Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch against the Night is the second book in the An Ember in the Ashes series. This book picks up right where its predecessor left off. Marcus completed the Fourth Trial and has become Emperor while Helene takes her position as Blood Shrike. Meanwhile, Laia and Elias flee the city of Seria. With his newfound freedom, Elias devotes himself to helping Laia rescue her brother from the impenetrable prison of Kauf. Their mission takes these fugitives across the vast empire, through mountains and deserts. Along with geographical hardships, the two must face forces both human and otherworldly as they challenge the strength of the Empire.
Helene, Elias, and Laia all get a chance to narrate significant portions of the story. To keep this review consistent with the previous one , only Elias and Laia will receive a review. Elias distinguished himself as a skilled, yet empathetic Mask in An Ember in the Ashes. Elias’s miraculous escape from Seria didn’t come without costs. Elias finds himself with a long-lasting injury that is on the forefront of his mind the entirety of the book. Many of his qualities are expanded upon, in this book, and his emotions become more raw as faces new challenges. He begins to ditch the emotionless qualities he possessed as a Mask allowing his bravery, loyalty, and determination shine bright. Laia is determined to free her brother at all costs. While she relies heavily on the people around her, she takes a much more proactive role in this book. She fights for herself, encounters death, and makes mistakes. Her hardships grow her as a person and as a leader, forging a much stronger character in the end.
A Torch against the Night is an amazing book. It is beautifully written and fantastically paced. From page one, the book pulls you in and pushes you into fast-paced, high-action plot. This is the kind of book that begs to be read in one sitting, but its massive length makes that impossible. You are enraptured in the story until the very last sentence. Each character faces many conflicts and perils. It is easy to feel the raw emotion seeping off the page as Elias confronts an approaching death, Laia fights against the odds, and Helene decides between her family and her friend. Sabaa Tahir also does a phenomenal job expanding on the world of An Ember in the Ashes. All of the characters must travel throughout the empire allowing us to meet new people and see what the world is like outside of Blackcliff. New villains, allies and worlds are all introduced during the travels of these characters. I give this 452 page book 5 stars.
An Ember in the Ashes
This is a fantastical world inspired by ancient Rome. The Martial Empire has taken over most of the continent and enslaved a people known as the Scholars. The Augurs are high ranking military officials with magical abilities and believed to be immortal. A military school known as Blackcliff trains kids to be powerful soldiers called masks.