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lyricalreads 's review for:
An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir
[ 5🌟 ]
These are my (sometimes incoherent) thoughts on AEITA!
-first off trigger warnings: rape (stay away if this in any way triggers you), mass murder, violence
-world building is fabulous
*based on the Roman Empire (and one can tell)
*could picture the setting, which does not happen often or as clearly as I was picturing the Empire that Tahir built
-effortless diversity !!! brown characters as the leads (and this book was published back in 2015)
-Blackcliff = scary
-Commandment = terrifying
*were moments however, when I was not nervous/scared for the characters ; it was as if the fear/terror they felt had melded into their being
-twists and turns ; I wanted the last book (which has not even been given a release date) before I was halfway through An Ember in the Ashes
*I was pulled through the novel. There is no other way to put it. I wanted to more; I wanted to know what happened to the characters (although I sort of spoiled myself by reading the blurb for A Reaper at the Gates since I had not reached the point in An Ember in the Ashes where the new Emperor and Blood Shrike were announced)
-Sabaa Tahir is an evil genius, and she makes her characters suffer. She forces them to face their weaknesses, their worst fears, thus, striking fear into her poor readers
-It is hard to choose a favorite character: since there is a small-ish cast of characters, Tahir delves into each of them. Even some of Helene and Elias' friends: we know their personalities; we know their fears because Blackcliff and the Trials, especially, capitalize on them
-the "evil" characters are not just evil because. They have depth and a backstory to them that Tahir reveals slowly
-well-developed novel --> sure, the popular YA tropes like a love triangle (but like not really?) shows up, but Tahir builds such a unique story and provides depth for her characters that it felt completely new to me
-ELIAS
*Sabaa, can you just let this poor guy live? Lol nope
-incredibly human : the good sides and the bad sides
*ambition, tough loyalty, obedience, kindness, compassion, determination, betrayal, death, living with grief, struggling to remain true to yourself while everyone else around you is doing something that goes against who you are as a person and your beliefs, FAMILY (this becomes even more important in A Torch Against the Night)
-family, ultimately, drives the story
-also, this novel is very quotable
*"As long as there is life, there is hope."
*“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.”
*“You are full, Laia. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You are in our dreams. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes.”
**sobs just a little bit**
I highly recommend AEITA to those who love SJM's books!
These are my (sometimes incoherent) thoughts on AEITA!
-first off trigger warnings: rape (stay away if this in any way triggers you), mass murder, violence
-world building is fabulous
*based on the Roman Empire (and one can tell)
*could picture the setting, which does not happen often or as clearly as I was picturing the Empire that Tahir built
-effortless diversity !!! brown characters as the leads (and this book was published back in 2015)
-Blackcliff = scary
-Commandment = terrifying
*were moments however, when I was not nervous/scared for the characters ; it was as if the fear/terror they felt had melded into their being
-twists and turns ; I wanted the last book (which has not even been given a release date) before I was halfway through An Ember in the Ashes
*I was pulled through the novel. There is no other way to put it. I wanted to more; I wanted to know what happened to the characters (although I sort of spoiled myself by reading the blurb for A Reaper at the Gates since I had not reached the point in An Ember in the Ashes where the new Emperor and Blood Shrike were announced)
-Sabaa Tahir is an evil genius, and she makes her characters suffer. She forces them to face their weaknesses, their worst fears, thus, striking fear into her poor readers
-It is hard to choose a favorite character: since there is a small-ish cast of characters, Tahir delves into each of them. Even some of Helene and Elias' friends: we know their personalities; we know their fears because Blackcliff and the Trials, especially, capitalize on them
-the "evil" characters are not just evil because. They have depth and a backstory to them that Tahir reveals slowly
-well-developed novel --> sure, the popular YA tropes like a love triangle (but like not really?) shows up, but Tahir builds such a unique story and provides depth for her characters that it felt completely new to me
-ELIAS
*Sabaa, can you just let this poor guy live? Lol nope
-incredibly human : the good sides and the bad sides
*ambition, tough loyalty, obedience, kindness, compassion, determination, betrayal, death, living with grief, struggling to remain true to yourself while everyone else around you is doing something that goes against who you are as a person and your beliefs, FAMILY (this becomes even more important in A Torch Against the Night)
-family, ultimately, drives the story
-also, this novel is very quotable
*"As long as there is life, there is hope."
*“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.”
*“You are full, Laia. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You are in our dreams. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes.”
**sobs just a little bit**
I highly recommend AEITA to those who love SJM's books!