Sabaa Tahir is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult fantasy An Ember in the Ashes, which has been published in thirty-four languages. She grew up in California's Mojave Desert at her family's eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother's comic book stash, and playing guitar badly. She began writing while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks, and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Visit her website at SabaaTahir.com and follow her on Twitter @SabaaTahir. For more of my reviews of Sabaa's work, click here.
Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf--the Empire's more secure and dangerous prison--to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene--Elias's former friend and the Empire's newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own--one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape . . . and kill them both. A Torch Against the Night takes readers on a complex, harrowing journey deep into the hearts of the unforgettable characters introduced in An Ember in the Ashes. In this epic, unputdownable sequel, Sabaa Tahir secures her place among the best and most exciting novelists writing today.
Laia in Ember was astonishing: she learned to be brave, she was scarred, she persevered. Her spirit in this novel is an extension of that. She is brave, and determined as ever to save her brother, but how will her newfound bravery stand the test against enemies, strangers, and even friends? I loved how part of Laia's journey in this novel was determining who she can trust: can she trust Elias? the Tribes? Keenan? Who are her enemies, truly? We fall deeper into the Empire's maze, and Laia has a lot of puzzle pieces to fit together. Finding her brother was never simple, and in this novel she begins to see how complex it is becoming.
Elias's journey differs so much from that of Laia's and Helene's, because he has a literal death sentence he's working under. After finding freedom of soul and body, what does he do with his remaining time? I think if any of us were to answer that question, it would be something like traveling or reading as many books as we can or maybe changing nothing at all. But Elias takes a noble path, and doesn't take no for an answer. He reminds anyone who reads this book that nothing is impossible, even if it seems that way at first glance. The way he weaves himself around brick walls, how he risks his life for others, is inspiring. I also love how the choices he makes are reflective of his character--meaning, that nothing about him ever felt out of place. He did not forget what he did at the Third Trial, and he uses that as fuel. Elias is nothing short of one of Sabaa's best characters.
Helene's addition to the cover is our first clue to her greater presence in this novel, and the rest of the novels in the Ember series. With chapters in her point of view, we start to see the role she plays is bigger than just her newest title, Blood Shrike. Helene's choices are some of the most compelling throughout the novel, because they are the most difficult. Helene is a character whose greatest focus in the first novel was her faith: in her family, in her position, in her Empire. But now, as she's hunting her best friend, she's not so sure anymore what loyalty looks like, what faith looks like. More so than Laia and Elias, Helene's questions for being align with my own, and with so many people in this modern world, which is why I find her one of the most compelling characters. I am glad she has a larger voice in the series, and I can't wait to see what's in store for her.
I wondered if we'd get to see more of the Empire soon, after the events of Ember, and lo and behold, we did! With maps of the prison and the Empire, it was easier than ever to fall right back into the brutality and hopefulness that makes up Tahir's fantasy world. We got to see a lot of different places in the Empire, and also different types of people, which I believe made the world feel even more real than it had in the previous novel. Tahir's expansion of the world, while also remaining true to all the facts from the first novel, is truly masterful.
I don't know about other readers, but I know that I need answers and soon. The next installation of the An Ember in the Ashes series, A Reaper at the Gates, has big shoes to fill. I am certain that Sabaa will do us all proud. Find my review here!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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