Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Une braise sous la cendre

I'll be honest: this book was a 5-star prediction. It let me down. By a lot. While this isn't the first time I've been let down by a hyped book, this one really stings.

I thought I could start this review with what I liked - honestly, it's not a lot. I liked the romantic tension, which doesn't count for much in the face of the novel as a whole.

So here are the things I didn't like:

--> The characters are extremely half-baked. I understand that many YA novels are about some kind of character growth, but this one just didn't hit the nail on the head. This is the first book in a series, yes. But I should have seen something. Some growth, some decline. Instead, these characters fall flat.

--> The plot. It's simple. Too simple. In the face of developing characters, I would expect the plot, other characters (mainly the antagonist), or the world politics to take over. Alas, that did not happen here.

--> The sadism. I just read the description of this novel on Goodreads and it's supposed to be based on Rome?
But where are the positive Roman attributes of this empire? This novel focused on the deaths, the slavery, the wars, the bitter reality of being conquered. But Rome also had a well-formed legal system. They were open to gaining and using knowledge from their conquered.
This novel was a mess; the military-based leadership would not get along with the religious sect. How did they maintain peace in the first place?

Maybe the last point and my thousands of questions about the world get answered in the next book. Who knows. I will be reading A Torch Against The Night but mainly for the romance and to hopefully get answers.

Content Warnings

viccreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4/5 Stars

Favorite Quotes:

-“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing.” p.20

-“You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” p.65

-“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.” p.221

-“But there are two kinds of guilt, girl: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.” p.286

-“Once I’d have wanted that. I’d have wanted someone to tell me what to do, to fix everything. Once, I’d have wanted to be saved.” p.411

——

Tropes/Characteristics:
- 2 POVs
- Love Triangle
- Female Lead
- Enemies to Lovers

Things I Liked:
- fast-paced so it held my attention well
- great storyline in an interesting world
- merciless villains who don’t hold back (more realistic)
- a female MC who doesn’t want to be saved or rescued by someone else ; independent
- dark themes that aren’t explored in graphic, unnecessary detail
- interactions with love interests that had me grinning and blushing

Things I Didn’t Care For:
-i almost wish it wasn’t written in a YA style. I think the darker themes and plot could’ve been explored more deeply and hit more profoundly if the book wasn’t bound by YA constraints.
-i struggled to get into the story at first, because it felt like everything was happening too suddenly at the beginning
-the quick pace did leave me with low attachments to side characters,

so when some died I didn’t feel any emotional reaction other than “oh that’s sad”

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more of this series!

Content Warnings

oliviaferlazzo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

trazimmariju's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

iwasagiftedkid's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-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? N/A

5.0

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portuguese_bookaholic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”

In a world inspired by Ancient Rome, a revolution is brewing...

Laia is a Scholar, an oppressed people who have been conquered and enslaved by the mighty Martials, forming the Empire. After losing her grandparents and watching her beloved brother being arrested, she reaches out to the Scholar Resistance for help. The cost? She has to infiltrate the feared Blackcliff Academy, where the Martial elite troops are brutally trained, and spy on the terrifying Commandant, who has a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty.

Elias is a Martial, but for the first few years of his life, he was raised as a Tribesman. Now the top student at Blackcliff, the years of training haven't quenched his doubts about the life that has been planned out for him. He hopes for freedom and is plotting his escape from the clutches of the Empire. But he's also struggling with leaving behind his loved ones and betraying his comrades and friends, especially his best friend, Helene.

When Laia and Elias meet, sparks fly. Can two such different people be exactly what the world needs? In the war ahead, their biggest fight will be for their souls.

-----

How could I have taken such a long time to pick up this book?! It is SO GOOD!
Sabaa Tahir is a bold storyteller, with a very direct writing style, and she doesn't pull ANY punches. The story immediately begins at full speed and from that point on it never lets up! It's just surprise after surprise, revelation after revelation, and mystery after mystery. There are scheming, betrayal, attraction, deadly secrets, and even a competition to the death, for good measure. In short, everything good is in this book. But make no mistake, this world IS brutal and bloody, and completely merciless.

The characters are richly built, with unique personalities and voices, believable conflicts, and amazing growth. At this point, Elias is my favourite, I love his inner struggle, his determination to do better, to do right, even when everything and everyone seems to be against him, even when his very fate seems to want to lead him towards something completely different from what his heart is telling him to be. But Laia and Helene are also very interesting in their diametrically opposite personalities. And the villains, especially the Commandant? SUCH a complex character, and how much I'm loving to hate her!

This story has everything: high-stakes quests, backstabbing, twists, lurking magic, and a little sprinkling of romance to spice things up.

A 5-star read for me and deserving of all the hype and accolades. I just can't wait to continue with this story!!!

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