What do you think?
Rate this book
An Ember in the Ashes #1-4
An Ember in the Ashes Complete Series Paperback Box Set
Journey deep into the Martial Empire and into “one of the best fantasy series of the last decade” (Buzzfeed) with the complete An Ember in the Ashes quartet by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir.
For the first time together, all in one place, this ebook bind-up includes each complete book of the beloved epic series:
• An Ember in the Ashes, One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time
• A Torch Against the Night, A New York Times bestseller, A USA Today bestseller, A Wall Street Journal bestseller
• A Reaper at the Gates, An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick
• A Sky Beyond the Storm, One of Amazon’s Best Young Adult Books of 2020
For the first time together, all in one place, this ebook bind-up includes each complete book of the beloved epic series:
• An Ember in the Ashes, One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time
• A Torch Against the Night, A New York Times bestseller, A USA Today bestseller, A Wall Street Journal bestseller
• A Reaper at the Gates, An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick
• A Sky Beyond the Storm, One of Amazon’s Best Young Adult Books of 2020
2000 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2024
71 people are currently reading
1281 people want to read
About the author
Sabaa Tahir
27 books37k followers**My apologies if I don't respond to emails or friend requests right away! Come find me on Twitter or Instagram @sabaatahir, or on my web site: www.sabaatahir.com
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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 14, 2022
If I could I would write a love letter to these books.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Ember quartet was phenomenal in every way possible! The world-building was great, some of the characters are amongst new favourites for me, the plot twists were mind-blowing and the dynamics between the characters were *chefs kiss*.
It was so well written it felt like the story was being built out around you. It was an immersive experience and it was emotional. I felt all the pain and trauma the characters experienced deep in my soul…Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe because of the anticipation of what would happen - needless to say, I became very invested in their story.
Some might say it’s just a book but all I can say to that is: it was real to me.
It has set a new standard for how much I could love a series:
1. Did it keep me up at night thinking about it? YES
2. Did I think about when my next re-read would be before I even finished the series? YES
3. Did it make me wish I wasn’t reading copies that I was borrowing from a friend so I could annotate them? YES (And I have never annotated a book before).
I’d say it’s my #1 read so far.
So thank you Sabaa Tahir for the gift of this story!
P.S. Elias and Laia are everything 💛
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Ember quartet was phenomenal in every way possible! The world-building was great, some of the characters are amongst new favourites for me, the plot twists were mind-blowing and the dynamics between the characters were *chefs kiss*.
It was so well written it felt like the story was being built out around you. It was an immersive experience and it was emotional. I felt all the pain and trauma the characters experienced deep in my soul…Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe because of the anticipation of what would happen - needless to say, I became very invested in their story.
Some might say it’s just a book but all I can say to that is: it was real to me.
It has set a new standard for how much I could love a series:
1. Did it keep me up at night thinking about it? YES
2. Did I think about when my next re-read would be before I even finished the series? YES
3. Did it make me wish I wasn’t reading copies that I was borrowing from a friend so I could annotate them? YES (And I have never annotated a book before).
I’d say it’s my #1 read so far.
So thank you Sabaa Tahir for the gift of this story!
P.S. Elias and Laia are everything 💛
November 14, 2024
An Ember in the Ashes floated around my book universe for a while before I finally decided to pick it up. Tons of people have recommended it, and I was curious to see if it was as good as everyone claimed it to be. I was not disappointed. I, unfortunately, hit a reading slump halfway through A Reaper at the Gates, but I sped back up once I got into A Sky Beyond the Storm. I was left with strong emotions through the series.
In An Ember in the Ashes, we get introduced to three deeply flawed characters. Elias Venturis, a rebel in the Empire, Laia, a Scholar Girl, and Helen, a devout mask to the Empire and Elias’s best friend. As the series progresses we see their characters grow in unexpected ways, we see them have to make heartbreaking decisions, and we get to see three people do what they can to survive an almost unsurvivable war and protect those they love. We see the toll that death, love, hope, and heartbreak take on them.
“The sword point is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.”
One of the biggest pillars to this series is a sense of duty. In Elias, we watch as it breaks away from the Empire, to his friends, to Laia, and then to the Waiting Place. We see his freedom taking from him over and over again. His freedom being the only thing he truly wants in the world.
“We’ll be free, all right. Free to laud the Emperor. Free to rape and kill. Funny how that doesn’t sound like freedom.”
For Helen, we see it maintain with the Empire throughout the series, but we watch as the Empire changes.
“Most people are nothing but glimmers in the great darkness of time. But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift-burning spark. You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn.”
For Laia, we see her sense of duty to the Scholars, to the Tribes People, to Elias, and to Darin.
“You’re the girl who razed Blackcliff and liberated Kauf. Laia of Serra. The ember waiting to burn down the Empire.”
At the beginning of the series, Laia teaches Elias what it means to love. As the series continues, she starts to lose this belief and starts to think that love only brings pain. In A Sky Beyond the Storm we get to see her rekindle that belief in love, and ultimately use it to save her people. Elias has a similar situation, only discovering that he is chained to the Waiting Place by Mauth after Cain returns his memories, and then holding onto that love as the story moves forward and they fight the final battle. Helene see’s her whole family slaughtered by the hand of Marcus, the Emporer. She offers a commentary on how love takes her away from her duty to her Empire, but it’s what saves it in the end. This evolution from believing that love was failing them to understanding that it in fact was saving them, was such a good story arc, and I really appreciated reading it.
Darin, Laia’s brother, is one of my favorite characters. Understandably we don’t get to see a lot of him until he escapes the prison. Their relationship was very well written but I was left wanting to see more of it throughout the series though, and so when there were only snippets of that, I was a little disappointed.
On the discussion of siblings, Helen’s sister Livia was also an amazing character. She was such a strongly written character, who helped guide Helen. We get to witness so much growth not only because of her support of her sister but within her. She was an amazing background character and a great mother and empress regent.
“An Empress who bears her pain with fortitude is an Empress who gains respect. My women have spread the rumor that I scorned the tea. That I bear the pain without fear. But bleeding hells does it hurt.”
While Darin and Livia are two of my favorite characters, my most despised is Keris Veturia. She is the epitome of a villain and spends the series torturing those around her. Especially Elias and Helen. She does so many despicable things in her time, and while Sabaa Tahir provides an explanation of why she is the way she is by the end of the series, it doesn’t excuse it or make her forgivable in any way. The one thing I did appreciate about her storyline as that it allowed for Cook to get her revenge on Keris.
“Curse this world for what it does to mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.”
The Cook was an amazing character. We learn so much through her and about her during the series and we see so much change as a result of her character. She was the perfect cranky old woman and the secrets revealed about her past gave the best character development for Laia. Also, the Cook spent most of the series just causing chaos and unsettling Keris, so I for one appreciated that.
“The woman in the mirror is not Helene Aquilla. She is the Blood Shrike. The Blood Shrike is not lonely, for the Empire is her mother and her father, her lover, and her best friend. She needs nothing else. She needs no one else. She stands apart.”
Another relationship I wanted to note, is Helen and Harpers. We see so much development between them, even going as far as getting an admission of love right before the end. But then when Elias passes Harper on in the Waiting Place it seems almost cold. Harper was glad to have shared his living life with Helen, but he was more than happy to move onto the afterlife without her, which didn’t flow with where it felt like the story was going. Especially because you see Helen, a completely shattered character, afterward. Their story could have ended a little better, but ultimately their stories were both beautiful and they were great characters.
Thanks for reading The Wandering Bibliophile! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
I loved the concept of the Waiting Place. The fact that the Jinn were historically the Soul Catchers was a great tie-in to the story. The Waiting Place also gave an opportunity for readers to learn more about the dead, and the Tribal traditions, and get to see Elias grow as a character. I also think that Soul Catchers is just a really cool idea, and if there is any version of the afterlife I wish was real, I think it would be that. I also really enjoyed the tribal representation and the history that Sabaa Tahir included in the story. There is so much depth and it was interesting, that while the Augers could read the future and had a large history of knowledge, it didn’t compete with the authenticity of the tribe’s story tellers. I felt like I was reading about real people and not fictional characters, which just reflects how good of a writer Sabaa Tahir is.
Finally, the villain of the story is the Nightbringer. Some people may disagree with me on this one, but I really enjoyed the Nightbringer’s character. He suffers so much pain after the Scholars slaughtered and trapped his people in the Waiting Place. He spends a millennium trying to save them, by falling in love with different people who carry pieces of the star. His curse is that he actually has to love them, and they in return trust and love him. Every time we get to see another piece of his soul shattered, as he realizes the pain that his people suffered at the hands of the scholars while also understanding that the scholars are suffering themselves and are truly not that bad.
“It will get better… You’ll never forget them, not even after years. But one day, you’ll go a whole minute without feeling the pain. Then an hour. A day. That’s all you can ask for, really.
Many lessons are learned during his time trying to collect the star. One of the best scenes is when he reveals himself to Laia after she gifted him her armlet. Tahir does an amazing job showing the pain he felt when he betrayed her, but the sense of duty he has to free his people from their jail and repay the Scholars for their sins. The Nightbringer is a very well-thought-out character and a villain that you hate to love, but find yourself kinda loving him anyway. She dragged me out of my comfort zone with his character and I appreciated that.
“I shudder when I think of the Jinn Lord. When I think of who he was - A Soul Catcher who passed the spirits of humans on with such love - versus what he has become: a monster who wants nothing more than to annihilate us.”
In conclusion, I highly recommend checking out Sabaa Tahir’s Ember Quartet. It’s a very thoughtful, impactful, shoul-shattering read. I look forward to re-reading it in the future and rediscovering the magic that I felt while entranced by this series. I recommend this to anyone interested in fantasy and dystopian militaristic worlds. There’s so much to be discovered in this series, so I hope others find as much enjoyment in it as I did.
Thanks for reading!
In An Ember in the Ashes, we get introduced to three deeply flawed characters. Elias Venturis, a rebel in the Empire, Laia, a Scholar Girl, and Helen, a devout mask to the Empire and Elias’s best friend. As the series progresses we see their characters grow in unexpected ways, we see them have to make heartbreaking decisions, and we get to see three people do what they can to survive an almost unsurvivable war and protect those they love. We see the toll that death, love, hope, and heartbreak take on them.
“The sword point is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.”
One of the biggest pillars to this series is a sense of duty. In Elias, we watch as it breaks away from the Empire, to his friends, to Laia, and then to the Waiting Place. We see his freedom taking from him over and over again. His freedom being the only thing he truly wants in the world.
“We’ll be free, all right. Free to laud the Emperor. Free to rape and kill. Funny how that doesn’t sound like freedom.”
For Helen, we see it maintain with the Empire throughout the series, but we watch as the Empire changes.
“Most people are nothing but glimmers in the great darkness of time. But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift-burning spark. You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn.”
For Laia, we see her sense of duty to the Scholars, to the Tribes People, to Elias, and to Darin.
“You’re the girl who razed Blackcliff and liberated Kauf. Laia of Serra. The ember waiting to burn down the Empire.”
At the beginning of the series, Laia teaches Elias what it means to love. As the series continues, she starts to lose this belief and starts to think that love only brings pain. In A Sky Beyond the Storm we get to see her rekindle that belief in love, and ultimately use it to save her people. Elias has a similar situation, only discovering that he is chained to the Waiting Place by Mauth after Cain returns his memories, and then holding onto that love as the story moves forward and they fight the final battle. Helene see’s her whole family slaughtered by the hand of Marcus, the Emporer. She offers a commentary on how love takes her away from her duty to her Empire, but it’s what saves it in the end. This evolution from believing that love was failing them to understanding that it in fact was saving them, was such a good story arc, and I really appreciated reading it.
Darin, Laia’s brother, is one of my favorite characters. Understandably we don’t get to see a lot of him until he escapes the prison. Their relationship was very well written but I was left wanting to see more of it throughout the series though, and so when there were only snippets of that, I was a little disappointed.
On the discussion of siblings, Helen’s sister Livia was also an amazing character. She was such a strongly written character, who helped guide Helen. We get to witness so much growth not only because of her support of her sister but within her. She was an amazing background character and a great mother and empress regent.
“An Empress who bears her pain with fortitude is an Empress who gains respect. My women have spread the rumor that I scorned the tea. That I bear the pain without fear. But bleeding hells does it hurt.”
While Darin and Livia are two of my favorite characters, my most despised is Keris Veturia. She is the epitome of a villain and spends the series torturing those around her. Especially Elias and Helen. She does so many despicable things in her time, and while Sabaa Tahir provides an explanation of why she is the way she is by the end of the series, it doesn’t excuse it or make her forgivable in any way. The one thing I did appreciate about her storyline as that it allowed for Cook to get her revenge on Keris.
“Curse this world for what it does to mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.”
The Cook was an amazing character. We learn so much through her and about her during the series and we see so much change as a result of her character. She was the perfect cranky old woman and the secrets revealed about her past gave the best character development for Laia. Also, the Cook spent most of the series just causing chaos and unsettling Keris, so I for one appreciated that.
“The woman in the mirror is not Helene Aquilla. She is the Blood Shrike. The Blood Shrike is not lonely, for the Empire is her mother and her father, her lover, and her best friend. She needs nothing else. She needs no one else. She stands apart.”
Another relationship I wanted to note, is Helen and Harpers. We see so much development between them, even going as far as getting an admission of love right before the end. But then when Elias passes Harper on in the Waiting Place it seems almost cold. Harper was glad to have shared his living life with Helen, but he was more than happy to move onto the afterlife without her, which didn’t flow with where it felt like the story was going. Especially because you see Helen, a completely shattered character, afterward. Their story could have ended a little better, but ultimately their stories were both beautiful and they were great characters.
Thanks for reading The Wandering Bibliophile! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
I loved the concept of the Waiting Place. The fact that the Jinn were historically the Soul Catchers was a great tie-in to the story. The Waiting Place also gave an opportunity for readers to learn more about the dead, and the Tribal traditions, and get to see Elias grow as a character. I also think that Soul Catchers is just a really cool idea, and if there is any version of the afterlife I wish was real, I think it would be that. I also really enjoyed the tribal representation and the history that Sabaa Tahir included in the story. There is so much depth and it was interesting, that while the Augers could read the future and had a large history of knowledge, it didn’t compete with the authenticity of the tribe’s story tellers. I felt like I was reading about real people and not fictional characters, which just reflects how good of a writer Sabaa Tahir is.
Finally, the villain of the story is the Nightbringer. Some people may disagree with me on this one, but I really enjoyed the Nightbringer’s character. He suffers so much pain after the Scholars slaughtered and trapped his people in the Waiting Place. He spends a millennium trying to save them, by falling in love with different people who carry pieces of the star. His curse is that he actually has to love them, and they in return trust and love him. Every time we get to see another piece of his soul shattered, as he realizes the pain that his people suffered at the hands of the scholars while also understanding that the scholars are suffering themselves and are truly not that bad.
“It will get better… You’ll never forget them, not even after years. But one day, you’ll go a whole minute without feeling the pain. Then an hour. A day. That’s all you can ask for, really.
Many lessons are learned during his time trying to collect the star. One of the best scenes is when he reveals himself to Laia after she gifted him her armlet. Tahir does an amazing job showing the pain he felt when he betrayed her, but the sense of duty he has to free his people from their jail and repay the Scholars for their sins. The Nightbringer is a very well-thought-out character and a villain that you hate to love, but find yourself kinda loving him anyway. She dragged me out of my comfort zone with his character and I appreciated that.
“I shudder when I think of the Jinn Lord. When I think of who he was - A Soul Catcher who passed the spirits of humans on with such love - versus what he has become: a monster who wants nothing more than to annihilate us.”
In conclusion, I highly recommend checking out Sabaa Tahir’s Ember Quartet. It’s a very thoughtful, impactful, shoul-shattering read. I look forward to re-reading it in the future and rediscovering the magic that I felt while entranced by this series. I recommend this to anyone interested in fantasy and dystopian militaristic worlds. There’s so much to be discovered in this series, so I hope others find as much enjoyment in it as I did.
Thanks for reading!
August 2, 2023
For my trip to Australia I decided to finally read A Sky Beyond the Storm. But before, I wanted to read again the whole series and I don't regret I did!
The Ember quartet is quite special to me as An Ember in the Ashes was the first book I ever read fully in English without having read its translation in my own language before, almost 10 years ago now. I waited for every single book since 2015 and even if I bought the last one as soon as the paperback was out, I kept on delaying my reading of it, as it was the very last. But what a delight of a series! Those books are really amazing, Sabaa Tahir's writing is just so good, the world building is a masterpiece and her characters… what can I say? I loved every one of them, even the worst because they all felt real. I finished A Sky Beyond the Storm today and I think I'll mourn those characters for a while. I will keep on recommending those books to everyone and I think they'll become comfort books even if they wrecked me emotionally. That's what's good innit? The ability of the author to make us grin, giggle, cringe and cry and feel so deeply for their characters. I really wish for a series adaptation of these books as I think it would be great if well done: the combat scenes are so vivid that they'd be amazing on screen!
I'll stop my babbling here but I just wanna say thank you Sabaa for everything the Ember quartet has brought to me.
The Ember quartet is quite special to me as An Ember in the Ashes was the first book I ever read fully in English without having read its translation in my own language before, almost 10 years ago now. I waited for every single book since 2015 and even if I bought the last one as soon as the paperback was out, I kept on delaying my reading of it, as it was the very last. But what a delight of a series! Those books are really amazing, Sabaa Tahir's writing is just so good, the world building is a masterpiece and her characters… what can I say? I loved every one of them, even the worst because they all felt real. I finished A Sky Beyond the Storm today and I think I'll mourn those characters for a while. I will keep on recommending those books to everyone and I think they'll become comfort books even if they wrecked me emotionally. That's what's good innit? The ability of the author to make us grin, giggle, cringe and cry and feel so deeply for their characters. I really wish for a series adaptation of these books as I think it would be great if well done: the combat scenes are so vivid that they'd be amazing on screen!
I'll stop my babbling here but I just wanna say thank you Sabaa for everything the Ember quartet has brought to me.
December 10, 2021
I really enjoyed the Ember Quartet. I also really recommend the audiobooks. I'm in love with Jack Farrar's voice. I made such a great decision to reread the first three books before finally reading A Sky Beyond the Storm.
Sabaa Tahir's writing is just so good. The battle scenes were movies in my head. The quiet character moments made me fall in love with the characters. They are so well written, very distinguishable. All have their dreams, the hopes that they fight for.
I really recommend the Ember Quartet if you are looking for a YA fantasy series with a little bit of romance, great fight scenes. But also, if you want to have your heart destroyed. Like good books do.
Sabaa Tahir's writing is just so good. The battle scenes were movies in my head. The quiet character moments made me fall in love with the characters. They are so well written, very distinguishable. All have their dreams, the hopes that they fight for.
I really recommend the Ember Quartet if you are looking for a YA fantasy series with a little bit of romance, great fight scenes. But also, if you want to have your heart destroyed. Like good books do.
March 31, 2023
I would have preferred reading something where the bad guys didn't constantly prevail, and it's a miracle that good guys ever existed.
March 24, 2024
tldr: i will love this forever. especially the first book is literally perfect.
the first thing that comes to mind is just how literally amazing the plot is like every single chapter is genuinely so well-written and fast paced, but in a way that is exciting rather than rushed. i also couldn’t predict most of what would happen (thank God i hate when the book is so predictable) because the plot twists were so tragic 😭😭😭 and the few good endings were also stunning because they weren’t convenient endings at all, you can tell it was very much thought out because the author ties everything together through prophecies and foreshadowing (i am proud to say that i learned to catch them near the end) i did get bored in some parts in the third book, but it was only for usually a chapter or two and everything was back to constant movement in every pov.
next obvious thing is the characters!! one thing i have learnt is its very easy to fuck up writing a love triangle, much less a love square ⁉️⁉️ but the core part of this is about the female characters in the book 💗 i hate how some authors will really make women mary sues like stop 🛑 give her a flaw !!! give her some dimension !!! in this series, both female protagonists are so different and the best part is, they’re given MORE development than the guy protagonist is 😍 we love retribution 😍 i love how their flaws are very easy to spot because it makes them so easy to relate to and humanize. even when they do heroic acts or supernatural things, their internal narrations reveal the most humanity i have seen characterized. this quote specifically struck me so hard: “Curse this world for what it does to the mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.” and reading that on women’s month ⁉️⁉️ criminal. that is my not-so-brief rant about giving female characters depth and how this series aces it so well that i genuinely feel like i could meet these women on the street somewhere. (also the guy character is good! the relationships are perfect especially for het ships.)
the next, i wanna scream about how good the world building is !! the context, the history, the backstory— genius. the author doesn’t sugarcoat oppression or genocide or colonialism, nor do they brush over the effect of that on the main characters, even as the story progresses. i do think there could be more work at the end to explain how they reconcile from all thats happened in the past and become equal again, the author does foreshadow some of it already in the story to show they’ll do it though giving the oppressed a seat at the table, but yeah i think there could have been more done.
lastly, i saved the moral and message of the story because i found it the most intriguing. the author makes it extremely and viscerally clear that there is no good or bad side in their story. there is no justified killing, only killing which is a message so beautifully shown. violence is violence. I think this is so important for the
the first thing that comes to mind is just how literally amazing the plot is like every single chapter is genuinely so well-written and fast paced, but in a way that is exciting rather than rushed. i also couldn’t predict most of what would happen (thank God i hate when the book is so predictable) because the plot twists were so tragic 😭😭😭 and the few good endings were also stunning because they weren’t convenient endings at all, you can tell it was very much thought out because the author ties everything together through prophecies and foreshadowing (i am proud to say that i learned to catch them near the end) i did get bored in some parts in the third book, but it was only for usually a chapter or two and everything was back to constant movement in every pov.
next obvious thing is the characters!! one thing i have learnt is its very easy to fuck up writing a love triangle, much less a love square ⁉️⁉️ but the core part of this is about the female characters in the book 💗 i hate how some authors will really make women mary sues like stop 🛑 give her a flaw !!! give her some dimension !!! in this series, both female protagonists are so different and the best part is, they’re given MORE development than the guy protagonist is 😍 we love retribution 😍 i love how their flaws are very easy to spot because it makes them so easy to relate to and humanize. even when they do heroic acts or supernatural things, their internal narrations reveal the most humanity i have seen characterized. this quote specifically struck me so hard: “Curse this world for what it does to the mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.” and reading that on women’s month ⁉️⁉️ criminal. that is my not-so-brief rant about giving female characters depth and how this series aces it so well that i genuinely feel like i could meet these women on the street somewhere. (also the guy character is good! the relationships are perfect especially for het ships.)
the next, i wanna scream about how good the world building is !! the context, the history, the backstory— genius. the author doesn’t sugarcoat oppression or genocide or colonialism, nor do they brush over the effect of that on the main characters, even as the story progresses. i do think there could be more work at the end to explain how they reconcile from all thats happened in the past and become equal again, the author does foreshadow some of it already in the story to show they’ll do it though giving the oppressed a seat at the table, but yeah i think there could have been more done.
lastly, i saved the moral and message of the story because i found it the most intriguing. the author makes it extremely and viscerally clear that there is no good or bad side in their story. there is no justified killing, only killing which is a message so beautifully shown. violence is violence. I think this is so important for the
May 23, 2025
An Ember in the Ashes: Such an interesting concept excited to see how it progresses I like how it does not hold back punches and the multiple Pov. I enjoyed the very fleshed out worldbuilding and how it was told without it being to overwhelm. It was very grounded in reality and the conflicts between the different factions made of a very good spot to tell a story. I liked seeing the main character suffer with her situations, and I really liked how the writer didn't seem to hold punches on the brutality with character, and issues going on within the world. It helps set the tone and the severity of the overarching plot and help generate real emotions to me as a reader.
A Torch Against the Night:
that was a plot twist i was not expecting. It's rare for media to do that. I enjoyed how the story actually manipulated my emotion to make the plot twist land that much stronger. I felt for the main character as if it was me, and everything felt very realistic. seeing the small threads starting to connect but still having known idea how it was going to unfold is a very refreshing feeling for me, as most of the time when consuming media, I am able to see where the story is going to go.
A Reaper at the Gates: It was a hard ending to process. I am glad I am reading this series after it's been completed because if I had to wait for the next book after finishing this one, I would be in a state of dread. Of course I can hope there will be a happy ending, but the nature of the writing of the book doesn't lead to that being guaranteed. Not as drastic as Game of thrones, however the unexpected turn to the ever-growing plot makes me weary to continue reading and praying for a path to not come true.
A Sky Beyond the Storm: They tied the story so well. Every character had their resolve one way or another, even characters who didn't play so in front of the overall plot. Which I really appreciated. Sometimes side characters take a sideline when the climax of the overall conflict comes to light, and during the resolution it can lead to a lot of unanswered questions. What I really enjoyed was that the book was able to take the very real hatred and wish for the worse for one particular character to 180 and feel pity for them and make me understand what caused the character to become this way, and confirm no one is evil because evil and that there can be understanding within their motivations/actions.
A Torch Against the Night:
that was a plot twist i was not expecting. It's rare for media to do that. I enjoyed how the story actually manipulated my emotion to make the plot twist land that much stronger. I felt for the main character as if it was me, and everything felt very realistic. seeing the small threads starting to connect but still having known idea how it was going to unfold is a very refreshing feeling for me, as most of the time when consuming media, I am able to see where the story is going to go.
A Reaper at the Gates: It was a hard ending to process. I am glad I am reading this series after it's been completed because if I had to wait for the next book after finishing this one, I would be in a state of dread. Of course I can hope there will be a happy ending, but the nature of the writing of the book doesn't lead to that being guaranteed. Not as drastic as Game of thrones, however the unexpected turn to the ever-growing plot makes me weary to continue reading and praying for a path to not come true.
A Sky Beyond the Storm: They tied the story so well. Every character had their resolve one way or another, even characters who didn't play so in front of the overall plot. Which I really appreciated. Sometimes side characters take a sideline when the climax of the overall conflict comes to light, and during the resolution it can lead to a lot of unanswered questions. What I really enjoyed was that the book was able to take the very real hatred and wish for the worse for one particular character to 180 and feel pity for them and make me understand what caused the character to become this way, and confirm no one is evil because evil and that there can be understanding within their motivations/actions.
November 24, 2023
This was a good romantic-fantasy series made even better for being able to binge-read the entire quartet. Its nice not to have to wait a year (or more) between books and then trying to decide if you need to reread the prior books to remember where you are in the story and its pertinent details thus far.
There was a decent amount of world building and an interesting magic system advancing the plot of this series, but at its heart, the series revolved around its characters, especially the three protagonists. The story is told in alternating points of view from the three, jumping between them often at the same place and time so that the reader can get dual perspectives of events as the POV transitions. The three evolve as the series builds, both in their powers and as people, learning their own histories so that they can shape their futures. The villains are also quite cleverly developed and their evolution in this story is interesting to follow.
Though I would not call the prose melodic or lyrical, it is tightly written for an easy read. I'd recommend the quartet especially if you are looking for a complete story series that you can read beginning to end with magic, adventure, drama, and a bit of romance.
There was a decent amount of world building and an interesting magic system advancing the plot of this series, but at its heart, the series revolved around its characters, especially the three protagonists. The story is told in alternating points of view from the three, jumping between them often at the same place and time so that the reader can get dual perspectives of events as the POV transitions. The three evolve as the series builds, both in their powers and as people, learning their own histories so that they can shape their futures. The villains are also quite cleverly developed and their evolution in this story is interesting to follow.
Though I would not call the prose melodic or lyrical, it is tightly written for an easy read. I'd recommend the quartet especially if you are looking for a complete story series that you can read beginning to end with magic, adventure, drama, and a bit of romance.
June 17, 2024
The first 2 books were SOO GOOD. I loved it soo much. I think this should've been a trilogy. She just added extra things that were frustrating and kept the "nooo don't do that" or "are you kidding me" moments for way too long and just totally changed the book. It wasn't terrible but I would stop reading at the 2nd maybe middle of 3rd book because it doesn't get better and when you wait for it to get better, it just gets worse. Overall, it's not terrible given the first couple of books but it could've been amazing and definitely had potential.
February 9, 2022
Outstanding! Reminds me of Sarah Maas many series. I binged the series on audible, and the narrators did an outstanding job.
This series is great for teens but there is alot of violence. I loved the world building. In many scenes I internally felt the stress, and could not always guess where the story was going.
This series is great for teens but there is alot of violence. I loved the world building. In many scenes I internally felt the stress, and could not always guess where the story was going.
November 25, 2023
liked this series a lot overall, however i would rather staples my hand to a hot iron than read laia’s perspective ever again she is the worst character i have ever encountered i was actively rooting against her the entire time. i would die for helene however and she is the reason i kept reading after book 1
January 8, 2024
Culture. Duty. Love. Loss. Pain. This quartet does everything a dystopian should with grace despite the heavy subject matter.
I especially appreciated the authors fearlessness in matters of death and morality throughout the series.
I especially appreciated the authors fearlessness in matters of death and morality throughout the series.
July 26, 2025
A beautiful masterpiece. A gift from heaven for all of humanity. This series is dear to my heart😌Elias is still one of my favorite mmcs of all time. Sabaa is well she's an amazing writer but I want to have some words👀😭
June 29, 2023
These books had me in a chokehold from start to finish. I loved every single bit.
January 18, 2024
Wonderful and enjoyable fantasy quartet! An entertaining emotional rollercoaster, which I highly recommend.
February 21, 2024
The best books I’ve ever read!
May 27, 2024
Put all the curse words on my gravestone because this series killed me. Holy shit.
October 4, 2024
all 4 books in one boxed set, slow burn, do not skip you'll be lost loooong and slow but action packed at the same time, just too much of everything
March 30, 2025
Not a good book if you value your money and time don't read it
March 31, 2025
(For the last book)
I didn't like the ending, but the sotry along the way is GREAT.
I didn't like the ending, but the sotry along the way is GREAT.
June 30, 2025
Audiobook-
Just finished this series again! Love it! Love the readers! Fantastic!
Just finished this series again! Love it! Love the readers! Fantastic!
August 23, 2025
4.5⭐️
Nunca olvidaré a la trifecta
Nunca olvidaré a la trifecta
December 25, 2025
I recall this being good a nice intro to fantasy
March 25, 2022
Overall this was a good series. I don't think it lived up to my expectations of what I was waiting for after the first book. I found the writing to be a bit slow especially in the second and last book. It felt like we waited forever for action. However, when the action did begin to take off I was hooked, and engrossed in the book. I think I would've rated this series higher if some of the romance wasn't such a major component in the story. Some of the romance just didn't feel like it fit quite right into the overall settings, and emotions of the characters. I also wish we got more with Darin (especially him since we waited two freaking books for him), and Harper. Specifically more to do with Harper, and Elias.
Helene was definitely my favorite story line through the series, after the first book. The first book Laia was my favorite, but Helene quickly took that spot. Just because of how dark her story is and how much your heart breaks for her.
Overall I'd recommend this if you're in the mood for a romance and fantasy series, with some blood, betrayal, and death strewn throughout.
TWs for: rape threats, violence towards women, domestic abuse, war, battle scenes, child abuse
Helene was definitely my favorite story line through the series, after the first book. The first book Laia was my favorite, but Helene quickly took that spot. Just because of how dark her story is and how much your heart breaks for her.
Overall I'd recommend this if you're in the mood for a romance and fantasy series, with some blood, betrayal, and death strewn throughout.
TWs for: rape threats, violence towards women, domestic abuse, war, battle scenes, child abuse
December 20, 2024
(3.75) this series took me forever to read. i kept loosing interest than gaining it over and over again and i’m not really sure why. it was kind of upsetting because i’ve heard so many people loving this series, but i just couldn’t keep up with it. i didn’t really have any special connection to any of the characters because of this (except maybe for Helene). this made the death scenes not very impactful but it was refreshing to read a war story filled with so many realistic deaths as that doesn’t happen a lot in this genre of books (so good job author!). i know if i didn’t have any breaks between the reading then i definitely would have been emotional at majority of the deaths and i wish i were, so maybe i’ll reread in the future? idk actually lol. overall, it was a really good, intricate story. there was so much detail and depth in each of the characters, making it hard to hate any of them, and the relationships had nice dynamics. whoop whoop!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2024
Quite the experience this book series, I must say-
With this series, Sabaa Tahir shows us light in the darkness, hope in a world of despair, and the human spirit reaching for greatness in difficult times. It's something much needed in the current world, that rekindles our spirit with hope, enlightenment, courage and wisdom.
This series is one of its kind: dark, complex, and vivid... and it may get confusing at times, for which- no worries- there's this wonderful official website: https://anemberintheashesbook.com/world/ too!
It was hard to get through, but the story and the idea was worth it...
With this series, Sabaa Tahir shows us light in the darkness, hope in a world of despair, and the human spirit reaching for greatness in difficult times. It's something much needed in the current world, that rekindles our spirit with hope, enlightenment, courage and wisdom.
This series is one of its kind: dark, complex, and vivid... and it may get confusing at times, for which- no worries- there's this wonderful official website: https://anemberintheashesbook.com/world/ too!
It was hard to get through, but the story and the idea was worth it...
September 7, 2022
Absolutely obsessed with this series! I'd rate it 6/5, but unfortunately, there are only 5 stars.
Sabaa Tahir has spun a captivating, relatable, and earth-shattering quartet.
She is the undisputed queen when it comes to the world of fantasy
Sabaa Tahir has spun a captivating, relatable, and earth-shattering quartet.
She is the undisputed queen when it comes to the world of fantasy
July 25, 2023
oh my gosh- i read all the books a few months back but i just got on goodreads, literally the best book series i’ve ever read, writing was immaculate, storytelling was outstanding, and i fell in love with these characters, HIGHLY recommended reading these books
May 10, 2022
It felt like every single sentence of every single book was magical and enter the veins and blood directly
A great journey throughout the series
Definitely a God-tier series
A great journey throughout the series
Definitely a God-tier series
July 30, 2022
One of the best series I have ever read. The character development is amazing, and the writing is excellent. Went through the entire series in 4 days
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews