Besides that, she now has the title Imperator Invictus. However, she is reluctant to wear it because Keris Veturia was set on receiving that title, and Helene is afraid of fueling her wrath even more. I reach for the scims gingerly, as if they will burn my palms when I touch them. Instead, they slip into my grasp like they have been waiting for me. Laia of Serra is the main character of the Ember in the Ashes series. She’s a Scholar and very loyal to her family. Thus, the plot of books one and two (An Ember in the Ashes & A Torch Against the Night) are saving her imprisoned brother Darin.

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. 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? I hate Elias's character arc with everything I have. In case you haven't read the series, he makes a deal with the jinn to become the Soul Catcher and transport souls to the next world by talking them through their troubles. He's basically a god-tier therapist. And he just lost everything that made me ship him and Laia. He's so angsty all of a sudden, and not in a good way. "Do I love Laia? No, I'm the Soul Catcher and must stay emotionless. But I love Laia! But... no?" It got old really fast.Okay, time to go and break something because this one is bringing out the monster in me as I so wanted to destroy this one and wanted another version of this book 🤦 Sorry, dear pillows, bear my silent mind screaming 😌 by Lacy Baugher 2 years ago Sabaa Tahir concludes her ambitious Ember in the Ashes series with A Sky Beyond the Storm, a massive tale of war, loss, memory – and love of all kinds. I swear this book is powerful enough to spark a revolution. There are truths and there are lies. And then there is this book, which contains both, but that teaches us enough lessons that it barely feels like fiction anymore. It feels more like a memory. The world was unique for a YA book, but I think it had a lot more potential that was not delivered. It left me yearning for more, and that’s not good as this was the end of the series.

There were a lot of details I didn’t remember from previous books, and the only characters I recognized were Laia, Elias, Helene, The Nightbringer, Harper, and Darin. Basically the big players. Since when did Laia become such a Mary Sue? I didn’t like that Elias’ narrative changed from him being a hot badass soldier to a sappy, mellow, angsty Soul Catcher. It felt like he was being singled out and became unimportant.

You’re in!

How do I even conclude this review, these books are literally ingrained in to me, like in every which way, I am so so so thankful to Sabaa for writing this series, because it genuinely means so much to me. I’ve made so many friends because of this book and got closer to other friends as well. For the final book in a series it exceeded all of my expectations, it’s absolutely heartbreaking and devastating, but I still loved every single moment of it. She is now besties with Helene, and they hated each other in the first three books. All I can say is, why? What happened to her character? The main reason I liked her character a bit was because she was a plain, ordinary girl who was still strong. This just ruined everything. It was never one. It was always three. The Blood Shrike is the first. Laia of Serra, the second And The Soul Catcher is the last. The Mother watches over them all, If one fails, they all fail. If one dies, they all die…” Like in Reaper, we follow three different first-person perspectives: Helene (Blood Shrike), Elias (Soul Catcher), and Laia (Laia). All I can say is... what happened to my babies??