esconce'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Racism
tsar's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don't lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.”
If there is one thing that stopped me from being very much impressed with the first book is how it made care less about the characters when they are the key figures of the book. As I've mentioned in my review of An Ember in the Ashes, Tahir stuck in figuring out their exact roles as protagonists instead of a proper characterization since their first introduction. In return, it seems that the second book transforms all of that uncertainty in a swift motion—it revitalizes the plot and characters that they equally take off in a high note.
Chapters and chapters of violent delights might be predictable due to the brutal nature of the plot itself, yet Tahir swiftly transforms them into a character-driven tale—she takes time to elaborate on what is happening to each protagonist and how it determines their precise characterization that suits the characters. As an illustration, the written backstory of Helene adds another complex layer of an already strong established foundation of her determination as a person. On the other hand, Laia and Elias receive a peculiar settlement of their position in this convoluted war: Laia becoming the conduit between earthly beings and the paranormal realm forces her to be a more assertive individual who has to be quick in her action, while Elias has to face the haunting truth of his blood descent as he takes part as the soul catcher who gradually loses the identity of himself as a human being.
Most of all, the more character-driven story does not suffer in a drowsy pace, but it is surprisingly fast and steady in illustrating the pieces of the game. As a result, it is engaging, keeping the thrill delivered to the readers despite that the brutality of the narrative is toned down a bit for the sake of focusing on the characters' heightened journey.
However, I presume that this is where the second book falls behind in capturing a neat set of villains. Marcus comes off as a needy child, throwing tantrums along his way when he does not receive what he wants as the current emperor. Sure, his tantrums are terrifying when we look from the perspective of the characters as well as the extreme misogynistic attitude exemplified in his actions, but taking it from a reader's perspective, I'd say that his aggression is truly more of an attempt to show that he is the best choice of a ruler that would exact revenge to his bitter enemies including Helene and Elias. On the other hand, the effort to paint the Commandant as the secondary antagonist who is discreetly pulling strings also falls short. Tahir seems to try illustrating her as a redeemable, harrowingly tragic yet cruel villain, but her presence is far too middling to deliver such a message.
Overall, A Torch Against the Night does not disappoint as a second installment that heightens the narrative's rich elements beyond the realistic impression it pulls from the oppression of the old days.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Rape
faitherslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Torture, Violence, and Genocide
Minor: Rape
madamenovelist'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: Gore, Confinement, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Body horror, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Death
veeronald'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
Graphic: War, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Genocide, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Vomit, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
maggieed's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Violence, Genocide, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
the_paperbackprincess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Slavery, Genocide, Torture, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
Manipulation, Fade-to-Black sex scene.atamano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
lainiereads's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I know people love Helene and like,, I get that she isn't a truly bad person and I don't HATE her, but I'm still waiting for something to make me actually like her. I'm sure she will probably be more lovable in the next one, and I am all for a flawed character, but I just don't really get it yet.
Elias has only gotten better, oh my god I LOVE HIM!!! He is just such a good person that even when he does annoying things, he is still great. You always know that he is going to feel remorse for the bad things he has done, and he will try to make it right however he can.
I had absolutely no idea what plot twists were ahead of me as I read this book, and I was constantly being shocked by everything! Sabaa Tahir has that perfect way of storybuilding that makes you want to immediately reread everything to see all of the hints that you missed.
I also really love Tahir's writing because she is able to constantly keep the reader hooked. At times, I caught myself seriously reflecting on what I had read hours before, and I just wanted to pick up the book again and again. This is especially impressive given how depressing this series can be. I don't usually look forward to reading things that I know will be painful, so the fact that this book is able to make me excited to read more is crazy.
I am scared for the pain to come, but obviously I have to keep reading, I just love these characters so much :')
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
sydapel'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence