BOOK ONE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Instant New York Times bestsellerFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa TahirAmazon’s Best Young Adult Book of 2015People’s Choice Award winner – Favorite FantasyBustle’s Best Young Adult Book of 2015 “This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human — and … 2015
“This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human — and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear.” — The Washington Post
“An Ember in the Ashes could launch Sabaa Tahir into JK Rowling territory…It has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones.”—Public Radio International
“An Ember in the Ashes glows, burns, and smolders—as beautiful and radiant as it is searing.”—Huffington Post
“A worthy novel – and one as brave as its characters.” —The New York Times Book Review
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
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I’ve been craving strong YA historical-inspired fiction lately, and I spotted a list that included And I Darken. I suppose I fell down an internet wormhole, because I ended up getting — and reading — An Ember in the Ashes instead. Whoops. Facepalm.
That said, I enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes. It was filled with YA dystopian and dark fantasy tropes, but I guess I kind of eat those up. It was a violent, dark world with interesting aspects and distinct character voices. I wanted stronger character development for Laia, who is weak and passive until suddenly she isn’t. I’ll echo @carlyn that Helene was the awesome female character I wanted to read. But I binge-read the book anyway and enjoyed myself.
I bought Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes after seeing @carlyn and @danielle buzzing about it last week. The book also had some great reviews and was compared to other books that I love, so it made sense to give it a try.
It felt like the hottest YA dystopian tropes (love polygons, shady underground rebel groups, trials to prove worthiness, an all-breathtakingly-beautiful cast of main characters, etc) had been blended together and reproduced in a different universe. I suppose the reason why they’re popular plot devices, however, is that they’re so entertaining. While the novel was, disappointingly, nothing new, it was definitely engaging.
The sequel comes out in late August – anyone planning to pick it up?
Character-driven, YA-ish fantasy for fans of The Winner’s Curse , The Warded Man , and The Queen of the Tearling .
An Ember in the Ashes Just started this book. It’s off to a good start, but I haven’t fallen in love. Should I keep reading? Has anybody read it? @BookBubfantasy
This is a superb (if at times, a little predictable) fantasy – beautifully written with strong narrative voices and a pace that never lets up. I hope to see this world expanded in the next book in the series because Tahir has a gift for pulling you right into the action and making it feel just as visceral and brutal as it sounds on the page. Also, I want more of Helene – she’s by far the most interesting character and I hope she gets a more prominent voice in book 2!
Loved this book! It’s a fantasy set in an alternate world where the population is divided into two different races – Scholars, who are the underdogs, and the Masks, who run everything with cruelty. The two main characters are from opposite races. The girl is trying to find her brother after her grandparents are killed by a Mask, and the guy is trying to break free from his future as a Mask. There’s tons of action in this book, and some romance as well. It kept me turning the pages and was beautifully written. Definitely recommend for fans of the genre.
I loved this book. Just couldn’t put it down! So much suspense in it that you just want to keep reading it.
An ember in the ashes was a story that caught my eye right away. As soon as I started to read I felt myself wanting to know more. The cold dark fortresses, the mask they wear, the woman in charged and the mysterious night thing and so much more filled me with nights of no sleep and wanting to know more. Not to mention they questions left unanswered, the world building itself, the magic of the world and all the other things makes for this a story and series that is so worth the read over and over again!
I finally got to this book that been sitting on my shelf forever and I’m so happy I did. I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit different from what I thought it be but that made it even a bit better.
I really enjoyed this setting, its dark, twisted and cruel world they live in but it was fun to follow them and see how they will survive, if they survive.
The first half was a bit slower as far as word building and character introduction but I actually in this case really enjoyed the slower pace. It didn’t give you the feeling of too much info dumping which was nice.
The book has duel POV, Elias and Laia , but we get an even bigger view into their world from each of them . Elias the soldiers and other view and Laia the slaves and some of the resistance, both are not pretty but fun to follow each and their journeys.
I really enjoyed the characters for the most part, I liked Elias right away, but Laia took a bit getting used to not sure why. But I ended up liking her.
I also liked Helene very much, there were a few I wasn’t sure about and that I didn’t trust as much, and still don’t at the end but we shall see.
The romance I wasn’t sure what we get … a love triangle, love quadrangle or what….. I had some theories but that got squashed shockingly like a bug on the windshield.
There are some pretty good plot twists some will give you whiplash, some I saw coming others really surprised me. We also get plenty of action and some heart breaking moments.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next. This was a great first book into a new series that I really enjoyed.
I rate it 4
The beginning was a little slow for me, but I kept on reading and ended up loving it and ripped through all 3 books. Now I can’t wait for the next one.
I loved the world build, it was something dark and origanial! Sabaa made both sides of the story interesting, and tied them in extremly well. definitely recommending this to to all my freinds
Meh. I loved the characters’ seemingly human traits, but with all the love and angst, I kind of grew distant from them towards the end. And the LOVE SQUARE. It was torturous (and not in a good way). Helene was literally the best though; she had a spine, unlike another certain someone (*cough cough* LAIA *cough cough*). It was soooo annoying how Elias saw Laia ONCE and thought “Hmm, she got nice eyes. I wanna kiss her.” Because that is totally the first thing you think when you first see someone. Also, side note, what is it with these characters’ long eyelashes?? But DON’T even get me started on this guy, Elias.
SPOILER ALERT: Elias can literally kill most of his friends on the battlefield (because “he had to so he could be a better Emperor” *gag*), boy even tries to kill his BEST FRIEND (aka Helene, who never did anything wrong), but not some random slave girl who kissed him once (aka Laia). SPOILER OVER
The thing is, I love books where the characters’ relationships truly develop, from real concern and interest in the person not because they are gorgeous or out of pity, but because of a genuine want to see more of each other’s interests and personality. The things I love are from friends to lovers, maybe even enemies to friends to lovers, and ESPECIALLY friends to lovers to enemies. Not the insipid, droning insta-lust in this book.
The cliches. The qUOTES. The TORTURE.
However, I did love the beginning, as previously stated. The Trials were heartbreaking to read about, and the heavy themes of abuse, rape, etc. were handled KIND OF alright.
If this review was too long, here’s the one-sentence verdict: I probably won’t pick up the next book(s), but if I do, it’ll be for Helene, as she was incredibly characterized and I loved her.
This was really compelling, especially towards the end. I was reading this for a book club discussion, but I had to leave the schedule once I got to the last 25% because I needed to know what would happen next! I liked the story, and I’m interested to read the next in the series.
I have no idea why I waited to long to read this one! I was immersed in this world from the start. I had to know everything. I love Laia and Elias. I need to read the next one right now.
This book was brilliantly written. The author takes the reader into the story and grabs you buy the throat from the beginning. You join the characters in their fear and anger from the beginning and run with them in their discovery of bravery and the search for freedom in not only their lives but their beliefs. I found it a smart and interesting way to show the parallels of real world suppression of life and liberty in a fascinating and exciting fictional story.
So good!! So much action, and I love all of the characters! Even the baddies are so bad that it’s so much fun reading about them! Laia and Elias are such great characters, and their stories are so well written. The struggles they both faced and how everything is intertwined is so so good! I loved everything about this and I can’t wait to read book 2!
Book 160 towards my goal of 290! 4.5/5 stars for this Middle Eastern YA Fantasy read! Great for fans of Sarah J Maas, just without the smexy scenes. Loved the dual POV. Loved the characters and the story. Can’t wait to see where we go with book 2! Pretty fast paced. I enjoyed the original cover better. Narration was great, I love Fiona! Definitely recommend!
I was immediately taken into this book with Sabaa Tahir’s descriptive settings and narrative style. The book is told from two characters’ perspectives: Laia and Elias. This story had action and intrigue. There are trials to be the next Emperor and a secret revolution. This book will leave you asking how far is too far for family and friends? I cannot wait for the next book!
A friend recommended me this book and OMG I’m so thankful. I loved this book and I’m so happy I still have three more books. Because I just need more!
It literally hooked from chapter one. It was a bit confusing at first but that’s totally fine. It’s normal. You quickly understand the world and how it works.
I absolutely loved the way Sabaa Tahir wrote this story. Quite captivating, engaging, and intriguing. It was a bit slow-paced the first part of the book but I was still hooked and super intrigued. I was constantly eager to know what was going to happen. I still am! Can’t wait to read A Torch Against the Night! Also, I loved the two POVs. I feel it was crucial to connect and understand both characters well.
I loved loved loved the characters! I loved that Laia wasn’t this naturally brave, witted, fearless protagonist. I liked that she was so natural about her fear. And I absolutely loved her growth. I can’t wait to see how much and in what ways she’ll grow next. As for Elias, I loved him too. But my favourite still is Laia. And I also liked Helene. I understood her. But I didn’t connect that much with her. I think she’s still a little complex character but I’m sure we’ll get to know her more in the next books.
A riveting, lyrical, YA fantasy with characters that will winnow their way into your dreams.