A review by ashley_mrose530
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous dark tense 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

4.75

This was a fantastic first book in the series. I really loved it.
Laia and Elias are both fantastic main characters. I love that Laia starts off as a scared girl who runs away when her family is attacked but by the end of it, she's grown and faced hardships all in the name of saving her brother from the mistake she believes she's made and

even goes so far as to save Elias from being executed.

Her growth in this one book was really impressive and I can't wait to see how she continues to get braver and trust herself even more throughout the rest of the series. And she isn't the only one who grows either. Elias has just as much growth in his effort to be free from the empire and learning what freedom really is: the body as well as the soul.
The plot is so interesting. Mostly setting up the politics between the empire and the scribes/rebels, but Elias's trials were fascinating and seeing what Laia had to deal with as a slave was heartbreakingly realistic. I also loved how these two separate things kept pushing them together in different ways.
I'm so excited to continue with this series as soon as the second book is available on Libby.