The Embers of Heaven

Jin-Shei #2

by Alma Alexander

In The Secrets of Jin-Shei, eight women pledge themselves as sisters in the name of jin-shei, the unbreakable bond, the promise that lasts a lifetime. This sisterhood shapes their lives, their country and their world. The Embers of Heaven begins four hundred years later. In eighteenth-century Syai, and its capital city of Linh-an, things have changed beyond recognition.

On the face of it, women are more equal than they have ever been. But the men run the machines, the factories, and the technology. Women have lost the ability to weave their fates and influence the course of events. The foundation of an empire once rested on jin-shei and its customs. It connected women from every walk of life and formed a bond that empowered every woman who swore the oath. The advancement of printing, the developments of technology and the changes in society seem to have improved the daily lives of the underclass, but women have been stripped of this sacred pact.

Amais is heir to her poet-ancestress's manuscripts and journals. The journals are all in jin-ashu, the women's tongue, taught sketchily to Amais by her mother. Amais has the clear vision of an outsider looking in. Combined with her deep and instinctive bond to her ancestors and her culture, she determines to reinvent the Women's Country and bring the jin-shei back. But just as her crusade begins, she and her family are caught up in the whirlwind of the Golden Rising – a people's revolution that is fated to destroy much that was once valuable, gracious and beautiful.

Source: LoveReading.co.uk

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, China, Novels, Literature

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alma Alexander is a scientist by education, duchess by historical accident, and an author who has written more than a score of novels, including 'The Secrets of Jin-shei', published in dozens of editions and languages around the world.

Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life.

Her latest novels include 'Val Hall', a series about a retirement home for Superheroes, Third Class; 'Embers of Heaven' a Jin-shei follow-up; 'Empress', a love story; and 'Midnight at Spanish Gardens'.

Coming in July is 'The Second Star', a novel about the big eternal questions – about who, or what, God is; about our own immortal souls and their salvation; what it really means to be human; and whether it is possible to go out to where the monsters dwell and expect to come home again unchanged. It is a story of how humans meet the stars, and find themselves there.

Her YA include the four-book Worldweavers series, and 'The Were Chronicles' trilogy.

Her work has been translated into 14 languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan.

She is currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.

She lives in Bellingham, WA, with her husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.

Visit her website/blog at www.AlmaAlexander.org or AlmaAlexanderAuthor.com , like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-A...

Reviews

[Ginger Myrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal acquaintances know that I am a literary omnivore and can find books to enjoy in several different genres. That being said, I am a person who does not like to waste her time, therefore I am extremely picky about my choices. My preferred reading material is historical fiction, so it was a pretty safe bet that I would like this book. But I think I should preface this review by also stating that I am exceptionally fond of historical epics, such as those written by James Michener and James Clavell, and I have always had a fascination with Asian cultures and the idea of fulfilling a destiny. I ADORED Shogun, Tai-pan, Memoires of a Geisha, and I watch every subtitled Chinese film I can get my hands on. Furthermore, I am a huge fan of Ayn Rand, one of my all-time favorite books being We The Living in which the heroine struggles to come to terms with the concept of communism in the midst of a revolution. EMBERS OF HEAVEN put me in the mind of all of those things (I mean that as the highest of compliments!) and exceeded any expectation I could have held.

EMBERS OF HEAVEN is a work of historical fantasy set in Syai (an alternate China) in the mid-twentieth century during a transitional age between the old and new systems of rule. Amais is the protagonist who has been groomed her entire life by her grandmother, an exiled relic of the Imperial era, for the task of reviving jin-shei. Amais accepts her destiny and returns to her ancestral homeland determined to find the revered sisterhood and everything it entails. There she experiences disillusionment, regret, purpose, fulfillment, and love in all of its forms.

Iloh and Xuan are the two men vying for Amias’s affections. Iloh is revolutionary leader of the Golden Rising and her first love, and Xuan is a chance encounter who becomes co-conspirator and steadfast husband who only wants to keep her from harm. Although the relationship between Amais and Iloh is a constant presence and an entity in itself throughout, in all fairness, I am not sure that the amatory elements between Amais and her male interests are as strong or pervasive as readers of romantic novels have grown to expect. This did not bother ME in the least. There were so many other examples of love and human interaction that I was never bored and looked forward to the turning of each new page. But there is another element of romance that dominates the entire book—the romance of a bygone age—which Alexander brings to life in glorious fashion.

Alma Alexander is not a writer, she is a poet. Her writing is lyrical and mesmerizing, evoking a dreamy, otherworldly feel. Her scenes are so beautifully wrought that, due the sheer musicality of her writing, I often had trouble reading the words through the tears in my eyes. She realistically captures the passionate zeal and fervor for the concept of idealism, cunningly set against the backdrop of harsh and sometimes brutal reality of rebellion, but also provides a constant reminder that even in the throes of destruction, we are capable of great humanity. Hope, promise, and the sacred, unspoken bonds of humankind can be summed up by this one quote from the book:

“No matter what they put you through, when they break your body or poison your mind—if you can hold on to a single warm memory that you treasure, it can be your passage back to the world of light. Those memories are the embers of heaven, and from them life and love can kindle again.”
-The Song of the Nightingale

EMBERS OF HEAVEN was a privilege to read and a pleasure to review. The writing took care of itself. I simply did my best to reflect the quality of the work and convey how much the book moved me. Alma Alexander is the REAL talent here! I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, romantic or otherwise. I eagerly look forward to reading THE SECRETS OF JIN-SHEI, the first book of the series.

Thanks to the author for providing an ebook. I was not monetarily compensated for my review.

[CA · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5
Que manera de arruinar una historia interesante con un romance que da urticaria.
A partir de del momento en que ambos se conocen la historia se pierde completamente, Iloh es presentado como un personaje fuerte pero su desarrollo es nulo, el libro tiene tintes políticos fuertes pero que no llevan a nada y Amais que es el personaje mejor descrito porque estamos con ella el 80% de la historia se siente incompleta porque la historia que en los primeros capítulos se nos promete se queda olvidada en el camino.

Problemente la autora no se dió cuenta que el primer tercio del libro y los siguiente 2/3 no juntaban ni pegaban.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Embers of Heaven is a historical fantasy, set in an alternate China (called Syai) in the twentieth century and dealing with the triumph of Communism and the Cultural Revolution. The book follows Amais, whose family left Syai hundreds of years ago for what appears to be Greece, but who returns to her homeland with her mother and sister just in time for these dramatic events. The exile community (like some similar communities in real life) has kept alive old imperial traditions that no longer exist in modern Syai, and Amais, who (like the author) romanticizes the historical, is determined to learn about the old ways and help bring them back. She is especially interested in the ancient sisterhood of jin-shei, which has all but died out. This book is a four-hundred-years-later sequel to The Secrets of Jin-Shei, and due to the time gap it can be read as a standalone. However, Alexander makes an effort to tie the books together, emphasizing Amais's descent from a previous protagonist, so this book may make more sense to those who read the other first.

I found Embers to be a better book than Jin-Shei, for several reasons. First, the plot is more structured (and it's a great story, keeping me glued to the pages for a couple of days). Second, there is a manageable number of main characters. We follow Amais for most of the book, while about 50 pages are dedicated to her love interest, Iloh (who basically is Chairman Mao--you can see why this needed to be set in an alternate world). Third, I appreciated the way this book dealt with a particular period in history. It came to life, feeling as real as anything I've seen depicted in historical fiction. Fantasy elements here are minor, limited to a few moments of clairvoyance. Finally, the prose style is very good but a bit inconsistent: the book is lyrically written overall, but on occasion you'll encounter an awkward sentence. I'm left with the impression that Alexander is an excellent writer but lacks an editor, which is a shame.

My biggest problem with this book is with the dream sequences, which are too long and too frequent, serve no plot-related purpose, and seem to exist only to link Amais to her ancestor, Tai. (Fortunately, they're easy to skip, as they're set apart from the rest of the story.) The sudden shift to first person in the last 50 pages is also odd, though not necessarily detrimental.

Overall, I loved this book. There's a strong focus on relationships between women, the thematics are solid, and to my surprise, I like the way the romance is handled. Besides, I'm a sucker for historical fantasy, especially when it's not set in a pseudo-European world; I really enjoyed the chance to read one that's set in the twentieth century. Hopefully Alexander will write more books along this line in the future!

[Shomeret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the best alternate history novel that I've read. I only recently discovered this sequel to a book that has been a favorite of mine.

The Secrets of Jin-sheicentered on a wonderful concept, but I confess that I can't remember a thing about the plot or the characters. It was jin-shei itself that was indelible.

I think that this sequel is the story that really needed to be told about jin-shei. It is the one thing from the past that could not be destroyed and needed to be carried forward into the future. My wish is that our world's China could internalize this lesson.

[Margitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is an addition to the GR book blurb.

Amais, a little girl, was torn between two families. On the one hand there was her maternal grandmother who tutored her in the ancient women's language, jin-ashu, the language of gentle things, of her royal ancestors. She insisted on it being done. On the other hand there was Amais's dad, a commoner and fisherman, who taught her the secrets of the sea, introducing her to the dolphins in a cove - his secret place of rendezvous with these gentle creatures of the sea. But then he died.

Her mother decided to take her two daughters and go back to the land of her ancestors, Syai, amid a bitter battle between herself and her mother-in-law, Elena. Apart from this power struggle, both grandmothers staked their claims on the two granddaughters of which Amais was the oldest. Nika, the youngest, born the day her dad drowned in his fishing boat, was regarded as the incarnation of her dad, the son of Elena, and deepened the rift between the two grandmothers from different social classes. Nika had two names due to the grandmothers insisting on naming the child. For Elena she was Nika, and for Dan, Aylun. For Vian it became intolerable to be caught up in the middle with her two daughters.

For nine-year-old Amais the sea voyage between Elaas, her place of birth, and Syai, the place of her ancestors, would be the place where her past and future were lost and born. However, Amais would find a deeper mission by way of her dreams in which her ancestors would guide her to reach her real destiny. She inherited the ancient journals of an maternal ancestor which she promised to protect forever. It contained the secrets of a women-bond written in a language only the women could understand.

The second main character is Iloh - the peasant boy, who would achieve every dream he ever dreamed and much more. His past and his future were not the same thing and he did not care what was behind or what the consequences of today would be on tomorrow. Iloh's story is loosely (although historically quite accurate) based on the life of Mao Tse-tung, who was born on 26th December 1893, in a valley called Shaoshan, in the province of Hunan, in the heartland of China. This region was dotted with beautiful, ancient Buddhist temples. It was surrounded by forests where more than 300 species of trees grew in abundance, and was protected by the isolating hills. Although it is not mentioned in the book, these surroundings are accurately borrowed for this tale. It will become one of the main backgrounds in the book.

This is a historical fantasy, which is confusing in itself, since too much accurate historical facts form the background to the story. Taken as a historical fantasy it is a good book and very well written in beautiful prose. I was drawn into the story from round about page 90 and continued mesmerized for most of it. But since I read the books of Amy Tan, Wild Swans-Three Daughters of China, and Mao - The Unknown Story I was able to recognize the historical facts offered in the fictional tale. I also read books before of Lisa See and Amy Tan, with which I compared this book and found The Embers of Heaven to be a successful assimilation of the two approaches. Amy Tan and Jung Chang dish out the hard cold facts on the one side, and Lisa See presents a much softer romantic coloring of the history and culture on the other. However, in certain respects this story was just too fantastical for my taste. I still cannot figure out why it was suggested as a historical fantasy. Historical fiction could have worked very well. However, it is always a risk to write about a country as a foreigner and bend the historical facts a bit to fit a plot. So it makes sense then to offer it as a fantasy.

The elements in the book blended well. The descriptions were breathtaking. The plot was convincing.

I really would love to rate it five stars, since so much research went into the book and it was very well written.

What I did not like: I would have loved to read more detail about the food that was eaten; the specific medicines used. For instance, during Amais's stay in the temple, she mentioned the vegetable stew. I was wondering: what exactly was in the stew, how was it prepared. In various places in the book I wanted more detail of the mundane things. To a certain extent this lack of small details rendered the story light-weight, although it is in reality a detailed, multifaceted book. The story was dragged out with too much information added through the dreams and thoughts that was included, and became a marathon reading to finish in the end. The drama got lost as a result in the middle part of the book, but not in the entire story. However, I needed a huge second breath to finish. It took a little bit of self-convincing to do so, which is a pity. It is a strong, powerful story and a book I will read again in ten years time. Yes, it is one of those stories that will stay with me for a very long time! It was a really relaxing, interesting, good read.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is book 2 in the series I have not read book one and this did not seem to affect my enjoyment of this book so it can be read as a standalone.

This book follow Amais and her life, mostly spend in a version of china while a cultural revolution and the beginnings of communism take place. Amais both fits and does not fit into this world and her story kept me enchanted.

I loved the concept of Jin-Shei, of a sisterhood so strong that you could ask absolutely anything of a sworn sister and it would be done. A bond like this could be both a blessing and a burden, both for the one who asked for something and for the person fulfilling the request.

Through seeking Jin-Shei Amais meets many interesting people and has experiences that most of the women of her generation could not even imagine. Her strength of character is impressive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I'd give it a sixth star if I could.

The narration is well done, I liked the character voices and the deliveries tone and pace were both good. It did need more careful editing, there are several mistakes that have been left in and the audio repeats itself briefly a few times.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'm being generous and would actually give this 2.5 stars. It was...okay? Extremely unsatisfying follow-up to the first book. It's basically a parallel of the Chinese Revolution, not even thinly veiled. It was kind of like reading an account of the revolution, except there were some magical elements and some tenuous threads connecting it to the first Jin-Shei book.

I also found Amais nowhere as sympathetic as Tai for some reason. Perhaps it was her romanticizing of jin-shei. I found myself missing other narrators. It just wasn't as nicely done as the first book and the last 80 or so pages were very odd. All of a sudden it switches to all italics and in first-person? It was a little bizarre.

[Dilys Myhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great read. This novel is 400 years on from her last novel THE SECRETS OF JIN SHEI.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me the goosebumps. It was so spiritually enlightening.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es uno de mis libros favoritos, pero no es la clase de libros que recomendaría leer a alguien más. Pero es simplemente bello.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different from the first book - not in a bad way, just different. It took me quite a while to read, but I did truly enjoy it, the way that Alma Alexander writes is stunningly lyrical and I hope to see another of her books soon.

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Sequel to Jin-Shei which was a great book so was really looking forward to this book, but i didnt finish it as was very slow and no story.

[adriii · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Habíamos tenido que adoptar decisiones, tanto él como yo, y a veces la elección equivocada fue dejarnos y otras veces la decisión equivocada había sido elegirnos, enfrentándonos a un milla de razones que apuntaban a lo contrario.

Pero por fin estábamos aquí, en ese momento, y todo lo que podía elegir al final era simplemente amarle.”

La historia de amor ha sido buena. Quitando la diferencia de edad TAN grande. Pero una cosa es cierta y es que Iloh, por mucho que hubiese hecho cosas malas, merecía saber que tenía una hija.

Al igual que Xuan también merecía saber que no era suya. La niña tendría que haber llorado la pérdida de ambos de sus padres.

Luego, la niñata de Xylun. Ósea, cállate no? Vale que los ideales de Iloh fueron la que la llevaron hasta allí, pero chica, relaja la raja, quiero decir…

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the first book called The Secrets of Jin-Shei. I really liked the first book. Embers of Heaven was published in 2005. Embers takes place 400 years after the first book. Jin-Shei is no longer in practice. However, a young descendant of one of the former Jin-Shei sisters wants to find out what happened to this lost art form shared between women. So story follows the MC on her search.

[laura adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books that you can't put down. It was gripping and engaging. I loved the fact it shows that even though we dream of the way the world should be it never truly is that way. It was like a fine woven tapestry in that the story displays the emotions of the characters. I am going to start reading all over again tonight. I just can't let it go. I want more.

[Caly ☯ Crazy Book Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first, but gets better towards the end.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time trying to finish this book. This is loosely based around the rise of the communist party in China (although it is set in a fictional place).

It is linked to the first book but not strongly. The previous characters are only referred to in passing and they do have some of the journals.

[Nimue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le falta la chispa y encanto de su predecesor.

[Elyndrical · Rating 2 out of 5]

Embers of heaven
Overview:
Plot was great in the beginning. I was really drawn into the story and could not put the book down.

Halfway through reporting in:
Then about halfway through it turned into a fictional story about Chairman Mao…uhhhh what? It was like all the previous plot had been dropped and swept aside, which given the whole idea of a revolution wouldn’t have been so bad if the main character hadn’t seemed to have abandoned her quest as well. It was just weird and awkward having self criticism sessions and re-education pop up with some sort of apologist stuff (common theme is that he didn’t know what was really happening etc) about this Mao figure. I suppose part of the problem is that it shunted my brain away from this mythical/fantasy/fictional world into making a similar confluence of historical events that it was like reading a fictional history of Mao’s China.
For me what got me into this book was that while it had certain Asian elements it was not an alternate history of China, it had its own unique ideas such as a matriarchal lineage of rulers and then it was like bam punched in the face with a quasi Chinese history. I dunno maybe I would not have minded it so much if certain people hadn’t been conflated with a historical equivalent. It made me feel squeamish about certain parts of the book that had previously been good before varnished with this coat of history.
“Let a thousand flowers of thought bloom” (57.1% of the way through) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! DAMN IT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD BOOK!

68% of the way through:
Seriously. It would have been amazing if it had merely hinted but it was about as subtle as cheap perfume. Oh look here is the famous swimming in the river scene *pictures the book bashing me over the head HEY LOOK ITS CHAIRMAN MAO. YOU KNOW JUST IN CASE YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED IT*. At this stage with the amount of subtlety employed I’m expecting him to get a name change to Mao. I understand that there’s this sense of destiny between them and that they are competing for opposite ideals but hey why through the history in there, why be so obvious? I feel like I’m supposed to have some sympathy for someone who imagines everyone in the world to be equal and look out for eachother but will at the same time bulldoze anyone who gets in their way. Combining this with the history idea is this text supposed to make me sympathise with Mao? Am I supposed to see him as a person instead of a historical figure? Am I supposed to like his romantic interludes? (I’m trying not to throw up here) Why not tone down the similarities, take a bit from various revolutions don’t go fake hardcore history and give a character that people can more believably relate to. As you can see, far from enjoying the book and thinking about the possibility of love between people who hold polar opposite ideals, or thinking about how a person can be decent personally but so inflexible that they screw everything up, instead I’m tearing my hair in frustration because I’ve been completely taken out of the fictional word and thrust into a debate about whether Mao could really have been a decent human being deep down somewhere. Sigh.

The problem with this book is that it tries to be too many things at once and nails nothing. It is supposed to be some sort of sequel to The Secrets of Jin-Shei but after the first half of the book it all gets thrown away. The plot starts out as a quest to find out about Jin-Shei but the main character pretty much drops it and does nothing about it. The fantasy elements consist of a few weird prophetic dreams. If it’s about the Mao years then all this other stuff is just getting in the way.

If you want to read a non-fictional story during Mao’s rise to power then read Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book, I was just getting there when the action changed to follow the second major character and I put it down for an age again. The story is about a girls return with her mother and sister to their ancestral home in a land very like China on the verge of revolution. She feels lost and searches for the place described by her grandmother and in the diaries of her ancestor. There is a love story, a war, death, deprivation, longing and joy, everything an epic drama needs. It is all in all not a bad book, but I didn't love it, I guess historical sagas, no matter how well imagined, are just not my thing.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amais’s mother and grandmother are from Syai. Her father is a fisherman from a small village. Amais grandmother taught her the ancient, secret language of jin-shei. It is a women’s language that was once the foundation of a great empire. Amais and her family return to Syai and she finds herself caught in a revolution, loving a man who sees only the future as it could be, and struggling to preserve jin-shei and the past it represents. This is an epic story that has much to teach. I loved reading this story. Ms. Alexander writes the most beautiful, startlingly real pictures.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's so bad, I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.. The premise and plot is promising, but the delivery is just such a big letdown. There are a lot of missing links and characters that added no depth to the story, and a lack of detailed descriptions that would have enriched the book.

[Vanessa O · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was indeed Embers of Heaven for it had none of the magic I expected to follow on from The Secrets of Jin-Shei. I found it a struggle to finish... if I'd wanted to read about China's revolution I would have stuck with Wild Swans, not this fictional account.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the main reason I can only bring myself to be "okay" with this book is that it was painful to watch the world I loved so much from "The Secrets of Jin-Shei" dissolve into a Cultural Revolution parallel. The thought of jin-shei being lost, and the temples being burned...

[Mery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Empieza con muchísimos datos que te hacen meterte de lleno en la historia, pero se vuelve pesado, repetitivo y lioso. Una vez terminado hay personajes que ni sé quien son. Las últimas páginas las pasé por encimilla... Bajo mi punto de vista , es un libro demasiado denso para lo "poco" que pasa.

[Mareklamo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions of not-Greece and not-China were captivating. Alexander painted not-Mao so vividly; I desperately wanted to shake some sense into him. Unfortunately the ending seemed a bit rushed.

[Cara Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://kitsuchi.livejournal.com/18468...

[Yolanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good as the first but its okay

[ROMANTIC HISTORICAL REVIEW BLOG · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars reviewed by Ginger for Romantic Historical Lovers
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...

[Sujeewa Rajapakse]

loved it...