An Ember in the Ashes Book Review
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 2-28-26 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 9.4/10
Book Cover Rating: 7.1/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Pages: 480
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Subplots: Romance, High Fantasy
Romance: 2/3 (no spice, but prominent part of plot))
Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1
Publisher: Razorbill
First Published: 2015
Number of Editions: 152
Goodreads Rating: 4.24/5
Number of Goodreads Ratings: 346,707
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Number of Amazon Ratings: 20,186
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 14+
Movie/TV Show?? : No
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Multi, first person
Hook: Laia is a scholar. One of the ‘lesser’, ‘weaker’ people who don’t even know how to read or write their own names. However, those who discount the scholars have never met the new Laia. To be fair, she was the meek scholar everyone expected while she grew up. But the day the empire took her brother and murdered her grandparent guardians, was the same day she changed. She vowed to never turn her back on family again. Due to that, she decides to risk it all and aid the infamous scholar resistance with the hope of gaining favor and help in getting her brother back. The problem: in order to gain their favor, she has to spy, posed as a slave, under the leader of the empire’s greatest, most ruthless army.
Then there’s Elias. Not only is he the best ‘mask’ warrior in his year at the empire’s army academy. Not only is he in line to become one of the most influential men in his generation. But, of course, his mother is the same ruthless leader that Laia with be spying under.
Both will struggle with loyalties and piling lies while good lives are on the line.
Will Laia survive life as an army slave? Will she, as an untrained girl, gain the intelligence the resistance believes crucial to their revolt?
All the while, the only real question on Elias’s mind: How much more blood will I be forced to spill by my own hand?
My Review
Main Characters:
Laia- Laia is a scholar girl- or of the lesser class. As a scholar she is often looked down upon and underestimated. However, she is working to overcome her timidity and take a stand for what she believes in.
Elias Veturius- Elias is a member of the feared Masks. He is a soldier who has been brutally trained since he was 6 years old to fight for the king. However, he works hard every day to distinguish between the ruthless mask and the human inside him. He does not want to become the cruel monster he is being trained to be. He is often generous and caring, regardless of his history.
Helene Aquilla- Helene is also a mask and Elias’s closest friend. Helen and Elias have been working together ever since their first year, first day even, or mask training. She is more ruthless than Elias, however, she is still more human than many other masks at the academy. At the end of the day, she will do almost anything to support the king and her empire.
I loved these characters! They each had both depth and severe character development. Each faced opportunities to run and live in fear, or to fight for what they believe in. They felt personable and unique; I also loved hearing of their unique dynamics with others.
Character Rating: 9.8/10
Setting:
This book takes place throughout the city, a variety of caves, and at Blackcliff Academy of Masks.
This ancient-Roman inspired setting matched the plot perfectly! Blackcliff Academy was described with details highlighting its strength, security, and brutality. The setting was transformative and encouraged the reader to want to read following books to learn more about it. I will say, it wasn't highlighted quite as much as the plot or characters, but this is absolutely to be expected.
Setting Rating: 9.7/10
Plot:
Great plot! This was exciting, original, and hooked the reader from the very beginning. I loved all the action and subplots. This book felt layered, purposeful, and really was top tier. The politics of this land were a brief, underlying theme within the book that I would predict become more important further into the series- so if you aren’t a fan of that, you might not love this book quite as much. One more thing I would mention: the pacing felt off to me. Maybe that was just my problem, but I was almost wondering if splitting this book into two separate books with a bit more detail in rushed places would make more sense.
Plot Rating: 9.0/10
Writing:
Sabaa Tahir did an exception job writing this book! The writing was clearly for a young adult book, but it didn’t feel juvenile. I think a new adult would likely enjoy this book’s writing just as much as any young adult. While it wasn’t Agatha Christie or Kristin Hannah level writing, the writing still did a great job matching the book and tying all the different parts of the plot together.
Writing Rating: 9.2/10
Ending:
Ahhhh! I loved where this ending left the book! This ending left plenty of loose ends that purposefully encourage the reader to keep reading further into the story. The plot also does a great job with this. There is clearly so much potential for more strong plot given the point that this book leaves the characters. I’m so excited to dive into the rest of the series soon!
Ending Rating: 9.7/10
The Overall:
Overall, this was an amazing book! I loved the depth of the plot, the personable characters, and the potential within the ending. This book was well detailed and written for a young adult book; I wouldn’t be surprised if new adults would enjoy it too. The only main detriment, was the pacing. A few parts felt rushed and under detailed. This book was still amazing and I highly recommend it!
Overall Book Rating: 9.4/10
I would strongly recommend this book
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Sabaa is the author of many popular books
Her books have been published into over 35 languages
She grew up in California
For more information, Sabaa Tahir’s website: Sabaatahir.com
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What did you think of this book??
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