An Ember in the Ashes

by Sabaa Tahir
Reviewed by Anastasia
Fall 2016

REVIEW: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

ISBN#: 9781595148032

THE STORY:
Laia lives a normal life with her grandparents and brother in an ordinary village. Then one night, they get raided by the Empire due to an act of treason committed by Darin. The grandparents are killed outright, and Darin is sent to prison. However, Laia manages to run away and find help from the Resistance. She makes a deal with them, if she goes to Blackcliff Academy, the Martial school, as a spy, they will save Darin. When she arrives at the school as a slave, she experiences the ruthlessness of the Commandant and school. She

experiences many unpleasant events. For example, she gets marred by the Commandant after being caught sneaking around the Commandant’s back. As she struggles to survive through the unpleasantries, she meets Elias, one of the best soldiers in the school, but also a possible traitor. All he wants is to be free of the Empire, but when his chance of escape is taken away, he must do what it takes to keep himself and Laia alive. He is put through gruelling tasks and finds dark secrets hidden inside of him. Other secrets are then revealed as Laia realizes how unfair and blackhearted the Commandant and future Empire will become. She also finds that the Resistance isn’t as trustworthy as they appear to be. Then when Laia is given a chance to escape, she rejects it so that she can find the real truth behind the Resistance’s actions. As both Elias and Laia fight to escape the horrible place, many unpredictable events occur. (257)

MY OPINION:

This book is very eventful and well-written. Many plot twists occurred, which left me eager to keep reading and knowing what is to come. The story went a bit fast due to the amount of events that took place, but all of the characters’ thoughts and feelings were displayed beautifully. I felt a lot of emotion coming from the characters, and I could feel every heartbreaking and thrilling moment. Even the setting amazed me because it was so realistic due to the author’s experience growing up, and her careful attention to important details. The author used strong vocabulary and phrased words effectively, helping me imagine what it would be like in this Roman-like society. These empire-ruled books written in present-day are hard to find, which makes this story very unusual but captivating. The story illustrated how people could be born into a ruthless society and only by overcoming the lies that they have been told, they can become a better person. Due to the use of strong vocabulary, fast-moving pace, and a few intimate moments, I would recommend this to mature middle schoolers and young adults who have a love for reading. This book left me in suspension, so I would gladly read the sequel and re-read the story again. Considering everything, this book deserves a nine out of ten stars. (221)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Who is Darin working for, and why are his sketches wanted?

1a. Darin is working for the Resistance, and his sketches are wanted by the Empire because they contain too much knowledge for an ordinary person to have. They are also an act of treason. (pg. 16)

2. Why does Elias hate the Empire?

2a. Elias hates the evilness of the Empire. He hates how they train people (himself included) to become murderers. He despises being a Mask and killing the innocent. (pg. 24)

3. Who are the Augurs?

3a. Augurs are powerful men and women that can see into the future and read minds. They also decide who the next emperor will be. (pg. 64)

4. Why does Laia have to spy for the Resistance?

4a. Laia must spy at Blackcliff academy in order for the Resistance to save her brother, Darin. (pg. 90)

5. What are the Trials?

5a. Trials determine who the next emperor will be. Four candidates must do them, and whoever wins will become the emperor. The rest will lose or die. (pg. 84)

auxiliary (pg. 10)

transgression (pg. 34)

solace (pg. 65)

euphoric (pg. 84)

accentuate (pg. 75)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. What is Elias’s biggest fear?

6a. Elias’s biggest fear is killing people. He carries the guilt of knowing he has killed numerous people, and he is scared that he will become a ruthless killer. (pg. 153)

7. Why does Spiro decide to change his mind about making a sword for the Commandant once he realizes who Laia is?

7a. Spiro changes his mind because he realizes that Laia is Darin’s sister, and Darin was his apprentice. He feels bad that Darin was caught, and by pretending to be interested in Laia, it will keep her from being killed by the Commandant. (pg. 218)

8. How does Commandant know Laia opened the letter?

8a. Commandant is working with the shadow creatures and they followed Laia and saw her open the letter for Spiro. (pg. 224)

9. Why is Elias’s mother working with the shadow creatures?

9a. Elias’s mother is working with the creatures to make sure Elias doesn’t win the Trials. She wants Marcus to win so that she can control him when he is the emperor. (pg. 225)

10. How did Helene’s voice heal Elias?

10a. When Helene was touched by the efrit during the fight in the trials, the touch activated something inside her, giving her healing powers through singing. (pg. 235)

marred (pg. 179)

insolence (pg. 179)

laboriously (pg. 191)

coalescing (pg. 213)

tantamount (pg. 244)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. Why did Helene have a change of heart and decide to heal Laia.

11a. Helene decides to heal Laia because she loves Elias and doesn’t want him to think that she is like every other heartless Mask. (pg. 323)  

12. Why did the Augurs make the Masks battle against each other?

12a. The Augurs made the Masks battle against each other to the death because they need to make sure that the candidates are loyal to the Empire. They also need to prepare the Masks for a war that is coming in the future. (pg. 357)

13. Why is Mazen avoiding Laia’s questions about Darin?

13a. Mazen is avoiding Laia’s questions because he is lying about saving Darin. In reality, he is gathering his men to kill the emperor. (pg. 404)

14. Why did Helene still choose to execute Elias?

14a. Helene chose to execute Elias because she made a vow with an Augur that if she swore fealty to whoever became the emperor and did whatever they asked her to do, Elias would live, and he did when Laia saved him. (pg. 443)

15. Where are Elias and Laia heading?

15a. They are heading towards freedom. They will save Darin and restore peace throughout the Empire. (pg. 446)

implacable (pg. 341)

deceit (pg. 364)

despondent (pg. 375)

desolation (pg. 398)

languidly (pg. 427)