An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

TL;DR two kids against an oppressive empire

TBR #1099, added Nov 14, 2014

library ebook hold placed 8/16/16; #10 in queue*

finished 9/13/16

*Somehow I got the ebook when it still said I was #7?? I'm still trying to figure out how my library ebook system really functions.

I actually didn't expect to finish this book. I had it for a couple days before I started it, and I was making slow progress, so I figured it would expire out of my library before I had any chance of reaching the end. The only reason I did finish it was because I purposefully sat down during a free afternoon to see if I could do it before Amazon took it back from me.

(I totally have my priorities straight.)

This was definitely a unique story and setting, but it was a little too dark for my normal reading tastes. I mean, it was good, but the horrors of their world weren't really compelling me to continue reading on. Some of it was a little hard to stomach.

(For whatever reason, I want to classify this as a winter book, and I have absolutely no idea how to explain that.)

I liked that Laia was brave but also felt weak and second-guessed herself and what she was doing, and that Elias did what he thought was right even though there were consequences. The Commandant was terrifying, honestly. The secondary characters all felt human and that they had their own motivations outside Laia's story (though the Rebellion leader felt a little weak to me in that respect). Actually, I love Izzi the most. She's the best.

The romance was pretty standard. I appreciate that they weren't all heart-eyes for each other, and that it kept more to passion / lust than standard YA "I'll sacrifice everything for you for no reason". (Saying I appreciate lust over romantic stuff is ... strange for me.) I also liked the fact that it wasn't a straight-forward romance -- both of them had other love interests, too, and I did appreciate the fact that it didn't turn into a double love-triangle like it could've.

I think I'm okay with this romance aspect more than in other books because it didn't feel like it overtook the plot. Neither of them listened to their heart over their head (much).

Serra was an interesting setting and I think it worked well within the glimpses we got through the story. I had clear pictures of Blackcliff and the areas that Laia lived in / visited on errands as a slave. The culture of both communities that we got to see were interesting, both in comparison to each other and to what I learned in Ap Human Geo. There were some good explanations of how the Martial / Scholar history had influenced both groups' cultures and their traditions by the beginning of the story.

Initially I didn't know if I was going to continue with the series, but I learned that my library already has an ebook copy of A Torch Against the Night, so I did add it to my TBR. I'll probably wait a while before I pick it up, though. I feel like I need some fluffier books in the meantime.

I'm hoping that A Torch Against the Night will continue exploring the magical aspects of the story. I wasn't really expecting it from An Ember in the Ashes, and I'm going to be disappointed if I don't learn more of why it did end up in the series. Not that I'm complaining. I thought it was cool.

TL;DR I'm weak and couldn't enjoy this as much as I could've because of the harshness of their world, but I liked the characters and the world is interesting enough that I'm willing to continue with the series eventually.

CWs: death, injuries, torture / abuse (physical, mental), and sexual assault, among other things. The Martials are really awful to the Scholars (and to each other, honestly).