As is often the case, I requested a review copy of this title only to realize that it was the second in a series. However, even though some of the relationships were not as clear to me as they would have been had I read the first book, the story stood on its own pretty well.

Arya has just become the Aether which is a witch who can control earth, air, fire and water. She must free her captured friends which leads her through a variety of situations while trying to deal with witch hunters, the arbitrary decisions of the gods and betrayal from other witches.

I really enjoyed getting to know Arya—she is strong and determined even though she is in a situation where she feels overwhelmed and untrained. Her boyfriend, the god Chaos, has her back and they have a great partnership. Their relationship is hot and steamy, but it fits with the plot, and isn’t just thrown in for the sake of it. The pacing is mostly good, although there are a couple of parts where things slow down and draw out just a bit more than they need to.

I plan to read the first book in the series and will look forward to the next. ( )

If you were expecting a slow-burn of action right from the start as I was based on the previous book, then you’d be sorely disappointed. However, Spark and Ember is far from disappointing. Instead, Sercia opens the second installment with suspense and angst as Arya must embark on a new journey, seemingly alone. As the Coven Seekers, the new danger, emerges and threatens her whole world, twists and turns will shock you; especially when you find who the real villain actually is behind it all and why. How much will Arya sacrifice to save everything she loves? Sercia continues to weave her literary spell of making us not want to put the book down until we’re done. It is an adventure to continue to see through the eyes of Arya, see how she reacts to situations she’s constantly being put into/through, as well as seeing how she grows and develops based on what drives her to succeed. ( )