Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

17 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

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

pumpkincore's review against another edition

I liked a couple of the side characters, but couldn't get into the main perspectives enough to wait for their appearances. The writing was fine, if a little lazy and predictable. The world building was lazier. Do it or don't.

There's an audience out there, and I've recommended it to several friends who I think would enjoy it more than me. I read the first half and then skimmed the second half for book club. Nothing caught my interest enough to make me slow down, so I'm not considering it "Read."

I am also desperately exhausted by the constant rape allusions, especially in a YA book. This book should have the characters aged up 3 years and thrown into adult fantasy. The plot doesn't fit the ages. I threw all of the CWs in graphic because they come up a lot and are intrinsic to the plot, regardless of how they're described.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, War, Racism, Police brutality, Torture, Slavery, Trafficking, and Suicide

theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Death, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture, Murder, Sexual violence, Rape, Confinement, Toxic relationship, War, Police brutality, Colonisation, Abortion, Sexual assault, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Cursing

alexasolis98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

First, I do not understand how this book is marketed as YA. 
As for my reread of this book after 9 years, this book hurts so much. There is so much darkness yet people are still able to have hope and kindness. I worry about Helene, Laia and Elias. I don't trust Keenan. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Slavery, Torture, Murder, Child abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Abortion

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Torture, Slavery, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

sh543's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death of parent, and Murder

kriti's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, War, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.5

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is your next must-read fantasy obsession. This book hooked me from page one, and I flew through it in less than two days. I think the characters are interesting and dynamic, not to mention the way it focuses separately on each important character’s story then masterfully weaves the threads together to form the larger narrative, even as characters are sharing experiences. If you’ve been following me for a while you know I typically hate books with shifting perspectives, but I think Tahir does a great job here making each character’s voice unique. I promise you’re going to want to have the next book lined up and waiting—I know I did! Definitely add this to your TBR without a doubt. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, War, Classism, and Slavery

veeronald's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Rape, Child abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Confinement

Moderate: Classism, Torture, Blood, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, Genocide, Child abuse, Murder, Vomit, Bullying, Colonisation, and Death

Minor: War, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail