As soon as I discovered An Ember in the Ashes, I knew I had to get my hands on this book. When the opportunity rose for me get an advance copy of the book, I jumped! Knowing that this could be one of the biggest books of the year, I knew I’d have to read it. And I am SO glad that I did.

The world in which Laia lived was super harsh and so very cruel. Being a slave, she was subject to so many things that would break a normal person, including being punished in the worst ways possible by her ‘owner’, who also happened to be the commandant at the military school. Elias is a soldier in the school, and life should be so much easier for him, but it’s not. He doesn’t agree with the way things are, and he wants out. And he’s determined to get out. When these two characters paths cross, they discover that they are just what each other needs to survive. Laila and Elias are such great characters. The relationship between the two is complicated, and is also mixed in with two other secondary characters in the novel. But together, they are great. There are some really great secondary characters in the novel as well. There are a few that you’re going to love, and a few that you will hate so much.

I love the world that Tahir created in this novel, although it’s not one that I would want to live in At All. But it was super creative and unique, like no other world I’ve read about before. The ending of this book left me SO excited for the next book. I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on it, as I MUST know what is going to happen next for these characters and the story!!!

Overall; If you’re a fan of high fantasy novels, you’re definitely going to want to check this book out as soon as possible. The story and the world-building for this book is so very creative, and you can’t help but love the characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series; I hope it is as awesome as the first!!

Happy Reading!!