Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Embers in the Ice: Prequel is a romantic science fiction novella written by Jade Lawson. Theoden had not been meant to survive his birth. His parents and the Krasak had all been in agreement that the newborn infant was to die, but, somehow, he did survive. Theoden had been found in the woods by a childless couple, Jeremiah and Louise, and the wife had prevailed upon her husband to let her raise Theoden as her own. And while Jeremiah was a harsh disciplinarian, Louise was an endlessly loving and supportive mother for the growing toddler. Jeremiah’s increasing impatience and rage finally boiled over when Theoden knocked over a basket of the family’s eggs. The angered man shoved his wife out of the way to discipline their foster son, but his movement spelled instant tragedy. Theoden would spend the next five years of his young life as a captive in an upper room of the family's house. He finally escaped when he was nine years old.

Jade Lawson’s romantic science fiction novella, Embers in the Ice: Prequel, admirably sets the stage for a story about two survivors, Theoden and Nevaeh, who are the last hope for humanity. Lawson’s main characters are infinitely powerful and are the greatest possible threat to the Krasak. Seeing Nevaeh come into her powers while being bullied by a boy in school is mesmerizing and powerful. This is a well-written and absorbing prequel that introduces her characters, gives hints about the decades-long struggle between humans and the Krasak, and leads to the moment when Theoden and Nevaeh find each other. Embers in the Ice: Prequel is most highly recommended.