One of my favorite quotes spoken is the following: “Fear can be good, Laia. Most of the story, I kept changing my mind about several of the characters and wondering, who is actually a hero and who is just saving themselves, no matter what happens to those around them? I felt on edge about almost everyone but Laia and Elias – they both seeming to be the two most genuine souls throughout, even when faced with challenging situations that test their loyalties. Tahir wastes no time jumping in to the action of the story, filling in necessary background as the novel progresses and is applicable to us readers. I was unaware when I started that this was part one of a series, and I am curious of what the next journey is for Laia and Elias, but I’m getting ahead of myself here! The alternating of Laia and Elias’ perspectives gives a refreshing look at the same scenarios in a different social status. I was pleasantly surprised when Tahir kept me on the edge of my seat with every chapter. I found a strong likeness to that of the Hunger Games for going through Elias managing The Trials and wanting to be freed. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined-and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself“ ReviewĪs a fan of the explosion of young adult series’ about post-apocalyptic worlds with teenagers as the main forces behind change, I was skeptical about reading and reviewing An Ember in the Ashes.

Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier-and secretly, its most unwilling. 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. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.īut when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother.

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.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir An Ember in the Ashes Goodreads Synopsis

An ember in the ashes book 4