Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

225 reviews

lydiasturges's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

Interesting story with compelling characters. The betrayal ‘twist’ didn’t really surprise me, but I don’t really care since the other elements were so good! It does have the start of YA love triangle nonsense, but hopefully that won’t play out too much in later books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault and Injury/Injury detail

what_karla_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Blood, Bullying, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, and Classism

jennabenna's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

This was a good first book in the series. The world, main characters, and conflict are set up well. I found the slow pace if Laia's personal growth to be frustrating, and Elias to be a little too "perfect". I didnt love the dumb choices the characters (especially Laia) kept making. But  I am optimistic for continued growth from the characters, so I cant wait to read the next two books now that the plot has really gotten going! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Slavery and Genocide

Minor: War, Rape, and Murder

bzliz's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Big note right up top: mind the trigger warnings! This is a brutal world and there is little reprieve from accepted (and encouraged) behaviors that many readers may find seriously triggering. 

Laia’s brother Darin has been keeping secrets, including a sketchbook filled with things he shouldn’t have seen, and soldiers are coming for him. A Mask is also after the book which spells danger for the family; Masks are skilled hunters and killers who live life without emotions to stop them from their brutal tasks. Their grandparents become collateral damage and Darin is taken, giving Laia the chance to run. She does the only thing she can: tries to find the Resistance. She does and when they refuse to help her she is forced to reveal that her parents were their revered former leaders. She cuts a deal- the Resistance will help rescue Darin if she goes undercover as a slave to the Commandant in Blackcliff- the military Mask training school. 

Inside the school, Elias is planning to desert even though he knows his capture would be his death. He’s convinced not to go by an Augur, who foretells that he will only find freedom by remaining and following the path ahead. He embarks on the Trials- a prophecied event to select a new emperor when the old line falls. 

Laia starts with little confidence, convinced her cowardice condemned her brother. She also tends to see things in black and white: the Resistance is good and everyone at Blackcliff is the worst kind of bad. She comes to learn there’s exceptions to every rule and I loved her journey. Elias is a highly trained killer who is ready to give it all up for a chance at freedom. His journey teaches him what humanity still lives inside him despite his mother’s best efforts. 

This was hard for me to get into but once I was halfway, it flew by. The sheer amount of violence and threats of sexual violence were almost overwhelming. There were a few points I was frustrated that information wasn’t being shared between Laia and Elias but she wasn’t in a place to trust yet and I don’t know what he would have done with the information. 

Now that I’ve made an investment in the world, I’m looking forward to the next book and their continued growth. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery

charlizardbookboi17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

st4rchaser's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Rape

vampire_burrito's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Violence, and Slavery

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Torture, Slavery, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

esconce's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I have read this whole series but just wanted to write my final reviews, the characters in this book definitely get better as the story and series as a whole progresses. I personally really disliked Helene in the beginning but over time she became my favorite character by the end of the series. It definitely has a couple “Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire” sort of moments, but it deals with a surprising amount of classism racism and more that honestly just fits really well. The world building is just top tier and Keenan stays as one of my favorite characters from the beginning to the end. :D 9/10 would read again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Classism, Cursing, Hate crime, Death, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual harassment

takarakei's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

If you like books where no one is who they say they are and you don't know who you can trust... this is it! It's very dark, honestly I am surprised this is labeled as YA. Besides it following young adults and them all being horny teenagers, the subject matter that this deals with is very adult (see TW). I really enjoyed the dual POVs, world building, and the mysterious qualities. It is very attention grabbing and interesting right from the get-go, and it was a very unique concept. I can feel a much more intriguing plot line to come in the rest of the series...

You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: War, Rape, Colonisation, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Genocide, Misogyny, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Death of parent

This is an extremely dark book hence the long list of TW Rape/SA - there is none graphic on page, but rape is referred to a lot (seems to be common occurrence in this world) and

Spoiler

a main character nearly is raped on page