As I said before, the plot is very fast-paced, and with every new crisis, we see our characters being pushed to their limits, forced to make difficult choices that test their strength. While a lot of readers may find her struggles annoying, I found her growth to be realistic; after all, one simply does not transform into a soldier after years of living a sheltered and privileged life. First off, while the book tip toes around a pace that is sensible for the setting and action dwelling, it slows the scenes to a unbearable pace by contemplating every single characters emotions for what feels like a eternity. What I Loved:Other than the extraordinary emotion evoked by this wonderful story, there was a lot to love about it. Darin has special skills as a blacksmith that make him essential to the survival of his people, the Scholars.

Overall I don't think I will continue this series, even though so many people seems to love it, I was most definitely not one of them. 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. It didn't feel like it was bridging a gap - the story moves along, many important and awful things happen, secrets are revealed and Tahir rounds off this installment well, whilst still promising so much more from the next book.She is deeply torn between her due loyalty to her family and the Empire and the strong relationship that binds her to Elias, and from the very beginning she resolves to act according to the obligations of the first. If you had any inkling of love for Elias in the first book, then prepare yourself for full-on worship and adoration. Almost from the first sentence, we are provided with an action-packed story that is simply bursting with magic. 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 . It’s quite different to the first instalment of this series with the action taking place away from Blackcliff Academy where most of the first book takes place.

Well, the ghosts, the jinns, the soul reaper, the magical beings, the bad emperor, the Commandent (I want to burn her soul arghhhhhh!Tahir's most recent novel, All My Rage, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, was an instant New York Times bestseller, received eight starred reviews and won the 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry. They are really interesting and compelling characters, it’s very easy to love them and care for them.

I wish I could go into the romance ( and maybe I will once this comes out), but it would spoil pretty much everything.

Straight after finishing An Ember in the Ashes I started listening to A Torch Against the Night and what a Sequel.

There is never a dull moment throughout the book, not when the main characters have so much at stake.However, I’m really eager to see what the next book brings because I really like where the story is going. If you don't understand what the hell I'm talking about -because I'm a completely complicated person who can't explain herself- I'll explain now. This is a very minor point, as they are still very strong characters, but a part of my problem lies in their inconsistency. And, if you did connect with a particular character, that doesn't mean you necessarily feel and become the character. I think being quite honest, minus the characters, this book had a very red rising, hunger games, and Red queen with a touch of ancient Persia mixed with the Roman Empire.