Author: Sabaa Tahir
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Fiona Hardingham, Katherine McEwwan & Steve West
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
My Rating: 5
Goodreads Synopsis
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.
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.
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.
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.
might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who
helped him escape…and kill them both.
My Thoughts…
If you are reading this, then I’m assuming
you’ve read book An Ember in the Ashes or
my review. If not, be careful of
spoilers in this review. I try not to
include any spoilers, but with a series, that gets harder to do. So please be careful reading my thoughts.
you’ve read book An Ember in the Ashes or
my review. If not, be careful of
spoilers in this review. I try not to
include any spoilers, but with a series, that gets harder to do. So please be careful reading my thoughts.
After reading book #1, it’s glaringly obvious
Sabaa Tahir breaks the conventions of Young Adult fiction. I constantly found myself, in this book and
the last, waiting for something or someone to stop something that cannot happen
from happening. I would find myself
standing stock still in the kitchen listening, unbelieving, to courageous and
awe-inspiring storytelling.
Sabaa Tahir breaks the conventions of Young Adult fiction. I constantly found myself, in this book and
the last, waiting for something or someone to stop something that cannot happen
from happening. I would find myself
standing stock still in the kitchen listening, unbelieving, to courageous and
awe-inspiring storytelling.
Most second books of a series fall into a lull
of plot fillers – problems and actions that happen but don’t necessarily relate
to the overall arch of the story. In
ATITN, this does not happen. Tahir has a
plan for everything, and the story is so well put together that I almost want
to keep notes just so that I can truly appreciate how intricate the plot is.
of plot fillers – problems and actions that happen but don’t necessarily relate
to the overall arch of the story. In
ATITN, this does not happen. Tahir has a
plan for everything, and the story is so well put together that I almost want
to keep notes just so that I can truly appreciate how intricate the plot is.
After finishing this book, I don’t know where
this is going, but I can’t wait to find out.
On to book #3!!!
this is going, but I can’t wait to find out.
On to book #3!!!
The Characters…
These
characters are just insane. They are
multifaceted, intertwined and so vivid.
Elias and Laia are well suited and seem to become what the other person
needs when they need it. Honestly, that
is the biggest compliment I can give a fictional couple because it is so real. The best couples are there for their
partners, in any way they can. No one is
the strong one all of the time. No one
is the hero all of the time. No one is
the smart one all of the time. We complement each other by doing and being what
is necessary when it is necessary. Elias
and Laia do that for each other, sometimes without even knowing it.
characters are just insane. They are
multifaceted, intertwined and so vivid.
Elias and Laia are well suited and seem to become what the other person
needs when they need it. Honestly, that
is the biggest compliment I can give a fictional couple because it is so real. The best couples are there for their
partners, in any way they can. No one is
the strong one all of the time. No one
is the hero all of the time. No one is
the smart one all of the time. We complement each other by doing and being what
is necessary when it is necessary. Elias
and Laia do that for each other, sometimes without even knowing it.
Audiobook
Review…
Review…
With the addition of a narrator, the characters became even more colorful. The books continue to come to life with these
narrators.
narrators.
Memorable
Lines…
Lines…
“True suffering lies in the expectation of pain as much as in the
pain itself.”
pain itself.”
― Sabaa Tahir, A Torch Against the Night
“So long as you fight in the darkness, you stand in the light.”
― Sabaa Tahir, A Torch Against the Night
“Perhaps I have become so accustomed to the burden of secrets that
I do not notice their weight until I am free of it.”
I do not notice their weight until I am free of it.”
― Sabaa Tahir, A Torch Against the Night
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