An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir
In the recent spate of alternate-world-type dystopias, Sabaa
Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes is a true standout. Combining tense action with
thoughtful emotional undertones, the narrative is breathtakingly paced--I
finished it in two days.
Laia enlists the help of the Resistance, a band of rebels uprising
against the Martial Empire, when her brother is imprisoned by one of the deadliest
soldiers of the empire--a Mask. A Mask wears a silver mask over his/her face and
trains to kill at the Blackcliff academy. When the Resistance asks Laia to
infiltrate the academy as a servant/spy, she does so, and becomes “Slave Girl”
to the fearsome Commandant.
The Commandant’s son, Elias, is not like his mother--while he does
kill, he has serious doubts about the Martial Empire. Once he is tapped to
participate in the Trials, from which the next Emperor arises, he begins to
place his trust in unforeseen places and people.
Elias and Laia have a connection which is complicated by Elias’s
best friend and comrade, Helene, as well as by a red-haired Resistance fighter
named Keenan. As the Trials wage on, Laia becomes more deeply immersed in
dangerous Resistance missions--culminating in a tense, action-packed ending
that paves the way for a sequel.
This book is different in that it more fully explores
philosophical ideas of freedom and love. What does it mean to be free? How many
different types of love are there, and what are the consequences of loving the
wrong person? In a hierarchal society, who sits at the top, and why? How far
are you willing to go to be loyal to your cause?
All in all, this one is not to miss. Can’t wait for the sequel!
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