An Ember in the Ashes

2.5 stars

Really enjoyable. I guess I wasn't entirely aware what the plan was for future books, so I was a little caught off guard by the very, very unresolved ending. But I get it – it feels less unresolved with the understanding that it's part of a series. It's just that I had certain expectations, certain theories about prophecies etc that I thought would be resolved at a certain point, but weren't.

The universe is unique and exciting and the two character's voices are genuine and compelling. Good book. Will eagerly await the next.

I am a little confused about whether this is YA or not? It mostly reads like YA, and that's how it was presented to me, but there's a lot of discussion of/threat of rape. It'd be one thing if this were a book discussing actual history, but as “flavoring” in a fantasy novel, I don't tend to like that in adult books, let alone YA. I dunno. Unresolved feelings about that.

Laia and Elias live in a Rome-esque kingdom under the control of an emperor. Laia is a Scholar, the lowest rank in the class system. Elias is a Mask, a martial soldier tasked with carrying out the will of the empire. Their worlds cross when Laia disguises herself as a slave to infiltrate the walls of Blackcliff Academy in order to uncover information that could save her brother's life. Elias, on the other hand, is forced to compete in the Trials, four difficult tasks that will try the very essence of his mind, his body, and his soul, to be the next emperor.

This was such an refreshing dystopian novel. The typical elements that readers often see in YA dystopian novels were there: a tyrannical government, a caste system, etcetera. However, Tahir takes these elements and she weaves them in such a way that An Ember in the Ashes doesn't feel like the typical dystopian novel. Skies! It is unique and quirky in its own right and it's near impossible to put down.

We get two character perspectives (Laia and Elias) that alternate throughout the novel (odd chapters are Laia, even chapters are Elias). We are able to fall in love with the two characters separately and then fall deeper once the storylines intersect and the two become greater forces in each others' lives. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.

What I particularly enjoyed in this book, though it's just one of the many, many things I loved, was that the romance was on the side. It was there, of course, but it wasn't really an element that was in your face throughout the novel and it didn't really come into play until towards the end. I think this really allowed for the storyline and for the characters to fully develop (and let's be honest, with all that Laia and Elias were dealing with, they needed a romance like they needed a sword to the neck). It also sets up for a lot of drama and angst for the sequel (and there better be a sequel, because that ending...!)

After reading An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, I can see what all the hype was about. That was a damn good book and it kept you entertained throughout the entire novel. All 446 of those beautifully written pages were full of sorrow, hate, adventure, love, and more importantly... politics. That's right. Pretty much this entire book is about the politics between the Empire and the people inside of it.

This book has a lot of things I love mixed into it. Hardship is one. Almost every character has some type of hardship attached to them. For our two main characters, Laia and Elias, they seem to have it hard. Laia has just recently lost everyone in her life but her brother, but he has also been sent to prison and she is trying to get him out. Elias is the son of the Commandant and is graduating soon from Blackcliff Academy where he has been trained since he was a child to become a solider/assassin pretty much. Another hardship is for the oppressed nation itself. There are slaves, poor families, people are starving, women are getting raped. It is a huge problem and it seems to be the way of life for most people. It really just depends which family you are born into to seal your fate in the world.

Laia is our first main character. She has lost her family and is trying to get back the one person she has left, her brother. This has caused her to look toward the Resistance and go undercover as a slave at Blackcliff Academy to get information. Laia goes through tremendous character development, which I loved. In the beginning, she was this shy and very unsure of herself character. She was weak and couldn't take care of herself. The only thing keeping her going is to rescue her brother from prison. By the end of the novel, you see a huge development in who she is and how she handles herself.

For our second main character, Elias. He was brought to Blackcliff Academy as a child to be trained as a solider. In the book, he is days away from graduating and is willing to flee the area to finally be free. But, he has been named to be in the running as the next Emperor along with three other students. This makes him do tasks (or trials) that will test him as a person. Will he be strong enough to become the next Emperor? Or will he fail? I really enjoyed his character because he was willing to go against the Empire.. but for selfish reasons. Sometimes in these type of worlds, you have to be selfish and not be there to save the world. He grew a lot as a person throughout the novel though and for the better. I cannot wait to see the adventures he goes on in the next book.

This book kept you on your toes and there were so many twists that you never knew what would happen. The best books are always the ones that aren't predictable. They are the ones that stay with you for years to come and make you love them. For this book, it has been added to one of my favorite books this year. I cannot wait for the sequel to come because that ending was amazing. With the last paragraph, I was already picturing the next journey I would go on with these characters.

Overall, this was a beautiful and heart wrenching story. There are so many things that will make you love it and hate it at the same time. You will get involved with the characters and hope the best for them. Root for the underdog and pray for them to become the hero. This book is also addicting. I read half of it in one sitting. There is so much to read and learn that you won't want to race through it, even though it seems like you could. I would recommend this book to anyone. Literally everyone should read it because it is full of things I think you would love. There is a place for everyone.

This was an amazingly intricate story. I loved how all the stories and characters were woven together to create this unique situation these characters were dealing with.