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A review by anne_escaping_reality
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is a two-viewpoint story, told from Elias, a Mask fighter, and Laia, a girl from an oppressed people, in alternating chapters. (Unfortunately the chapters are only named after the viewpoint which makes navigation tedious.)
It is very YA, a lot of tropes but well executed and it had enough tension to keep me glued to the pages once I had read a few chapters. It is a bit strange to have both main characters pining after another 'love' interest beforhand even though their second interests both made somewhat sense. In all relations, there is a lot of description of physical attraction and you really have to search for some emotional romance. There is a lot of attraction-at-the-first-sight and not much more to that.Still, I am happy to see that Elias and Laia are not lovers yet at the end of the book - looking forward to a hopefully slow-burn sequel :P
There are some small grievances and questions that still linger after reading (caution, spoilery):
I am struggling to fully understand the magic system. I find it to be very unclear how the Empire's weapons are better than the Scholars' and how the Masks are overpowering fighters apart from rigid training. What do their masks actually achieve besides obscuring faces and marking their wearers as specific fighters? Why are the Augurs sometimes so impassive to the happenings in the Trials and then directly involved in steering them in one direction? Why did they let themselves so obviously be fooled by the Commander? How is the flame-red-haired Keenan fit for blending in to a crowd and sneekingly lead Laia to the Resistance? The character development of Laia also makes a sudden jump at the last chapters which is a bit unbelievable. I would have liked to read the thought process in her mind leading to her grand plan of rescue at the beheading besides "must save my brother". (Also how on earth could it be so easy to overwhelm the whole military school for 3 slaves even if one of them seems to be a genius former Resistance member - after one short night of planning and preparation? Must be the magic of YA I guess...)
Still, I will be reading the next book soon. This was so much fun!
It is very YA, a lot of tropes but well executed and it had enough tension to keep me glued to the pages once I had read a few chapters. It is a bit strange to have both main characters pining after another 'love' interest beforhand even though their second interests both made somewhat sense. In all relations, there is a lot of description of physical attraction and you really have to search for some emotional romance. There is a lot of attraction-at-the-first-sight and not much more to that.
There are some small grievances and questions that still linger after reading (caution, spoilery):
I am struggling to fully understand the magic system. I find it to be very unclear how the Empire's weapons are better than the Scholars' and how the Masks are overpowering fighters apart from rigid training. What do their masks actually achieve besides obscuring faces and marking their wearers as specific fighters? Why are the Augurs sometimes so impassive to the happenings in the Trials and then directly involved in steering them in one direction? Why did they let themselves so obviously be fooled by the Commander? How is the flame-red-haired Keenan fit for blending in to a crowd and sneekingly lead Laia to the Resistance? The character development of Laia also makes a sudden jump at the last chapters which is a bit unbelievable. I would have liked to read the thought process in her mind leading to her grand plan of rescue at the beheading besides "must save my brother". (Also how on earth could it be so easy to overwhelm the whole military school for 3 slaves even if one of them seems to be a genius former Resistance member - after one short night of planning and preparation? Must be the magic of YA I guess...)
Still, I will be reading the next book soon. This was so much fun!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Sexism