Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where we revisit books that may have slipped off your radar but are still worth a read! This week, we're turning the clock back to 2015 to review a standout title that captured readers’ imaginations a decade ago. Whether you're rediscovering an old favorite or picking it up for the first time, this throwback is a reminder that some stories never lose their spark.
Title: An Ember in the Ashes
By: Sabaa Tahir
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 480
Release Date: April 28th, 2015
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
Review:
An Ember in the Ashes is a gripping and emotionally intense start to Sabaa Tahir’s dark and richly imagined fantasy series. With dual perspectives from Laia, a scholar fighting for her family, and Elias, a soldier questioning his brutal training, the novel explores themes of oppression, resistance, and identity. Tahir’s world-building is vivid and haunting, and the plot moves at a breathless pace. While some elements felt familiar within the dystopian fantasy genre, the depth of the characters and the moral complexity of their choices elevate the story. A powerful beginning that promises even more to come.
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