An Ember in the Ashes
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4.5 • 248 Ratings
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
‘Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy’ – Us Weekly
Read the explosive New York Times bestselling debut that’s captivated readers worldwide. Set to be a major motion picture, An Ember in the Ashes is the book everyone is talking about.
What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?
For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.
For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands of Scholars, all in the name of power.
When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.
But once Laia and Elias meet, they find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire.
In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.
Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE EMBER QUARTET:
‘The writing is as smooth as silk and keeps one reading long after the lights should have been out’
Robin Hobb, bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice
‘Sabaa Tahir shows us light in darkness, hope in a world of despair, and the human spirit reaching for greatness in difficult times’
Brandon Sanderson, bestselling author of the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series
‘A harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human’
Washington Post
‘Takes you into a world as bloody and ruthless as Game of Thrones, but there’s a tender and humane heart to these books, too’
New York Times
‘An explosive, heartbreaking, epic debut that will keep you glued to the pages’
Marie Lu, bestselling author of Legend
‘This book is dark, complex, vivid, and romantic—expect to be completely transported’
MTV.com
About the author
Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash, and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks, and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
For more information, please visit Sabaa at SabaaTahir.com or on Twitter @SabaaTahir.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Suffering from Hunger Games withdrawal? Get your fix with Sabaa Tahir’s debut. With its stark master-and-slave divide, Tahir’s Martial Empire is inspired by ancient Rome—and populated by characters fighting against their rigidly prescribed roles. As the dual-perspective story builds to a thrilling climax, the book’s violence is offset by careful attention to character. We’d recommend An Ember in the Ashes to fans of fast-paced action and dastardly villains.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As one of the conquered Scholar people, Laia has grown wary of the ruthless Masks that enforce the Martial empire's laws. But the lesson doesn't hit home until Masks imprison her brother for aiding the Scholar Resistance. Desperate to save him, Laia agrees to spy for the rebels as a slave in Blackcliff, the hellish school where Masks are trained. Her mission becomes all the more dangerous when the empire's prophetic Augurs announce that, for the first time in centuries, four newly graduated Masks will compete for the emperor's throne. One of these "Aspirants," Elias, had been on the verge of desertion before he was chosen, and he only stays to compete because of the Augurs' warning that he will never know freedom unless he undergoes the Trials. Tahir's deft, polished debut alternates between two very different perspectives on the same brutal world, deepening both in the contrast. In a tale brimming with political intrigue and haunted by supernatural forces, the true tension comes from watching Elias and Laia struggle to decide where their loyalties lie. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!
This book was amazing! The world they live in is so complex and just wrong, but the story is captivating. I didn’t want to stop reading! I need the next one to see where it goes.
Not my style.
The first 12 chapters in are one big information dump. I’m disappointed at the constant threat and marginalising of sexual assault. This isn’t showing what women face daily this is just using it as an overused crutch prop. The events for advancing plot is weak and unbelievable. Sorry, Sabaa, but your developmental editor and publisher let you down. You have the right Ingredients for a dystopian novel with a unique society but is missing the crucial ingredient to make the book hold. This could have been so much bigger and captured a larger audience if an editor had been more honest with feedback
I wish you all the best with future books. I know you’re not too worried, after all, the books are well received by many!
Loved it!
Beautiful read. Couldn't put it down.