Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows.
My rating: 4.5/5
SPOILERS AHEAD
This is an amazing book, but so painful! I don't know what to say and I can't even believe what happened.
Key Question: Does anyone know why there's a 30 at the end of the book? Is this just a glitch or what?
Okay, okay, let me calm down and write my thoughts down.
Just to reminisce a bit, An Ember in the Ashes was one of the first books that Srishti (the other author of this blog) & I reviewed together. I remember discovering the book by chance on Goodreads, and we were both fangirling and discussing everything together. We were both incredibly blown away by the richness of the setting, the quick-paced plot, and the lovable characters. Upon discovering that Sabaa Tahir is a Muslim woman of color, I felt the desire to support her even more, but truly the merit of her books speaks for itself.
Read our reviews of the other books in the series here:
1. An Ember in the Ashes (Be gentle on this review, it's from 7th-grade Yomna)
Okay for starters, the book is incredibly well written. Each chapter had me hooked and I couldn't stop reading it once I picked it up. I stayed up late three nights in a row reading this book until I forced myself to sleep. What I think makes Sabaa special is that she is so good at using stories within the book to really encaptivate her reader and create background to the world she is building. Stories are such an important theme in this series: their importance, their power, the skill of storytellers (the beloved Kehannis). Another thing that I have always loved about this series in particular is how Sabaa uses prophecies to build the plot. The prophecies are always indecipherable in the beginning but once you reach the end of the story it all comes together (and ties into the previous books) in a way that makes me feel a sense of conclusiveness. She's very good at doing that and I think A Reaper at the Gates is an even better example of that.
Overall, I have nothing to complain about in terms of writing, pacing, and plot. The switching POVs I thought worked very well, allowing Sabaa to capture the different parts of what was going on. While in previous books I would find myself enjoying some POVs more than others, Sabaa has made me fall completely in love with all of the characters so I didn't find anything at all boring.
After reading this book, I was left feeling very sad and emotional. Although I do think the ending is very well-written and satisfying to most, I was left with a feeling that there had been too many character deaths in this book. I was incredibly shocked when Livia and Faris died, and infinitely more shocked when Darin and Avitas died. To be honest, I did not expect at all for Sabaa to make such a bold decision. Darin is who Laia started this whole journey for. Although as readers we are not incredibly attached to him, he is the catalyst for Laia's rebellion and such a pivotal part of Laia's fight. Further, as I was scrolling through reviews I read one talking about how Helene has suffered more than any book character pretty much ever. I completely agree! The suffering and absolute madness that Helene goes through is more than I have ever read in a book character. And killing Avitas really was the last straw. Again, I was shocked. It left me feeling endlessly sorrowful for Helene; it was just insane all the horrible things that have happened to her. And more so than other characters she has not gotten a reprieve or any kind of mercy. My heart breaks for her every time I think about all she has lost.
That is probably the only criticism I have of this book, death is given out too casually. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be because Sabaa wants to reflect the losses of war, but I felt it to be too much and unjustified in this book in terms of character resolution. That would be the only reason I would give this book 4 stars, but I haven't because I do feel that seeing the killed characters after death through Elias's eyes gave me more peace as a reader, although I am no less upset.
Especially for Darin & Avitas, we don't have time to take it in emotionally or really mourn them. It just really sucks that the people that Helene and Laia started or continued their journey for are given such an abrupt death. I honestly couldn't process it and was crying uncontrollably later, even though the characters seemed to move on (or at least try to), especially Laia, pretty swiftly. This is the only reason I've given this book 4.5 stars instead of 5.
I do not say those things. I look into his face and seek—I do not know. An answer. A reason for all that has happened. Some meaning.
But sometimes, there is no reason. Sometimes you kill and you hate killing but you are a soldier through and through so you keep killing. Your friends die. Your lovers die. And what you have at the end of your life is not the surety that you did it for some grand reason, but the hard knowledge that something was taken from you and you also gave it away. And you know you will carry that weight with you always. For it is a regret that only death can relieve.
I put my hand on Harper’s heart, and lift his to mine.
“You got there first, my love,” I whisper. “I envy you so. For how will I endure without you?”
(The quote that breaks me)
I did like that very cute scene with Elias and Laia at the end. Their relationship is at the heart of the series and Sabaa really did I great job making us pine and hope for both of these amazing characters. I really loved Elias, Laia and Helene in this book, I really felt that they had come so far and were becoming so much more mature and complex as the series progressed in a way that is so satisfying and engaging. They are so lovable, human, and it's so nice to see the best human traits reflected in them. I really will miss them a lot. I know every reader says this, but it really is crazy how fictional characters can get under your skin and really affect you.
Anyway, this series has been so important to me and really changed me. Moreover, when I started this series I was a completely different younger person of myself self so it feels like saying goodbye to this series is a huge milestone. I definitely need to take a break from any upcoming Sabaa Tahir releases because it is clear she is merciless with her characters, and I don't think that emotionally I can handle it.
Love,
Yomna
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