Amazon Editors' YA Book Club discussion

My favorite YA book of 2015! This came out in April 2015 and I'm still thinking about it... An Ember in the Ashes won the vote by a strong margin so there must be a lot of you who either already love it or are looking forward to reading it. Anyone else want to weigh in on an earlier read?

Ahh! The Ember in the Ashes is a dark, thrilling, and emotional story. It is definitely worth a read.

I feel the same way about An Ember in the Ashes, it has me head over heels and totally awestruck! I wish my TBR list was a little shorter so I could re-read it again. I've also given this book to many people as gifts, sharing the love!

I loved An Ember in the Ashes!! I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the world that this book took place in as well. It was refreshing to read a female character that wasn't such a brat. I cannot wait until the second book sadly it doesn't come out until this fall. Sad face.

Looks like one to add to the list.

Looks like one to add to the list.

The publisher of Ember (Penguin) is doing a giveaway for the book that runs until 1/22: http://bit.ly/1RokdMy

I'm reading/listening to it and love it so much. I'm really trying to pace myself but I might end up finishing it this weekend.

An Ember In the Ashes is such a great book! I loved the characters and world, it was such a great read and a very emotional story :), Since I borrowed it from my library I do not own the book, but if I had my own copy of the book I would re-read it right now!

I am about 30 pages away from being done with this book and I absolutely LOVE it!! I have almost finished it in one sitting but my eyes will not let me go any further. I will be sad to finish it and yet excited at the same time. Can't wait for the 2nd one!!!

Definitely a great read! Love the characters, their world and the plot. But I hate the Commandant!

Yan wrote: "Definitely a great read! Love the characters, their world and the plot. But I hate the Commandant!"

Were you surprised that Sabaa made the Commandant a woman? I think that made the character even more interesting somehow.

Seira wrote: "Yan wrote: "Definitely a great read! Love the characters, their world and the plot. But I hate the Commandant!"

Were you surprised that Sabaa made the Commandant a woman? I think that made the cha..."

Oh yes, and I think that's a good move. As it somehow explained why she ended up being such a sadist, and how the way she treated Elias...
Well, i hated her even more when I know she was Elias's mum... lol

Seira wrote: "Yan wrote: "Definitely a great read! Love the characters, their world and the plot. But I hate the Commandant!"

Were you surprised that Sabaa made the Commandant a woman? I think that made the cha..."

There are few women in this book, but all of them are strong.

I'm not surprised that the film rights for this book were purchased before it was published. It has action, violence, strong characters and romance, not unlike The Hunger Games.

While it was creative and well written, the detailed violence was more than I usually care to read.

Hope to get to it Summer '16, before the sequel. Looking forward to your February book choice poll!

I just got past the third trail and my heart has barely recovered! This book is so good. The characterization is so well done. Their motivations are all at odds with each other, but I'm starting to see how all these threads are coming together. Sabaa Tahir has done such a masterful job of weaving them all together.

The three choices for January were An Ember in the Ashes, Unbroken, and..... ??? Does anyone remember the third choice?

Kathleen, I believe it was the 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

Marissa wrote: "Kathleen, I believe it was the 5th Wave by Rick Yancey."

Thank you

I liked this book way more than I thought I would. Honestly, I thought I was over the whole YAL dystopian kind of story; they all start seeming kind of similar. What makes this one stand out is the characterization. I truly cared for the characters very early on. And the violence (torture, rape, etc) were very real to me, so I feared for them as well.

I was annoyed that Elias had to save Helene, who was the most complex character in the story, in, what?, the first trial? Like, she's strong and tough and the second best soldier at the school but not *THAT* strong and tough. But that was just a minor issue.

Question for discussion: Which of the two story lines did you enjoy reading more. Why?

Jolene wrote: "I liked this book way more than I thought I would. Honestly, I thought I was over the whole YAL dystopian kind of story; they all start seeming kind of similar. What makes this one stand out is the..."

I agree with you! The characterization is what really made me enjoy this book so much in addition to the effort in world building. I have to admit, I really enjoyed Elias's chapters. I love Laia, but Elias's inner struggles and conflicting actions were what really kept me reading. It also helped that the narrator on the audio version was really good. He sounded exactly how I would imagine Elias would sound.

Okay, I know I'm late to the game but I finally finished An Ember in the Ashes. I really loved this one, particularly the language Tahir used. There are so many beautiful turns of phrase and such great description, I found myself wanting to relish the words instead of burn through them. I also loved the quote about there being two kinds of guilt: "the kind that drowns you until you're useless and the kind that fires your soul to purpose." Wonderfully profound.

I loved that quote too! One of my many highlights!

I loved that quote too! One of my many highlights!