Name: An Ember in the Ashes 2. A Torch Against the Night
Rating: 4.265166340508806 (511 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008250447

Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes 2. A Torch Against the Night

Anya Poppy Hartwig

Samantha Jackson

Matilda Stener

anna ˖*°࿐

Ipshita Kanungo

Dinah De Vries

A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes)

All the twists are killing me 😭😭😭 couldn’t put it down! 

Adele Etheridge Woodson

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Book two in the New York Times bestselling series A USA Today bestseller A Wall Street Journal bestseller “Spectacular.”—Entertainment Weekly “Fresh and exciting...Tahir has shown a remarkable talent for penning complex villains.”—A.V. Club "Even higher stakes than its predecessor… thrilling." —Publishers Weekly, starred review “[An] action-packed, breathlessly paced story.” —Booklist, starred review Set in a rich, high-fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome, Sabaa Tahir's AN EMBER IN THE ASHES told the story of Laia, a slave fighting for her family, and Elias, a young soldier fighting for his freedom. Now, in A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT, Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.

A Torch Against the Night

Steph

this one is a litttttlllllllllleeeeeeeee slow, but more lores were introduced, we get more character growth. i'm hoping book 3 will pick up the pace more. 

alexys <3

i find it a bit boring than the first one. releasing one person from prison needn’t that much pages i think. for more than a half of the book we saw two different perspectives at the same PLACE, during the same TIME and with the same CONDITION. it slowed down the pace and it bored me to death. i just speed reading most of elias’s and laia’s pov because i don’t think the plot going anywhere in their povs. and helene, the tiny amount of her pov is a CRIME. it is the only part that excites me. i want to know more of her story, i want to see her development as a person as well as a shrike, even if it means she has to suffer. i’m not afraid for her because i know that helene aquilla will not falter. she understands her duty and she sets her priority right.

“There is more to this life than love, Helene Aquilla. There is duty. Empire. Family. Gens. The men you lead. The promises you make. Your father knows this. So will you, before the end.”

4 stars for the bravest, the strongest, the smartest, the most loyal, my beloved helene aquilla, and there is laia and elias ig.

hana

i find it a bit boring than the first one. releasing one person from prison needn’t that much pages i think. for more than a half of the book we saw two different perspectives at the same PLACE, during the same TIME and with the same CONDITION. it slowed down the pace and it bored me to death. i just speed reading most of elias’s and laia’s pov because i don’t think the plot going anywhere in their povs. and helene, the tiny amount of her pov is a CRIME. it is the only part that excites me. i want to know more of her story, i want to see her development as a person as well as a shrike, even if it means she has to suffer. i’m not afraid for her because i know that helene aquilla will not falter. she understands her duty and she sets her priority right.

“There is more to this life than love, Helene Aquilla. There is duty. Empire. Family. Gens. The men you lead. The promises you make. Your father knows this. So will you, before the end.”

4 stars for the bravest, the strongest, the smartest, the most loyal, my beloved helene aquilla, and there is laia and elias ig.

Myriam Boulanger Lapointe

ploral

Ellen Ivey

loisesya

Ashley shackelford

Nova

4.5

a much more hooking experience compared to the first book & i enjoyed it thoroughly. helene’s pov just made it so much better. cant wait to see the commandant annihilated

chloe rae

WOOOOOOW I AM HOOKED I AM ADDICTED.
This series has officially taken over my life at the moment. I IMMEDIATELY ran out and bought newest one because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW.
Obsessed. In love.

mahek

Haleema 

Tatiana

A Torch Against The Night - 4.5

This was a phenomenal sequel to An Ember In The Ashes. Once again, Sabaa Tahir has outdone herself with excellent pacing, plot twists, romance, and political discord.

So much happened within this book making it impossible to put down. Laia, Elias, and Helene all become even more real along with their stories and abilities. The reader really finds themselves engrossed in their growth and progress and I swear I am kept on the toes because I genuinely cannot tell you what is going to happen next.

The reason I gave this 4.5 stars is simply because of the genius that is the first book in the series. Largely this book is mostly taking place in a journey and I’m not the biggest fan of journey stories. That being said, this could very well be the best journey based book I’ve ever read. 

I am both extremely excited yet terrified for the next book. I just know my heart and soul aren’t ready to get ripped to shreds. 

Oh well...

Whitney Nicole

Ok WOW. First I’ll say this, I keep seeing everyone being like “omg I love Helene!” But maybe that comes further on in the series cause in this book I couldn’t STAND her. Slave owner sympathizer 🙄 whatever. 

But OMGGGGG Elias’s storyline!!! He reminds me of a Greek tragic hero. Sabaa Tahir definitely makes use of the POV changes, an aspect of books I can easily find annoying if it’s not done correctly. And Laia….OHHHH LAIA. Watching her journey into becoming a strong badass ?? PRICELESS. Cant wait to read the next one!!

Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia's brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts. In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire's twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself-a mission that might destroy her, instead.

Izzy

okay so Spoiler laia sleeping with the nightbringer is still so dsfdfsdfhds

Jaden Nelson

These are the kinds of books that make me remember why I am a crazy reader. I don't know how to really express all of my feelings for this book, and if I tried it would probably just be several paragraphs of me showering it in compliments in all caps. When I was around halfway through this book, I was thinking that I would probably give it only 4 stars because it was great, but boring for a while, which almost put me in a slump. BUT, basically the last half of the book is like SIKE YOU THOUGHT, in your face plot twists and emotional catastrophes that truly made this book 5 star worthy. I really could go on all day about how much I love this and would recommend it TO EVERYONE but I will just say that I will probably reread book 1 and 2 when BOOK 3!!! come in 2018ish(I think it will be worth the wait). Happy reading this binge worthy book and series!

I was really disappointed in this one, considering how much I liked the first book. Some of the things I appreciated in the first book were either pushed further or were just not done as well and wound up getting on my nerves as a result.

If you're a fan of pining and romantic indecisiveness, this book is definitely for you. Alas, I am not a fan of that. It was constant, especially during Laia's chapters, though you definitely get some in Elias's chapters as well. The characters would be so much better if their chapters weren't filled with their hormone overflow.

The actual storyline itself was decent. Summarized, it seemed like it got contrived a lot more to burn time so Keenan and Laia's relationship could grow and so Elias's relationship with the grim reaper gal could grow. I wish that they could have gotten to Kauf a whole lot faster. I felt like a lot of things felt like filler.

Helene was the only character where I truly believed she was worth reading the chapters for. Her story was intelligent and well paced, in spite of the slow movements of the characters she's supposed to be tracking. She had clear motivations that were tempered with hard choices and while you got a little of the hormones here and there, you mostly got her doing her best to tread water in the game of thrones, so to speak. (I'm trying not to spoil here.)

All in all, I'm not sure what this means for me for future books. It definitely wasn't quite what I hoped for.

Kirsten Simkiss

I was really disappointed in this one, considering how much I liked the first book. Some of the things I appreciated in the first book were either pushed further or were just not done as well and wound up getting on my nerves as a result.

If you're a fan of pining and romantic indecisiveness, this book is definitely for you. Alas, I am not a fan of that. It was constant, especially during Laia's chapters, though you definitely get some in Elias's chapters as well. The characters would be so much better if their chapters weren't filled with their hormone overflow.

The actual storyline itself was decent. Summarized, it seemed like it got contrived a lot more to burn time so Keenan and Laia's relationship could grow and so Elias's relationship with the grim reaper gal could grow. I wish that they could have gotten to Kauf a whole lot faster. I felt like a lot of things felt like filler.

Helene was the only character where I truly believed she was worth reading the chapters for. Her story was intelligent and well paced, in spite of the slow movements of the characters she's supposed to be tracking. She had clear motivations that were tempered with hard choices and while you got a little of the hormones here and there, you mostly got her doing her best to tread water in the game of thrones, so to speak. (I'm trying not to spoil here.)

All in all, I'm not sure what this means for me for future books. It definitely wasn't quite what I hoped for.

‘Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy’ Us Weekly The sequel to the explosive New York Times bestselling debut AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, that’s captivated readers worldwide.

A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet, Book 2)

Annabella

Okay, two things: 

I Didn't see that coming and

MORE HELENE

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

There are books that are labelled thrillers who fall short of their genre, but Sabaa Tahir's sequel to An Ember in the Ashes not only fits perfectly into this genre, she injects an adrenaline-fuelled storyline that interweaves like a smooth-flowing liquid into both storylines: Helene's hunt for Elias (the Commandant's son who was sentenced to death for refusing to kill Laia, a slave accused of spying for the rebels) and Elias' plot to evade his captors whilst working with Laia to free her brother from the Empire's main prison. 

We pick up right where we left off as Elias Veturius and Laia escape Blackcliff and try to head to Kauf, the prison where Darin, Laia's brother, is held. Helene, now Blood Shrike, is ordered by Emperor Marcus Farrar to bring Elias back so he can be publicly executed. Upset and confused - she doesn't want to kill him because she loves him - she tries to avoid catching him. Meanwhile, Elias and Laia's plans have to be revised after Elias is poisoned. Desperate to get to Kauf as soon as possible, she, along with Izzi (the Commandant's slave) and Keenan (one of the rebels), work to help Elias while seeking out more help. As their plan progresses, their enemies - both human and creature - throw obstacles in their way which not only tests their physical strength but causes them to doubt whether they're fighting for the right cause(s). 

Tahir incorporates Arabic supernatural elements into this story, such as jinn (spirits [not angels] who can appear in human and/or animal form to possess other humans), fey (mortal fairy?), and ifrits (female devils). These creatures were around since the last novel, so their presence isn't surprising (except for one.) Tahir also doesn't hold back on the violence and bloodshed, which kind of surprised me, since this series is for teens. If you've read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, you'll find similarities between both series, but when it comes to the war scenes Collins held back from writing explicitly violent details while Tahir does the opposite. Tahir also doesn't write death out of the way; her characters have to face this and understand it's inevitable during war. Some authors - when it comes to a war novel - will avoid having the good characters die and leave out as much detail regarding the fight(s), trauma, disease, poverty, and bloodshed that occur, but Tahir will write all of that (specifically the amount of bloodshed, poverty, and - to a lesser extent - trauma) in vivid detail. Women and men are equally responsible for horrific crimes committed throughout this story, and yes, there's a - as I call it - "love square" (not triangle, that's completely overdone throughout the history of romance novels!)

All in all, I was immediately hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down (I eventually had to take a hiatus due to life 😂). The tone is darker than the last book, which felt a little depressing at certain parts, but I felt as if I was there with Laia, Helene, and Elias as they fought for their life and the future of their Empire, which shows how good Tahir is with words! Definitely five stars!

alexandra

3.5/5 —
it was frustrating then the ending was like OMG WTF

HELENE AQUILLA CAN UNMAKE ME AND ILL STILL BARK AND PURR

anarh

Beatrix Haase

4.5/5

Such a great book series. Super excited for the next books to come!

An Ember in the Ashes 2. A Torch Against the Night

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