Thank you for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this novel! I was very excited to read this book and I'm glad that I did! I can't wait to devour the rest of this series as soon as possible!

3.5/5
this book is quite brutal and i like how it doesn't cover up anything
but something was just missing and i think i'd have loved some more detail, some more fleshed out aspects like you feel some people barely knew each other
there was one part that made me tear up and thats GOOD you want more of that, for books to make you feel things
also really enjoyed helene, hope everyone else gets additional depth next book

I absolutely loved this book when IO first read it. The world-building was fantastic and I fell in love with the characters. Sabaa Tahir takes an empire vs resistance story and makes it so much more by making her characters have incredible depth and well amazing the characters are not perfect, they are flawed acting with their hearts. Beautifully written.

Erin's review Nov 01, 2015 · edit
really liked it

A great YA with an interesting premise. Inspired by Ancient Rome with shades of The Hunger Games and Romeo and Juliet this is a must read that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Audhebwixuenwixnbebeb.

I really really really liked this book!
Okay, Laia annoyed me (but I get annoyed by a lot of female leads) but then y’all... she puts her armor of strength and courage and I’m here for it! I also feel like while she annoyed me, it kinda needed to happen because if not, how can she grow?

I loved Elias. Psh. I loved his since the graphics. But then he also started annoying me. Like I get he was being loyal and whatnot to himself, but like his thought process too, I’m like is this purely guy thought or actual thoughts? But then his teetering and then he finally finally told Helene everything and that was actually sad. Because your best friend is on the other side.

Helene, meh. I don’t like her but I’m told there’s reasons and the vow she made for Elias. That helps slightly.

This book is unique. Although it would not usually be up my ally, it is an interesting read that grabs your attention!

I really wanted to read it for a long time. Last year I had the opportunity to read in Italian and I was very surprised.
The story is just well-written and it has the power to bring you with the characters.
I found a sweet but harsh style, if you know what I mean.
Looking forward to read the second book! Totally recommended for those who want a strong, fierce but heart-melting story.

I feel like people seem to either absolutely love this book or absolutely despise it. For me, I fell right in the middle. I love the story idea of two people from opposite sides falling in love, but the execution in my opinion just left much to the imagination. However, I do intend to pick up the sequel to see what happens next.

Sadly this book was archived before I could download to read it. It has been added to my TBR and I’ll keep an eye out for it again in the future or at my local library.

An Ember in the Ashes is one of my student's favorite books. I have four copies of it in my classroom that are very well-loved and get passed around constantly. We use this book in book clubs to discuss power structures and how we respond to power.

A great sampler of a book that I will definitely read! It is a fantastic start to a YA action, fantasy story

Posted at: https://thereadingreaper.blogspot.com/2016/03/33-ember-in-ashes.html

An Ember in the Ashes is a debut novel within the fantasy genre. It follows 2 protagonists Elias and Laia (pretentious character names that have too many vowels!) they are from opposite ends of the spectrum, Elias is a trained fighter and Laia is a scholar, the lowest class with society. When Laia's brother Darin (another stupid name) is taken and arrested for treason Laia embarks on a journey to find 'The Resistance' in order to break her brother out of jail, ultimately she must spy in order to build trust within The Resistance. Elais' story was slightly more interesting, in the beginning he is days away from graduation after years and years of training and he wishes to sneak away and leave the academy that hes part of, the penalty for abandoning if caught is death.


This story is said to be inspired by ancient Rome which in theory i was really excited about and i did enjoy the world building but it didn't encompass anything Roman really. Upon rereading i did enjoy it a lot more and found the audiobook much more engaging than reading it physically. The beginning was a bit slow and it did take a while to get into but the tension was built slowly and by halfway through i was pretty obsessed and finished it within 2 and a bit days.

Laia is tiny bit bland in the beginning, her decision making is very questionable but her character growth is well done and she does redeem herself by the end. Elais was the main thing that kept me reading, his back story was interesting and i enjoyed how conflicted he was throughout. When i first read this in 2016 i wasnt really into fantasy and read a lot of contemporary at that point but 3 years later and i pretty much exclusively read fantasy with a few thrillers thrown in the mix. I reread this as its my friend Kirstys fav so shout out to Kirsty for getting me to give this one another go! I now fully get the hype!

For me Helene was a stand out character, she was strong, independent and bad ass. She was everything a leading lady should be and in comparison Laia really fell down. Laia's role as a rebel was probably my least favorite aspect of the novel. Not only was she absolutely dreadful at it, but the rebels seemed shocked to find Laia hurt on a number of occasions. Things like this was worthy of an eyebrow raise because Laia was attempting to spy on the most dangerous person in the story, The Commandant, knowing that their previous spies were tortured and killed. So why are Laia's bruises a surprise?

All in all Sabaa's writing was indeed phenomenal, really well done for a debut and the ending has left me wanting more. World building is a really important fact for me, but there is another one that is more important in my opinion: Characters. I’ve said many times now that the characters can be the most influential factor on my enjoyment for a book. I’ve fallen in love with some books because of this, and the same applies to some books I’ve hated. The characters were well written even if Laia was a bit annoying Elias really made up for it!

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. Such moments are tests of courage, of strength."

I picked up this book in 2017, then quickly DNFed it. Later in 2018, I gave it a second shot. Here are those reviews:

First Read:
3.5/5 Stars
I think I would have liked the book better if I had read it instead of listening to the audiobook. I might try it again in the future. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and the plot wasn't driving me to keep reading. I feel like if I had the words on the page to pull me in I would enjoy it more.

Second Read:
3.5/5 Stars
Second read was much better although I don’t think it’s enough to change the rating of the book. I still listened to it on audio, but this time not only did I finish it, but I plan on reading the rest of the series (at this time I have done so and really enjoyed the other books.) I would say this series is worth a read, even though I still struggle recommending the first book. Some of my complaints were the romance was too insta, the story didn't focus on the trials enough, and the characters annoyed me.

As of 2020, I would like to reread this series some time in the future, mostly so that I can enjoy the later books again.

I didn't realise I had been approved for this book and actually bought it and reviewed it in 2016.

I loved it I loved it I loved it! This book was amazing, seriously I wish I read it sooner. A massive five stars.

In a city ruled by Martial Empire, Laia lives with her grandparents and an older brother who like to keep under the radar with a trade in healing and making jam for an honest living and abiding by the law. Laia never dreams that any harm will come to them as they stick to the rules until her brother is arrested for treason and suddenly her world comes tumbling down. Laia will do anything to set him free, even if this means risking her own life spying on those who are to be feared most, but can she handle the dark twisted mission she is about to set upon?

I have heard so many good things about this book but I really thought it wouldn't be for me, oh I was so wrong it was awesome! Filled with action, drama, heartache, betrayal there's a little something there for everyone and it rocked my socks off. With a story that is so compelling, it keeps you gripped until the very end. Usually, romance drives a book for me but that's because I'm a sucker for it, but not here I feel it was balanced out with the rest of the story.

I loved our characters, friends, foes, assholes, hot males, hot females, what is not to like? Everyone knows I love male characters in books, I have so many book boyfriends it actually makes me feel a tad dirty that I am keeping all these male mistresses! I can't help it though I'm just a girl who loves to fangirl over a great male, and who better to swoon over than a bunch of masks? Oh, thank the skies.

I'm surprised about our leading lady as I really like her, I love how we see Laia grow into a woman, the determination to set her brother free is so admiral and starts to border primal. Just when you think she is weak and will be the annoying flop in the book she keeps hitting out and showing us what we would all do for our family. Laia isn't our only strong leading female Helene is the definition of a force to be reckoned with. Hot, determined, headstrong and she kicks complete ass but why am I still so undecided about her? She is fiercely protective of Elias and loyal, she would do anything for him but why would I still rather he ends up with Laia when he would probably be better with Helene?! Maybe it's because I have a solid rule that friends should not date friends.

I kept warming to Keenan the more the book progressed, he is mysterious and I like a mysterious male, maybe it's because we both have red hair (it's not true what they say, us gingers do have souls!!). At first, I found him arrogant and rude wanting to push the resistance before anything else but the further into the book you see the walls start to strip away and I'm curious about him, I want to learn more about our redhead warrior.

Which then brings me to Elias, oh sweet lord how can one be so perfect?! With such a strong presence you warm to him straight away, powerful, kind, loyal with a heart of gold who only wants to belong to himself. His story tears you apart piece by piece, he has never felt he has belonged or loved, his conscience is so strong it radiants off him. He always wants to do the greater good even though is goes against everything he has been taught. The sexual tension screams from him and it makes me weak at the knees, I just want him to be free and happy, but something tells me it's not going to be easy and our ladies could break him never mind the enemy.

I can't recommend this book enough it's like GOTs meet Assasins Creed in a Roman Empire with a huge resistance and a love triangle just to make it that little bit better.

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“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.”

This is truly one of the greats and one of my all time favorite books. I could go on forever about the depth of Elias, Laia, and Helene (who was surprisingly my favorite character), or the fully immersive setting of Blackcliff, or the political realness, but i'll simply say this- An Ember in the Ashes is special. The characters are incredibly real, relatable, and importantly- are diverse. There is a lot of death in this book, however it's handled with care, and meant to impact you and evoke your emotions rather than just for the sake of adding bloodshed.
I recommend to everyone who is not easily upset by violence as the violence is very raw and plentiful.

There's not a love triangle. It's more of a love quadrangle-square-rectangle whatever. Make that an attraction quadrangle. That makes it bearable, nobody has voiced feelings or acted upon anything. Romantic tension between many overlapping characters.

It works. Little flutters of attraction make a nice contrast to all the carnage, fighting to survive, and 'Boogyman is real' business. 40% finished.

***
Update:
I couldn't get past the 60% point. The story just stalled & I got tired of all the crushing. The love-square can only work for so long.

Let me wax poetic:
The attraction was a distraction from the action.

Oh my god!!! This book is so good! I’m so glad I finally snagged a copy and read it. It definitely does not disappoint and I highly recommend this series! I can’t wait to read the second book!

A fast paced YA fantasy that is well-loved by its readers. Sabaa Tahir has a way of writing a story that balances action and poilitical intrigue with emotionally high stakes. I'm not sure if this series is for me or if I would like to continue on with it, but I can see the appeal and would recommend it to others seeking a diverse YA fantasy read.

I fall in the small group that didn't find themselves in love with this story or characters. I really wanted to enjoy this story since it is a favorite to so many. Unfortunately the pacing and characters ultimately doomed it. The beginning was very much interesting and i found myself wanting to know what happens next but somewhere before the middle I found myself putting the book down more and more and not wanting to pick it up again. This is definitely a situation of it is me and not the book.

Was not able to download before archiving this book therefore I am unable to give feedback. I did hear some amazing things about this story and was looking forward to reading it. I will check for this author in the future.