An Ember in the Ashes

“You are an ember in the ashes […]. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” 

 

Summary
Laia’s family has been murdered in cold blood in front of her eyes. Now, she wants to save the only person she has left. To do so she will have to become a spy in the most dangerous of places – the Empire’s military academy.

Elias is the best soldier in the academy, but he finds himself wishing for a life full of freedom. A life in which he won’t be forced to kill and torture innocent people every day. It turns out that making a choice between his desire and his duty might be even more complicated that he expected.

Writing
Sabaa Tahir’s prose is simply beautiful. There is really nothing more to say.

Characters
I love it when a book is able to show that characters who make mistakes or do questionable can still be good. Nobody in this book is perfect. It makes every character feel much more real and precious. And witnessing their development brought me nothing but pure joy.

Plot
This book throws us right into the action and the fast pace is maintained throughout the whole story. It never slows down.

My one complaint is the introduction of the magical beings in this book. It feels… wrong. It doesn’t go well with the story at all.

Overall
It’s a wonderful book with an amazing cast of characters. I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

 

You can find this book on Goodreads and Book Depository