Forever means
– EMBERS, Sophie Johannis
however long we have.
Aiden has made it home, but danger smolders below the surface of her days. Commander Hirt is imposing draconian rules on her household, and keeping the young empaths out of his grasp is burning her strength away. When ATHENA paroles Cole, Aiden is forced to face the cost of her collaboration with the Agency: Cole’s past is still holding him prisoner, and if she can’t rekindle the ashes of his trust, his self-hatred will consume him entirely. Reaching out to Cole in defiance of the Agency’s orders might take a toll much higher than her life — and yet, one last time, Aiden can’t help but try.
Embers, the New Adult finale of the Traces trilogy, asks a devastating question: How do you love someone you cannot save?
Content warnings for Embers
In addition to the content warnings listed in Traces and Below, Embers addresses the following subjects:
• Trauma caused by sustained childhood sexual abuse and rape
• HIV testing after rape
• Medical emergencies; ER visits; severe injuries
• Psychotic breaks
• Confinement in a locked psychiatric ward
• Imprisonment; solitary confinement
• Illegal prize fights
• Abduction
• Bullying
• Animal abuse
• Character death
• Sexual harassment
• Abstinence-only sex education
• Consensual sex
Embers character web
Book club questions for Embers
- What expectations did you have before you started reading Embers? If your expectations weren’t met, how does that change the way you perceive the Traces trilogy as a whole?
- How do Aiden and Cole evolve over the course of their story? Who or what contributes to their growth?
- Aiden has three mentors: Donovan, Katz, and finally Cole. What is the most important lesson she learns from each of them? How do you feel about their choice to keep her in the dark about the full extent of her potential?
- For Aiden and Cole, the life-or-death stakes of the telepath sphere are juxtaposed with the everyday challenges of attending Edison High School. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having these two worlds collide in the novel?
- Why does Aiden have such a negative opinion of authority figures, and to what extent is it justified?
- Why does Cole misunderstand Aiden when she tells him that he’s “not safe”?
- Why does Layla manage to resist Ivanson’s illusion?
- In your opinion, does the Traces trilogy have a happy ending?
- The Yr line and its lore, including Cole’s role as anax nekrôn, remain nebulous throughout the Traces trilogy. How do you feel about the choice of not giving these elements of the story any more “page time”?
- What are the pivotal moments for Cole’s healing process?
- Which aspects of the relationship between Aiden and Cole are healthy? How can you tell?
- Which antagonist stood out to you? Which secondary character struck you as particularly memorable?
- If you could add, remove, or change any part of Embers, which part would you choose?
- Traces, Below, Embers — what is the significance of these titles? How do the themes of Traces and Below — memory, identity, trauma, and trust — reappear and echo throughout Embers?
Embers playlist
- Exit Ten – Perish in the Flames
- Chase & Status, Plan B – End Credits
- Ramin Djawadi – The Night King
- Bear’s Den – When You Break
- Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
- Avril Lavigne – I’m With You
- Placebo – Follow the Cops Back Home
- Kate Bush – Breathing
- Astronautalis – Forest Fire
- Naked Raven – Skin
- Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
- Shannon & Keast – Titanium (acoustic)
- Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Gundersen, Abby Gundersen – Killer + The Sound
- In Extremo – Lieb Vaterland, Magst Ruhig Sein
- Hozier – Shrike
- Garth Brooks – The Storm
- Zoe Keating – Tetrishead
- Zoe Keating – Hello Night
- Rise Against – Wait For Me (Ghost Note Symphonies version)
- Coheed and Cambria – Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
- Three Days Grace – Never Too Late
- Placebo – Song to Say Goodbye
- Alt-J – Taro
- Philipp Poisel – Eiserner Steg (piano version)
- In Flames – Evil in a Closet
- The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson – To Build a Home
- Seether – Fine Again