Really fun middle school appropriate romance action adventure accounting the beginning of Halloween. Captivating villains, chivalrous heroes, and a strong competent heroine makes for a compelling read.

First off, my FAVORITE element of this book was the all hallow's eve steampunk vibes it was giving off, but whether due to the strangely comical nature of the characters and the moments that felt like a parody of horror, I couldn't shake the feeling that of wanting it to be scarier and less cheesy. I guess what I'm saying is...it was too light and happen for me. I like characters to suffer a bit more and for there to deep bone-cutting tension when it comes to the stakes, but for me, this just didn't do it.

Loved the steampunk Halloween vibe of this one and the characters were so fun and entertaining. I kinda wish it didn’t give the impression of being a creepy scary story it didn’t come off that way for me but I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to early YA readers and I think even middle grade readers would have a lot of fun with this one.

This is a fast-paced read. I loved the Halloween vibe. I went into this book not knowing much about it and think that this added to my enjoyment

This was a fun, fast-paced, and easy read! I loved Jack and Ember! They were fun characters! The writing was very well-done, and I loved the paranormal aspects in the novel. There were also some surprisingly spooky scenes that I enjoyed. Overall, I really enjoyed, and I recommend this for fans of Neil Gaimen, Jonathan Stroud, and Jonathan Auxier!

My Review: This was such an amazing retelling of Sleepy Hollow! I could not put it down! I loved how the author weaved the story in a new aspect and gave us a creepy but beautiful story. I loved all the characters and the setting and just everything about it. If you haven't read this story you should becuase this is one of this author's best!

I will say that this one has a love triangle but never fear!! The author does a great job with it! I have to say that other than Cassandra Clare and the Clockwork series this is one of the best love triangles I've read. It was a love triangle but also a slow burn.

I love how the characters were kind of mysterious but also fearless. There were all sorts of creatures and beings and each one was just so well done. The writing was so well done. You could see how the author has strengthed her writing and this story had so much depth.

I loved this book and would highly recommend it to all. It brings to life the origin of Halloween in stunning fashion that was simply unputdownable.
The Lantern’s Ember was a phenomenal book that I knew I had to read since it is by a stunning author. Not to mention the cover is breathtaking. And I am so glad did. The tale that unfolded in this book was gorgeously thrilling and I could not set the book down. The book was filled with a wild array of characters and the world-building was unique to say the least.

"The Lantern's Ember" was a wonderful surprise. It's a standalone that manages to pack in an elaborate world, mythology, and romance that most series take three books to accomplish. Nothing feels rushed and the ending is satisfying, at least in my opinion. It's the perfect Halloween read. Recommended.

This book was a true pleasure to read. The gothic/steampunk-y feel to it lent such magic to the story. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves Halloween, October, or anything slightly steampunk.

I am a huge fan of Colleen Houck and when I heard she was writing a stand-alone, I knew I had to read it.

This is a wonderfully spooky Halloween read, encompassing Sleepy Hallow and other various creepy Halloween beings and stories.

This book had INCREDIBLE descriptions. I loved the rich world and prose and I really felt like I could live in the story. It was hard to put down, which I am sure comes as a surprise to no one, but this was my first book by the author and it was amazing. I am so happy I picked it up! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher!

I had high hopes for this, considering I love all things spooky and Halloween-y. I even recently got to take a day trip to Salem, MA and do some sightseeing! Even that perfect atmosphere couldn't quite salvage the reading experience for me, though. I gave The Lantern's Ember to about the 50% mark, but I found myself unable to get invested in Jack, Ember, or their journey. The writing was a little pedestrian and the plot (so far I as got) was fairly predictable. I did love the world that Houck was building, I just never got to feel like I was a part of it.

Great book!

The cover is absolutely stunning (I bought a copy for my bookshelf because it's just beautiful!) and the book lives up to the expectation of magic and mystery in the world around us. There's good world building while remaining fairly believable.

I had high hopes for this book, and I think that may actually be where my problem is stemming from. From the cover, and the synopsis, I was expecting this incredibly spooky eerie story. I grew up around the area of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, NY so I think that these books normally pique my interest more than others. But while I was expecting this totally Halloween vibe story, the eerie and supernatural elements weren't bold enough for me.

At the beginning of the book, I was totally hooked. While we are still in NY and Jack is explaining all the supernatural elements that live around us in plain sight. I love the idea that we are surrounded by the supernatural without even knowing it. And the integration of the headless horseman! Perfect. But as soon as Ember and Jack traveled to the Otherworld, I found myself losing interest

That being said, if you are more in the mood for a portal fantasy, with interesting world building, and romance, then The Lantern's Ember is for you. It's just not what I was expecting. There were all sorts of really interesting and intriguing side characters, but they didn't have as much air time as the main ones. That being said, would I read a whole book about Jack and his past? For sure.

Oh I am happy to have read this in October because my heart is bursting with the spooks surrounding this story!

“The Lantern’s Ember” manages to intertwine urban legends, movie monsters and the Otherworld giving us the story of Jack, a once mortal man now bound to a pumpkin whose deal with the devil makes him the keeper of all things that go bump in the night and when his path crosses with the new witch in town he is determined to keep her out of harm's way by those creatures who would kill for a taste of what her magic could offer.

This was magical and mixed with the authors lyrical prose and clever word play, it made for a very quick and easy read. I enjoyed it even if it was pretty predictable.

I am a huge fan of Colleen Houck’s work. This was a nice twist on Sleepy Hollow, with some other fantasy creatures making appearances as well. Spooky and fun!

A very cute and light stand-alone (yay!) reimagining of the Jack-o-lantern story and how Halloween traditions like candy giving and costuming came to be. It started out slow but picks up once Ember passes the portal to the Otherworld. A very fun read.

*Left review on Goodreads and Amazon

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. While I liked the concept the random Sleepy Hollow push became a little cheesy and annoying. The writing was clean, flowed well, and overall enjoyable. I simply didn't like the lantern as a character. I had very little empathy for him because he seemed like a whingy teenager - whining then being angry then being in love and I guess I see enough of that in real life I don't need to read about it. Plot line was good, I enjoyed the idea of the "otherworld" and the guardians. Just wasn't a page turner and couldn't keep my attention.

3.75 This book was a great book to read for the Halloween season. It incorporates such things such as Legend of Sleepy Hollow,Frankenstein and the origins of Halloween as relating to this story. The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and is what drew me to the book originally. I had difficulty getting into the book and was about halfway in before I was following it well. The main focus of this book follows a young witch named Ember and a Lantern named Jack who is guardian of the gate to the Otherworld. I found the story choppy at times and the relationships Ember had with different characters weren’t built up enough and she suddenly is friends with this person she just met and follows them. This book is rated for teen/young adult but a person would need a dictionary to look up the words the author uses quite frequently. The ending was satisfying but felt a little choppy as well. Overall I’m glad I read this book but it could have been so much better.

This was a very cute story that made my Halloween-loving heart happy. I found it very different from Colleen’s other books, although it shares excellent world building. The steampunk tie-in was super fun, as were the references to traditional Halloween symbols and monsters.

The romance was innocent and sweet. This book is definitely appropriate for younger audiences of voracious readers. I fell for Ember and Jack, and I think you will, too.