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A review by aseaoftomes
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I absolutely loved this.
This book follows our two main protagonists Laia, a slave and Elias a soldier at a prestigious academy as they both fight for freedom and saving their loved ones in different ways. All the while realizing that their lives are intertwined.
The writing was really immersive and sucks you in. It's incredibly vivid and gorgeous.
The plot was interesting. It dealt a lot with figuring out how far a person would go to save someone and for freedom. As I briefly mentioned above, Laia is a slave. The book starts with her watching several of her family members get killed and her brother kidnapped which makes Laia want to do everything possible to get him back. Elias is a soldier at a prestigious academy who just wants to be free. He hates everything he's made to do and is fighting a battle for freedom while also trying to live up to the expectations to those around him.
The world building was great as well. This takes place in an Ancient Roman like society and it was done in such a wonderful way. I love it when I read a book with this setting that actually focuses on what Roman culture was like rather than the things they did. But this also had a tribe aspect to it that I also loved. For a book of this size, the world building was rich, yet not bogged down. And I loved it.
Finally, the characters. Overall, I loved the characters, but there were times they all irritated me for different reasons. I loved Laia and her journey with the expectations to be like her family and ultimately finding her own way. I loved Elias' kind and loving nature. I loved watching his struggles unfold. And I loved the side characters, particularly Izzi, Cook and Helene. They were all great and I can't wait to see how their stories unfold more as the series goes on.
All in all, I loved this book and I can't wait to read book 2!
This book follows our two main protagonists Laia, a slave and Elias a soldier at a prestigious academy as they both fight for freedom and saving their loved ones in different ways. All the while realizing that their lives are intertwined.
The writing was really immersive and sucks you in. It's incredibly vivid and gorgeous.
The plot was interesting. It dealt a lot with figuring out how far a person would go to save someone and for freedom. As I briefly mentioned above, Laia is a slave. The book starts with her watching several of her family members get killed and her brother kidnapped which makes Laia want to do everything possible to get him back. Elias is a soldier at a prestigious academy who just wants to be free. He hates everything he's made to do and is fighting a battle for freedom while also trying to live up to the expectations to those around him.
The world building was great as well. This takes place in an Ancient Roman like society and it was done in such a wonderful way. I love it when I read a book with this setting that actually focuses on what Roman culture was like rather than the things they did. But this also had a tribe aspect to it that I also loved. For a book of this size, the world building was rich, yet not bogged down. And I loved it.
Finally, the characters. Overall, I loved the characters, but there were times they all irritated me for different reasons. I loved Laia and her journey with the expectations to be like her family and ultimately finding her own way. I loved Elias' kind and loving nature. I loved watching his struggles unfold. And I loved the side characters, particularly Izzi, Cook and Helene. They were all great and I can't wait to see how their stories unfold more as the series goes on.
All in all, I loved this book and I can't wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Torture