Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 446
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of An Ember in the Ashes
Plot:
Laia is a slave.
Elias is a soldier.
Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Reading Period: May 06, 2015 - May 12, 2015
Review
This one was a book of the month for a Reading group.
After reading the first part of the book I didn't know what to make of it. If I was going to like or not. The setting was great. It reminded me of the Ancient Roman society and I liked the details. In the second part of the book I was finally enjoying it more. But as I was going through the pages I kept wondering how it was going to end all, and when I arrived at the last page I found out... it wasn't. there's not a real ending. When I read this it was classed as a stand alone novel. fortunately it got picked up as a series.
The main characters are Laia and Elias and we alternate their POV. Laia is a scholar who is in search of her brother ans she ends up as a slave in the Academy. Elias is a Mask, the academy commander's son. They are both trapped in a life they don't want. They will help each other to get free.
What I had trouble picturing are the masks. The students at the Academy have to wear these masks that in time will become one thing with the face. It's a strange concept.
There is strong violence too. Maybe the same level of Red Rising and Golden Son. There is some romance, in right amount.
Overall is a good YA fantasy novel, although some parts seemed incomplete. I guess since the author didn't know if she was going to continue the series, she might have rushed some parts.
The second book is scheduled to come out in April 2016.
If you have liked Pierce Brown's series. You might like this one too. For now I'm keeping my initial rating. I'll wait for the second book to make a more concrete opinion.
The main characters are Laia and Elias and we alternate their POV. Laia is a scholar who is in search of her brother ans she ends up as a slave in the Academy. Elias is a Mask, the academy commander's son. They are both trapped in a life they don't want. They will help each other to get free.
What I had trouble picturing are the masks. The students at the Academy have to wear these masks that in time will become one thing with the face. It's a strange concept.
There is strong violence too. Maybe the same level of Red Rising and Golden Son. There is some romance, in right amount.
Overall is a good YA fantasy novel, although some parts seemed incomplete. I guess since the author didn't know if she was going to continue the series, she might have rushed some parts.
The second book is scheduled to come out in April 2016.
If you have liked Pierce Brown's series. You might like this one too. For now I'm keeping my initial rating. I'll wait for the second book to make a more concrete opinion.
RATING
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