Review: An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a very long time to get into this novel. I started it in August on my way to school, put it aside, and forgot that I had started reading it. A few months later, I found it at the bottom of a pile of books and decided to pick it up again. Once I got past the first few introductory chapters, I could not stop reading. I was so engrossed by the world and the characters that I finished this book in about three days in the middle of finals.

This story takes place in a fantasy world that is reminiscent of Ancient Rome. There is a girl named Laia who is of the lowest class, the Scholars, and when her brother Darrin is captured by soldiers of the Empire, the Masks, she decides to join the rebels and try to free her brother. She agrees to become a slave to the Commandant so she may infiltrate the school where Masks are trained and hopefully gather enough information to save her brother. However, when she encounters the masked son of the Commandant, Laia's view of the world begins to shift. He saves her life twice, something Laia would have never imagined a Mask doing. As the story goes on, Laia begins to discover that there is more to her mission than meets the eye.

The Mask that Laia encounters is Elias Veturias, son of the Commandant. He hates being a Mask, hates the killing and the brutality of it all. But, with the Commandant as a mother, it is hard to escape Blackcliff, the school for Masks. When the Emperor dies, three of the young Masks must compete to win the seat of Emperor. One of these young Masks just happens to be Elias, the only person at Blackcliff who wants nothing more than to run from this life. When Elias meets Laia, his desire to run away grows and grows as he sees how she is treated as a slave. He is appalled by the way her class is treated and ashamed of his mother.

This first installment in the Embers in the Ashes Series was riveting, exhilarating, and nonstop. I was constantly surprised by the story, it certainly was not what I expected. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fantasy, adventure, and fun.

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