Reviews with content warning for Rape - An Ember in the Ashes

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

It took a minute to get into the story, but the plot twist about 30 pages in, won me over completely. I knew something fishy was going on with both the resistance and the evilness of the commandant. I adore Laia. She has a quiet strength that is easy to overlook and underestimate. She learned so much truth and saw through the mask that Elias wore. I love Elias' character as well. They both grew separately throughout the book. The battle within Elias, his mother, his friendship, and his own feelings. It's so complicated. The love triangles in this story, which would usually bother, honestly added so much depth and humanization to the characters. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's dark and ugly and bleak. The evilness of Marcus and Keris is terrifying. One of the worst villians I have experienced in all my reading. She's evil for evils sake. There is nothing redeeming. No understanding. I'm worried for Laia and Elias. But also for Helene and what she will become under Marcus.

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wolfst4r's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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

4.75

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vampire_burrito's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

LOVED this, maybe straight ya fantasy does deserve rights after all. My only complaints are why was Elias so horny, hope that gets scrapped in the next one and was it entirely nessesary for basically every woman in this book to be sexually assaulted in some way (like I know it's based of the Roman Empire and I know it's a dark fantasy story, but I just did not enjoy reading those scenes.)

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rachelfayreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

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takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.25

If you like books where no one is who they say they are and you don't know who you can trust... this is it! It's very dark, honestly I am surprised this is labeled as YA. Besides it following young adults and them all being horny teenagers, the subject matter that this deals with is very adult (see TW). I really enjoyed the dual POVs, world building, and the mysterious qualities. It is very attention grabbing and interesting right from the get-go, and it was a very unique concept. I can feel a much more intriguing plot line to come in the rest of the series...

You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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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

4.5

The Martial Empire punishes disobedience with death. Those who do not promise their bodies and blood to the Emperor run the possibility of seeing their loved ones put to death and losing everything they cherish. Laia lives in this harsh, ancient Rome-inspired environment along with her grandparents and older brother. The family makes do in the squalid underbelly of the Empire. They don't take the Empire on. They know what occurs to those who do it.

However, Laia is compelled to select a choice when her brother is detained for treason. She will risk her life to spy for the rebels from the Empire's top military academy in exchange for their assistance in rescuing her brother. Elias, the best soldier at the school—and secretly its least eager—meets Laia there. Elias merely wants to be free from the oppression he is being prepared to impose. He and Laia will soon understand that their fates are interwoven and that their decisions will affect the Empire's course as a whole.

I can't believe I let so much time pass before reading this book, even though I knew I would adore it. I absolutely adored it; Laia and Elias are some of the most resilient people I know, and I would die for them.

I am aware that Laia has been criticized for caving to Mazen, but how could you expect someone without a support system to respond? It goes without saying that they will turn to a kind person because their survival depends on it.

I did find Helene and Keenan fascinating because I enjoy moral ambiguity, but I despised practically everyone else. I need the next book in my hands right away since I'm so eager to read it.

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parkerduhhh's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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neevabeeva510's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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