Reviews tagging 'Blood'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

138 reviews

emilywemily6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

Wow. Just wow… this book was a lot emotionally. I found myself so invested that I couldn’t look away even if I was so scared for the fates of these characters. There are high stakes all over the place!! The writing is beautiful, the characters are dynamic and nuanced, and I just want more. While classified as a YA fantasy, it wasn’t written with immature characters or simplistic writing. Even if it was put in the adult section, I would still give this five stars. I cannot start the next book fast enough.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Grief, Slavery, Physical abuse, Torture, Racism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Death of parent, Cursing, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Child death

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

theresamothinmyroom's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Vomit, Abandonment, Child death, Classism, Torture, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abortion, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol

chocolatechump's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Child death, Blood, Violence, Slavery, Gore, and Murder

tabookish's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Genocide, Murder, Grief, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Slavery, and Confinement

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

hurricanyounot's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I SIMPLY COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! I swear to god that if this series doesn’t end well for the characters after what they’ve been through in this book alone, it’s ON SIGHT, MISS TAHIR! Can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Violence, Murder, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

erwikka's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book has become and instant favorite and I have too many feelings to put into words right now. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, and Slavery

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.

---

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