Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.

When Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.

But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant of Blackcliff, the Empire’s greatest military academy. Should she fail it’s more than her brother’s freedom at risk . . . Laia’s very life is at stake.

There, she meets Elias, the academy’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

• Title: An Ember in the Ashes
• Author:  Sabaa Tahir
• Publisher: HarperVoyager
• Publication Date: 28 April 2015
• Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy 
• Targeted Age Range: Young Adult
• Content Warnings: Attempted rape (on-page), blood, child abuse, child death, death (including loved ones), guilt, physical abuse, rape (mentioned and threatened), sexual assault, slavery, torture, violence
• Rating: ★★★★★

I know I’m very late to the party, but An Ember in the Ashes was phenomenal. For those who may not know, I’m a big lover of young adult fantasy, so I went into An Ember in the Ashes knowing I would love it. It’s been on my radar for years, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. Told in dual POVs, An Ember in the Ashes follows Laia and Elias as their journeys to freedom become intertwined and reliant on each other. I loved that this book was told in dual POVS, as I felt it really did bring something extra to the story being told. It wWas very interesting to see how each of our protagonists already complimented each other, before even meeting. It makes the reader excited for the point where their paths finally cross. 

Set in a dystopian empire, An Ember in the Ashes quickly establishes an interesting world for the reader to get lost in. It’s very easy to become absorbed in the world Tahir has created, due to the lush writing style and descriptive prose. You almost feel the heat of the desert sun and the coarseness of the sand as you read it. With the addition of the details about the various towns and villages surrounding the academy, it’s so easy to visualise the world Tahir has crafted, and you find yourself enjoying doing so. Admittedly, I did think this world was going to be a little bit more magical. While we have the addition of supernatural elements, I was a bit surprised to find out that there was a lack of ‘classic’ fantasy elements, such as complicated magic systems and other magical creatures, but I don’t think it took away from the successful world building and creation conducted by Tahir.

This book moves and reads very fast. As I often do, I read this book on my commute to work on public transport, and found myself flying through 100+ pages every time I picked it up. There was always something happening, and no moment felt unnecessary or dull. This book was clearly carefully plotted and planned that every plot twist, every revelation, every snippet of information came as a surprise to me. I personally love it when books successfully fool me, or trick me, as I don’t like being able to guess any surprises it may have, so I was thrilled when An Ember in the Ashes left me guessing right up until the last page. Personally, I didn’t feel as if this book dragged. While it was slightly slower at the start, it never felt as if the book was moving at a snail’s pace, and you quickly found yourself diving head first into the action as soon as those moments had passed. I cannot wait to start diving into book two, and I’m itching to do it ASAP!

“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”

Laia and Elias make for an interesting and compelling duo as our two protagonists. Despite coming from different backgrounds, the minute Laia and Elias meet  you know they were destined for greatness together. Their bond quickly grew, almost too fast (but I’ll let that go), and we as readers got to see them begin to trust and confide in eachother as conflict grew. One of the things I appreciated about An Ember in the Ashes is that, while it is obvious Laia and Elias will ultimately end up in a romantic relationship by the end of the series, the first book prioritised them trusting each other before beginning any form of romantic subplot. And, while romance does eventually occur, it does not detract from the intense plot and major moments within the book. That being said, I will never be a fan of love triangles (or love squares, in this case), so I didn’t have a lot of time for the drama and revelations surrounding that particular moment. 

This book deals with some very serious issues, and I think Sabaa Tahir deals with them so carefully and so consciously that it remains easy to read and easy to digest. This book is about four trials a select few have to go through to be named Emperor, and naturally, these are violent and often horrific trials that we’re reading about. I think Tahir does a fantastic job in keeping the gory details to a minimum, and wrapping up whatever important information that’s being presented as quickly as it can be while remaining effective to the plot. 

I firmly believe this book will go down in history as a classic young adult fantasy novel, for all the right reasons. Sabaa Tahir is a wonderful storyteller, and has already proven themselves to be a mastermind at world building and devising plots. Not only are you treated to a lush, interesting fantasy world from the get go, but you’re rewarded as a reader with the emotional payoff and satisfying moments throughout the book. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of this novel, and it was so addicting that putting it down and going to work was a struggle. I cannot wait to dive straight into book two, and see what else Elias and Laia get up to in this wonderfully crafted world. Honestly, if you haven’t picked it up yet, I highly recommend you do.

Let me know down below if you’ve read An Ember in the Ashes, and what your thoughts were! 

Links for An Ember in the Ashes: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound