An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill
April 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59514-803-2
Pages: 446
Historical YA, Romantic elements
Laia is a slave and while Elias is a soldier neither is
truly free.
The Martial Empire meets defiance with death. People that
live there are expected to vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor. If they don’t they chance execution of their
loved ones and also the destruction of what they hold dear.
It is inspired by ancient Rome and it is brutal. It is also the world where Laia lives with
her older brother and grandparents. They
eke out an existence in the impoverished backstreets of the Empire. They also
do not challenge the Empire. They know
what happens when someone does they have seen it happen.
Laia is forced to make a decision when her brother is
arrested for treason. She will get help from the rebels who promise to rescue
her brother but to get that help she has to risk her life. She will have to spy for the rebels in the
Empire’s greatest military academy.
At the school Laia meets Elias who is the school’s finest
soldier. Though secretly he is the most
unwilling. Elias is being trained to enforce the tyranny he wants to be free
from. Soon Elias and Laia realize that their destinies are intertwined. They also
realize that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
This is an amazing book that pulls the reader in and
doesn’t let go. Not even after the reader has finished the story. The world comes to life with every word read.
It has action and suspense that keeps the reader engrossed and reading just so
they can see what will happen next. It
will also have readers hoping for more from this author and world. Readers get to see Laia find the strength to
do what she must to both survive and save her brother. Elias also finds out what is most important
to him and just how far he will go to fight for what he believes in. This is a book that readers will find themselves
reading over and over.
I give this one 5 red roses
LRH
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