Monday, October 14, 2019

An Ember in the Ashes
(An Ember in the Ashes, #1) by Sabaa Tahir

Narrated by Fiona Hardingham & Steve West
Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.


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An Ember in the Ashes was a phenomenal read! I flew through the audiobook and looked forward to being in the car for a little extra listening time (quietly, since the kids are too young for this book). Steve West and Fiona Hardingham are amazing narrators and really brought this story to life. I could listen to them for hours, and I did! I cannot wait to listen to the rest of this series on audio, and I've already purchased physical copies for my shelves. Sabaa Tahir has created a very unique and compelling story, although I wish she was a little nicer to Laia and Elias (she seems to really like making my heart stop and creating scenarios that take my breath away).

The characters in this book are memorable and relatable. Laia didn't start off wanting to change the world, she just wanted to get through the day without drawing attention to herself. When she loses her family, her brother becomes her priority, and she learns that she's stronger than she thinks. We see her go from someone that doesn't want to be noticed, to a person that's willing to sacrifice herself for others. There's very obvious character growth, but it happens over the course of the entire book, which made it more honest and believable.

Elias doesn't want to be a soldier. He doesn't want to spend his life killing for the Empire, so he makes secret plans of his own. When those plans are unexpectedly thwarted, he finds himself battling friends and foes alike. It's hard to know who to trust in this book, since everyone seems to have ulterior motives or they know something we don't. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but was still surprised when it finally did. There is so much going on in this book -- so many threads -- that it's mind-blowing. Everyone and everything is connected. One small action ripples out until it causes unexpected waves. I absolutely loved it!

Even the secondary characters were well-written and fleshed out. Elias treasured his friends and their place in his life, and he never wanted his actions to impact them negatively. The members of the Resistance, Cook, Izzy, Helene -- all wonderfully written. I could clearly see them in my mind, and I cared about what happened to (most of) them.

An Ember in the Ashes is extremely violent. People are tortured, murdered, and forced into slavery. We see a very dark side of human nature, and how scary it is when one group of people thinks they are better than another. The Martials believe they are superior to the Scholars simply because there was a fight and they won. They kill freely and without mercy, and were even willing to do it to their own comrades. Tahir has painted a very frightening picture that rings true in certain aspects of the world today.

The world-building was incredible! It was so vivid and realistic! I felt like I was there experiencing the world with Laia and Elias. I walked through the catacombs and hidden tunnels, scaled precarious mountain trails and danced at a Moon Festival. Unfortunately, that also meant I shared in Elias and Laia's pain and discomfort (like their emotional turmoil wasn't bad enough -- eesh).

I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to start this series, but hopefully the fourth and final book is published before I finish the third! I already know I'm not going to want to wait once I get that far. I'm going to need answers! If you haven't read An Ember in the Ashes, I highly recommend it! Once you start, you're not going to be able to stop.


38 comments:

  1. There was a reason I didn't read this but I can't remember why now lol I might give it a try on audio since I'm doing better with that format for genres I usually can't get into like fantasy.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I feel like there was a reason I didn't read it initially, too... but I can't remember. Whatever my reason, it was stupid and ill-advised. I LOVED THIS. The audio was -- ahh. Perfection. I cannot wait to see what happens next! There's a little bit of magic, a little bit of love, and a whole lot of violence. ;)

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  2. Excellent review! Your passion for the book makes me want to read it now.

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    1. Thanks! I'm so happy my love for the book came through in my review. :)

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  3. I also have yet to start this series! I'm happy to hear that the audiobook is absolutely stellar. That makes me more excited to check it out. Great review!!

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    1. I've been trying to work my way through older books on my TBR, and I've found audiobooks to be essential in narrowing down that list! I hope you have a chance to read this soon, and that you enjoy it as much as I did! <3

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  4. I have seen sooo many raves for this series! Glad it such a hot for you, too. I didn't realize it was so violent. But it sounds like the characters are done so well and the world building sounds on point!

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    1. I know you don't like fantasy, so I won't yell at you to read it, but I do know you like Steve West... that alone might convince you to give it a shot. ;)

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  5. LOL Well, that is an incentive.
    But actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Steve West. I know I love Shane East but I need to look up Steve West and see if I know him.

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  6. Believe it or not I still have this series to start as well and for some reason have just been putting it off. Looks like I need to bump it up my pile as well!

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    1. Bump it up! Bump it up! The audio was fantastic. I can't wait to see what you think!

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  7. bah. i think i'm practically the only person in the world who didn't quite enjoy this book. i rated this on star -- that's how much i disliked it. lol.

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    1. Haha! I love how unique people are! It's bananas to me how we can read the exact same book and have completely different experiences. Love it.

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  8. I liked this one a lot :D Ihope you love the rest too!
    For me it went downhill :/

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    1. Did you listen to the audio? A few reviewers said that made a huge difference! (Spoilers ahead...) I like that Laia and Elias are now on their own together! I want to see how the two interact without all of the rules and expectations. Then there's the whole running for their lives aspect... haha!

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  9. I heard a lot about this series and I think I should try too!

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    1. Yes! It was a fantastic start to a series. I cannot wait to see what happens next!!

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  10. That sounds like it was really good. Not sure it's for me but it does sound good.

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    1. It was amazing, Mary! There's a little bit of magic (ghouls, jinn, efrits) so you might like it. :)

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  11. Awww I'm happy to hear this audiobook was so good! I personally love it when there is one narrator for the male and one for the female when there are both in the narrative. This has been a series I have on my TBR so you enjoying it so much is great... though it sounds like I can't be slumping if its going to stop my heart at times!!

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    1. Yes! A lot of audiobooks will have a single narrator for multiple perspectives, and I like when each POV gets their own voice. I think it adds layers to the story and makes the individual characters pop! Read this! Soon! I want to know what you think. :)

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  12. I loved this book! I also listened to the audiobook while I was at work. It's freaking fantastic!

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    1. Agreed! Fan-freaking-tastic! Steve West always melts my ears, haha. Have you read the entire series??

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  13. I cannot believe that I haven't read this book yet. I went to an author event right after it was released and met the author. I have a signed book and photos of that night but I still haven't started reading. It sounds like I need to change that!

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    1. Jealous! I would love to meet Sabaa Tahir and get a signed copy of this book! I ordered physical copies of the entire series when I was only halfway through the audio. It's that good! I hope you have a chance to read it soon. <3

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  14. I read this one a few months ago and really loved it too. Can't wait to get to the second book and see where the story goes next.

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    1. Right?? After that ending?? I need to know what happens next! I also want to see how the two of them work together now that they're on their own.

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  15. I REALLY need to read this one! I can't believe I haven't picked it up yet and everyone seems to love it so much. Plus I adore fantasy books with amazing world building.

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    1. The world-building was amazing! If the rest of the series is anything like this book, it will definitely be a new favorite. Also, I'm really into fantasy these days, so bring on the recs! ;)

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  16. I just love it when an audio book makes me look for excuses to keep listening. This motivates me to get outside and exercise even when I'm exhausted from work! Glad to hear you loved this so much. :)

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    1. Audiobooks make housework tolerable, haha. It's hard to listen to them in the car when they're not always appropriate for small ears!

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  17. I absolutely loved this one too Linds! Even though it has a few dreaded tropes in there, it's so well written that you barely notice. I loved the world building, the characters and even the romance but weirdly, I didn't continue onto the next book in the series. I'll have to grab a copy, you've reminded me how much I enjoyed this. Brilliant review Linds, thrilled you enjoyed it!

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    1. I was so caught up in the story, I didn't even notice tropes. I just enjoyed it for what it was! I liked that there are two potential love interests for both Laia and Elias, but neither felt like a love triangle. Everything happened so naturally, and I couldn't help but root for both possible outcomes. I'm concerned for Helene and her future, since she's now bound to Marcus. Dude is sick and twisted. I wish someone had killed him when they had the chance! I'm hoping my library picks up the rest of the series on audio -- fantastic experience! <3

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  18. I freaking loved this on audio. I know I listened to the first two, but may be behind in the series now.

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    1. Right?? The audio was fantastic! I cannot wait to listen to the rest of the series with Steve and Fiona. I wish they could read me to sleep every night, haha. You know they probably tell the BEST bedtime stories. ;)

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  19. I've never read this one but I've been curious about it for a while. Think I may need to to take the plunge! Although, you mentioned the final book is approaching so I may wait until I can binge them all... It seems silly not to wait when it's close and I've waited this long!

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    1. Makes sense! I'm not sure when the final book is supposed to be released, but the Goodreads page is still pretty blank. I don't really binge-read series (unless is ACOTAR), so I'll likely finished book three right before the fourth is released. I like to space out the really good ones! It makes it feel like they last longer, haha. ;)

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless