Review: EMBERS IN A DARK FROST by Kelly Keaton

The Fire Breathers have come. The Underworld calls. A choice must be made…

With her feared half blood and flame-colored hair, DEIRA D'ANU is a constant reminder of human betrayal and the war that claimed the light from Innis Fail. Now, darkness and frost creep across the land, strengthening the Lord of the Underworld. War is imminent—an allegiance with the Fire Breathers is vital. When their champion, Balen, sees Deira, he believes she is the key to finding the light and stopping the dark frost.

But the Underworld calls to Deira, tempting her to turn her back on a world that never cared and betray the champion willing to sacrifice everything to keep her safe and save his world from darkness.

Description from Amazon


This is one incredible novel. When I first read the summary, I knew this was going to be a great read and it exceeded my expectations. I was immediately intrigued by the world of Innis Fail, especially Deira and Balen.

There are five Houses, four of which represent the gods and goddesses. Descendants of the House of Anu have the power to control water. Those in the House of Sydhr are known as the Fire Breathers. The Houses of Taranis and Dagda represent Air and Earth respectively. The Underworld is the fifth House and is controlled by the most powerful and oldest Danaan, Nox. His goal is to make sure Deira and Balen do not succeed in returning the Light to Innis Fail.

Deira D'Anu is a very likable character. She is passionate, determined, free-spirited, and tired of living in the shadows. Having both a human and a Danaan parent, Deira is a halfling. She is regarded coldly and looked upon with fear and disgust by her family, the House of Anu. Deira's path is forever altered when she is given a chance to briefly come out of the shadows and unintentionally draws attention to herself and her bright red hair.


Balen, the King of the House of Sydhr, recognizes Deira instantly and knows he must lead her to fulfill her destiny, one that she does not know about. As the story unfolds, Deira learns more about her worlds, both human and Danaan, than she ever thought she would. She learns about trust and friendship with Balen and the Sydhr people, which is something she did not have with her own family.

I quickly read through this story and am eager for more. Kelly Keaton's writing style had me easily visualizing the scenes and brought me into the story with Deira and the other characters. I will definitely be reading this one again. I do wish that I could get a paperback or hardcover copy though as it is currently only available for e-readers.