A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes)

When I first heard about An Ember in the Ashes, I wasn’t sure about it, thinking it sounded either like it would be too violent or just be another clichéd romance with an interesting setting. Well, how wrong I was because I loved it. I mean, the world is quite brutal and unforgiving but the story was so compelling and it really was not romantic at all. At least with putting it off so long, now I don’t have to wait for part two!

The Martial Empire is roughly based on the Ancient Roman Empire, with the emperor at the top and slaves at the bottom. It has conquered many lands and stripped the people of their cultures and their freedoms. Scholars are not allowed to learn to read, denying them the knowledge they were once so proud of.

The military is wielded to keep people in line, with the Masks dispatched for the most serious criminals, well serious in the eyes of the Empire. The Masks all train at Blackcliff, being chosen from a young age by the Augers and sent to the school until they graduate or die. The path to graduation is not easy, and many don’t make it. For such a violent and unfeeling group of people, you end up with a lot of sympathy for the by the end. Even the Augers have hidden depths, and not just their mindreading skills.

There is so much world-building but it never feels like it is info-dumping it. The history, myths and social structure is all interwoven with the story. The narration alternates between Elias and Laia keeping the plot trotting along at a fast pace. There’s some supernatural elements, but it’s kind of the same level as Game of Thrones, where it takes backseat to the social and political struggles of the people and their world.

The characters are complex too. They all have a selfish desire and nothing is ever solved that easily. They grow and become multi-faceted, and I really wasn’t sure where it was heading until the climax. The title refers to the fact the two characters are catalysts to something bigger, a small act can’t turn into something huge. We’ll have to wait to see what that is… I’m looking forward to getting my hands on A Torch Against the Night anyway.

I bought this book on a whim and was not disappointed.

The story is told in the alternating POVs of Laia and Elias.

Laia is a Scholar. Her people were conquered and enslaved by the Martials. Laia is not even supposed to know how to read - that has been forbidden to her people since the Martials took over. However, Laia's family has secretly defied the laws meant to deprive them of even their most basic rights, though this defiance comes at a high price. Both of Laia's parents were killed and she and her older brother Darin now live with their grandparents. Then one day Laia discovers that Darin has been doing more than secretly teaching children to read or selling books - he has gotten the Martials angry and they stage a raid on his home. In one fell swoop, Laia loses everything she has left - her grandparents are killed and Darin is arrested.

Elias is a Mask, a specially trained Martial who has been trained from childhood to be a killer. However, he is deeply unhappy with the Mask way of life and wants out. He plans to escape after his graduation, even though he has seen more than once the high price that renegade Masks pay. Once a Mask, always a Mask - except when you're dead. Laia and Elias cross paths when she agrees to spy for the resistance at his military academy.

"Ember" is well written and engrossing. I quickly grew to care for Laia and Elias. Tahir does an excellent job of world building. This is not a generic fantasy world where little to nothing sets apart different races or nations. The Martial Empire is supposedly based on ancient Rome, but it reminds me more of the Assyrian Empire - violent, militaristic, and controlling. The Romans, for all their martial qualities, still knew how to have fun. I seriously doubt the Martials or the Masks do, unless it involves torture of some kind.

The only problem I have with "Ember" is that its world is so very brutal and unforgiving. I kept having to take breaks and read something else. However, it says something for Tahir's writing skill that the world would affect me like that.

I am very interested in how things turn out for Laia and Elias, and definitely look forward to the next book.