Review An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I fell in love with this book the moment I saw it in the hands of one of my favorite booktubers, abookutopia. She talked about the book with so much excitement that she made me jump on the couch. I had to have it on my shelf - the story sounded awesome and the book looked perfect. PERFECT.

I mean, just look at it! - isn't that one gorgeous book?

But you know, since I live in a different country and in a city with one or two bookstores - which it should it be VERY ashamed of - I thought I'd never find it here and there would be no way that I could read it until everbody else had read it already. :(

BUT THANKFULLY THAT DIDN'T BECOME REALITY.

I found the book standing on a shelf somewhere in the bookstore in my city and, without even considering the price, I grabbed it from the shelf and bought it. 

And though I felt bad about spending so much on books, those 20 euros were just so worth it!

Summary

In a brutal world called the Empire, inspired by ancient Rome, people live under the regime of the Martials. Nobody thinks about defiance, because that would mean the death of themselves and everything they hold dear. Even Laia thinks of this the same way. As an Scholar - a folk that has been overthrown and suppressed by the Empire - she knows what will happen to those who resist. But when her brother is arrested for treason, Laia is left with a decision to make. Keep running or save her brother? 

Saving her brother comes with a big price, a price she's scared but still determined to pay.

She has to spy for the rebels from within the greatest military academy of the Empire.

Here she meets Elias, the academy's finest soldier, but also - secretly - it's most unwilling.

Soon they'll discover that their lives are intertwined and their choices will do more than just change their own lives.

My opinion

Rate: 9/10

This book was sooooo awesome to read, guys!

I do have to say, it doesn't have much of an original storyline. It has a nice construction and everything and looks okay, but it doesn't have something special, something like wow, cool, NO WAY. But the thing is - it isn't really about the storyline. It's mainly about the two main characters Laia and Elias and their character-development throughout the story.

And I've never seen such a thing before. 

I know it's normal for a character to develop throughout a story, but I have never seen an author actually accentuating this so much in a story, whilst keep the story going on and being to build up the tension.

Tahir has done a marvelous job on that.

Tahir took me away from the world with this story. I don't what it was about her writing style, but it was so good. I could picture all of it happening in front of my eyes, even the parts with the Commandant... *gulp* 

I loved how we got to see different sides of the world she created. I say this like a lot in my reviews, but I thinks it's quite crucial for a story to see the world an author has created than just the story we see. It of course also depends on the story, but having a good idea of where the characters are and what influences those places have on them, can also make you understand the characters  and the things they go through better. You see that Laia and Elias live in two different worlds with completely different people - or people with different ideas of the world around them and different morals - and those people influence them consiously or unconsiously. It tests their determination to things, it helps them evolve as a person and that's very fascinating to see. Tahir made look all natural by also throwing in some mysterious events or stuff like the Trials which forced the characters to change or at least adjust themselves and their plans. You can see that the main characters are quite similar in a way and kind of go through the same things only differently, because of the different environments they live in. 
And I don't how Tahir has done it, but she made it look far from cliché.

I have already mentioned before - in another blogpost - that the Commandant is probably my favorite villian of all times. Tahir has managed to make this Commandant sooooooo evil, like I genuinely feel scared when she's mentioned in the story. *shivers* 
And nearing the end Tahir kind of gives the Commandant some kind of soft side, I'd say, making her more complex and interesting. But the Commandant will always be a great example for pure evilness.
She isn't my favorite character, though, but then - I don't have a favorite. 
I. JUST. CAN'T. CHOOSE.
All these characters are written sooo well that I just feel like I can really imagine standing here in my room, having their conversations or whatever. They are just very clear to me.
My favorite cast of characters!

I don't really have a lot of critque on this book, other than the fact that the storyline is well, alright, I guess. And the fact that I'm dying of waiting on the sequel! GOD.
I'm expecting a lot of good stuff in the sequel... *creepy laugh*

That's it for this blogpost!
Until the next blogpost, then! :)