“The field of battle is my temple. The swordpoint is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.”
Beware readers this book will snatch you up, play with your sanity and wreck you in the best way possible. It’s ‘An Ember in the Ashes’ by Sabaa Tahir.
Laia is a scholar girl living under the conquered rein of the Martial Empire. It’s a brutal world, inspired by ancient rome that Laia along with her grandparents and elder brother lives in. They do not challenge the empire. They have seen what happens to those who do.
When Laia’s brother is taken into custody by soldiers on accusation of treason, Laia seeks out the help of the resistance, but they do not hand out favours without a price. In order to save her brother with the help of the resistance Laia must become a spy, a slave for the worst and the most feared tyrant in the empire. And go into the Blackcliff, empire’s greatest military academy.
Elias is a mask. Blackcliffs finest soldier. But with a heart that longs for freedom from the tyranny he has to serve and enforce. He and Laia will soon realise that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the empire.
Tahir is the queen of cliffhangers and this title is given to her solely based on her debut novel ‘An Ember in the Ashes’. The placement of cliffhangers in conjunction with the epicly timed switch between the point of views will leave you in ruin. The book is fast paced and rounded off perfectly.
This book provoked so many emotions in me and kept me on edge throughout. My emotions were a mixture of rage, panic, fear and happiness. Each chapter is accompanied by a new wave of anxiety. Highly recommended, this book will be an elixir for your reading slum or can be your ticket to the readers express train. This book simply snatches you up and locks you in from the beginning and rides your feelings till the ends. The book was set to be a stand alone but with so many questions left unanswered and the success of the book, a total of four books have been added to the series.
— The reader is based in Dubai.
