An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (2015)

Laia’s used to her brother coming home at the crack of dawn with his sketchbook in hand. Which is how the night the ends with her grandparents shot in their living room and her brother taken to prison starts. With nowhere to turn, she goes underground, where she eventually runs into the Resistance, the group the her parents ran a decade ago and that she believes her brother was in alliance with. But their help is not free. The Resistance recruit her to assume the role of a slave at Blackcliff, where no slave is expected to leave alive. Worse, it’s the place where Masks are trained, the very people who killed her family. However, Blackcliff also houses Elias, a student who wants nothing but to desert and leave the deranged life of the Masks behind, even though Blackcliff is determined to keep Elias. As their paths cross, Elias and Laia delve more and more into the twisted world that there’s, and figure out they’re no longer fighting for just them, but for everyone.

Right off the bat, I was really sucked into An Ember in the Ashes. At first, I thought it would be a dystopian book, but it’s actually high-fantasy. Although, it didn’t feel like the typical fantasy world. The society mimicked ancient Greece, so the problems that Laia and Elias were facing, such as slavery and a tyrannical leadership were very real, and I think could even reflect the society we live in today. Getting back to the beginning of the book, right away it starts with a really action packed scene that establishes the plot, but also sets a very dark tone for the book.

The characters were dynamic and fully enjoyable, and I was amazed with mind of Sabaa Tahir for creating such characters. We start the book off with Laia, who is having an identity crises. She know’s she should be brave like her parents, but instead she’s scared for her situation, which I think was way more honest than most YA heroines, who seem to automatically know what to do in crisis. She was also extremely gullible, which sometimes annoyed me greatly, but again shaped her character for the better. On opposite chapters the story was told from Elias, who I was very impressed. From what I gathered, as he grew up, he saw more and more that the agenda of the Masks, and his society in general. I love how the story communicated that some people on the “bad side” isn’t necessarily there because they believe in it, but because there is no choice. This setup reminded me of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which tells the story of a teenage girl affected by the Nazi regime, and a teenage boy who is a Nazi.

This book is definitely horrifying, starting with the character the Commandment. I have never read such a heartless character, and I’ve met a lot of twisted characters through the years. There was also some pretty gory scenes, but more emotionally the physically. Not so much blood and guts, but there are some scenes that make you think Sabaa Tahir must be really twisted (though she probably isn’t)

The only really complaint I have is I wish some of the paranormal aspects were explained a little bit better. Eventually, I mostly got the concepts, but it took me a while. Although I do think that Tahir might’ve given less information on purpose, since most of the characters didn’t really know about the paranormal aspects either.

Overall, such a great read! Definitely looking forward to the second one, which comes out in August 2016.

5 STARS