Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

52 reviews

mj1588's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, War, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Blood, Rape, and Sexual harassment

alyxbeau's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The end of the book got more interesting, but did NOT make up for how little I cared for the rest of the book. I have no interest in continuing the series, though I may look up a synopsis of the rest of the books to see what happens to Helene. I do not care about Laia, and I do not care about Elias. Not one bit. Im not sure how these books got so popular? I planned to give this one star but the end was enough to bump it up by one star. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Rape

chrisb913's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Please check trigger warnings.

This book was outstanding. Sabaa Tahir has provided such a captivating and brutal world to explore. This story is a dual pov between Laia (a member of the Scholars) and Elias (a member of the Martials) as they navigate their incredibly different lives. Centuries ago, the Martials conquered the lands and established a dynasty. Today the Scholars are an oppressed people looking to just survive. Though, not all of them are willing to live under the oppression of the Martials. Due to circumstances, Laia joins up with the Resistence to try and overthrow the ruling class. Meanwhile, Elias has spent his entire life training to become one of the elite guards of the Martials all the while despising them and scheming to run away. The story follows these two incredible characters as they navigate the intricacies of this harsh political system, just trying to survive. I found this an incredible start to this saga and cannot recommend it enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racial slurs, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Suicide

heleneaquillaomg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Blood, and Child abuse

amre23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

This book was dark and violent but believe the start to a great story. This starts about a girl thrown into conflict larger than simply finding and saving her brother and a boy who is trying to escape the expectations and confines of his life. She is adamant to find her brother but constantly is navigating who her true allies are and how to complete the requests from everyone around her. He is constantly navigating between the "mask" he wears for everyone and who he wants/wishes to be.

The Dual POVs made the story progress faster. Was nice to see when the 2 main characters weren't interacting how their actions and inactions impacted each other.

At times could truly feel her worry and anxiety through the pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Slavery, Physical abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Genocide, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Grief, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, and War

Minor: Medical content, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

risten's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Classism, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Death, War, and Child death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Trafficking, and Suicide

Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, Vomit, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, and Animal death

yasmin96's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Rape, Torture, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

jordosba's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Slavery

Minor: Child death, Death, Confinement, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Rape

sahramahtab's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-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

Sabaa Tahir's "An Ember in the Ashes" is a poignant journey that managed to draw tears — something that very few books manage to achieve. The story is a tapestry of characters, with Laia and Elias at the forefront, each layering complexity to the narrative. Their authenticity makes it impossible not to invest emotionally, and I found myself eagerly rooting for their struggles and triumphs. The desire for interactions between them kept me turning page after page. The supporting characters add depth to the story, although

Helene's actions left me perplexed, creating a sense of frustration. Keenan's intentions remain shrouded in mystery,

adding an intriguing layer that begs further exploration. Yet, the unresolved mysteries have me hooked, and without a doubt, I'm sprinting to grab the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Confinement, Murder, Torture, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Rape, Abandonment, Child abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse

emjen16's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Rape