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A review by jmchivers
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
4.0
I do like this series. I think it is well written and a good story plot. However, I find it will be hard for me to continue. There is so much misery and death with nothing to lift the spirit. There are little to no victories and the depressing atmosphere of the series gets darker and darker. I feel like this series has little to no hope.
I can't figure out how I feel about Laia. She is the typical YA female protagonist. Young, naive, inexperienced, but determined. I had such high hopes for Helene being awesome, but some how I find her the most disappointing. She has so much power, strength, and intelligence to really rise and be the game changer I want her to be, but sadly she is too brain washed by the empire. Her faith and loyalty to the empire blinds her to seeing that they are the sole cause of her pain and loneliness. I wish she would step up her game and turn her back on the Augers and the Empire, the two things that have never done her any good. We aren't ever sure why she is so loyal except for her upbringing and unquestioning devotion. After what happens in this book, I still don't understand her devotion to the empire. There shouldn't be a reason left for her loyalty to stay. As for Elias, I just constantly feel sorry for him. I think he is my favorite character thus far. I just hope there is a way out of the mess he just put himself in, but I have little hope.
Keenan's background took me by surprise. I can't tell if this was Tahir's plan all along or if it was something she decided half way through. I'm not sure it matters, but I feel like some of the big revealing points in the plot were thrown together without much foresight. The bigger plot seemed to be piecemeal in its reveal, but that could be simply me missing aspects of the story as I read it. I started out reading the book, but found it was too depressing to finish. I switched to the audiobook to get through it. The story was good, but too sad to sit through and just read without stopping to go else where to lift my mood. I suppose that is the mark of a good writer if she can bring you into the world and make you feel the same despair and hopelessness as her characters.
I can't figure out how I feel about Laia. She is the typical YA female protagonist. Young, naive, inexperienced, but determined. I had such high hopes for Helene being awesome, but some how I find her the most disappointing. She has so much power, strength, and intelligence to really rise and be the game changer I want her to be, but sadly she is too brain washed by the empire. Her faith and loyalty to the empire blinds her to seeing that they are the sole cause of her pain and loneliness. I wish she would step up her game and turn her back on the Augers and the Empire, the two things that have never done her any good. We aren't ever sure why she is so loyal except for her upbringing and unquestioning devotion. After what happens in this book, I still don't understand her devotion to the empire. There shouldn't be a reason left for her loyalty to stay. As for Elias, I just constantly feel sorry for him. I think he is my favorite character thus far. I just hope there is a way out of the mess he just put himself in, but I have little hope.
Keenan's background took me by surprise. I can't tell if this was Tahir's plan all along or if it was something she decided half way through. I'm not sure it matters, but I feel like some of the big revealing points in the plot were thrown together without much foresight. The bigger plot seemed to be piecemeal in its reveal, but that could be simply me missing aspects of the story as I read it. I started out reading the book, but found it was too depressing to finish. I switched to the audiobook to get through it. The story was good, but too sad to sit through and just read without stopping to go else where to lift my mood. I suppose that is the mark of a good writer if she can bring you into the world and make you feel the same despair and hopelessness as her characters.