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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Not a whole lot of surprises in the series, but still a very enjoyable read. This author does a nice job with dialogue and bringing the characters to life.
This book strikes me like a mix between The Hunger Games, Divergent books and Gladiator the movie.
It’s original, entertaining and easy to read. It has all the ingredients for being a great young adult series. It’s well written and promises more adventures in the next books. I don’t think I’m reading the next ones for now but I’m definitely recommending this book to my teenager nephew. He’ll love it.
The main characters are easy to love and sympathize with. There’re fights, evil creatures, a bit of dark magic, friendship, hard decisions to take, angst and the usual confusion of the first young love. Everything told from Laia and Elias POV.
Great starting for this series.
How in the world did I not come across this series until now, what book abyss have I fallen in that this gem of a writing masterpiece has been hidden from me!?
An utterly engrossing tale involving two seemingly opposite outcasts residing in a world where individualism and freedom are highly squelched. Sabaa’s ability to bring you into the the mind of her two characters is absolutely incredible I did have a bit of trouble getting into the very beginning because Laia was suffering from a “too stupid to live” complex and was just a little too whiny. She did get better as the story went on. I think my favorite character was Elias and his principles he tries to stick to even when in a no win situation. Helene grates a little bit… Our bad guys are suitably bad and satisfactorily unlikable.What to say about this book? It is fast paced and action packed, yet heartbreaking and devastating at the same time. Over all, I was entertained and will keep reading the series
Laia and Elias are the perfect characters. Flawed but heroic, weak in some ways, but strong when it matters. I honestly have no complaints about them. Even the love triangle/square thing going on didn’t bother me like it normally would. It blended into the story so naturally. The secondary characters added depth and conflict to the plot- a plot which evokes such emotions from you that you can’t help but really feel for Laia and Elias and the outcome of their situations
In short, An Ember in the Ashes was a fantastic read. The world was captivating, and the romance enthralling. Its premise quickly drew me in, and I couldn’t stop reading until I turned the last page.
I was especially pleased by the portrayal of the female protagonist. She was a strong character, but she avoided the “independent female protagonist” stereotype. She often had to depend on the physical strengths of those around her, while showing her independence in other ways.
My one caveat is that the magic system wasn’t worthy of the word “system.” It seemed like a series of random events, spontaneous and unrelated. The magic seemed to appear when necessary, seemingly with no explanation. For some, this probably isn’t a deterrent, but I found it a bit irksome.
Still, I would recommend this book to any fantasy fans, especially those with a preference for romantic fantasy.
Awesome debut! This is the beginning of a dark series but you’ll be captivated by the characters and world building. You will also get caught up in the mythology. Warning: there is a lot of violence and it can be merciless. This book transcends all others of this genre. Can’t wait for the finale!
This was a book that I could not put down. The world, the characters, just everything about it was excellent to me.
Okay to be honest when I first started reading the book, I was a bit skeptical but as I went on in the story, there was so much action, adventure, magic, etc. It really spoke to me in ways other books don’t. Laia and Elias are such great characters but I’m still trying to understand why Tahir made it a love triangle. Laia loves both Elias and Keenan which makes the book more intense. There are times when you really want Laia to be with Keenan then there are times you want her to be with Elias.
I just noticed that I started rambling. This is a good sign because if I start going on and on about something, it means I’m really into the book or topic. I’ll just say this. This book has everything from magic to romance to adventure. It’s a real page turner and will get you to start crying. I highly recommend this book
Laia is a Scholar living with her family under the brutal Martial Empire. Laia calls on the Resistance, an anti-Empire group to help break out her brother Darin from prison after agreeing to help the Resistance infiltrate an infamous military school. Laia meets Elias at the Blackcliff Academy who has been chosen to take the Trials to determine who the next ruler of the Empire will be. But Elias doesn’t want anything to do with the Empire. I really enjoyed reading this young adult fiction by Sabaa Tahir.
Could not put this down! Wonderful in sooo many ways!
I cannot say enough great things about this book. It is original, inspiring, clever, and down right amazing. It’s been a year since I read this book and i still think about it.
While I think the story was well written, easy to read, and enjoyable. There was too much idol time and not enough world building or explanations. There are four trial but they only took up a few pages each, the rest was wondering and repetitive thought. I have no care or interest in the rest of the series. Not bad, just no pull for me.
I hi estoy loved it. I think I’ve dread it 3 times already because it was that good. The characters were amazing and so was the vivid explanations. Amazing book!
Laia is a slave and Elias is a soldier. Although they are forbidden to be friends, they are destined to be allies.
The book has great characters and a fantastic story line. Laia is a bit too self-conscious for me, but she comes around and realizes she has the courage she needs to save her brother. Elias overthinks things way too much. It gets annoying after a while. For someone who has been trained to be a soldier he really questions himself a lot. My favorite character is Helene, Elias best friend. She is loyal, to friends and the Empire, but has a heart when needed. She goes above and beyond many times for Elias throughout the book.
Although I enjoyed the story line I was surprised by the amount of violence and brutality. The Commandant is a fierce woman with no conscience or soul. The punishments she puts Laia and the other slaves through is unspeakable. I was truly shocked. I wasn’t expecting that kind of graphic violence in a YA book. With that said, I do still look forward to continuing the series. I’m curious to see what Laia and Elias do next.
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I loved this book I literally finished it in 2 hours at night becuase of how deep I was I to it! I love all the characters! This booms honestly made me wanna keep reading becuase every end of the chapter left me at an unbelievable cliffhanger. She has amazing choices of words!!!
I devoured this book and couldn’t wait to get the next in the series.
The characters are well-written and the author makes you fear for the characters and makes hard sacrifices.
Sabaa Tahir is a master of fantasy. An Ember in the Ashes is beautifully written, alongside the entire series, and continues to be one of my absolute favorites. The story is dark and haunting, while simultaneously being one of fighting for hope in times where it might seem hopeless. The two main characters, Laia and Elias come from very different backgrounds but end up becoming unlikely friends. While Laia is undertaking the painful task of rescuing her brother from one of the most secure prisons in the world, Elias is subjected to a trials to name the next emperor. Sabaa Tahir’s worldbuilding in this is vibrant and deep, and the Martial Empire feels almost real.
Cover: Love it!
Rating: 4 Stars
Overall: Intense and Exciting!
Characters: Well Written
Plot: In a world torn by war, two sworn enemies have the chance to change everything, or die trying.
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Favorite Character: Elias
Source: Library
Review: This book was one of my favorites this year! (And as with series, I only rated it 4 stars because I can see it getting better from here, but I might bump it to 5 later on!) Filled with danger, pain, love, hope, and fear, this is a thrilling debut and a great start to another amazing fantasy read!
I really enjoyed the characters in this, from Elias, Laia, and Keenan to the Commandant, Marcus, and Cain, this book with filled with characters who left an impression. Faced with impossible challenges and with the odds against them, each character’s choices affected the outcome, not just for them, but for those around them. With a dash of magic, and fantasy elements for good measure, this book just kept getting better!
One thing that has caused a lot of controversy, but that I also feel adds to the story in a way is the topic of rape. While I am completely against rape, I also acknowledge it happens and feel that this book does two things. First it raises awareness that this is still a problem. Second it gives characters like Laia and Elias a chance to show there true nature. Laia is really a fighter, and I feel will live up to her mother’s title, shown more after Marcus’ treatment of her. I feel this was a turning point for her, and afterwards she became a stronger character. Elias is the opposite, his mother being cruel and controlling encouraged the ill-treatment of slaves and those of ‘lesser’ rank. Elias instead stands against rape and other injustices, becomes both more of a hero, and shows that despite the odds Martials and Masks alike are able to care, and that there is hope for a brighter future. So while I hated the parts that mentioned rape, especially so casually, it did show how hard and unyielding the world they live in is, showing the readers some of what the characters see in their vision for a better life.
amazing highly recomended
This book has left me conflicted. On the one hand, the plot kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It has amazing characters like Elias and Helen. The world-building is creative and full of life. Finally, it tackles important and sensitive issues very well.
On the other hand, it also mentions rape and/or sexual assault as a very real threat to women in almost every chapter and no one needs that constant reminder. There’s girl-on-girl hate and Laia has some really strong not-like-other-girls vibes. Then one of the antagonists is such a villainous villain that I couldn’t handle all the clichés.
Three stars is not an accurate rating. It’s the average of the good things and the bad things that make this book.