An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir - Restarting January 15th 2018

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir will be our first GBR for January 2016.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

[♛ Garima ♛]

Sarah wrote: "Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?"

I always wanted to read Sabaa's work, this seems like good opportunity.

Blurb sounds like similar to Benighted but hey could be different.

Not me. this would be my first attempt reading Sabaa's creation.

[♛primadonna♛]

I'm in!

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?
I reserved this from the library thanks to all the hype and love from my goodreads friends. I hope it lives up to it.!

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?
I don't think I have.

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?
Nope! My first book by this author.!

[Sarah]

I heard lot of praises about this book and was planning on picking it up,I'll be reading it and hope it's gonna be a good start for the year .

[Kim]

Okay, I just got this book for Christmas and I'm really excited about reading it!

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?
I've decided to go into this book blind. Meaning that I have no idea what this book is even about; I haven't even read the summary. All I know is that a lot of people really enjoyed this book, and I'm hoping I will too!!!

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?
Since I don't know what An Ember in the Ashes is about, I can't really answer this. I'll be able to answer this question when I read a bit.

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?
Nope! Not that I know of!

[Belle]

I'm in! I got this book a couple of weeks ago and it's sitting on my shelf ever since...

I think I've read some slightly similar books. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson also has a female main character who joins a rebellion against a tyrant and stuff... hm. It looks very interesting :) And can we just talk about the cover?! So pretty!

[Belle]

woop woop woop. I'm excited! :D Starting right now, along with a cup of tea. Happy new year everyone! And may amazing stories be bestowed upon your beautiful souls.

[prag ♻]

LainaBelle wrote: "woop woop woop. I'm excited! :D Starting right now, along with a cup of tea. Happy new year everyone! And may amazing stories be bestowed upon your beautiful souls."

Me too! (Well, starting this book, not tea. ) I've been wanting to read this since awhile.

[Abi]

Starting now. :)

[Abi]

4% - (view spoiler)[Oh dear! :( (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

15% - This is pretty good so far.

[M★]

I in here! I swear this book is amazing! I have started the book one hour after the new year's celebration and I stayed awake reading till 10 am in the morning! I slept, woke up and continued immediately .

[M★]

Here what I thought when I finished Part 1
(view spoiler)[I feel really sorry for Elias, He has been working on his escaping plan for 7 sleepless and tiring months to end up doubting whether he will do it or not just a night before the big day.

And what a bad luck Laia got! Losing all of her family in one day and the next day she is working as a slave to ruthless woman who have killed her parents!
I admit that that woman is never stingy when it comes to whipping people and punishing them. (hide spoiler)]

[M★]

Just finished chapter 37
(view spoiler)[ There is something suspicious about Mazen. I think Laia should stop trusting him. (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

Mariam★ wrote: "I in here! I swear this book is amazing! I have started the book one hour after the new year's celebration and I stayed awake reading till 10 am in the morning! I slept, woke up and continued immed..."

Sounds like you're really enjoying it! :)

[Abi]

40% into this at the moment. It's good, but it feels really long.

[M★]

Just finished part 2

(view spoiler)[ Skies Sabaa! didn't see that coming!

Seriously, why Marcus as an emperor! and Helene , can't you for once defy orders?!

Plus whats with those Augurs? I am really doubting their intentions. Is there a possibility they are working with the Nightbringer or maybe just my imagination ?

Good job confusing me Sabaa. (hide spoiler)]

[M★]

I finished ☹

(view spoiler)[ Finally! I am so proud of you Laia! you just startled Blackcliff ! Well done.

I really laughed so hard when Elias thought the bombing was a welcome to afterlife. So hilarious.

What a good book to start the new year with ! Can't wait for the second book to be out. (hide spoiler)]

[Belle]

Woah! :O you finished already?! I'm at like chapter 5 xD I'll write my thoughts when I'm on my computer ^.^ Your enthusiasm is contagious, though :)

[Nay]

OMG!!! This book was literally everything! I loved the mix of action and romance. I loved the fantasy & dystopian feel to it. I'm just still in all my feels at the moment. I loved Laia and Elias. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out. Took me the whole day yesterday to finish up until about 2am this morning. Totally loved this book. It has started off my reading year so well :)

My full review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[♛ Garima ♛]

I just started... :) hope it doesn't disappoint me, I'll check reviews

[M★]

LainaBelle wrote: "Woah! :O you finished already?! I'm at like chapter 5 xD I'll write my thoughts when I'm on my computer ^.^ Your enthusiasm is contagious, though :)"

XD

[M★]

My review of the book
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dana]

10% - Liking this so far, I do prefer Laias( did i spell that right) narrative more. Finding this book interesting but unable to marathon this.

[Kim]

Just reached Chapter 10. I can totally understand how you read this entire book nonstop, Mariam. I might end up doing this too if I'm not careful!

(view spoiler)[ Though I knew that eventually Laia and Elias would eventually meet up. I guess that means that Elias will decide not to abandon Blackcliff and Laia will successfully infiltrate it. (hide spoiler)]

I'm super excited to read what happens next!

[Kim]

Gah! I just can't stop reading this book! I just finished Chapter 23:

(view spoiler)[ I'm really liking both of the main characters. I kind of like how Laia isn't completely confident in herself, and is actually scared of being caught and punished. It makes her even more life like. And it made her seem even cooler when she was able to push passed that fear and spy on the Commandant. I also liked that Elias' deepest fear was killing. It really exposed me to his character, and showed how good of a person he is. Despite being trained to kill since he was 6, he still feels remorse and remembers every single person he's killed.
Good book so far! Though I can't help but ship Laia and Elias... It would make so much sense if they ended up together. It would be a true "fuck you" to Empire's horrible ways! (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

I'm now on chapter 38

(view spoiler)[ I feel kind of bad for Helene, it isn't really her fault that she has been raised on the belief that the scholars are below her, but she was denied by Elias because of it.
Though I did find it discomforting that Laia had mistaken Helene for the Commandant. Kind of shows how poorly she treats the slaves, and maybe it also hints as to how similar Helene is to the Commandant?
Also, I find myself happily shocked that I am enjoying this story as much as I am. Usually, in a book with switching perspectives, I will lose care for the other perspectives and focus on my favorite character. Though, in this one, I find that I like both of them pretty equally. I haven't yet gotten upset about one perspective ending and another beginning. (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

Dana wrote: "10% - Liking this so far, I do prefer Laias( did i spell that right) narrative more. Finding this book interesting but unable to marathon this."

I was the same. It was interesting, but it felt so long!

[Belle]

Chapter 16! I have very mixed feelings.

Okay so I like this book a lot! The world is interesting and the story is captivating. I like the characters, even though Laia bothered me a bit in the beginning. The only problem I have is that it's very predictable. So far I have quessed every twist and situation two chapters before it happened.(view spoiler)[ I don't like keenan very much... And I'm feeling a love triangle coming up. Well... more like a love hexagon if you put Helene and her admirers into the mix. Right now I'm at the point where Helene is bleeding to death. I was expecting it really. I've got a feeling she'll die and then either Zak or Marcus will die. The thing is that Zak has some kind of interest in Helene so I feel like he's gonna die...Since two return, right? Hm.. I wanna keep reading now xD It's good, very good. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Done! It wasn't until the final few pages that I realized that there was going to be a sequel to this book. Though maybe I should have realized this sooner. I mean, It does say #1 in the title....

(view spoiler)[I'm really pleased about Laia's progress through this story. She went from a really weak, scared girl to a strong, confident woman who will do whatever it takes to save her family. And Elias went from a guy who only wanted to save himself into a man who would sacrifice himself for others because it was right.
I can't wait to see how more badass Laia and Elias will become in the next book. It would be really cool if Elias trained her to use some weapons and they fought together as some awesome badass power couple.
I don't know, but I just REALLY enjoyed this book. I'm really excited for the sequel, because there are just so many unanswered questions left in this book.
And I hope the sequel goes more into the lives of the bad guys, like the commandant and Marcus. I like books that give the bad guys character too, and make them more human and not 100% bad, you know?. (hide spoiler)]

[Joyce]

Kim wrote: "I'm now on chapter 38

I feel kind of bad for Helene, it isn't really her fault that she has been raised on the belief that the scholars are below her, but she was denied by Elias because of it.
..."

I just finished chapter 31, so I have to catch up with you, but even in chapter 31(view spoiler)[Helene sounded really cold to the Scholars. She said something like they were conquered and deserved to be slaves-or something like that. I really want to see Elias and Helene speaking again, but it hasn't happened. Could it be that his views of what society should be are so different from that of her views that there is never to be a reconciliation? This could be something that pushes her toward Marcus. (hide spoiler)]

[Kailyn]

Well I'm gonna get to start this tomorrow. From what it seems everyone is loving it so I hope I do too.

[M★]

Kim wrote: "Done! It wasn't until the final few pages that I realized that there was going to be a sequel to this book. Though maybe I should have realized this sooner. I mean, It does say #1 in the title.... ..."

I totally agree with you! (view spoiler)[ It would be interesting to know more about the evil guys. especially about how the commandant and Elias's father got together.
So excited for the second book >U< (hide spoiler)]

[♛ Garima ♛]

Whatever I've expected - I haven't expected this. Pages are flying....I wished I had put all-nigher for this one but couldn't read after 3 AM! Still at 60% *Sigh*

[Michelle]

I started reading this one on Friday but I haven't been able to keep reading it until tomorrow maybe (and it's killing me T.T).

I'm up to chapter 15: I'm liking so far but like LainaBelle said it is very predictable, at least the first part ((view spoiler)[Laia's family dying, finding the resistance, and somehow ending up in Blackcliff, Elias staying at school, all the Aspirants. (hide spoiler)]). I prefer Laia's perspective, too.

Also, when I'm reading it I can't help thinking about Star Wars ((view spoiler)[The Empire, the Resistance, Laia is almost Leia & a "bad guy" wanting to escape (hide spoiler)].), to the point I sometimes forget I'm reading this book and not a Star Wars fanfic or something like that. Does this happen to anybody else?

And the first part reminds me a bit of The Jewel by Amy Ewing
((view spoiler)[Graduations, slaves, mean leaders, names not being allowed (hide spoiler)]). Does anyone else thought so?

I hope I can read more of it tomorrow :D.

[Joyce]

Finished. Everything certainly came together at the end! It was a good book, although there were some things that didn't make sense to me. Maybe the rest of the books will clear up the questions I have-the things that don't make sense to me.

[Michelle]

I'm in the middle of chapter 21 (had to stop to fangirl about the fact that it says Zain) but unfurtunetly I have to return this book to the library in two days so I'll be finishing it tomorrow night.

Thoughts so far: I've changed my mind, I don't prefer Laia's chapters -I don't really care anymore I like them both equally. (view spoiler)[Also, what's been happening so far was less predictable than previous chapters (I decided to stop guessing what was going to happen) & the fact that everything seems to happen at the right moment is kinda boring me. (hide spoiler)]

[♛ Garima ♛]

I am done! It was nice and refreshing read. My review is here.

[Belle]

I'm on chapter 43! Ohhhmah gawd... it's good, very good. I'm loving the book so far.I can't seem to out it down. I'm reading every chance I get to put my hands on my kindle ^.^

(view spoiler)[ I still have the same problem: it's still quite predictable... I really like Elias, Helene is getting on my nerves. Marcus is terrible. Laia is... better than before, I kinda like her. though the romance is driving me crazy..not in a good way. I'm not really into it. Other than that it's awesome! (hide spoiler)]

Awesome way to start the new year! :D

[Michelle]

I've finish reading it... It wasn't the book I've ever read but I liked it. The writing style blew my mind and I didn't want to put it down (which made it feel like a fast read). I didn't like the romance, many of the characters ((view spoiler)[ all the characters that I liked died T.T except for Izzi and the Commandant (hide spoiler)]), I didn't care for the romance and there were few things in the plot that bothered/annoyed me.
You guys can read my review here when I post it.(:

[Belle]

I finished! I agree with Michelle. I truly enjoyed this story and am glad that I finally decided to pick it up :)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dana]

Joyce wrote: "Kim wrote: "I'm now on chapter 38

I feel kind of bad for Helene, it isn't really her fault that she has been raised on the belief that the scholars are below her, but she was denied by Elias beca..."

Ack spoilers! Luckily it's not a huge one but I was kinda hoping that they would get together.

[Kim]

Dana wrote: "Joyce wrote: "Kim wrote: "I'm now on chapter 38

I feel kind of bad for Helene, it isn't really her fault that she has been raised on the belief that the scholars are below her, but she was denied..."

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that! I hate how when somebody replies to a message, the spoilers get shown as well... :\

[Dana]

Not your fault! But yes its weird that spoilers wouldn't be auto removed from quoted replies. I thought they used to be.

[Dana]

Done: (view spoiler)[ That was good, but like others have stated a little predictable. Once I got to 70% I was pretty hooked, but that seems like a long time before becoming interested. (hide spoiler)]

[Dana]

Done (Badguy impression)(view spoiler)[ The villains in this were pretty convincing though. The Commandant made my blood boil, and I felt like the backstory with ....lord nightbringer? was very interesting. Makes me wonder if the augurs are somehow connected with his storyline. Like maybe he created them? (hide spoiler)]

[Dana]

Done ( Romance impression) (view spoiler)[ I was on the fence with the romance in this story. Kind of felt like weird insta love between Laia and red head dude.Their point of connection was a little funny, since he says that hes so drawn to her because they have both lost everything...but hasn't everyone? I mean he barely knows her.

I have a feeling though that Laia will end up with Elias because they are both very anti-killing. I think that redhead's " do whatever needs to be done" attitude will turn her off him. Although personally I prefer those characters. I don't get the point of being all self righteous and not killing killers so that they are free to hurt more people. Like congrats you're so moral!...but 3 girls are now going to be raped because you didn't kill this asshole for example. Anyways /end rant (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

I'm not too keen on dual POV stories, Especially of late so I shall see how this goes. >.>