Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir’s beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off…The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the … vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory—or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life—and love—he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save—or destroy—all that he knows.
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The epic but bitter sweet conclusion to Sabaa Tahir’s excellent Ember in the Ashes series. Come for the wonderful characters set against a lush backdrop of a world filled with djinn and ghouls and ghosts, stay for the ‘I’ll just read one more chapter’ sleepless nights.
This was satisfactory conclusion to this series! I loved the characters. A few of the ones that did not survive were upsetting! But the ending was good.
The narrators were all terrific!
I’m so sad it’s over, I want to live in this world forever. Luckily it’s a book and I can! One of my favorite parts of this book was when Helene and Harper finally come together, that was a hard fought for moment. It was written so beautifully that I might have got emotional. I really got emotional when Sabaa Tahir did Harper dirty. I might have shut my book and screamed F@@k YOU!! All the parts of this book are just perfect. I just love this series so much and am so happy that I found it. I might be obsessed with it now, and by might, I mean I definitely am. Read this series, it will not disappoint!
This book brings the culmination to her series. From the begin this has been a very creative world entwined with pieces of myth from several cultures. Sabaa Tahir is a talented writer. She has a gift for empowering her characters with qualities that don’t arise to the surface immediately. She also does a wonderful job of making even the villains relatable and interesting.
This is a can’t put down conclusion and a great evenings read.
I feel like this was wrapped up perfectly. I just loved this whole series. I laughed and cried with all these characters. I loved that I was fully immersed in this world. I highly recommend this series.
Ok
::: deep breath:::
Right off the bat I have to admit that I am little nervous… scared I won’t do this series the justice it deserves. My mind is stuck in fangirl mode soooo basically it’s mush. Coherent sentences may be beyond me at this point BUT I’ll try.
I have loved this series with all of my heart since the very first chapter in An Ember In The Ashes. I have smiled and cried and raged and my heart has broken and mended so many times throughout this series that I am surprised it’s not just a handful of shards unable to fit back together again properly. I am constantly blown away by Sabaa Tahir and her gorgeous mind, her amazing characters, her writing’s tone and tempo and all around Majesty. She has the power to transport the reader directly into the middle of the action. I was there, living the story alongside the dynamic cast, and it was glorious.
This time around I enjoyed the series as an audiobook and now I can’t see myself enjoying it any other way. In fact, I came to Audible for the ease and left with a transformative experience. Steve West and Fiona Hardingham will FOREVER be Elias and Laia to me. I have obsessed over and dreamed about Elias… actual REM type encounters. Not since Will Herondale have I wished, wholeheartedly, to be seen through another’s eyes, truly seen… and Laia of Serra, sweet, strong, adaptable, dependable, loving, avenging bad ass Laia… she is the resident kick ass/djinn reaper/Nightbringer’s scourge yet she also holds Elias’s heart (and soul) protectively, in her tender, steadfast, loving hands. She is the definition of Woman’s Pride AND, being a woman myself, I love that she is unapologetically Female, an avenger against the sexist world around her and the gender/station biased expectations that her world places on her. She’s a character that I 100% wish I could be or at least be like. BUT there is also Helene, the Blood Shrike, to admire and I wish I was more like her as well. She is another warrior female that embodies all that women are capable of and showcases the ease with which one can be both Woman and Warrior at the same time. Mrs. Tahir writes the most beautifully, humanly complex characters and then throws them into seemingly impossible and gut wrenching scenarios. Then she kills them off, sniper style, one or two at a time just when you have started to love them and root for their happiness and longevity. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t cry and yet…
Is no one safe Mrs. Tahir?
This leads me to the final quarter of the book. This section was absolutely B.R.U.T.A.L! I fear my heart will never be the same. Don’t get too attached to any one character because all are on the chopping block and only a few survive the cut. Is it a fair ending? For some, the answer is a resounding NO. There are some Happily Ever Afters that never come to fruition no matter how much heartache they have endured and no matter how much we wish for their happiness. I think the ending is fitting for our war tested, love battered and transformed heros for they definitely do not end up being the same (naive) characters that we fell in love with in book #1.
Overall:
I can’t believe it is over. I have waited so long for this book to grant me some much needed closure and frankly, I am both grieving for its end and cheering for its splendor. Sabaa Tahir played me like a well honed instrument. Her artistry is apparent and I am thankful for having been emotionally tossed about her beautiful world because, in the end, I feel fulfilled… now THAT’S worth every penny, minute and tear shed.
I reccomend this book, and more importantly this series, with all of my battered heart and soul. There is absolutely NO way you’ll regret spending time in this rich world with these unforgettable characters!!
~ Enjoy
The final battle. The war that brings enemies together and makes them allies. The Blood Shrike, Laia of Serra and The Soul Catcher must bring down Keris Veturia and the Nightbringer to save the empire.
I don’t even know where to start. This whole series was a delightful rollercoaster of emotions. The characters have grown up so much throughout the series and the author made me, the reader, feel like I was on the journey with them. This is one series that I will greatly miss.
This final chapter in the lives of Laia, Helene (Blood Shrike) and Elias (The Soul Catcher) is packed with surprises, hope, devastation, and joy. I cried and laughed throughout the book. The deaths were the hardest for me. Many times while reading a book I may question why a character had to die. This was not a question I had with this book. Each death had a meaning and strengthened the other characters. I also like how the author did not spare the main characters. All of them suffered tremendous pain and injury during the battle.
As I turned the last page I did it with a tear in my eye. A tear of sadness and happiness. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and relieved. There is still so much story left with this group of characters, in my opinion. There are no unanswered questions, just a want of more. This author is truly a great storyteller and I can’t wait to see what she does next. I highly recommend this series to everyone.
This highly anticipated conclusion to this series is satisfying. I had to wait over a year from finishing the third to starting the fourth. I always struggle to start a series that isn’t completed for this exact reason.
Sabaa is a fantastic writer. She weaves the magic of the story brilliantly and the flow is smooth and easy. Her characters are easy to love and just as easy to frustrate the reader.
I won’t dive into the characters or imagery too much as the summary does enough and one should start with book one anyway.
I think I would enjoy a reread of the series as much as the first go. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Sabaa’s imagination pushes to paper.
Overall really enjoyed the entire series. Well worth reading!
Everything I wanted
And so a fantastic series ends on a phenomenal note. I couldn’t have even begun to predict how this tale would conclude and I’m glad I didn’t try. Sabaa gave me everything I wanted and so much more. This is a series I will be rereading for the rest of my life.