Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

What do a Slave-Girl and a Trained Killer have in common?

​Due to Martial rule, Laia doesn't have much in life, but she does have family. That is until the actions of her brother take it all away. Now, she's all alone.
Elias has known nothing but training and duty, that is unless you count the years before he was taken to Blackcliff and trained for nothing but dispensing death.

Each is a prisoner of their circumstance with no apparent way out, that is until Laia finds her way to the resistance, and Elias finds himself on a path to the throne.

An Ember in the Ashes is a tale of two reluctant heroes who fight against their destiny and their own hearts.

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What I liked:

​I found the world-building unique compared to the other fantasies I've read, with enough ties to the real world and history to make everything relatable. I also enjoyed the well-roundedness of the MC's and a few supporting characters. Several minor characters were too one-dimensional early on, but became more interesting as the story unfolded.

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What I didn't like:

​Honestly, I almost put it down about 20% in. I wasn't gripped with the inner conflicts of either MC, at least until a turn of events I didn't see coming rekindled my interest. Each MC, and a couple of supporting characters, were involved in love triangles. It was a love tesseract, and the constant flip-flopping of the MC's became annoying.

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Overall:

​An Ember in the Ashes was recommended by Kindle based on other titles I've read.

I liked the story, but I can't say I "really" liked it. I also don't feel invested in knowing what happens next, and for me, that's the qualifier for a 5-star review. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a good YA Fantasy.

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Also Available on Amazon!