nevercomemonday's review against another edition
5.0
I don't give many books five stars but this one was well deserved. An Ember in the Ashes has pretty much everything I could ever want in a book. It is very high on emotion, catharsis, tension, suspense, and the world created here is brutal and beautiful. It holds no punches and I love it for that.
If I'd read it instead of listened to it, it would've kept me up well into the night. Instead, I couldn't wait to get in my car or do chores around the apartment to keep listening. It is beautifully acted in a way that elevates it beyond what my initial perception of the book might have been. There is so much nuance to the lines and the characterizations added by the actors. This is not your average YA thriller and their performances take it completely seriously.
This is probably one I will add to my shelf eventually for a reread. One of the best YA adventures I've ever read. Full stop. Also, Sabaa Tahir should just go by "Patron Saint of Sexual Tension" from now on, that's what I'm going to call her from now on anyway XD
If I'd read it instead of listened to it, it would've kept me up well into the night. Instead, I couldn't wait to get in my car or do chores around the apartment to keep listening. It is beautifully acted in a way that elevates it beyond what my initial perception of the book might have been. There is so much nuance to the lines and the characterizations added by the actors. This is not your average YA thriller and their performances take it completely seriously.
This is probably one I will add to my shelf eventually for a reread. One of the best YA adventures I've ever read. Full stop. Also, Sabaa Tahir should just go by "Patron Saint of Sexual Tension" from now on, that's what I'm going to call her from now on anyway XD
aaron_j136's review against another edition
4.0
The world building lacked depth but I still was able to understand the main concepts. I loved the writing especially how each chapter ended on a cliffhanger
Characters
Elias: A level character and I feel extremely bad for him
Laia: A+ character with amazing growth
Helene: B level. I ship Elias and her
Keenan: B level, I ship Laia and him
Cook: interesting backstory
Izzi: so sweet
Trigger warnings
Child abuse and death of child
Assault: physical, mental and sexual
Characters
Elias: A level character and I feel extremely bad for him
Laia: A+ character with amazing growth
Helene: B level. I ship Elias and her
Keenan: B level, I ship Laia and him
Cook: interesting backstory
Izzi: so sweet
Trigger warnings
Child abuse and death of child
Assault: physical, mental and sexual
vahalaemma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Love love love this, this is everything I wanted The Jasad Heir to be! Laia and Elias, two sides of the same coin, are absolutely compelling characters, who’s choices and emotions will keep you hooked all the way through the story. The world building is extremely detailed and lush, the smaller nods to the Roman Empire are an excellent touch. My only critique is how Laia is occasionally framed as “pretty more so because she doesn’t know she’s pretty”, plus I’m not a huge fan of how Helene’s character development is hinging on her infatuation with Elias as a catalyst.
Overall though, I’m enraptured and I can’t wait to devour this series!
Overall though, I’m enraptured and I can’t wait to devour this series!
milkshakevoid's review against another edition
4.0
This took a long time to get into but I did enjoy it once it got going. I thought all the resistance stuff was poorly done and boring but I really loved Elias and after about the half way mark I stopped hating Laia. Not worth all the hype but definitely worth a second read and I'm excited for the next book.
mdzreynolds's review against another edition
4.0
I want to start off that I really did enjoy this book, and if you’re thinking about giving it a read, definitely do! However, I do have a few complaints that have caused a 4 star rating instead of 5.
Personal preference, I don’t love first person present narratives. It actually takes me out of the story a little instead of pulling me into it. The plot was pretty predicable, and Laia was a bit too self deprecating for my liking. The romance felt a little forced, and the turncoats obvious. I felt like more could have been added to detail the scenery and the world. It was hard for me to envision a lot of things, and the world could have been explained better. I still don’t fully understand the factions. There were also a ton of characters and I could hardly keep them straight.
Complaints aside, I did really enjoy the story and definitely liked it enough that I will read the other books!
Personal preference, I don’t love first person present narratives. It actually takes me out of the story a little instead of pulling me into it. The plot was pretty predicable, and Laia was a bit too self deprecating for my liking. The romance felt a little forced, and the turncoats obvious. I felt like more could have been added to detail the scenery and the world. It was hard for me to envision a lot of things, and the world could have been explained better. I still don’t fully understand the factions. There were also a ton of characters and I could hardly keep them straight.
Complaints aside, I did really enjoy the story and definitely liked it enough that I will read the other books!
katreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
A little dark, but good. I didn't love the female protagonist Laia. Elias and Helene are much more interesting.
tinydonats's review against another edition
4.0
This was great. I had such a fun time with the characters and I know that sounds bad because there aren't a lot of happy, lighthearted moments, but I connected very easily with the characters so I was rooting for them a lot, getting excited for them. It was a good time.
I love the characters. Elias is so endearing. I just want to protect him. He's literally a gigantic military trained man, but he's so precious. Helene, I usually don't connect as much with rivals, but she was great too. If there was a book about her, that book would be amazing for sure. I've been into stories about the anti-hero and villain POV so I've been noticing how interesting other characters in a story are now. I picture the story revolving around them. Laia is our diamond in the rough. She goes through a lot and has to do a lot of growing but I was there for every second of it. She's my girl.
I love the plot building. Sabaa really formed the bricks of the story and put them together so beautifully, especially at the beginning. I love the way the plot thickens as we go on in the book.
This was a great start to a very exciting series. 10/10 recommend.
I love the characters. Elias is so endearing. I just want to protect him. He's literally a gigantic military trained man, but he's so precious. Helene, I usually don't connect as much with rivals, but she was great too. If there was a book about her, that book would be amazing for sure. I've been into stories about the anti-hero and villain POV so I've been noticing how interesting other characters in a story are now. I picture the story revolving around them. Laia is our diamond in the rough. She goes through a lot and has to do a lot of growing but I was there for every second of it. She's my girl.
I love the plot building. Sabaa really formed the bricks of the story and put them together so beautifully, especially at the beginning. I love the way the plot thickens as we go on in the book.
This was a great start to a very exciting series. 10/10 recommend.