zcammack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Death, Torture, and Terminal illness
rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Now, after reading the whole An Ember in the Ashes series, I can say that A Torch Against the Night is my favorite book of the series. There’s so much plot and not one moment to catch a breath since the atmosphere is constantly tense and threatening.
After the events of the first book, this book instantly starts with a great action sequence: Laia and Elias are on the run from the empire, trying to flee the city and finding a way to free Laia’s brother from prison to continue the fight against the empire. Besides them, we get a third POV, namely Helene’s perspective. This was great for two reasons: One, it was good to have a POV inside the empire, and two, this gave her character so much depth and made me like her so much. She gets the mission to hunt down and kill Elias, or otherwise her family will die. Hence, for all of them, the stakes are so high. Additionally, I liked all of the three POVs and it was so hard to see how much they were struggling with themselves and their missions.
What made this book especially great was the plot and the story. The whole story is just so dark, brutal, and often leaves you with a hopeless feeling. The pacing was amazing as well; I was first scared that Elias’ and Laia’s travel would be boring but oh boy, it wasn’t. There is always something often unpredictable happening that makes you want to continue reading.
Particularly towards the ending, so many shocking things happen, leading to more suffering for our characters: . With all of those conflicts, you just want to know how the story will continue and how the characters will deal with them in the future.
Spoiler
It’s revealed that Keenan is the Nightbringer who thus betrayed Laia. Helene also fails her mission, leading to Marcus killing her whole family which was just so sad. Elias dies in the end as well, trying to save Darin on his own. He then becomes the soul catcher and gets revived through thisWhat I also really like is the writing itself. With all the violence happening, <i>Tahir</i> creates a constant tense atmosphere where you have to worry for your favorite characters. Furthermore, everything feels so real and the settings are just so great.
I mostly said what I think about the characters above, but I find it so amazing how Laia never gives up. When , I was a bit scared that we would get a love triangle, but we didn’t. I also start to like Helene quite a lot and I just wanted to hug her at some moments. Besides this, I can’t stress enough how pure evil and brutal the villains of the story are, creating a true threat for our characters.
Spoiler
Izzi and Keenan cameIn summary, A Torch Against the Night was my first five star read in months, and for a good reason – the plot is engaging, the characters are amazing, and the writing and settings create a great atmosphere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment
sarahsbookss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence
nabecker13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Grief, Police brutality, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, and Kidnapping
veeronald's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
Content Warnings
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
bookishchef's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Much slower than the previous book, and the middle dragged.
I still dislike the romance(s) in this series.
The last few chapters were amazing though.
I did not see any of the plottwists coming. It felt like I could have never known the Keenan plottwist anyway, which is a bit of a shame.
The plot twist with the Keris coup, was more of a puzzle that you could figure out if you were paying attention. So, I enjoyed that one more.
HATED how Harper suddenly turns out to be Elias's half brother though. Helene can't have Elias so we'll stick her with the closest thing she can genetically get? Nah. Not a fan.
Unfortunately, the romances that are more than just set-up aren't much better. The Keenan vs. Elias thing doesn't work at all when you know there is no chance in hell Laia would ever pick Keenan in the end. Sure, she might bang him in a shed, but they're not going to end up happily ever after. Everyone can tell that Elias x Laia is set up to be endgame.
The love triangle added no tension. Which made the parts with Keenan and Laia feel tedious because I was just there like 'omg Laia, when are you going to stop being distracted by this redhead and get back to the plot already?' And then the non existent tension is shattered even more by the Keenan plottwist... It makes Laia and Keenan's entire flirtationship redundant.
I don't get the point of it. Their flirtationship adds so little too the book. Just slows down the plot by a lot.
I thought Livia responded a bit too okay to her family being brutally murdered in front of her. She doesn't blame Helene for anything? At all? Seems improbable but okay.
What's up with Marcus btw? Book 1 and the beginning of this book do everything in their power to make him seem hella incapable, but then suddenly at the end of this book, he turns out to be balancing a coup, an army, dozens of Gens and their families, Helene and her gang, and the ghost of his dead brother? Is he smart or dumb? Clarity pls. (Also we love demonizing mental health issues 😩).
Also doesn't Elias's plot directly go against what the fortune tellers (whose names I have already forgotten) predicted in book 1? They predicted he would be truly free? But now he's bound to this literal Limbo. That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
Also the "desire is what makes us human", makes me, an asexual, want to strangle something.
I still dislike the romance(s) in this series.
The last few chapters were amazing though.
Spoiler
Random spoilers thoughts:I did not see any of the plottwists coming. It felt like I could have never known the Keenan plottwist anyway, which is a bit of a shame.
The plot twist with the Keris coup, was more of a puzzle that you could figure out if you were paying attention. So, I enjoyed that one more.
HATED how Harper suddenly turns out to be Elias's half brother though. Helene can't have Elias so we'll stick her with the closest thing she can genetically get? Nah. Not a fan.
Unfortunately, the romances that are more than just set-up aren't much better. The Keenan vs. Elias thing doesn't work at all when you know there is no chance in hell Laia would ever pick Keenan in the end. Sure, she might bang him in a shed, but they're not going to end up happily ever after. Everyone can tell that Elias x Laia is set up to be endgame.
The love triangle added no tension. Which made the parts with Keenan and Laia feel tedious because I was just there like 'omg Laia, when are you going to stop being distracted by this redhead and get back to the plot already?' And then the non existent tension is shattered even more by the Keenan plottwist... It makes Laia and Keenan's entire flirtationship redundant.
I don't get the point of it. Their flirtationship adds so little too the book. Just slows down the plot by a lot.
I thought Livia responded a bit too okay to her family being brutally murdered in front of her. She doesn't blame Helene for anything? At all? Seems improbable but okay.
What's up with Marcus btw? Book 1 and the beginning of this book do everything in their power to make him seem hella incapable, but then suddenly at the end of this book, he turns out to be balancing a coup, an army, dozens of Gens and their families, Helene and her gang, and the ghost of his dead brother? Is he smart or dumb? Clarity pls. (Also we love demonizing mental health issues 😩).
Also doesn't Elias's plot directly go against what the fortune tellers (whose names I have already forgotten) predicted in book 1? They predicted he would be truly free? But now he's bound to this literal Limbo. That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
Also the "desire is what makes us human", makes me, an asexual, want to strangle something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, War, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Terminal illness, and Slavery
lainiereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SO GOOD!!! very painful though-ow. I really love the continued character devlopment that is going on in this series. Laia has become so much stronger already, but she still has an internal struggle that I look forward to seeing her overcome as the series continues.
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 :')
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 :')
Content Warnings
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
clea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this book, although it didn't live up to my (very high) expectations. As the first book in the series completely mesmerized and captivated me, I thought the same would happen for the second one. I was only mildly disappointed.
I found it difficult to immerse myself fully into the story until about one third of the book. But then the suspense increased, the stakes got higher and the conflicts intensified, which led to a more engaging read.
My only complaint is that I don't find the villains very intimidating anymore. Most of the time we only hear about the Commandant's cruel actions and we hardly get to experience them. I think this would have added a deeper emotional aspect to the absolutely horrendous things happening in this story.
Especially the Nightbringer lost some of his fearsomeness he had in the first book.
I found it difficult to immerse myself fully into the story until about one third of the book. But then the suspense increased, the stakes got higher and the conflicts intensified, which led to a more engaging read.
My only complaint is that I don't find the villains very intimidating anymore. Most of the time we only hear about the Commandant's cruel actions and we hardly get to experience them. I think this would have added a deeper emotional aspect to the absolutely horrendous things happening in this story.
Especially the Nightbringer lost some of his fearsomeness he had in the first book.
Spoiler
But I am relieved that the love triangle got resolved so early in the series and I think the way Tahir did it was very clever and brought some freshness into the (in my opinion) overused love-triangle-trope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Minor: Confinement
vale_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Torture, Murder, Child death, War, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit and Terminal illness
slama_llama's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.75
This book has stabbed me in chest too many times to count. I was on the edge the entire time; after continuously reading fantasy, I’ve become pretty good at predicting what happens- but there were only a few things that I figured out (which, btw, were cleverly hinted in the plot).
The writing style is so smooth and the story flows so freely. This book has definitely brought forth intense reactions- I was crying and screaming and shouting angrily. So many of my annotations and notes is just me yelling at someone, or furiously commenting on something in FULL CAPS; There are so many moments when the plot enraged me (this is not a negative point towards the writing style or the author, it’s just simply how the story plays out).
A dystopian story to the core.
Two books in, there’s a lot that we don’t know, things that need explanations- but it’s well played out and we know all the relevant details till this point that it doesn’t feel like a sloppy attempt at creating mystery.
I’m highly impressed, and despite the anxiety inducing plot, I’m glad I picked it up.
The writing style is so smooth and the story flows so freely. This book has definitely brought forth intense reactions- I was crying and screaming and shouting angrily. So many of my annotations and notes is just me yelling at someone, or furiously commenting on something in FULL CAPS; There are so many moments when the plot enraged me (this is not a negative point towards the writing style or the author, it’s just simply how the story plays out).
A dystopian story to the core.
Two books in, there’s a lot that we don’t know, things that need explanations- but it’s well played out and we know all the relevant details till this point that it doesn’t feel like a sloppy attempt at creating mystery.
I’m highly impressed, and despite the anxiety inducing plot, I’m glad I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Slavery, and Terminal illness