Sabaa Tahir

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

A reaper at the gates

Remmi Ahmed

Our dignity shredded, our families annihilated, our children torn from their parents. Our blood soaking the dirt. What sin was so great that Scholars must pay, with every generation, with the only thing we have left: our lives?

Samantha Jackson

Curse this world for what it does to the mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure. 

Mamie Rila used to say that dreams are the bits of ourselves we can't face in the day, coming to visit at night.

Hope is stronger than fear. It is stronger than hate.

"You smell... not unpleasant," I say stiffly. "I was simply noticing." 

"Of course, Shrike." His mouth quirks a little. Is that a bleeding smile?

The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling Ember Quartet.

A Reaper at the Gates

Elena M.

The permanence of death will always feel like a betrayal.

Dinah De Vries

BOOK THREE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES "Thrilling and hard to put down, readers will absolutely devour Tahir's latest." --BuzzFeed An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick! "The perfect summer read." --The Washington Post The highly anticipated third book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir's EMBER QUARTET. Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger. Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister's life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own power--regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender--even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.

annika

The definition of high stakes. I need to read the last book asap.

Ellen Ivey

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger. The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

The good: OH MAN this plotting continues to be everything!! The way Sabaa layers in those plot twists is 

. I also loved the way themes of man & death were woven together so beautifully. And, of course, the characters 🥹🫶🏽. But…idk why, this book felt like WAY more of a slog than the rest. I found myself increasingly annoyed by the switch in POV (which is usually not my fave to begin with). I found myself losing interest in finding out what would happen A LOT. Like, I almost DNF-ed this book. I’m glad I didn’t, but, whew. I hope the pacing is MUCH better in the final book!

Sharanya Sharma

The good: OH MAN this plotting continues to be everything!! The way Sabaa layers in those plot twists is chefs kiss. I also loved the way themes of man & death were woven together so beautifully. And, of course, the characters 🥹🫶🏽. But…idk why, this book felt like WAY more of a slog than the rest. I found myself increasingly annoyed by the switch in POV (which is usually not my fave to begin with). I found myself losing interest in finding out what would happen A LOT. Like, I almost DNF-ed this book. I’m glad I didn’t, but, whew. I hope the pacing is MUCH better in the final book!

Kiran Aftab

3.5/5: i'm losing steam but that ending, yet once again, hurt

A Reaper at the Gates (Ember Quartet, Book 3)

loisesya

Nova

as opposed to the previous book, i sure cried a lot more reading this. there’s just so much pain. ahhh i feel guilty that i never felt too enthusiastic during laia’s pov. i admired her more from someone else’s point. she is too righteous to be a character id genuinely adore. helene’s character—her story, her struggles, her sense of justice—resonates more to me somehow. she’s who i want to be.

(view spoiler)[

i am so so glad of the friendship or at least the alliance she found in laia. i have waited for it since the first book, since when helene hasn’t grown up to be someone who learns of her arrogance. i love these girls so much and i cannot wait for the next book. i can’t wait to see the world to be unmade and then remade.

 (hide spoiler)]

chloe rae

OH MY GOD. Oh. My. GOD.
I can't form coherent thoughts because this book just DESTROYED me. Wow. I mean, I heard that this book was stressing people out but I finished it and I'm still just sitting here, STRESSING OUT.
I have goosebumps. This book did everything for me; it kept me on the edge of my seat, it made me angry, it made me CRY. I don't know how the heck I'm supposed to wait for the fourth book. This book was just INSANE.
The first half of this book did feel a little dull for me at first, but once I hit the half-way mark, I was ALL IN. I love these characters, man. I need to know what happens right now. I'm gonna go build a time machine just so I can hop to future, buy this book, and come right back. Obsessed!

Deepika Ramesh

I couldn't feel what Laia, Elias, and Helene felt. What is the point of plodding through 400 pages when their feelings refused to leave the pages? The Nightbringer was a surprising solace though. He had a character. And he seemed more human than all the other humans in the book.

ꕀ *🫖

Tatiana

A Reaper At The Gates: 4.5/5

Let me start by saying I am so grateful I started this series after A Sky Beyond The Storm was released. I don’t know what I would do if I had to wait another minute to read the next book.

Once again Sabaa Tahir keeps the reader on the edge of their seat unraveling plot twist after plot twist. Genuinely, I could not predict the ending of the book and I tried. 

That being said, for the first half, I struggled to find what the main plot or goal of this installment was / what Laia was working towards. The second half of the book completely made up for it though. The character arcs, the plot twists, the entire three demential world building is completely next level.

And the ending. The ending completely ripped my heart out. I am ruined now. I’ll leave it at that.

Whitney Nicole

“Beloved.”


I LOVE a good plot twist and boy did Sabaa Tahir give us plenty of those. I have been emotionally yanked around for the entire journey of ARATG, and did enjoy every second of it. I mean, there’s just so much to say it’s nearly impossible to articulate without giving up too many spoilers. But just know you are in for a RIDE. I will say that I am so heartbroken about the human to soul catcher pipeline Elias has been put through. Despite being raised to be emotionless and heartless, he is kind and heroic. But NOOOOO, freaking MAUTH has other ideas!! Well I say FUCK Mauth. Also the revelation that the jinn must be freed??? Insane. I wonder if Laia will come to terms with it…but personally I finally understand why they must be freed. Maybe the redemption of the Nightbringer will look different than any of us imagined. 

Amazing plot that made me excited for each POV switch because it was always left in a good spot. Ordered the last book already, fingers crossed that we get a full redemption arc 🤞

The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling Ember Quartet. Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger. The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion-even at the cost of his humanity.

Izzy

the way the first half of the book was basically filler. sure things do happen but at the same time i felt like most of it was so irrelevant to the story , the second half definitely was miles better and i enjoyed reading it. cant wait for the last book of the series, just to see how everything is gonna get wrapped up.

Annabella

Danny Werhane

TW: violence, trauma, death, brief mention of sexual assault

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Before I begin I just want to say I've recently started to avoid writing spoilers in my reviews but with this book I don't know if I can do that, since the spoilers are pivotal in my assessment of this novel. I'll try to avoid writing any spoilers but just in case one slips through:

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

Also, trigger warning: Abuse and violence. Some reviewers also wrote about how depressing this book is (I'll explain more later) to the point where they never finished it, so I'll also throw that in, even though that's not considered a trigger. This is a work of fiction, so I don't expect anyone who struggles with mental illness - especially depression - to force themselves to read a fictional book that will exacerbate their condition. 

This book is darker than A Torch Against the Night, with failure after failure, death after death, sadness after sadness, that I'm suspecting Sabaa Tahir will end this series on a sad note, which doesn't bother me too much; life doesn't always have happy endings so humans seek solace in fictional stories or movies, but Tahir, like Suzanne Collins, wants readers to understand the horror and pain of war - physically and mentally - without sugarcoating. This is why some readers found the detailed accounts of the characters frustration and fear during violent battles and near-death scenes upsetting. We catch up with Elias, Laia, and Helene as they adjust to their new roles: Elias as Soulcatcher, Laia as the person to stop the Nightbringer, and Helene as Blood Shrike. Elias must come to terms with his new role by giving up human emotions, Helene must defeat the Commandant, Keris Veturia, as she tries to kill her and Marcus Farrar, the sadistic Emperor, and Laia must stop the Nightbringer from unleashing the Jinn. 

Because each story doesn't intertwine with each other - like the last novel - I didn't see how they connect until the end. Helene's story was the strongest (and most entertaining) and felt more in tune with the overall plot of this series: to overthrow the Empire's corrupt regime. She also grows emotionally since the first novel. Elias' story mostly felt extremely out of place, since I couldn't understand why his point of view was important until the very end. Laia is pretty much the same personality-wise, though we do learn new information about her past. 

I wanted to learn more about Keris and Darin (Laia's brother). Keris is the evil, sadistic teacher/principal who is out to kill her former students, but we don't read about their feelings and opinions of her! It's almost like Tahir forgot Keris' former job, which is vital information when assessing how characters like Helene, Marcus, Dex, and Avitas understand her as they try to understand her actions. They need to kill Keris but we don't read about how they feel as they wrap their heads around the fact that this woman, who was supposed to be a loving teacher, turned out to be a sadistic abuser who passionately hates them while promoting needless violence, such as rape. I want to know how they, as well as her other graduates, felt about her when they sat through her class(es), completed her homework assignments, or gossiped during lunch! Blackcliff Academy was a boarding school, so they spent enough time around her for her to influence their personality and decisions as adults. 

Even though major questions, such as Keris' backstory, aren't answered I'll still read the next novel to find out. I really want to learn more about Keris! She is pivotal to Elias', Laia's, and Helene's actions since the beginning but WHAT caused her to be like that!?! I need to know!

🧸

I dont know how can I express whatever I felt while reading this. I have so many things to say but at the same time there are no words on God's green earth that would really describe it..

 those two scenes literally broke me:

“Look at me.” He is about to say my name—my heart’s name—the way he did in his mind when I sang him well. And if I let him, I will be undone. “Look at me. Hel—”

(WE GOT HELVITAS KISSING FOR HELENE TO END IT BEFORE ANYTHING COULD START IM SO GOING TO CRY..)

“Do not do this, Elias. Do not leave me. I know you’re in there. Please—come back to me. I need you. The Blood Shrike needs you. The Tribes need you.”

so the real question is: WHEN ARE THEY GONNA BE HAPPY ????

menna

i definitely enjoyed this more the second time around because i was kinda in a slump the first time i read it and it took me SO LONG to finish it but this time i flew through it like i did with the two previous books.

Reese Kuck 

I legit want to cry Hel is the worst why would she do Harper like that?

Jamieson

“Curse this world for what it does to the mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.”


Look, I'm gonna do something a bit weird here and start with the negatives I REALLY, really enjoyed reading this book but at the same time I had some niggling little issues that I was waiting for some action on and it never came. I need to talk about them. 

this is an excellent series in terms of characters. I love the main characters so much. Sabaa Tahir has meticulously worked on her characters individual arcs. The difference between Helene, Elias and especially Laia from the beginning of the series to where it is not is astounding. The best character work is so subtle you don't even notice it's happening and that is what Sabaa Tahir does every. single. time But with that being said, I feel like Sabaa Tahir underused some characters so badly here, and it was extremely disappointing. The climax that A Torch Against the Night ended on, and the anticipation for what she would do with THAT character, was completely killed when that character barely appeared in the book at all. I felt there was so much wasted potential and I was waiting for something that never happened to happen. The lack of payoff and that climax/cliffhanger pretty much going nowhere was so disappointing. A new character who was really interesting was introduced in this book, and I felt not enough was done with him either. On top of that, I really disliked Elias' story arc and where it's going. I just can't get invested in it. But despite my criticisms on character I still really, really loved Laia and Helene's storylines. I really liked the role Laia has stepped into and the political/military heavy nature of Helene's story arc.

My other criticism that I want to get out of the way ties into the above and that is the plot had no clear focus for the first half. The characters current motivations were a little bit unclear, and it felt like characters were just running around the Empire with no goals. The initial focus on making Serric steel was thrown completely out the window midway through. I felt I needed to be more grounded in the plot, especially in the middle section which was a little big wandering. 

That being said, and that is ALL my negatives, the plot overall was really well constructed. The second half especially was explosive and gripping. Sabaa Tahir nails her endings every single time. There was a lot of things HAPPENING with the plot, which was something I really loved. Even though I felt a bit lost at times, I never felt bored, and in a YA fantasy hitting nearly 500 pages thats so important. I found this one way more entertaining than A Torch Against the Night. 



(x)

One thing I totally loved about this was how much Sabaa Tahir has increased the scope of her world. we're taken to so many new places which I totally loved. I also loved the expansion of the politics with The Mariners and the Warlocks starting to play a larger role in the wars. Whilst the first and second book were quite contained, in this book we follow the characters across the span of the Empire with each view point taking place in a completely different location and I loved that. 

I also loved how the worldbuilding was expanded and more mythology and information around the mythology was added. I loved that the jinn and other magical creatures are starting to play a much, much larger role. 


  “Love. I sigh. Love is joy coupled with misery, elation bound to despair. It is a fire that beckons me gently and then burns when I get too close. I hate love. I yearn for it. And it drives me mad.” 


I continue to really love this series. Even though I had some issues that stopped me rating it 5 stars, I had so much fun reading this. I adore these characters so much. Laia especially is just incredible. She's such a freakin badass but she doesn't have to kickass to be that way. She's just really emotionally strong and persistent and determined and I think it makes her such an excellent heroine to follow. I think Sabaa Tahir does so many things right. The romance is spot on, the characters ares are perfect and the political intrigue is written perfectly. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, I am sure its going to end me.

tw: marital/spousal abuse, violence, mentions of rape, torture, murder of children

(4.75/5)

holy fuck.
.25 deducted only bc I struggled getting into the story since the past two books were WAY heavier on the romance side plot and this one had considerably less romantic interactions but once I got used to it, I fucking devoured it. 

I LOVED the way this book dealt with womanhood. I found it so refreshing to read a fantasy book with badass female characters who were still SO IN TOUCH with their femininity and discussed motherhood and daughterhood so brilliantly. it was truly phenomenal.

also the characters 💔 broke my heart to see them struggling and I hope for at least a NICE end of the series, but having read the other book, I highly doubt it. 

this is quickly becoming my favourite fantasy series EVER.

Jasmine

Brutally beautiful, action-packed, intense, and oh so phenomenal!! This has become one of my top 3 YA fantasy series, I can't get enough! Wow, I need to take time to collect my thoughts after everything that just went down because my mind is just reeling after those last 100 pages!! Talk about intense, what the hell is going to happen now?! Also, without giving away spoilers I'm really excited for a certain romance that has been building, and also another dynamic that I've been secretly hoping would start working together at some point and looks like it's finally happening! XD

I love how the books just keep raising the stakes and how the story is continually getting more exciting as everything moves further along. Helene, Elias, & Laia are all incredible and have really come so far from the people they were in book 1. Other than SoC I can't think any other books at the moment where I've enjoyed reading everyone's povs as much as I did here!! DYING for book 4! I already know this is going to be a painful wait because of where that ending was leading up! I NEED MORE!! Also, really hoping the release date is actually going be for April because that one less book I need wait another year for and it's close to my birthday<3

tina

second read: dec. 27,2020

first read: dec. 31,2018


  Strange how monsters can reach from beyond the grave, as potent in death as they were in life.


This book gave me so much anxiety. I don't think there was even a moment where my heart was beating at a normal rate, because the whole time I was reading, I was so stressed and I just completely forgot how to breathe. This series is excellently crafted. I absolutely love how the 1st and 2nd book built up the plot so we would reach that point in the story in the 3rd book. Although it was a very devastating book to read, it was just full of pain and destruction. The battle scene near the end somehow kind of reminded me of Brandon Sanderson's battle scene in the second book of Mistborn, The Well of Ascension (aka one of my favorite battle scenes ever). It was THAT stressful, and terrifying, and devastating. I am so scared of what's going to happen in the last book. I'm just gonna mentally prepare myself for the worst case scenario, although I'm pretty sure when the time comes I still won't be ready for it and I'll just end up being a mess. 


  The stories we tell have power, of course. But the stories that go untold have just as much power.


SPOILERS:(view spoiler)[
- I am so devastated that Elias has become the Soul Catcher and has lost his humanity. I feel like he's the one who's struggled a lot in this series (I mean all of the main characters had to go through painful and heartbreaking struggles and situations, but I feel like Elias is the one who least deserves it ???? Like, my boy just wanted to get away from the Empire and free himself from the Mask. But instead he had to get poisoned, went to Blackcliff alone, got captured and tortured by the Warden, died, had to make a bargain with the Soul Catcher to save Laia's brother, and now not only is he constantly mind fucked by the jinn, but he also loses his humanity— his ability to love, care, feel— in order to do his duty as the Soul Catcher. I'm so sad. I need to see my child have a happy ending. 
- Elias and Laia's relationship. I just— djsjsjs— all I need to say is I cried. A lot. 
- But Laia's character development is the most astounding. I've always appreciated her character and have always seen her weakness as something that makes her a strong character. I've always admired her character, moreso now because she has learned how to turn her doubts into strenght. Too often we see strong female characters depicted as badass, coldhearted, and knows how to fight, so it was really refreshing to see somebody who constantly doubts herself but still manages to be courageous. 
- My favorite part of this book was towards the end when Helene lost all hope and sought the Nightbringer to help her and he told her to take off her mask. That whole scene was just 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼. Helene’s love for her people is admirable, but I also think that she needs to unlearn some of the things the empire has ingrained in her brain. That’s why I’m so excited for her and Laia to work together in the fourth book! That’s probably what I am most looking forward to! 
- The Cook as Laia’s mother???? I mean, I suspected that before but didn’t really give it too much thought because we’ve seen Cook in the entire first book and Laia never mentioned that she looked familiar or that she was similar to her mother. 
- Honestly, I’m just emotionally drained by everything that happened. So much has happened and I don’t know how this series is gonna end. I’m so scared fjdjdjjd (hide spoiler)]


  Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.

Izza

3.75 stars | I thought this was going to be the last book in the series, but apparently I was wrong. I enjoyed this installment, but it lacked a bit of...i don't know! I'm definitely going to continue on with this series though!

Jenna

Had to force myself through this, it definitely wasn't bad but still didn't beat the first book

A reaper at the gates

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