A brilliantly complex tale woven around generations tied to a particular stop on the underground railroad. Characters confront personal and communal trauma passed on through their stories of slavery and the hope of freedom. This book made me cry out loud.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It seemed right up my alley, and I was very excited to see how the Ancestors played a role throughout the generations. However, this book left me thoroughly bored and confused. The book jumps across people and timelines very dramatically, and it can be a bit tricky to follow. More so, each sub-story has plot points that aren’t important to next jump in time or main character.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a beautifully written book that connects several different characters through Whittaker House, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad. I liked how each chapter almost felt like its own little short story and the clever ways in which the characters all became interconnected with one another.

There are a few heavy topics in this book like slavery and sexual assault, but it is a definite recommend if you like character-driven books. It's one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.

Embers on the Wind is beautifully written. Spanning the generations, it cleanly mixes the stories of African American women who were connected to Whittaker House in Massachusetts, which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. As you would expect, a house with that kind of history definitely hosts a few spirits. The past has lasting effects on those of us in the present, and it can be clearly seen in this historical fiction novel.

Read this in one sitting. There's nothing better than a debut novel that captures your attention and imbues its readers with lessons they could never have been taught otherwise. Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and accurate. Drawing parallels between then and now, how much has truly changed? I was not expecting this novel to open my eyes the way it did but I am forever thankful for it. Beautiful.

I loved this book! It is a must read for every generation, beautifully written that ever piece of history came to life. There is so much heart in this book, written so you read it through the eyes of the author. This opened my mind to Kaye and Galen in the 21st century still reaching for that freedom. You have stop and ask yourself what does "Freedom" really look like? I have always known that my Dad is half native American and other half Spanish 3rd generation, my mom is white but that is all I knew till I did my DNA testing. Once I started digging into my Native American ancestors the sadder it got, it opened my eyes to so many questions. My research is still on going, I am looking at how they played apart in the Battle of Wounded Knee.

This story is told in multi-timelines but flows perfect, I love the fact that the women in this story have this gift of Obelisk or Sight. However, to Pam and Kaye is it a gift or curse?

The book is about women connected by motherhood, expends from 1850 to today and the history of the Whittaker house in Massachusetts that was apart of the underground railroad for freedom seekers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for copy of this book for my honest review.

Interesting read. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. To read more about important topics in the personal way a fiction spins it is always great.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

They were times while reading that it was well written and other times it was really hard to follow what in the world is going on. There was huge potential for this book to be great, but with the POV issue and some other things I had issues with, it could have been a better story in my opinion.

Lisa Williamson Rosenberg's Embers on the Wind is a wonderfully rich tapestry of characters, timelines, and plotlines. The Whittaker House, a home on the famous Underground Railroad connects them all. Multiple narratives explore the impact of the Inheritance of generational trauma. Neither the dead nor the living can forget, nor should we.

There are heroes, villains, and victims. We can feel their longing, hope, love, fear, anguish, anger, and confusion. There are many strong women of African American descent and I championed their causes, rooting for the underdogs, loving and grieving alongside each generation trying to make sense of both past and present.

Embers on the Wind reminds us that there are horrors in our history that we cannot escape but there are also acts of extreme bravery and compassion that are equally important. I highly recommend this informative and entertaining read.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

The book kept jumping around to where it was just a point of confusion for me. I had trouble keeping up with who was who and where the relations came in.
One of the many reasons I chose this book was the idea of learning about the Underground Railroad and how the families were connected. Not to be.
I was left feeling confused about the whole story.
Plus the way the writing is past tense but not much of and most is present tense told in diary form.
I'm very sorry but this book was a DNF for me
My thanks for a copy of this book I was. NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

First, I want to say that I did like this book. It was interesting and well written. However, I think my biggest problem with this book is that there were too many perspectives vying for space on the page and it made the novel unbalanced and messy. Every single character gets a chapter. Every one. Some of these perspectives could have been cut and the novel would have been stronger. Not only did every character get their own chapters, but the way everyone is linked is convulsing. The reader almost needs a map or to take notes to stay in control of who is who and how they're connected to the main story. The overarching story is weakened by having so many branches.

I didn't mind the paranormal elements of this book at all. My main issue is that I found it to all lack focus and I wished it was pared down to the story that mattered most.

This was a book about houses and ghosts and families... but underneath it was actually a book about family legacies and generational trauma. Beautiful and haunting. I'll remember this book for a long time. The constant jumping in time from short chapter to short chapter was a little frustrating. I wanted more time and development in each chapter. Overall, a great option as we head into autumn and Halloween season.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

A truly stunning ghost story. From the very first seance scene, I was hooked. While at times it was difficult to keep track of all the characters and timelines at times, I actually felt that this added to the feeling of intertwined history that plays such a big role in the story. This was really everything I could have asked for and more in a novel.

Upon reflection, there are two things that stand out:
1) This book seems a lot longer than 210 pages, but not in a particularly bad way. There are many POVs, and many layers between the living and the unsettled ghosts.
2) This story of a former home which would offer temporary shelter for the freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad route, which is now a B&B sounds compelling. The storyline of Timothy and Birdie was by far my absolute favourite. I could have read a whole book of just this young boy and his protective apparition.


I think my least favourite part of the book was the back and forth between the years. I can get past the many characters throughout, but the back and forth, jumping around from 2019, 1983, 2018, 2015, 1850 was just too much for me. At the beginning, I was very aware of the characters & years of every chapter, but about half way through I just gave up. Perhaps if I would have been more diligent, I would have loved it more.


Overall, the story was absolutely intriguing, I just wasn’t keen on the layout.
3 stars

Embers on the Wind is an oral story passed down from generation to generation. However, if one had visited Whittaker house in Massachusetts, they would be enraptured by the spirits of the runaway female slave and her infant daughter.

Or, if they ventured into the yard and to the root cellar, they would hear and feel the spirits of all the slaves that perished down there. Down there in the tiny, cramped space, room supposed to be for no more than 3, crammed dozens. (Because the Pattyrollers were constantly on watch sometimes the previous runaways could not move, this is why so many slaves were packed in the root cellar.) Either they died from sickness, or they died from the fire that fateful night.

Williamson Rosenberg brings a very compelling novel into what happens when African Americans begin searching for their true identity. When they stop leaving their fate to oral history alone, and lets scientific facts prove their case.

Such as the case with Dominique, whose Maman refused to accept that there was any African heritage within their blood. Saying they were only Canadian and French because she did not like African Americans.

I will admit this book was thoroughly confusing. A true head spinner in the best way possible though.

Thankfully, I have a copy and can reread this book properly and dissect it piece by piece, the way it deserves.

This book was extremely well written, however, to gather all the names, combine the past family members who are related to the present, is all a little mind boggling.

I thought I was Ok until we got to Timothy/Galen/Dominique, those 3 mixed with the past went straight over my head.

I had to pause and think “WTF DID I JUST READ?” HOLD ON!

Williamson Rosenberg’s book is amazingly well crafted, and she is truly a talented writer. I will be sure to have my highlighter ready next time I reread it.

This book was so heartbreaking, as so many stories are of slavery, underground railroads, and the struggle for freedom.

How many tears are actually shed by African Americans when we read these types of novels, knowing what our ancestors have gone through.

But still so many questions, go unanswered.

Who we really are will always remain a mystery, unless we have millions of dollars and can do a full genealogical analysis. If not, we will always remain Unknown!

But that may be for the better, sometimes ignorance is bliss! The unknown keeps you safe, knowing sometimes does more harm than good.

Who knows?

Excellent read!

KUDOS WILLIAMSON ROSENBERG!!!

TAKE MY HAND, LET’S BE LIKE EMBERS ON THE WIND, LET’S LEAVE THIS PLACE!

Thank you NetGalley/Lisa Williamson Rosenberg/ Little A/ For this eARC. In exchange for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Embers on the Wind is a beautiful and heart-wrenching turn pager! I will admit that the beginning was a little hard for me to get into as I wasn’t understanding, but the story picked up in such a way that it was hard to put down! The story follows different timelines and characters, which at times becomes a little confusing. It was fascinating to see how the characters related to each other through their history. We can feel the characters’ pain and longing through the author’s words. I really enjoyed the ghost and spiritual aspect of the story, and the way it helps tie everything together!

This was a 4 star read for me, just because it was a little challenging to keep track of the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Little A for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I picked up this book and it did not let go until I got to the emotionally powerful end. My only wish is that it came with a trigger warning because it hits hard even as I expected some of it from the fact that it deals with slavery.
At once a ghost story and a story of trauma, it tells the stories of several women who are tied together by horrific events that most aren't even aware of but that impact every aspect of their lives. It's a gripping story that takes you through different eras where the only thing in common is that women suffer, African-American women all the more so.
The author's masterful writing creates a connective thread long before the story reveals it and it connects the reader to the story as much as it does the characters within it. I felt them all breathe within the pages and it made everything that they go through feel that much closer to me.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Little A for the engrossing early read!

I was drawn into this novel from the first page. The intertwined stories of motherhood, loss, enslavement, and inter generational trauma pulled me in deeply. I thought about the stories during, in between, and after finishing the novel. This novel will be an excellent choice for book discussions.

Dominique, a single mother following her Grand’ Mere's stories to Whittaker House in search of an ancestor; Michelle, Dominique’s lover, who has journeyed to the Berkshire Mountains to heal her own traumas; and Kaye, Michelle’s sister, a seer whose visions reveal the past and future secrets of the former safehouse along with her own.

For each of them, true liberation can come only from uncovering their connection to history and to the spirits awaiting peace and redemption within the walls of Whittaker House.

Excellent read! I really enjoyed the combination of history and the supernatural. The characters are vivid and rich and I really liked how they were connected! There are many layers to this story. Multiple timelines, past and present, characters and hops they all connect. It hops around quite a bit and is a little confusing at times trying to keep track of all the people and time period. Even with that it was an interesting and unique story about strength, resilience, love and finding yourself!

An unexpected ghost story. Deep and full of feelings.

This story makes me wonder, though. Is it a house that is haunted? Or the memories?

The house I grew up in was the original limestone homestead house, built in the 1800s. I know generations of people died in the house. Other relations swear it's haunted, but I never saw or felt anything odd. My cousin, on the other hand, never liked being in the house. I still often wonder if it isn't just the weight of memories within the house that make people feel like there are spirits within in. Like the history of a house, of a people, are somehow heavy within a place. Like perhaps the history lives on.

It certainly does in this book, a well-crafted tale about finding yourself and your family heritage and the ghosts that haunt you. Told in a quick series of time jumps in short chapters through many different voices, the narrative is hauntingly beautiful and perfect for autumn.

"...the results from Kaye's DNA test arrive by email. Kaye knew it was a shady idea: to spit into a little vial and send it off to a company that would forever have access to her genetic material. But thanks in part to her recent visions, curiosity defeats prudence." (76)