Did you ever feel the need to actually hug a book, to hold it close to your heart?
Did you ever feel that a book was somehow meant for you? Did you ever hear its gentle call?
Because I did..
I love reading with a passion and there are books like AN EMBER IN THE ASHES that are absolutely perfect (In each. And every. Way!), so in sync with me, having a rhythm that matches precisely the one of my own heart.
It’s hard to put into words how much this story means to me, how much I love it. No.. I take it back, it’s not just love, I adore this book! From cover to cover, deeply charmed by each word in between, by each drop of ink on its pages.
AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is one of the most complex stories I’ve read lately, plot and character related. Even from the very first chapter it was mind-blowing and exquisitely beautiful and it left me with my heart aching all over – because I want more, I need more. Please tell me there will be more to this story!
I look up at the stars hanging low in a sky that makes me think I’m seeing the infinite. But beneath their cold gaze, I feel small. All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.
Sabaa Tahir does not sound like a debut author at all. Her writing is graceful, she takes the time to connect the characters with the readers, her descriptions are beautiful and the action scenes are powerful and aesthetically pleasing. The story is told from two different points of view and there was a very clear distinction between the voices of both main characters, not to mention that their inputs in the story were necessary – they both had so much to say, so much anguish in their lives, so much to fight for.
The love story is sweet, though it’s not the main focus of the book, it builds up slowly and tastefully, and it shapes the characters, strengthening their goals. But this story is also (or well, more) about loyalty and even deeper kinds of love, along with the actual romance.. which is just beginning (barely stepping outside the friendship borders).
Laia lives for the promise to save her brother, to have him back again and, in the process, to free her heart of all the guilt that crushes it. She would do anything for him, she would risk everything and she won’t stop no matter what. The cost of her actions has no price when measured agains the pain of losing him forever.
Life is made of a million moments that mean nothing. But the moment Darin called out – that moment meant everything. It was a test of courage. And I failed it.
Elias lives for the dream of reaching his own kind of freedom (of body and soul), as he longs to leave it all behind, to take life in his own hands, away from the Empire.
They are so different and so alike, two broken pieces of a terribly broken world, sharing the same moral values.
But nothing is ever easy and each choice opens doors to more choices and torment and, in the end, they need each other to survive, even when the odds are against them and their chances of survival are slim.
I appreciated the relationships with their friends (the fondness, the loyalty, the guilt), their inner struggles, their dark pasts and the need for things that were bigger than themselves. I felt their despair, their shame, their grief, and I was grateful for their bravery.
You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Verturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You can’t stop it.
The side characters are extremely well developed and even the smallest actions speak volumes through the story. I was very fond of Helene and Izzi, because they are just as strong as Elias and Laia. But even the villains are perfectly fleshed out and they leave an imprint on the paths of our leading characters.
I can’t say much about the story, because it is still too soon, but I loved the wonderful and vivid world created, with the fight between the Empire and the resistance, the trials and the fantasy elements; I loved the meetings between our main characters (especially a very cute dancing part AND an unexpected prize, the following conversation); their ties to their friends; the mind-blowing, head-spinning turnarounds.. It’s not a thin book by no means, but it took me no time to finish reading it, as it is full of awesomeness and time really flies when you enjoy what you read as much as I enjoyed this story.
Now… What I wish for is to see the story end. To get the answers for all those many questions in my head. To see how their journey unfolds next. I hope to hear soon some news regarding a potential sequel, because it would be such a shame to only have half of this astonishing story.
CONCLUSION:
There’s going to be a lot of hype around this book, rest assured that it fully deserves it – each praise, each 5 stars rating, each recommendation.
I am honoured to share and celebrate my birthday along with this book’s launch!
I’ll consider it a very early present and it will always hold a special spot in my heart.
And I was not kidding about the hugging part, when I received this book I spent half an hour hugging it, petting it and hoping to love it to pieces. My happiness has no boundaries, because I loved it that much and then some more.
Early review: I won an ARC in a giveaway. My life is now complete. Thank you!
PS: Pictures roughly edited from the posters of both Rome & Spartacus TV series.
PSS: Quotes taken from the ARC, might change in the published edition.
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