An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Book Review!
I'm going to come out and say it. This book has two points of view and it is driving me a little crazy. At first, I thought that maybe this book had two different points of view to have two main characters that are from different classes, and they could oppose/help one another. I thought that they could have viable separate loves interests and have the same goals while still opposing each other, but that is not the case. I do like how we get to see two different classes and how the ruling class treats the two. It almost makes me feel sympathy for some of the upper class, but that comes crashing down whenever some one gets branded like a horse or gets threaten with rape.
This brings me to another problem I had with the novel. There was an incredible amount of gore, torture, and death for the first 70% of the novel. It was quite taxing, and I found myself feeling fatigued about halfway through with the book. I had to set it down and put it away for a while, "a while" being about two weeks.
With that said, it did pick up the last third of the book. Once I picked up the book again, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat. Things were happening quickly, but they didn't feel incredibly violent. It was suspense over bloodshed that captivated me. One particular scene that I really enjoyed was when the two main characters are locked in a room together, and they just sit there and talk. They connect, and that makes me connect with them.
I also appreciated how catching the opening scene was. Action is a good way to start a novel, maybe not for the entire story, but it does draw a reader's attention. It certainly drew mine. I wanted Laia to come back from the terror that I first saw her in. I wanted her to evolve and succeed. It was a good start.
Another aspect that was well done was the lore that drives some of the characters. The tales of magical fantastic creatures that many considered imaginary, are actually true. Of course, if you know anything about my review, you know that I love my magic, but for these characters, it's like finding out evil fairy tales are real. This book also has their version of the wise old man that knows more than he should and manipulates everyone around him for the greater good. There's a group of them. I like to consider them a mix between Dumbledore and the Silent Brothers. I think that there interesting and frustrating at the same time. The reader doesn't really know what their objective is, and I really really want to find out what it is.
Lastly, I didn't expect the ending. It was a pleasant surprise for the most part. This goes back to my saying how the books gets suspenseful. I liked the reveals and Laia's plan, and it really shows how far she's comes from the beginning of the book. I will add a little "but." There was another girl that I found interesting that becomes good friends with Laia, but I felt like she gets written off in the end. I hope that she appears in the next book, but she ends up far away from any of the action. But there is still hope.
With everything said and done, I'm giving this book three and a half red eyes out of five. I was considering three out five, but the ending bumped it up a bit.
That's it for this review! Comment down below on what you would like to see from me in the next couple of weeks. My To Be Read List has not gone down as much as I would like it, but I would like to mix up some other posts in the upcoming weeks. Subscribe to the blog by adding your email address to the Subscribe Box down below or off to the right. Add me to your circles by clicking the Google+ Button off to the right. Follow me on twitter @KK_Donna_Blog for up to date information about the blog and ridiculousness about my life. Follow the tumblr dedicated to the blog, which you can find at this link. Read on, lovelies! I'll see y'all next post!
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