An Ember in the Ashes
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
An Ember in the Ashes, Book One
by Sabaa Tahir
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.
So, I see what all the hype was about. This book was awesome! SO well written. I loved the writing style, the characters and the plot development. Wow.
From the moment we're introduced to the main characters, they captivated me. Both of them immediately have so much going on, and they're so different. I felt a little jolt of excitement every time the POV changed, because now I finally got to continue with the other character — and this stayed true throughout the book.
We're introduced to our first MC, Laia, just as she loses the last remaining members of her family: her grandparents are killed, and her brother is taken prisoner by the Empire for working with the Resistance. To get her brother back, she needs the Resistance's help to get him out, and she agrees to a trade: she'll work as a slave (spy) at the nearby military school.
This very school is where we find our other MC, Elias. He's in training to become an elite soldier, a Mask, and is just about to graduate. He plans to flee, however, since he hates the life and role he's stuck in.
The immortal and powerful Augurs foresee that the current Emperor's line will die out within short, and the school is to hold trials to choose his successor. Elias is one of the chosen, and the Augurs promise him his freedom if he participates — so he stays.
I mean, this is a proper story. There is so much conflict and drama, intrigue and excitement. Our main characters finally meet, and are instantly drawn to each other — but it's far from some kind of instalove, which I found so... I don't know — refreshing?
I just love how they interact with each other. There are so many reasons they can't be together, and there are so many other — more important — things going on in both their lives. I like that they meet, they're attracted to each other — and then they go on with their respective lives until they meet again. I'm so used to all other plot taking a backseat as soon as the romance is introduced to a story. I do read a lot of romance novels, I admit, where a lot of the time the relationship is the plot. But still.
This was so great. I love the world-building, the different peoples, the history and legends, the hints and introductions to other creatures, and magics. It all just comes out so natural.
I also appreciate how much attention is given to side characters — they don’t feel like just fillers. Helene especially stands out — Elias’ best friend. I do wish we’d seen more of his other friends as well, especially considering the the final task — I think it would have made more of an impact on me then. It's already really moving, but that's more because of Elias' inner struggles, and a testament to the excellent writing: though I sympathized with Elias, I didn't mourn the characters myself.
I'm really looking forward to continuing this series. I feel like so much has been set up already:
There’s the conflict with the new emperor, and now with Helene as well (I kind of hope she’ll get her own POV in the next book). On top of that, there will likely be (potentially a lot) more interactions with the Resistance, and their shady leader. They've also set up the ultimate enemy mastermind with the Nightbringer.
I long for more details about Laia's parents, and even Elias' father — he could be nobody or somebody, we have no clue. What kind of ties does he have with the tribes, and that mysterious woman he danced with?
And finally, there are the character arcs that feel like they’re just getting started: Elias’ grandfather is now on the run — will he join the rebellion, or become a power of his own? And of course, Laia’s brother. Will he stay a side character, or become more important once they finally reach him?
Have I missed anything? Probably a lot — there's so much going on here, and so many maybe-hints.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️
~🖤~ FAVOURITE QUOTES ~🖤~ |
“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. Such moments are tests of courage, of strength.” |
“Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.” |
“It will get better. You'll never forget them, not even after years. But one day, you'll go a whole minute without feeling the pain. Then an hour. A day. That's all you can ask for, really.” |
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