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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The book is a good read…..fun ,escape type of read. I gave a 3 as a downgrade due to cost of this and series for a short book or it may have been a 4
Good book. Action packed with true human responses to events and interaction with others. Excellent for the price but to be honest I won’t read the next two. If they were free I’d try them but I read the previews and didn’t sound interesting to me. The author could have ended it in one book to my mind.
Excellent book. But awwww, man, I feel like I’ve watched a really great movie on DVD but the second disc is missing. After over 450 pages, it’s obviously the first of a series…unfinished. It’s a “kind-of” ending, with some things resolved and some things not.
The pacing, characters, and storyline in this book are wonderful; no wonder it’s so popular. There was way too much violence for my taste, but the plot kept me going.
An Ember in the Ashes has to be one of the greatest fantasy books I’ve ever read. It has everything: action, romance, and wonderful world building. If you’re a fan of Brent Weeks, R.A. Salvatore, and NK Jemison, you’ll love this novel.