26 | May | 2015 | socially awkward bookworm.

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
4 OUT OF 5 STARS.

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after.”

I decided not to wait until I drew it from my book jar and grabbed this book to read. I’m so glad that I did, because it was such a great book. I actually prolonged finishing this book all day yesterday, because I didn’t want it to end! Since I did that, I ended up finishing it at 12:30AM. I was dead tired, oops!

Right away there was action and I loved that. Sabaa Tahir wasted no time with getting into the action! I was instantly loving it and excited about what was to come. Lots of craziness and surprises throughout the book and it definitely kept my attention throughout.

So many awesome characters that it was hard to decide who I loved most! Laia was instantly one of my favorites; the last book I finished I hated the main character, so I was glad when I didn’t hate Laia. She really grew throughout the book. I loved how Elias was so different than the other Masks and I really loved his character. Marcus…I wanted to punch Marcus throughout the entire book. Anytime he opened his mouth. There were times where Helene annoyed me so much and I didn’t like her, but then times she actually surprised me. There will be lots of characters you love and then lots you will hate. There were tons of characters in this book.

I love Sabaa’s writing style and I loved that the way the story was written, it made you want to read more. I definitely recommend reading this book. Lots of actions and some cute romantic type stuff too. Not too much, which I really liked. It was an awesome read! I can’t wait until the next book in the series. I HAVE to know what happens next!

YES, YES I DID! 🙂

Goodreads Description: Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.