Review - An Ember In The Ashes

An Ember In The Ashes

5 out of 5 Burning Stars

"You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it."

Several weeks ago, I used An Ember In The Ashes as a Spotlight Sunday post, and I am so glad I got my hands on a copy to keep for myself—it's made its way to the top shelf of my bookcase! Everything about An Ember In The Ashes is fantastic: the world building based around Ancient Rome, the language that is used that Ancient Romans would use, the dedication to detail, the beautifully illustrated maps on the front and back flaps, and the supernatural creatures that are added in to really up the danger of the whole novel, which is quite dangerous before the tribal myths and legends decide to show their faces. Simply fantastic. The plot of this cruel world is fully developed; I love how the separate storylines of Elias and Laia intertwine so seamlessly. Each have their own battles to face, which are much more brutal and darker than you'd expect, and Tahir makes it seem so effortless in tying these two plots together. She adds layer upon layers, throwing in twists and turns that you that I did not see coming. She's nasty in her writing, vicious even, but not in an in-your-face type of way. She's just showing her readers how cruel this world is, and that there are no "good guys," not really, and that "bad guys" is way too tame a word for what the antagonists do in this novel.

"You are full, Laia. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes. That is your destiny."

Let's move on to the characters themselves. I love Elias's character, the dilemmas he faces again and again, trapping him in this terrible life when all he wants to do is escape. Some people may look at Elias and think that he has the best life in this situation—at least he's not a slave. But being the top student at Blackcliff Academy takes its toll, especially when he gets so close to graduation, to escaping, only to be sucked in by the Trials for the next emperor. Can he ever really escape Blackcliff and the ever-controlling Commandant and be free of the violent life that is instilled in the Masks (the graduates of Blackcliff who deal with controlling the rest of Serra)? Then there's Laia, who, I admit, I did not like at first. I wanted a badass heroine who would do whatever needed to be done in order to protect herself and her family, and Laia is not that character, not at first. She needed time to grow into her role of fighting against the Empire, of becoming the courageous, kickass heroine that I promise you we get at the end of the novel. I love getting to read about how she draws strength from her brother, empowering yet another bond that is important to the overall story. And I'm actually happy the way her character starts off—it allows us to understand how Laia gets from one point of her life to another, why she changes, and really appreciate all the work Tahir has done in developing Laia as a character. 

"Fear can be good, Laia. It can keep you alive. But don't let it control you. Don't let it sow doubts within you. When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart."

Now, onto the rest of our cast. A lot of people probably hate the Commandant, and I do too (she's a complete sociopath), but I also love a vicious, evil antagonist, and one with a good backstory. Keenan and Helene are majorly important characters too, and without their relationships to our main characters, the story would be completely different. I love getting to read about Elias and Helene, and how their differing ideas of what the world should be change their relationship even as they try to hold on to their friendship. And while I may not have liked Keenan at first, he grew on me, although Mazen, not so much. And don't even get me started on those Augurs. Creepy as hell but so very interesting. Not only does Tahir deliver amazing protagonists, she also gives us a fantastic set of characters, developing each and every one of them, giving them their own stories within the overall plot and making it all seem natural. Gotta love an amazingly well-developed set of characters. It makes for one very well done story.

"I will miss the wind and the scents it carries, of faraway places where freedom can be found in life instead of death."

This is not a romance novel. Yes, there is romance present, but it is not the central focus. An Ember In The Ashes is an evocative novel about fighting for your freedom, fighting for your family, and overcoming all odds to reach your goals, no matter how many times you get knocked down and stepped on along the way. If there's one thing you take away from reading this review, it's this: An Ember In The Ashes is a dark book. Tahir will write out scenes that will grip your attention, and even if you want to stop reading and just take a second to let everything sink in, you'll keep reading because her writing is so addictive, you'll need to know what happens next. Sabaa Tahir has written a damn good book for her debut novel. I can't wait to see what she does next in the sequel A Torch Against The Night.

"As long as there is life, there is hope."