Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

JACKET:Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.mY REVIEW:Where do I start?  Tahir isbrilliant.  An Ember in the Ashes was nearly perfect.  And I almost didn’t give it a chance.  I’ve read a few too many books lately with sprawling maps and multiple factions competing for rebellion.  Rest assured, this book sets itself apart, and fast.The story follows Laia, a seventeen-year-old girl belonging to a marginalized class, and Elias, a trained assassin desperate to defect.  Their paths cross at Blackcliff, a training school for assassins, after Laia agrees to aid an underground resistance by posing as a slave. In the midst of her spying, the Emperor’s death is foretold, and Elias is cohersed into competing against his peers for possession of the Empire.This book is action.packed.  The fight scenes are creative and gory and easy to follow.  The world is colorful and cohesive and just feelsreal.  The pace is brisk, and yet, the inner-evolvement of Laia and Elias remains steady throughout.  The various romances fell a little flat for me – but otherwise, I would call Tahir a masterful storyteller.All in all, I thought this book was excellently written.  Very engaging from beginning to end.  The last hundred pages or so kept me on the edge of my seat.  I’m looking forward to reading the next installment.Four stars.Happy reading!-J