By Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill, 2016. 452 pgs. Young Adult
Elias and Laia are on the run. The Martials hunt traitors until they are captured, dead or alive. But the pair are determined to complete their mission – to break Laia’s brother Darin out of Kauf, the maximum security prison of the Empire. Whether it is by the ruthless Commandant, the sadistic prison warden, or the bloodthirsty emperor Marcus, Elias and Laia seem to be cornered at every turn. Most heartbreaking of all is that Helene, the emperor's new Blood Shrike and a former friend, has been ordered to kill Elias. It will take worldly and otherworldly help for Laia and Elias to evade their enemies and rescue Darin before it’s too late.
After waiting to pick up AnEmber in the Ashes until earlier this summer, I didn’t have to wait long
for the second installment. This book focuses on the chase and character development but it also sets up the political backdrop for the next book. Helene, with her conflicted emotions and
wavering loyalties, continues to be my favorite character. There is some resolution
in the love quadrangle that will satisfy readers as well as unexpected plot
turns. That it ended on a cliffhanger is not one of them. There are two more books in this series, if only I
didn’t have to wait a year for the next book!
HSG
1 comment:
In Sabaa Tahir’s sequel to 2015’s breakout YA fantasy, An Ember in the Ashes, the intensity, emotions, and action get ratchetted up several notches. Elias and Laia somehow make it out of Blackcliff alive, the Martial Empire’s elite military academy, and are in a race against time to break Laia’s brother, Darrin, out of prison.
Where some sophomore efforts flop, this sequel soared. Everything I thought I had figured out was wrong with one twist after another. Though, this is novel is darker in tone, Tahir is a master of suspense, bringing readers on a riveting journey. However, be aware that to understand many of the plot elements, you will definitely need to read the first book, An Ember in the Ashes, before this one.
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