Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes was entertaining and kept my attention but didn't wow me like I had hoped.

The story is told from two points of view. Laia, a lowly Scholar,  has allowed herself to be sold as a slave to work for the resistance, who have promised to free her brother who has been imprisoned.

Elias has spent most of his life training to be a Mask, one of the elite soldiers of the Martial Empire who keep the Scholars subservient and docile. He has graduated, but has been having second thoughts about the cruelty he will be required to dispense.  He's been planning for a long time to escape (even though escape will surely cost him his life), but at the last minute he's visited by an Augur (the immortals who are in charge) and convinced that he must fulfill his destiny, and this is the only way he will be happy.

Laia and Elias meet up, and even though neither one trusts each other, they eventually work together (and apart) and their actions have far-reaching consequences for the entire Empire.

I'm torn about An Ember in the Ashes. I really had a hard time getting through it. But I wonder if I didn't get through it because my life was so busy, or was my life so busy because I was avoiding reading this book. It kind of felt like the latter. I pushed through at the end, and I did find that part to be filled with tension and excitement.

Another reason might be because this book seemed so similar to some other recent reads. I recognized elements of The Queen of the Tearling  and Red Queen, both books that I enjoyed, but maybe I'm tired of these types of stories.

The writing was done well. There's a bit of romance, sort of a love "square" but it didn't take over the story. The evil bad people are loathsome. And, although we did end up at an ending, there's sure to be more to this story.

I can definitely recommend An Ember in the Ashes, even if I had some problems. I think the story has great appeal to teens who enjoyed the other books I've mentioned.

Published by Razorbill, April 28, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
464 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Shadow Scent by P. M. Freestone

Shadow Scent (edited: The actual title is Shadowscent) introduces us to a new fantasy world that has been compared to An Ember in the Ashes. I think that is a pretty good comparison.

Scents are everything in Aramtesh, and Rahil has a very good nose. Scents are status symbols and religious artifacts. Rahil will do anything to save her father who is suffering from a disease that is literally rotting him away. Her only chance is to leave her father and go to the capital to compete to become a perfumer.  With the skills and money she would earn as a perfumer, she could provide the best treatment for her father. She bargains with the devil, and even though she has the skills to win, she is tricked and ends up a slave to the head priestess. It turns out that this situation may not be as bad as it seems. The priestess knows more about Rahil than she realizes, and some revelations cause Rahil to question everything her father has told her.

Ash is the Shield to Prince Nisai and will protect him at all costs. But there is an unusual bond between these two based on deep secrets about Ash’s true identity. Nasai spends much of his time trying to figure out how to contain what is a secret part hidden inside of Ash, barely contained. Nasai chooses to undertake a long journey and visit one of their lands during a very special blooming of a mysterious dark flower that only happens once a generation.  Ash fears for the Prince's safety, and rightly so.

Chaos ensues, the head priestess is killed, the Prince is afflicted with a deadly and mysterious disease, and Ash and Rahil become unlikely conspirators. They are on the run with the army in hot pursuit, trying to find the antidote that will save the Prince’s life. The tasks seem impossible, but somehow these two always manage to figure out the very obscure hints they are working with. Romance eventually blossoms between Ash and Rahil, as they face insurmountable odds, but also get closer to solving the riddles and finding the cure.

Loaded with tension, drama, life-threatening situations, and romance, readers will easily become enraptured with Rahil and Ash. Some surprising and imaginative twists and turns add to the drama. Although Shadow Scent stretches the imagination at times, it is a fantasy after all. We are left with an open-ended and heart-wrenching conclusion, clamoring for a sequel. Recommend Shadow Scent to fantasy-loving teens.

Published by Scholastic, November 5, 2019
ARC obtained for review
368 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Stacking the Shelves -- I Couldn't Resist

Happy Weekend! And Happy Book Collecting! Here's what I added this week:

For Review:

The Sin Eater's Daughter, by Melinda Salisbury from Edelweiss

So, here's the story. Apparently I got approved for this eARC on Edelweiss, but didn't get notified (or missed the notification) so I never downloaded it. So, even though this book came out last month, I'm still hoping to read and review the ARC. I'm also ordering it for my library, but since my budget is gone, I won't get it until next fall.

An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir from NetGalley

(the Kindle version is only $2.99 right now..don't know how long that will last.)

I've read some good things about this one--at least one starred review.

Aren't the covers of both of these books gorgeous! How can you resist?

Taking Pity, by David Mark from NetGalley and the publisher
Another Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy book!

From the Library:

Boy 21, by Matthew Quick

My current read.

So, how did you do this week? Anything good? Let me know so I can add to my list. Thanks for visiting and be sure to visit Team Tynga's Reviews, our hosts.

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