charlizardbookboi17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Abandonment, Torture, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Grief
tsar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.”
Goodness. I am quite speechless to say something, honestly.
In her debut that centers around the violence of colonization, Sabaa Tahir illustrates on the grotesque effort to ensure systematic oppression alive under a theocratic rule and how it affects the morale of the people from the survival method of staying alive to the erasure of centuries-old culture that is deemed to be a savage mindset under a cruel dictatorship. By contextually putting the Martial Empire as a fictional stand-in for the Romans in the old days, Tahir meticulously elaborates on the injustice and conspiracy as if it's been lifted out of historical sources, which transforms into multiple layered of a tale that has a significant reflection to modern society as well.
Since we are talking about the picture of graphic violence imbued in this book, I believe that I need to remind the readers to be wise in reading An Ember in the Ashes. Some of the issues depicted in this book are explicitly sensitive, especially the brutality against female characters as well as other deplorable actions involving assault and notable degradation or humiliation of characters. The explicitness might be uncomfortable to read as they could be triggers.
While the plot is extraordinarily bleak, I believe that I have nothing truly meaningful to say about the characters: Elias and Helene might be notable with their conflicting hearts as empathetic humans as well as loyal Martial soldiers, while Laia is striving to either save her rebel brother or engages with the rebellion as well. Yet, their characterization in most parts of the books still feels quite hollow as if it is progressing in taking a solid form of a personality as the story has begun to peak in conflict. It is not until near the end of the book where the characters have finally found their determination on which path they would take to survive the rules of the empire.
In the end, An Ember in the Ashes makes me curious to see more of the tale. The conception of djinn as potential salvation and undoing of wickedness that forms in the later parts of the book would definitely complicate the already complex issue of dictatorial rule. And so, I am expecting many greater things from this series for a long mile.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Slavery, and Rape
atla98's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Torture, and Gore
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Rape
sh543's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death of parent, and Murder
shalladin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Classism, Death, and Misogyny
queenstaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's an interesting world, and very engaging.
But do check the content warnings.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
It just repeats that these things happen, with some very close calls. Also describing or talking about in the past. I put it all as graphic because it just permeates the book, and one character is actively a sexual predator.girloutoftime's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Confinement, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Grief, Physical abuse, and Murder
violetreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Death, Classism, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Rape, and Blood
Minor: Abortion and Confinement
samasaurus_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Rape
redhothabanero's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Murder, Rape, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Child death, Grief, Slavery, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Confinement, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, and War