diff --git a/packages/integration-tests/tests/rendering.test.tsx b/packages/integration-tests/tests/rendering.test.tsx
index 1104e37..63be35a 100644
--- a/packages/integration-tests/tests/rendering.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/integration-tests/tests/rendering.test.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+/* eslint-disable unicorn/numeric-separators-style */
+/* eslint-disable unicorn/no-null */
 import type { ExecutionContext } from "ava"
 import test from "ava"
 import type { Message } from "discord.js"
 import { Client, TextChannel } from "discord.js"
-import { createRoot, Text } from "reacord"
+import { createRoot, Embed, Text } from "reacord"
 import { pick } from "reacord-helpers/pick.js"
 import { raise } from "reacord-helpers/raise.js"
 import React from "react"
@@ -38,35 +40,55 @@ test.beforeEach(async () => {
   await Promise.all(messages.map((message) => message.delete()))
 })
 
-test.serial("basic text & content updates", async (t) => {
+test.serial("kitchen sink + destroy", async (t) => {
   const root = createRoot(channel)
 
-  await root.render("hi world")
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi world" }])
-
   await root.render(
     <>
-      {"hi world"} {"hi moon"}
+      message <Text>content</Text>
+      no space
+      <Embed color="#feeeef">
+        description <Text>more description</Text>
+      </Embed>
+      <Embed>
+        another <Text>hi</Text>
+      </Embed>
     </>,
   )
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi world hi moon" }])
-
-  await root.render(<Text>hi world</Text>)
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi world" }])
-
-  await root.render(<Text></Text>)
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "_ _" }])
-
-  await root.render(<Text>hi world</Text>)
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi world" }])
-
-  await root.render([])
-  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "_ _" }])
+  await assertMessages(t, [
+    {
+      content: "message contentno space",
+      embeds: [
+        {
+          color: 0xfeeeef,
+          description: "description more description",
+        },
+        { color: null, description: "another hi" },
+      ],
+    },
+  ])
 
   await root.destroy()
   await assertMessages(t, [])
 })
 
+test.serial("updates", async (t) => {
+  const root = createRoot(channel)
+
+  // rapid updates
+  void root.render("hi world")
+  await root.render("hi moon")
+  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi moon" }])
+
+  // regular update after initial render
+  await root.render(<Text>hi sun</Text>)
+  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi sun" }])
+
+  // update that requires cloning a node
+  await root.render(<Text>the</Text>)
+  await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "the" }])
+})
+
 test.serial("nested text", async (t) => {
   const root = createRoot(channel)
 
@@ -81,9 +103,31 @@ test.serial("nested text", async (t) => {
   await assertMessages(t, [{ content: "hi world hi moon hi sun" }])
 })
 
+test.serial("empty embed fallback", async (t) => {
+  const root = createRoot(channel)
+
+  await root.render(<Embed />)
+  await assertMessages(t, [{ embeds: [{ color: null, description: "_ _" }] }])
+})
+
+test.serial("invalid children error", (t) => {
+  const root = createRoot(channel)
+
+  t.throws(() =>
+    root.render(
+      <Text>
+        <Embed />
+      </Text>,
+    ),
+  )
+})
+
 type MessageData = ReturnType<typeof extractMessageData>
 function extractMessageData(message: Message) {
-  return pick(message, "content", "embeds", "components")
+  return {
+    content: message.content,
+    embeds: message.embeds.map((embed) => pick(embed, "color", "description")),
+  }
 }
 
 async function assertMessages(
@@ -95,7 +139,6 @@ async function assertMessages(
   const messageDataFallback: MessageData = {
     content: "",
     embeds: [],
-    components: [],
   }
 
   t.deepEqual(
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/components/embed.tsx b/packages/reacord/src/components/embed.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f581387
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/components/embed.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import type { ColorResolvable } from "discord.js"
+import type { ReactNode } from "react"
+import React from "react"
+
+export type EmbedProps = {
+  color?: ColorResolvable
+  children?: ReactNode
+}
+
+export function Embed(props: EmbedProps) {
+  return <reacord-embed {...props} />
+}
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/elements.ts b/packages/reacord/src/elements.ts
index 55dec10..e21d235 100644
--- a/packages/reacord/src/elements.ts
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/elements.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+import type { EmbedProps } from "./components/embed.js"
 import type { TextProps } from "./components/text.jsx"
 
 export type ReacordElementMap = {
   "reacord-text": TextProps
+  "reacord-embed": EmbedProps
 }
 
 declare global {
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/main.ts b/packages/reacord/src/main.ts
index c34b051..2786406 100644
--- a/packages/reacord/src/main.ts
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/main.ts
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
+export * from "./components/embed.js"
 export * from "./components/text.js"
 export * from "./root.js"
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/reconciler.ts b/packages/reacord/src/reconciler.ts
index d4a84c9..99a0a36 100644
--- a/packages/reacord/src/reconciler.ts
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/reconciler.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@ import { raise } from "reacord-helpers/raise.js"
 import ReactReconciler from "react-reconciler"
 import type { ReacordElementMap } from "./elements.js"
 import type { ReacordContainer } from "./renderer/container.js"
+import { EmbedInstance } from "./renderer/embed-instance.js"
 import { TextElementInstance } from "./renderer/text-element-instance.js"
 import { TextInstance } from "./renderer/text-instance.js"
 
 // instances that represent an element
-type ElementInstance = TextElementInstance
+type ElementInstance = TextElementInstance | EmbedInstance
 
 // any instance
 type Instance = ElementInstance | TextInstance
@@ -18,13 +19,13 @@ type ElementTag =
 
 type Props = Record<string, unknown>
 
-const createInstance = (
-  type: ElementTag,
-  props: Props,
-): TextElementInstance => {
+const createInstance = (type: ElementTag, props: Props): ElementInstance => {
   if (type === "reacord-text") {
     return new TextElementInstance()
   }
+  if (type === "reacord-embed") {
+    return new EmbedInstance((props as any).color)
+  }
   raise(`Unknown element type "${type}"`)
 }
 
@@ -79,7 +80,25 @@ export const reconciler = ReactReconciler<
   },
 
   appendInitialChild: (parent, child) => {
-    parent.add(child)
+    if (
+      parent instanceof TextElementInstance &&
+      (child instanceof TextInstance || child instanceof TextElementInstance)
+    ) {
+      parent.add(child)
+      return
+    }
+
+    if (
+      parent instanceof EmbedInstance &&
+      (child instanceof TextInstance || child instanceof TextElementInstance)
+    ) {
+      parent.add(child)
+      return
+    }
+
+    raise(
+      `Cannot append child of type ${child.constructor.name} to ${parent.constructor.name}`,
+    )
   },
 
   cloneInstance: (
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/renderer/container.ts b/packages/reacord/src/renderer/container.ts
index 4a4b568..70e4378 100644
--- a/packages/reacord/src/renderer/container.ts
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/renderer/container.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Message, MessageOptions, TextBasedChannels } from "discord.js"
+import type { EmbedInstance } from "./embed-instance.js"
 import type { TextElementInstance } from "./text-element-instance.js"
 import type { TextInstance } from "./text-instance.js"
 
@@ -6,7 +7,7 @@ type Action =
   | { type: "updateMessage"; options: MessageOptions }
   | { type: "deleteMessage" }
 
-type ContainerChild = TextInstance | TextElementInstance
+type ContainerChild = TextInstance | TextElementInstance | EmbedInstance
 
 export class ReacordContainer {
   private channel: TextBasedChannels
@@ -19,17 +20,17 @@ export class ReacordContainer {
   }
 
   render(children: ContainerChild[]) {
-    const messageOptions: MessageOptions = {}
+    const options: MessageOptions = {}
     for (const child of children) {
-      child.renderToMessage(messageOptions)
+      child.renderToMessage(options)
     }
 
     // can't render an empty message
-    if (!messageOptions?.content) {
-      messageOptions.content = "_ _"
+    if (!options?.content && !options.embeds?.length) {
+      options.content = "_ _"
     }
 
-    this.addAction({ type: "updateMessage", options: messageOptions })
+    this.addAction({ type: "updateMessage", options })
   }
 
   destroy() {
diff --git a/packages/reacord/src/renderer/embed-instance.ts b/packages/reacord/src/renderer/embed-instance.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..931a45f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/reacord/src/renderer/embed-instance.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import type {
+  ColorResolvable,
+  MessageEmbedOptions,
+  MessageOptions,
+} from "discord.js"
+import type { TextElementInstance } from "./text-element-instance.js"
+import type { TextInstance } from "./text-instance.js"
+
+type EmbedChild = TextInstance | TextElementInstance
+
+export class EmbedInstance {
+  children: EmbedChild[] = []
+
+  constructor(readonly color: ColorResolvable) {}
+
+  add(child: EmbedChild) {
+    this.children.push(child)
+  }
+
+  renderToMessage(message: MessageOptions) {
+    message.embeds ??= []
+    message.embeds.push(this.embedOptions)
+  }
+
+  get embedOptions(): MessageEmbedOptions {
+    return {
+      color: this.color,
+      description: this.children.map((child) => child.text).join("") || "_ _",
+    }
+  }
+}