An Ember in the Ashes Paperback – February 9, 2016

How in the world did I not come across this series until now, what book abyss have I fallen in that this gem of a writing masterpiece has been hidden from me!?The best kinds of books are the ones that, when you read them, you feel like you’re whisked off to another place, the world around you disappears and for awhile you lose yourself in the stories of these other people. You become part of their adventures, their struggles and triumphs. Yet all the while these people feel like people you know, people you’ve met, or even people you’ve been or might want to be. This book has all of those glorious elements in it! Reading Ember felt like disappearing into a place that’s recognizable and yet so completely foreign, horrible in its brutality and yet strangely beautiful in its mythology.And the characters, excuse me but they are so beyond amazing, words cannot express how much I adore all of them. Laia is the most relatable, her growth from being afraid and defenseless to finding her own kind of courage is remarkable. It’s great when a character doesn’t just instantly toughen up because they’re thrown into something difficult. Laia is strong, but her strength overall is a growing process and that made me admire her as a character. And don’t get me talking about Elias because my heart just might explode from how much I love that poor soul. Seriously his development was stellar and intricate, the way everything was woven together with the Augur Cain and seeing the many layers of himself that needed to revealed for him to be “free”, it was just too much for my heart. Now Helene, that girl is still so much of a mystery to me, but in a great way. I want to know more about her and she’s just awesome with being underestimated by everyone and I felt hurt for her after everything with Elias, but she just had such complexity that I can’t wait to find out more!!Even the side characters in this book were wonderful, like all of Elias and Helene’s Blackcliff friends, I almost cried with what happened to them in the end and Izzi is just the cutest little cupcake after everything that the Commandant has done to her. Who, speaking of, is so the creepiest and worst woman ever. There’s no way I could choose a worst villain of this story, because between Marcus being a super sicko and Keris as the Commandant with her sadistic ways, they were both equally horrid, but in a “I like to dislike you” way.As romance goes, I’m not super thrilled with the love triangle because, let’s be honest here, I’m all for Laia and Elias and so I was saying no to Keenan early on. Plus his character just wasn’t developed as much as Elias so I didn’t feel as interested in the romance between Laia and him as I did with her and Elias. Now I will admit I still wouldn’t be opposed to a triangle between Elias, Laia and Helene. Elias may have been very clueless there for awhile, but I think his affection for Helene was really genuine and I always adore a good friends turned romantic partners pairing. Of course with everything that happened that’s probably not likely. Especially since Elias and Laia have some serious book chemistry. The kind where even when they’re just on the same page together, or even just mention the other’s name, I’m so glued to the page my eyes hurt. The author has managed to capture that all important spark and I just can’t wait for it to ignite into something extraordinary.I’ve already rambled on too much, but I have to mention how well the world was built too. Not just how much I felt immersed in it, like I said above, but just the style of it. Like being plopped down in Ancient Rome, but with a touch of Arabian culture. The mythology of the jinn, efrits, ghuls and other creatures is so intriguing that I’m pulled in by their story as much as the main characters. The author has a talent for weaving stories within stories, within stories and I liked that while the narrative had one overarching goal, Laia saving her brother, there were so many more complex narratives going on underneath. It gave the book more drive, heart and depth. I’m always completely drawn in by the complexity it must take to come up with not just the original plot, but the stories of so many other moving pieces within the original narrative.So after all of that, if you’ve read all the way to the bottom of this review (which if you have, thank you and you’re awesome) I think you can surmise by now that I LOVED this book. The characters, the world, the everything. The writing was so well done that every line and moment fit within the frame of what was happening. Stepping back I normally wouldn’t appreciate something that could be considered slightly violent, but within the world that Tahir has set up, it all works together to create a place that’s haunting and poetically moving at the same time. I can’t wait to start reading the next books in the series, if it’s anything like this one, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing!

I was so excited to read this book! And why not? The cover is gorgeous, the plot intriguing, and oh the hype! I really enjoyed watching the book community rally around Sabaa Tahir, and quickly elevate this book to a MUST READ! But, when I finished An Ember in the Ashes I came away feeling….undecided.Did I like the book? Yes. Did it leave me with burning questions and haunt me for days after reading? No.What I liked:The CharactersSabaa Tahir did so many things well in this book. An Ember in the Ashes is written from the dual perspectives of Laia, a Scholar slave, and Elias, a Martial training to be an elite assassin. Tahir moves between their stories effortlessly. The characters are so well developed, that even if the chapters weren’t labeled accordingly, there wouldn’t be any doubt who’s POV we were reading.What I loved most was that every single character was strongly written and well fleshed out, even the secondary characters. You walked away feeling that you knew Cook, Izzy, and Keenan just as well as Elias, Helene, or Laia.The Commandant is scary guys. JUST SAYING.The World BuildingAs a product of her environment, the world of Ember is equally as terrifying as the Commandant. The Empire Is broken into the Scholars and the Martials. The Scholars are a conquered people living under the iron rule of the Martials. The Martials train their children to be assassins, carrying out the will of the Empire. Horrifying thought, right? The only confusing part for me was that some Scholars were slaves while others lived free. But Ember’s world is so much bigger than that. We are briefly introduced to the land of Marinn and the Tribal deserts that boarder the empire as well.Tahir fills Ember with vivid imagery and expertly weaves in touches of folklore and mythology until the world becomes a living breathing thing that jumps off the page.The RomanceWhat I found really interesting is that Tahir didn’t fall back on the expected romantic plot devices. Was there a love triangle? Kind of. It was more like a quadrangle….rectangle…. diamond? Each of the main characters had more than one love interest. Elias had Helene and Laia, but Laia had Elias and Keenan. Laia and Elias never made sense to me. I was, and still am, firmly entrenched in Camp Helene. She’s his girl, mark my words. I also liked that Tahir kept it clean.What I didn’t like:There’s not much. It was a rough read in terms of the wanton brutality of the Martial class. I can’t count how many times I read the word rape. It wasn’t a pleasant aspect of the book or the world.Tahir did a pretty good job of tying up all the loose ends while still leaving you with a WHAT HAPPENS NEXT feeling. There was only one part of the book that I didn’t feel was tied up in a neat little bow by the end. Midway through, we are introduced to a…..ally of the Commandants. She calls him by a certain title and we hear a reference to him in one of the stories told to Laia. We get the idea that this ally is the one behind the scenes, pulling the strings, yet we never really hear anything more.All and all, I did enjoy this book. I was very fond of Elias and Helene. Their strength and honor were very appealing to me, as was their tried and true friendship. The world had a brutal beauty that was equally horrifying and mesmerizing. And while it didn’t necessarily leave me wanting for more, it’s solid!

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Ai fazia tempo que eu não lia um livro que me deixou tão compenetrada! Parece que tem 900 páginas de tanta coisa que acontece! Adorei <3

I loved this book, and cant wait to read the rest of the series. It was a very unique world and story, and i got swept in it right away. Really recommend!!!

There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.I could tell this was going to win my heart from the first few pages. The fact that anything is possible makes fantasy such a daunting yet satisfying genre. You don't have to adhere to reality's rules; you can fabricate whatever you want as long as you can sell it. Fantasy can go horribly wrong or horribly right, and An Ember in the Ashes got it right.When Laia's family is murdered and her brother is imprisoned by a Martial, she vows to fight for his freedom and survival. Laia's only way of saving him is to work as a slave in Blackcliff Academy, spying for rebels.Elias is a top student at Blackcliff. Disobedience promises a public lashing at best, and a miserable death at worst, as a Martial in training.The problem is that Elias is repulsed by the school, unable to bear the killing and tyranny he is subjected to. He intends to desert before graduation, but no deserter has ever made it out alive in Blackliff's history.The characters were extremely well-written. My favorite character was Laia. Despite being a meek heroine, she was willing to go to any length to save her child. She was always afraid, but once she thinks about him, she snaps out of her stupor and goes about her business. In the end, she demonstrated incredible development and resilience. Personally, I like seeing underdogs rising to prominence, so I'm excited to see how Sabaa's character develops in A Torch Against the Night.In this novel, the twists and turns, the adventure and the romance, the passion and the befuddlement are all skillfully intertwined. It is intertwined, and it is dispersed. Folk tales, as well as the nightmare influence, have their own allure. Simply reading this book will break, hurt, and restore your souls. I adored it. Even though I believe this is not the case for all, I enjoyed the cruelty and sheer evilness of some of the characters.The prose was superb. And though I knew that no one would die or that it would happen, I nevertheless felt tightness in my chest and the urge to cry. The characters, as I previously said, were excellent, as was the production, especially Laia's. I'm relieved she isn't a badass, except that she, like most, was apprehended and disciplined. Helene was incredibly obnoxious when she was jealous, and she made some poor judgments. Elias. Ok, despite the fact that he is terrible with women, I am completely enamored with him.I'm determined to tell more about what about this story drew me in so completely. What made it an instant favorite and kept my stomach churning was the fact that it was so simple to make. For the first time in a long time, the romance was not what drew me in. Yeah, I enjoyed it, but it was also so much more. It was about family and friendship, love and death, fighting and betrayal...making choices that no one should have to make at their age. It delves into topics that few people dare to discuss, but the author makes them so appealing that you can't take your eyes off it. It was more like a beautifully woven spider web, designed to catch and constrict its victims, and there was grace in its depravity. Even now, as I reminisce about what happened and what our lead characters had to endure, I find myself gasping for air.Sure, the world creation should have been more complicated, but I figured we had enough information to make it work, and since this is the first of four books, I suppose there's still time to fill in the gaps. I really loved how the beginning of the book had us confused about just how much magic there is in this world, whether it's true or just superstition and mythology.Simply described, An Ember in the Ashes was a thrill coaster. Sabaa Tahir's writing style drew me in right away, allowing me to easily slip into both Elias and Laia's shoes. The stakes are high from the first chapter, implying a never-ending climactic adventure for readers.