Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

3 reviews

chronicacademia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Romance almost ruined but the pacing was flawless. Relationships and side characters were interesting.

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katsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after." pg. 20

"You are an ember in the ashes. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it." pg. 65

"Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you." pg. 401

"When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart." pg. 422

This was an amazing read! I absolutely loved the world building. It's incredibly brutal which could be hard to read. I'd give some trigger warnings for violence and attempted sexual assault but overall, I loved the writing, the mystery, the suspense, the complicated relationships. I can't wait to read more in this series.

REREAD - April 2022
This book was just as good the second time around. I was surprised by the amount of stuff that I forgot. I remembered the important bits but there were still parts that surprised me and wrenched my heart out. Tahir really knows how to make you feel for characters, sometimes, even when you actually hate them. I loved that even the Resistance, which is supposed to be seen as the good side was morally gray. The different classes of people created a really in depth world that was so compelling. I was even here for the love square. Oftentimes, love triangles aren't my favorite trope but Tahir made this one work. I think the interesting part of the love triangle is that for each main character, one of their love interests represents a piece of themselves that they're at war with. Their love interests are a side of themselves that they could ultimately choose and would change their trajectory in massive ways. 

This is marketed as Young Adult but it pulls no punches when it comes to violence. The story opens with the death of Laia's caregivers and the kidnapping of her brother, as well as the brutal beating and death of a 10-year-old deserter at Elias' school, Blackcliff. If you are sensitive to themes like this, maybe skip this series. That being said, a major plot point is Laia's enslavement in the commandant's household and I was glad to see the life of a slave NOT be sugarcoated in any way. Especially from an American perspective, enslavement is often made more palatable to make it seem less brutal than it was and I'm glad this book doesn't feed into that narrative. 

I'm really excited to continue buddy reading this with @redheadbooks and @shereadsatnaptime. We've been using the Storygraph buddy read feature and it's made the experience so much richer this time around!

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