An Ember in the Ashes Book Review

 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

2015

Young adult fantasy fiction

Spoiler-free!

I read An Ember in the Ashes in under 24 hours. I completely planned to savor it and take my time, but I loved the fast-moving plot so much I literally couldn’t put the book down.

An Ember in the Ashes tells the story of Laila, a descendent of the conquered scholar people, and Elias, a soldier training in the Martial Empire’s army. Their paths intertwine after Laila’s brother is imprisoned for working with the scholar resistance and she agrees to be a spy in Elia’s famed military school, Blackcliff Academy.

The novel blends different character and plot tropes of YA fantasy to create an incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking tale. The characters are all well-developed and their journey is addicting to read. Considering how much I enjoyed reading An Ember in the Ashes, I’m surprised I haven’t seen much hype for the books.

Rating 5/5: This book is a must-read for fans of YA fantasy.

TW: Compared to other YA books, there’s lots of violence and sexual assault is used as a threat.