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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My Review Of An Ember In The Ashes
I’m going to let you in on a secret – I thought I was getting tired of fantasy because I wasn’t going through them as fast as I used to. The last book I read this fast was Fourth Wing last year(I thought it broke my brain). Thankfully, this book proved me wrong. It’s fast-paced; you’re moving with the characters as soon as you start reading. It holds your attention until the very end. You understand where every character, good or bad, comes from. I was recommended this book through watching Reads With Rachel. I value her opinion as a reviewer, and she spoke so highly of this series that I had to try it. Please check her out. She has great reviewing videos.
What I Liked:
Characters That Grow and Change: This author wrote believable characters with unique personalities. They may have made decisions that frustrated me, but they made those decisions from who they were, not to move along a plot or romance. Their actions and reactions made sense of who they were and made them believable and human. You see the inner conflicts that each one has, and it shows through what they do and say.
The Writing: The style of writing is thought-provoking and beautiful. It instantly transports you to this world Sabaa created. The atmosphere was captured, and I was looking at what these characters experienced.
Limits: The characters that were written to be powerful still had limits. Which I think is very important when it comes to fantasy books.
What I Didn’t Like:
Nothing. Honestly, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book. It has all the qualities I want in fantasy, and there wasn’t a time when I thought something could’ve been done differently. Sabaa thought this book and her characters through, and it shows that on the page.
Would I Recommend An Ember In The Ashes:
If you love a fast-paced YA fantasy with compelling characters – absolutely. I jumped to the next book so fast I almost broke my neck. As I’m writing this, I’m already on the third book in less than a week help me.
The Author
Please check out Sabaa Tahir.
