A review by clea
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I really enjoyed this book, although it didn't live up to my (very high) expectations. As the first book in the series completely mesmerized and captivated me, I thought the same would happen for the second one. I was only mildly disappointed. 
I found it difficult to immerse myself fully into the story until about one third of the book. But then the suspense increased, the stakes got higher and the conflicts intensified, which led to a more engaging read. 
My only complaint is that I don't find the villains very intimidating anymore. Most of the time we only hear about the Commandant's cruel actions and we hardly get to experience them. I think this would have added a deeper emotional aspect to the absolutely horrendous things happening in this story.
Especially the Nightbringer lost some of his fearsomeness he had in the first book.
But I am relieved that the love triangle got resolved so early in the series and I think the way Tahir did it was very clever and brought some freshness into the (in my opinion) overused love-triangle-trope.
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