Book Club: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir #promo #5Star #BookReview @NYNBC @sabaatahir

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Well come join the online book-club over on Facebook called Not Your Normal Bookclub!  

We read 1 book a month and then discuss and share it on twitter and Facebook! 

This month we read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and The Taking by Kimberly Derting. However, since I have been on two separate vactions this month alone and am taking a short break from reading until my daughter goes back to school, I decided to just tackle the one and read An Ember in the Ashes.

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Release Date: April 28th 2015
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon

Laia is a slave. 

Elias is a soldier. 

Neither is free.

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.

This was a pretty great read. It did start off slow from the start however. Each chapter you are alternated between Laia and Elias perspectives, which I honestly didn't mind. However, you are left questioning how long it will take for the two to cross paths, as it takes almost halfway through the book or more for them to finally meet.

I really enjoyed the fact that both the main characters are from totally opposite worlds. It was a nice change that the girl came from "the wrong side of the tracks" rather then the boy. But I also enjoyed that they both are dealing with the fact that they want to break free from their lives and escape into something better. I think in that sense, they are a perfect pairing. 

I can't wait for the second book to come out, which of course, has yet to be named. With action, adventure, budding romance and being dystopian, this book is sure to please almost anyone.

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.


Find Sabaa: Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads