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A review by dragonarmy
A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
5.0
Check out my video review of A Sky Beyond the Storm: https://youtu.be/srGIO0OKH9I
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This has been one of my favorite book journeys to be on as a reader. I found [b:An Ember in the Ashes|27774758|An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)|Sabaa Tahir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519425615l/27774758._SY75_.jpg|39113604] shortly after its release but didn't get around to reading the book until a year later in November 2016. Ever since then I've preordered each book, convinced other readers to try out (and subsequently fall in love with) the series, met Sabaa at a book signing event, and have fallen in love with the characters and story of the Ember Quartet.
In this epic conclusion to one of my favorite series of all time, Sabaa takes us on one final journey as the Nightbringer and Keris Veturia lead the liberated jinn on a massacre across the land, fueling a violent maelstrom of pain and suffering. Our three, Helene, Elias, and Laia start on divergent missions but come together for the final thrust of the war. And, as expected of Sabaa, lives are lost, loves are thwarted, and no one is safe from the coming apocalypse. However, as long as there is life, there is hope...
Sabaa's writing style has always been so intriguing to me. She is a master of prose, never carelessly choosing a word or phrase, always pouring real emotion into every sentence. Her writing is never boring to read. Her characters are also some of the best, most interesting, fully-realized characters I've ever read. While there are many characters in Ember that deserve their own recognition like Afya, Harper, Tas, Musa, and even the Nightbringer, the threesome that carry this story from beginning to end are the ones that captured my heart most of all.
Elias, from start to finish, is a man of inner turmoil. He is conflicted. From his time at Blackcliff to his time asSoul Catcher to his disparate loves for Helene and Laia. He sacrifices so much for the sake of love.
Helene is loyal to the end. In the early stages of her journey, my heart broke for her because did everything right but never got what her heart wanted. Then along the journey, she lost so many of the things she fought to save. I loved how hardened she became while never becoming completely lost. She was my favorite.
And Laia, the girl with the golden eyes and equally golden heart. She is the epitome of brave, time and time again facing fear even though she felt scared or powerless. Out of the three, Laia probably experienced the most growth, the most change. Her story began with her running in fear and ended with her wielding fear as a weapon.
While the pacing isn't as slow as [b:A Reaper at the Gates|30809786|A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)|Sabaa Tahir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507476834l/30809786._SY75_.jpg|51397188], there is still a lot of set up occurring in the first half of the book. But once things kick off in a major way, it is a bloody downhill slide to the end. I knew people were going to die and some characters weren't going to have a happy ending. But I am actually surprised at how "happy" some of the endings were able to be. That being said, due to all the loss along the way, happy is maybe not the right word.
There is a tinge of sadness that this series is over. I have loved it so much. But forever the characters and story will live on in my heart and the hearts of many. From Elias, I'll carry his self-denying sacrifice. From Helene, her loyalty. And from Laia, her courage.
To Sabaa: Thank you for writing this series. Thank you for so many incredible female characters. Thank you for writing about siblings and their constant love and care for one another. Thank you for giving us real, raw relationships in all of their beauty and in all of their ugliness. Thank you for sticking with Ember for so many years even when the nights were long and the words wouldn't come. Thank you for being our Kehanni.
Tribe Tahir for life.
---
This has been one of my favorite book journeys to be on as a reader. I found [b:An Ember in the Ashes|27774758|An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)|Sabaa Tahir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519425615l/27774758._SY75_.jpg|39113604] shortly after its release but didn't get around to reading the book until a year later in November 2016. Ever since then I've preordered each book, convinced other readers to try out (and subsequently fall in love with) the series, met Sabaa at a book signing event, and have fallen in love with the characters and story of the Ember Quartet.
In this epic conclusion to one of my favorite series of all time, Sabaa takes us on one final journey as the Nightbringer and Keris Veturia lead the liberated jinn on a massacre across the land, fueling a violent maelstrom of pain and suffering. Our three, Helene, Elias, and Laia start on divergent missions but come together for the final thrust of the war. And, as expected of Sabaa, lives are lost, loves are thwarted, and no one is safe from the coming apocalypse. However, as long as there is life, there is hope...
Sabaa's writing style has always been so intriguing to me. She is a master of prose, never carelessly choosing a word or phrase, always pouring real emotion into every sentence. Her writing is never boring to read. Her characters are also some of the best, most interesting, fully-realized characters I've ever read. While there are many characters in Ember that deserve their own recognition like Afya, Harper, Tas, Musa, and even the Nightbringer, the threesome that carry this story from beginning to end are the ones that captured my heart most of all.
Elias, from start to finish, is a man of inner turmoil. He is conflicted. From his time at Blackcliff to his time as
Helene is loyal to the end. In the early stages of her journey, my heart broke for her because did everything right but never got what her heart wanted. Then along the journey, she lost so many of the things she fought to save. I loved how hardened she became while never becoming completely lost. She was my favorite.
And Laia, the girl with the golden eyes and equally golden heart. She is the epitome of brave, time and time again facing fear even though she felt scared or powerless. Out of the three, Laia probably experienced the most growth, the most change. Her story began with her running in fear and ended with her wielding fear as a weapon.
While the pacing isn't as slow as [b:A Reaper at the Gates|30809786|A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)|Sabaa Tahir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507476834l/30809786._SY75_.jpg|51397188], there is still a lot of set up occurring in the first half of the book. But once things kick off in a major way, it is a bloody downhill slide to the end. I knew people were going to die and some characters weren't going to have a happy ending. But I am actually surprised at how "happy" some of the endings were able to be. That being said, due to all the loss along the way, happy is maybe not the right word.
There is a tinge of sadness that this series is over. I have loved it so much. But forever the characters and story will live on in my heart and the hearts of many. From Elias, I'll carry his self-denying sacrifice. From Helene, her loyalty. And from Laia, her courage.
To Sabaa: Thank you for writing this series. Thank you for so many incredible female characters. Thank you for writing about siblings and their constant love and care for one another. Thank you for giving us real, raw relationships in all of their beauty and in all of their ugliness. Thank you for sticking with Ember for so many years even when the nights were long and the words wouldn't come. Thank you for being our Kehanni.
Tribe Tahir for life.