Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Published: April 28, 2015
Blurb (taken from Goodreads): 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.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Review: I really enjoyed myself while I was reading this book. I'm in a huge fantasy kick right now, and I started off my fantasy marathon with An Ember in the Ashes. I wasn't disappointed. This book doesn't waste any time and gets right with the action and the mystery within the first three chapters. I appreciated the switching point of views between Elias and Laia. I'm a sucker for books with multiple perspectives. I found both Elias and Laia's characters to be unique and interesting. I liked how complex their family lives were, and I couldn't wait for the moment where their lives intertwined with each other. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Helene. There were times where I did feel a little detached from the characters, and sometimes it was hard for me to envision just what Sabaa Tahir was trying to convey. I also found it very easy to put the book down and not really think or wonder about the characters, but for the most part I found this story to be completely enthralling. The last, and probably biggest, issue I had with this book was that Laia and Elias were supposed to be seventeen and twenty years old, but I thought that they both seemed younger - Laia acting more around fifteen and Elias more around eighteen. I still feel this was a great debut novel and I look forward to more books by Sabaa Tahir in the future!
Buy this book from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Published: April 28, 2015
Blurb (taken from Goodreads): 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.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Review: I really enjoyed myself while I was reading this book. I'm in a huge fantasy kick right now, and I started off my fantasy marathon with An Ember in the Ashes. I wasn't disappointed. This book doesn't waste any time and gets right with the action and the mystery within the first three chapters. I appreciated the switching point of views between Elias and Laia. I'm a sucker for books with multiple perspectives. I found both Elias and Laia's characters to be unique and interesting. I liked how complex their family lives were, and I couldn't wait for the moment where their lives intertwined with each other. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Helene. There were times where I did feel a little detached from the characters, and sometimes it was hard for me to envision just what Sabaa Tahir was trying to convey. I also found it very easy to put the book down and not really think or wonder about the characters, but for the most part I found this story to be completely enthralling. The last, and probably biggest, issue I had with this book was that Laia and Elias were supposed to be seventeen and twenty years old, but I thought that they both seemed younger - Laia acting more around fifteen and Elias more around eighteen. I still feel this was a great debut novel and I look forward to more books by Sabaa Tahir in the future!
Buy this book from Amazon | Barnes & Noble