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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
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
amelia_rose_20's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
10/10 | "An Ember in the Ashes" is a standout read that masterfully combines a profound exploration of ethical dilemmas and personal growth with meticulously crafted characters and a plot that is as emotionally engaging as it is action-packed. This book is both provocative and immensely satisfying, making it a must-read for fans of rich, complex narratives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Death, Blood, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Sexual violence
lrm11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Rape
jeyjeyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
SO GOOD!!! I HAVENT BEEN SO INVESTED IN A SERIES SINCE SIX OF CROWS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Blood, Child death, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
timelapse's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
this book has not figured out what it wants to be. it’s not quite fully dystopian, because both the main characters are solely worried about their individual suffering, and there is very little awareness of the regime in place. there is magic in the book, but for some reason it isn’t essential to the workings of the plot? so the book isn’t really fantasy. and there’s genuinely nothing roman-esque about this (there’s a xenophobic tribal vs empire tension hinted at in the books? and jinns????) besides them having slaves.
my main gripe with the magic being weirdly absent and underdone is honestly mostly that i hate omniscient prophecy figures lol and it feels very cheaply incorporated here, but at least this book doesn’t try to be a super fantasy-forward book.
however, it’s a real crime that the worldbuilding is so toothless, considering that the book really sets itself up to try to be a classic ya dystopia novel. for a book about claiming your own destiny, the characters are extremely self-motivated, and as a dystopian book, it’s very myopic.
despite there being an oppressive martial regime that has created subclasses of humans, the primary threat faced by the main character is… misogyny? and not even particularly interesting or insightful misogyny; the author treats brutality against women as commonplace, but still something that happens to exceptional individuals. tahir clumsily tells you every! other! minute that laia is soooo pretty, and that’s why every man wants to violate her. (besides for this OTHER man who is soo not like the others who also fell for her looks at first sight but again is sooo not like the others)
it makes it really hard to give a fuck about the characters when most of the “love” is male saviorism for this beautiful, exceptional woman, but it’s even harder to try to give a fuck about anything that happens in this world when the author is unable to elaborate on a social structure more complex than women being brutalized. it seemed like “men hate women” was the lowest hanging, most absolute evil that she could write, and in reiterating it so many times so pointlessly, she neglected everything else necessary to writing a compelling novel.
i think this book could’ve been done better if it was an adult dystopian novel, and not a ya one, to really lean into the violence of the world (that the book does not shy away from) and give it more complex backstories than a stupid love triangle, but i honestly don’t think this author could accomplish writing a more complicated and fleshed out world. i remember distinctly that even at 10% into the book i was really confused by the pacing and how little i was learning about the world despite how many things were being explained, and that really never got better even when i finished the whole book. it’s a pity, because i do think helene's arc will get more interesting in the subsequent books, but i feel like i'd be wasting my time to keep reading in this series
my main gripe with the magic being weirdly absent and underdone is honestly mostly that i hate omniscient prophecy figures lol and it feels very cheaply incorporated here, but at least this book doesn’t try to be a super fantasy-forward book.
however, it’s a real crime that the worldbuilding is so toothless, considering that the book really sets itself up to try to be a classic ya dystopia novel. for a book about claiming your own destiny, the characters are extremely self-motivated, and as a dystopian book, it’s very myopic.
despite there being an oppressive martial regime that has created subclasses of humans, the primary threat faced by the main character is… misogyny? and not even particularly interesting or insightful misogyny; the author treats brutality against women as commonplace, but still something that happens to exceptional individuals. tahir clumsily tells you every! other! minute that laia is soooo pretty, and that’s why every man wants to violate her. (besides for this OTHER man who is soo not like the others who also fell for her looks at first sight but again is sooo not like the others)
it makes it really hard to give a fuck about the characters when most of the “love” is male saviorism for this beautiful, exceptional woman, but it’s even harder to try to give a fuck about anything that happens in this world when the author is unable to elaborate on a social structure more complex than women being brutalized. it seemed like “men hate women” was the lowest hanging, most absolute evil that she could write, and in reiterating it so many times so pointlessly, she neglected everything else necessary to writing a compelling novel.
i think this book could’ve been done better if it was an adult dystopian novel, and not a ya one, to really lean into the violence of the world (that the book does not shy away from) and give it more complex backstories than a stupid love triangle, but i honestly don’t think this author could accomplish writing a more complicated and fleshed out world. i remember distinctly that even at 10% into the book i was really confused by the pacing and how little i was learning about the world despite how many things were being explained, and that really never got better even when i finished the whole book. it’s a pity, because i do think helene's arc will get more interesting in the subsequent books, but i feel like i'd be wasting my time to keep reading in this series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
cheytaydemi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual harassment
mikasana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Slow in the beginning but it picks up a bit and then goes full speed towards the end.
Honestly, the storytelling was perfect. I got really attached to Laia and Elias and their character arcs. And the villains?? Black hearted killers who couldn’t have been written any better (shout out to mummy dearest ).
The weight and finality of all the injustices this world festered really just slapped you in the face over and over as the pages went by. The tension from it burned me and had me fully entranced just hoping some good would prevail.
However, if you are looking at this first book expecting romance, look away. The two main characters don’t truly get to know each other in this book and spend much of their time apart. In fact most of the “romance” that exists is spent onthe giant love square (yes, not triangle) between the two main characters and their wooed side pieces. I find love triangles, or any semblance of them, completely unnecessary and distracting. It dampens the potential of the main relationship every single time. Irritating.
This actually would have been a lower rating due to how irritated I was by thelove square but that ending? A chef’s kiss. Perfection.
Honestly, the storytelling was perfect. I got really attached to Laia and Elias and their character arcs. And the villains?? Black hearted killers who couldn’t have been written any better (
The weight and finality of all the injustices this world festered really just slapped you in the face over and over as the pages went by. The tension from it burned me and had me fully entranced just hoping some good would prevail.
However, if you are looking at this first book expecting romance, look away. The two main characters don’t truly get to know each other in this book and spend much of their time apart. In fact most of the “romance” that exists is spent on
This actually would have been a lower rating due to how irritated I was by the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Classism, Confinement, Slavery, Sexual violence, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking, Pregnancy, War, and Rape
crybabybea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good YA dystopian-ish scifi-ish fantasy-ish romance-ish read! I appreciated the unique setting based on West Asia and the inclusion of Arabic mythology. At first, I wasn't super into the story because it felt very typically YA to me, especially the info-dumpiness of the beginning, and I was expecting more immediate fantasy. The fantasy elements are subtle and the overall story leans more toward sci-fi/dystopia. Because of this the world-building doesn't feel as complex as I would like, and a lot of the settings don't feel fully fleshed out.
I had my doubts about the characters but I ended up liking the main characters for their individual arcs, especially Laia. I wish the side characters got more attention and felt more fully developed.
I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the themes explored and the story beats. I wasn't expecting anything crazy from YA but this book was very dark and the author made some crazy choices that really flipped the typical YA experience on its head. Of course it had its tropey moments but I enjoyed the story a lot and found it compelling.
Definitely a page-turner, an intriguing thriller of a story with unique, subtle fantasy elements to get lost in for a few days.
I had my doubts about the characters but I ended up liking the main characters for their individual arcs, especially Laia. I wish the side characters got more attention and felt more fully developed.
I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the themes explored and the story beats. I wasn't expecting anything crazy from YA but this book was very dark and the author made some crazy choices that really flipped the typical YA experience on its head. Of course it had its tropey moments but I enjoyed the story a lot and found it compelling.
Definitely a page-turner, an intriguing thriller of a story with unique, subtle fantasy elements to get lost in for a few days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Slavery, Child abuse, Misogyny, Child death, Sexism, and Kidnapping
my_personal_escape's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Grief
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I liked the worldbuilding. The characters were good and I liked their relationships. I struggled with the writing style of alternating first person POV in the present tense. The plot was good though a little predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, and Confinement