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A review by bree_h_reads
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I had heard this book was rather popular, so I was cautiously optimistic as I’ve found my agreement with the masses about the quality of popular books is on and off. I think my cautious optimism is what kept this book at 2 stars, because I wasn’t wildly disappointed when I found some parts lacking.
I think the book started strong and I loved how everything felt and was conveyed, but it was more the middle and ending I had some issue/fell off. I think some of the issues I had later in the book were also foreshadowed by issues I had at the start, though at the time they were minor.
To start for what I liked. The beginning from Laia’s POV was very strong and didn’t have an overly long info dump of an introduction which I appreciated. It treated the reader like they were intelligent and let them infer a lot about the world and what’s happening. I also liked that Laia was just a very normal girl, I’ve read a lot of YA fantasy books where the MC is Extremely Special And Different and while not a bad thing it’s nice to see the variety. I thought the setup with the resistance was interesting and liked their internal politics and struggles, it felt very realistic and indicative of what we could expect from Laia’s plot line. I really liked the writing style, especially in describing characters and setting the scene. I also thought the author did a good job in establishing relationships and dynamics between characters. The Commandant was perfectly established as a frightening figure in the book and I liked the way her dynamic with Laia and Elias was so quickly established. Laia’s POV was easily the best written in my opinion, I was always interested in what was happening with her and her development. I think this is where the author’s skill in building tension and unease especially shines. I also found the world building fascinating and was always eager to learn more.
However, there were plenty of things I disliked as well. I personally found Elias’ whole thing rather boring and inconsistent. I especially hated the wag femininity and religion was treated in his chapters, especially regarding his alleged best friend Helene. I noted several times he was upset with her for being feminine/a heterosexual girl in general and at least one instance of him calling her stupid for being dedicated to the religion she had been raised in. I also found issues with showing vs telling with Helene. The book told us over and over again how strong she was and how much better she was than Elias, but was also so frequently damseled across his chapters, it was a bit of a let down. The trials too felt very repetitive with them all being combat, I’ve read other books that took place in trial-based settings and felt that each trial was unique and brought something new to the table in a way I felt this was just lacking. While each trial WAS different, it just got old after a while. There was just also a general feeling of inconsistency and plenty of times I thought that characters weren’t allowed to linger in their emotions for long enough. The romances too I generally found a bit flat and frustrating.
Overall I think it has a lot of potential and is interesting, but found it was dragged down in a few key ways, especially with Elias and his POV (which isn’t ideal for a duel POV book or having 2 MCs.)
Outside of that I thought that audiobook narrators were great and loved their performances.
I think the book started strong and I loved how everything felt and was conveyed, but it was more the middle and ending I had some issue/fell off. I think some of the issues I had later in the book were also foreshadowed by issues I had at the start, though at the time they were minor.
To start for what I liked. The beginning from Laia’s POV was very strong and didn’t have an overly long info dump of an introduction which I appreciated. It treated the reader like they were intelligent and let them infer a lot about the world and what’s happening. I also liked that Laia was just a very normal girl, I’ve read a lot of YA fantasy books where the MC is Extremely Special And Different and while not a bad thing it’s nice to see the variety. I thought the setup with the resistance was interesting and liked their internal politics and struggles, it felt very realistic and indicative of what we could expect from Laia’s plot line. I really liked the writing style, especially in describing characters and setting the scene. I also thought the author did a good job in establishing relationships and dynamics between characters. The Commandant was perfectly established as a frightening figure in the book and I liked the way her dynamic with Laia and Elias was so quickly established. Laia’s POV was easily the best written in my opinion, I was always interested in what was happening with her and her development. I think this is where the author’s skill in building tension and unease especially shines. I also found the world building fascinating and was always eager to learn more.
However, there were plenty of things I disliked as well. I personally found Elias’ whole thing rather boring and inconsistent. I especially hated the wag femininity and religion was treated in his chapters, especially regarding his alleged best friend Helene. I noted several times he was upset with her for being feminine/a heterosexual girl in general and at least one instance of him calling her stupid for being dedicated to the religion she had been raised in. I also found issues with showing vs telling with Helene. The book told us over and over again how strong she was and how much better she was than Elias, but was also so frequently damseled across his chapters, it was a bit of a let down. The trials too felt very repetitive with them all being combat, I’ve read other books that took place in trial-based settings and felt that each trial was unique and brought something new to the table in a way I felt this was just lacking. While each trial WAS different, it just got old after a while. There was just also a general feeling of inconsistency and plenty of times I thought that characters weren’t allowed to linger in their emotions for long enough. The romances too I generally found a bit flat and frustrating.
Overall I think it has a lot of potential and is interesting, but found it was dragged down in a few key ways, especially with Elias and his POV (which isn’t ideal for a duel POV book or having 2 MCs.)
Outside of that I thought that audiobook narrators were great and loved their performances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape