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

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

63 reviews

mellikesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.25

So this book was an experience. Sabaa Tahir has no mercy and neither would my wallet because I'm buying the second book.

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swaggynikki's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I read this book in middle school and loved it. I just reread it and liked it a lot less. Honestly, that really disapoints me, because I remembered it as this incredible example of the good side of the YA genre, but parts of it just really do not appeal to me anymore. The main couple already had the whole slave-soldier dynamic keeping them appart, so the fact that they were both individually in boring love triangles was just. Fully unnecessary. I did love the worldbuilding and action of the series, but as someone who prefers character>plot it just didn't quite hold up for me. Also it's INCREDIBLY dark/gruesome, I can handle a lot but there were some parts that made me go "was that /really/ necessary for anything other that Maximum Shock Value". I feel like I'm trashing this book too much. I like it, and I think it's one of the better fantasy YAs out there, but it just isn't what I think it could have been.

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randa503's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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arkenst0ne's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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roseamongstories's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

“ There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that's a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. 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.”

I am a great believer in the adage Love is sweeter the second time around , at least where books and reading are concerned, so I am a big fan of rereading, especially my favorites. This year, as I am planning to finish a few series I have started in the past, with Ember Quartet being one of them, I decided to reread the first two books in the series in order to refresh my minds with the plot points I might have forgotten about already.

I remember being so enthralled by the whole worldbuilding and captivating writing Ember has when I first read it in 2018. Not only did this book keep me on the edge of my seat with its fast-paced and compelling storyline, but it also made me tear up and fervently hope for a better future for my children, Laia and Elias. Three years later and I still felt enraptured by this gripping debut fantasy novel woven masterfully by Sabaa Tahir.

Set in a very atmospheric ancient Rome where one social class is deemed more worthy than another, Scholar Laia’s situation is fraught with uncertainty, and impending doom. There is little to no moments of levity in this book for both Laia and Elias, even Helene, that I’d like nothing more than to scoop them all up in a big hug. But I know I wouldn’t be able to do that because let’s admit it, I won’t be able t survive such harsh situations. I felt all kinds of emotions ranging from fury, disgust to pity, devastation, pain, and hesitant victory while reading this book, and that says so much about the way this book was written. Every scene depicted in this book practically leaps off of the page with the way they are described. Such is the beauty of Sabaa Tahir’s prose: it can evoke the most apt emotions out of the readers. Below are some of the lines in the book which I thought were very beautifully written, and which made me envious of how Sabaa can string together words into a masterpiece:

“Dawn is still a blue rumor in the horizon…”
“In the night, your loneliness crushes you, as if the sky itself has swooped down to smother you in its cold arms.

The characterization in this novel is very impressive. Laia, Elias and Helene are very complex yet very likeable characters. With their distinct voices and varying motivations and personalities, it was hard not to root for them three and just hope that they all come out safe. I remember disliking Helene when I first read this book, but now that I reread it, I felt more inclined to her, probably than I am to Laia.

I appreciated that the romance in this novel was more of a sub-plot and thus did not take away from the main plot. There is an undeniable chemistry between Laia and Elias, although I can’t say the same about Laia and Keenan, especially knowing what happens in the sequel (oof--) In a fantasy novel such as this whose atmosphere is rife with savagery and violence, a sweet albeit short romantic or heartwarming moment is a welcome respite from all the tension. And like a parched creature out in a barren desert, I had to have my fill of those sparse moments of levity.

Ember also involves a lore that is very interesting, although a bit dark and grim. Creatures such as the ghuls, wraiths, a creature called Nightbringer play a role in both the destruction and success of the oppressive system that is the Martial Empire. These gruesome supernatural creatures with their devious ways pale a lot in comparison to the unscrupulous hand that the Martial Empire serves. Although dark and quite anxiety-inducing, I’d love to know more how this conflicting dynamics will play out in the next books. Ultimately, I hope for the day when our main characters are able to topple down these oppressive forces; I still have three more books to read to find out if that actually happens. I just hope that by the time I get to Sky , Ms. Sabaa hasn’t wrecked my heart beyond repair yet.

Despite having read only the first two books, I have so much love for this series and its characters. With a first book as solid as this, I know the remaining books in this series will be as good, if not better.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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2.0

Truthfully, I had a tough time getting into this book. Part of that may have been that I had just come off the high of two really captivating contemporary romance novels and jumping into a book with so much world-building required more concentration than I possessed at the time. But it also could've just been that it's a slow start.

It is a slow start, but that doesn't mean it's not a great book. By about halfway through, I was really invested in the characters' fates and by three-quarters of the way through, I was flipping the pages so fast my eyes could barely keep up!

Laia is a really likable character with a lot of admirable traits. She's the epitome of a strong female lead and I appreciated her progression throughout the story. There's a bit of a multi-character love... rectangle(?) going on that kind of confuses me right now, but I'm sure more of that will be explained in the coming books.

I'm not usually a huge fan of multiple POVs, but I think it was done really well in this book. It was actually helpful to understand both sides of the story and what was going on from each person's perspective. I'm curious if the POVs will increase from here on out for the other characters.

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briggs4598's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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bitterjewess's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

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sincerelyabiblio's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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og_tomatogirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I understand the hype.

I was a bit salty at first with the heavy handed Roman Empire influence. LIKE OKAY WE GET IT. But that's really just a personal issue with me that stems from the History channel only showing that, vikings and WWII (all the historical fiction settings I avoide like the plague 😌). I quickly got over it because this has to be one of the fastest past books I've ever read. Every chapter had a cliff hanger so I was reading ~100 pages per session. Also HOW IS THIS YA?!?!??!!!?!??!?!!?!??!?!!

EXPLAIN YOURSELVES MARKETING! This book is *almost* as dark as The Poppy War. So much CW: threating of/sexual assault, gore, slavery, violence. Despite some pretty dark themes the story overall didn't seem so dark. Maybe it's because the two MCs are so goddam HORNY all the time.

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