Jennifer Alsever

Seventeen-year-old Ember is drowning, fighting for consciousness, struggling to make sense of the strange dreams she's been having: prophecies of murder, deception and blackmail. Will she reclaim her life in spite of the ominous power of Trinity Forest? Oshun Rising is Book 2 in the Trinity Forest Series.

Trinity Forest

Oshun Rising

Belle Ellrich

*I WAS SENT A PHYSICAL COPY IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

Firstly, I want to give a big thank you to Jennifer for sending me a copy of this book. She didn't have to do that, and I really appreciate having it to read and add to my shelf. Secondly, can I just give a holy crap?

This book was intense. As we found in the last book, EMBER BURNING, Ember lost the battle against Xintra and Zoe. Tre was left to watch as she was "rebirthed" and basically transformed to be someone she wasn't: a practical pop star that reveals too much skin on stage.

The entire world was left wondering who this new Oshun girl was, and her songs quickly became hits across the charts. She also left Ember's brother wondering if she was Ember. I actually found this book to be even better than the first. Considering the fact that there were more characters involved and definitely helped the story develop.

Maddie has this huge crush on her allegedly dead best friend's brother Jason. He actually drives her to the point of insanity where she has to leave college to pick him up; that way, they can track down the new popstar Oshun that he is convinced is Ember. I did feel as if some of their parts in the book were filler parts for something bigger happening. I'm not a huge fan of filler parts, but I don't dislike them either. It's more of a neutral feeling.

Here are some things that I liked about the characters:

OSHUN - Oshun is everything I imagine in a spoiled, rich, teenage pop star would be. She's a brat, better yet a beotch. But I'm not going to go into it. I loved how her songs related back to Trinity Forest and how she managed to pull people towards her like she was a vacuum and they were dirt. She was a great addition to this story, and I loved how Jennifer built her up.

EMBER - Though we lost Ember in the last book, she is still here in this one. She's "drowning" as Jennifer put it, but we all know where she really is; she's trapped in her own body while Oshun has taken over. This is something that is made very obvious through the synopsis and first few chapters, so it's not really a spoiler. She is able to get through some cracks and take control of her body from time to time, but never for too long. Her character development, though short and sweet because we didn't see much of her through most of the book, was amazingly done.

JASON - Jason is the older brother everyone wishes they had. He refuses to give up on searching for his sister, and he is completely convinced that Oshun is somehow Ember. One thing is for certain that he and everyone knows; he's losing his sanity slowly but surely. I felt like, the way Jennifer made him sound crazy, was a great part of this book. It gave off a sense of desperation that would happen to anyone who is trying to find a missing loved one. He believes in all of his theories, and he's confident about what he will do in finding and bringing his sister home.

MADDIE - Maddie was that one character that I nearly couldn't stand in this book. She was completely crushing on Jason, and I found this overshadowing the fact that her best friend was missing. It nearly damaged the story enough to the point where I had to take a break every few chapters just to wrap my head around what was actually happening with her. Though she still helped the plot move forward, I wasn't a huge fan.

XINTRA - This witchy beotch is still around, unfortunately. And she's getting stronger. I HATED this character, but not because anything was wrong with how she was developed. Jennifer did an amazing job creating her, and I loved how she put her together. It's the fact that she's such a cruel woman, I want to reach into the book, pluck her out, and shove her into a fire. Honestly, she's evil! Who wants her around? #RootingForEmber

TRE - Tre. Loveable, concerned, and cute Tre. I loved his character and how he was developed. Every so often, we would get a look into who he was with, what was happening to him and how. I loved how Jennifer kept him apart of the story, for he was still a major part that you couldn't take out.

Other than the filler parts of this book and some faults with Maddie, everything else was perfect. I am confident in my choice of giving this book 4.5/5 stars, and I cannot wait to read the third book. Please don't tell me it's the final one! I need more than just three books in this.

Oshun Rising Trinity Forest

Reviews