Currently Reading: An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir

!! SPOILERS for Book 1 & 2 !!

Last May, I was on a bus to Niagara Falls from Toronto when I made my first Book Outlet order. Little did I know this would unlock a full-blown book-collecting spiral. That’s where I first came across Heir by Sabaa Tahir. After some quick research, I realized it takes place in the same universe as her previous series, so I ended up ordering the entire An Ember in the Ashes series before getting Heir. (They’re also gorgeous, which helped.)

Fast forward to today. After sitting on my shelf for months, I finally picked them up aaaaand I’m hooked. I just started the third book, A Reaper at the Gates. But let’s rewind.

An Ember in the Ashes is set in Serra and follows two characters from completely different worlds: Laia and Elias. Laia, a Scholar -aka the oppressed class- lives with her grandparents and brother, barely surviving. Elias, a Martial -aka the oppressors- is training at Blackcliff Academy to become a Mask, the Empire’s elite enforcers. He’s secretly planning to desert because he’s having moral crises about… literally everything.

I have to admit: Elias’ POV grabbed me way more. His identity struggles, values, friendships, and the injustices around him felt deep and layered. Laia’s arc is good too, but a little more on the nose; I think intentionally, to emphasize her innocence compared to a trained Mask. She goes through hell and still survives, so honestly she’s a G… but she could’ve used, like, three more brain cells to realize the Resistance was lying to her. That said, her desperation to save her brother explained a lot of her actions. The Trials were brutal, the academy is unhinged, and the supernatural/magical elements were so good. My only critique is the pacing - it felt slightly off. 

Secondary characters:

    Izzy: I LOVE HER. That’s it.

    Helene: She pissed me off so much in Book 1. I do NOT love a bootlicker. But also… being the only girl in a school full of trained murderers? Like… okay queen, survive. Plus, we obviously needed our love triangle.

    Keenan: Actually, scratch that, love square. Miss Laia loves a redhead apparently?? My first impression of him was NOT great, and honestly, I never fully liked him, but I get how a traumatized, grief-ridden girl would latch onto someone who represents hope.

Actually, whatever this shape is:

    Marcus & Zak: Marcus can suck my dick. Zak deserved way more page time; there was so much depth there.

    The Commandant: I hate nothing more than a character who is evil for sport. She might have a backstory, but she can join Marcus in the aforementioned activity.

    The Cook: Very interesting!!! Lore me up!!!

Overall, I rated it 4.25★. I wasn’t mind-blown, but I was excited to continue, especially to see Laia enter her badass era.

Now Book Two: A Torch Against the Night was SO. MUCH. BETTER. I felt more connected to the characters, the pacing was smoother, and everything hit harder. The cleansing of the Scholars was gut-wrenching… and Kauf prison??? Oh my god, brutal (the Warden getting killed by the abused kids was chef’s kiss justice).

But speaking of death: I CANNOT BELIEVE IZZY WENT OUT LIKE THAT. Justice for my girl, cause WTF.

I loved learning about the Tribe's cultures and how they connect to Elias. Afya is a badass and I don't know if I want her or I want to be her. Helene has been going through it, and her POV really helped me understand her.

Laia fucking the Nightbringer??? That was NOT on my bingo card...the twist was insane. Elias becoming the Grim Reaper was another thing I did not predict (or necessarily love). In my head, Helene could cure his poison, ok?? But I guess we’ll see how that plays out. Also… what exactly is Laia? 

I gave this one 4.5★, the vibes were exceptional.

I’m not super hooked on the plot right now, which is why my pace slowed a bit. Honestly, I mostly wanted Elias and Laia to meet again (and kiss again hehe) and for Darin to come back, so now I'm kinda good, yk? But fine - there’s ancient drama brewing, the Empire is collapsing, there’s genocide-level oppression, rising magic, the Cook's backstory, and possibly something happening between Helene and Harper?? (Just me?)

I’ll keep you posted on the chaos.

In the meantime, find me on Goodreads and StoryGraph <3

Thanks for hanging out with me :)

P.S. my bookself currently (which I adore ♡ᵕ♡)