a lot of baggage with her - emotionally draining baggage. She has never really dealt with her mother's death, and is angry with her father for leaving. To cope, Ember develops an obsession with fire - an obsession that quickly spirals out of control.
She also creates an imaginary friend, Ned, who whisks her off to London, circa the 1940's, when things get too hard to handle.
Ember does not adjust well to Hollywood living. The plastic, Barbie-doll girls try to initiate Ember into their group, but those attempts go down in flames. Ember also meets a cute, punk boy named Finn, who turns out to be a player in sheep's clothing.
Through it all, Ember maintains a nonchalant, don't-give-a-crap attitude; pretending not to care about anyone, including herself. Then, she hits rock bottom, and Ember has to figure out how to pull herself up out of the void.
Cathy Brett has written a fresh, funky story that is part graphic novel, film script, diary, sketchbook, and blog. I think teen readers will appreciate the diversity this novel offers. It was definitely a fun book to read!
I am looking forward to Brett's forthcoming novel, SCARLETT DEDD. Ms. Brett is actually running a contest to help promote the new novel. Check out her blog at www.emberfury.co.uk to see how you can become an illustrated character in SCARLETT DEDD!
