3.5 starsEmber is being marketed as a prequel to Kristen Callihan’s debut novel Firelight. Ember doesn’t really feel like a prequel per se, instead it is more of a companion book that fills in some of the gaps in Firelight. As many reviewers have already said, Ember is more like the bonus and deleted scenes from Firelight. How should you read this series? Ember first or Firelight first? I think I had a richer reading experience because I read Firelight first, then Ember. I was already familiar with the characters and a little of the background and I wanted more.Ember gives the reader a lot of background information. It feels a little disjointed at times because it skips between 1879 and 1881 a lot. It works if you are already a fan and need to know more about Archer and Miranda.And Archer… *swoon*… What a man. What a life. Archer’s story is expanded and the reader sees the lengths of his quest for a cure. Meanwhile Miranda is almost always in his dreams and some of those dreams are hot and steamy. Miranda’s fire talent is also explored as well as her family’s descent into poverty. Ember also details her relationship with Martin. Throughout this short novella, Miranda can’t stop thinking about Archer. The actual story portion of Ember is only 65 pages long. Included in Ember are teaser chapters for Firelight and Moonglow (August 1, 2012). Kristin Callihan is a talented writer and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a review copy of this book.