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An Ember in the Ashes
Author:
Tahir, Sabaa
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Series:
Ember in the ashes novel, #1
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 14-19
Language: English
Demand: Average
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LC: PZ7.1
Grade: 9-12
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ISBN-13: 9781595148032
LCCN: 2014029687
Imprint: Razorbill
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Pub Date: 04/28/2015
Availability: Available
List: $21.95
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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446 pages ; 24 cm
H 9.2",
W 6.25",
D 1.37",
1.4375 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Diverse Titles: Middle Eastern (Teen)
Brodart's For Youth Interest Titles
Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
Brodart's YA Reads for Adults
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Bibliographies:
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Florida Teens Read Award Book lists
New York Times Bestsellers List
New York Times Bestsellers: Children's Middle Grade and Young Adult Books
New York Times Bestsellers: Children's Series
Publishers Weekly Bestsellers
Senior High Core Collection, 20th ed.
Senior High Core Collection, 21st ed.
Senior High Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Texas Tayshas Reading List
Young Adult Fiction Core Collection, 4th ed.
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Awards:
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Best Fiction for Young Adults
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Publishers Weekly Starred Reviews
VOYA's 5P Picks
VOYA's Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
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Starred Reviews:
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Publishers Weekly
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TIPS Subjects:
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Fantasy
Romance
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Epic
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Romance
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Politics & Government
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LC Subjects:
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Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Love stories
Love, Fiction
Slaves, Fiction
Slaves, Juvenile fiction
Soldiers, Fiction
Soldiers, Juvenile fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Fantasy fiction
Love stories
Slaves, Fiction
Soldiers, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
5
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Points: 19.0
Lexile Level:
680
Reading Counts Level:
5.2
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Points: 28.0
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 04/01/2015 |
| Laia will stop at nothing to save her brother from a grisly fate when he is arrested for treason…even if it means disguising herself as a slave and infiltrating the rigid Martial Empire's military academy. When Laia befriends a young soldier named Elias, who harbors secret thoughts of desertion, the two find themselves fighting for their lives in a brutal contest to name the next Martial emperor. 464pp. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| Publishers Weekly | 02/02/2015 |
| Ages 14-up. As one of the conquered Scholar people, Laia has grown wary of the ruthless Masks that enforce the Martial empire's laws. But the lesson doesn't hit home until Masks imprison her brother for aiding the Scholar Resistance. Desperate to save him, Laia agrees to spy for the rebels as a slave in Blackcliff, the hellish school where Masks are trained. Her mission becomes all the more dangerous when the empire's prophetic Augurs announce that, for the first time in centuries, four newly graduated Masks will compete for the emperor's throne. One of these "Aspirants," Elias, had been on the verge of desertion before he was chosen, and he only stays to compete because of the Augurs' warning that he will never know freedom unless he undergoes the Trials. Tahir's deft, polished debut alternates between two very different perspectives on the same brutal world, deepening both in the contrast. In a tale brimming with political intrigue and haunted by supernatural forces, the true tension comes from watching Elias and Laia struggle to decide where their loyalties lie. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.). 464p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2015. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| BookPage | 05/20/2015 |
| The Martial Empire is an ancient, Rome-like civilization where the military rules with unwavering violence. Two heroic characters occupy the heart of this tale: Laia, a member of the oppressed Scholar class, and Elias, an elite soldier on the brim of desertion. Laia's parents died fighting for the Resistance, a now-fractured rebel group. After her grandparents are murdered and her brother is arrested, Laia seeks help from the Resistance, but their help comes with a price. If they are to save her brother from execution, Laia must pose as a slave to spy on the Commandant, the military academy's ruthless leader--but doing so puts Laia at risk for rape, disfigurement and death. Elias is the Commandant's son and one of the academy's best soldiers. Hours after graduation, Elias plans to escape the military--but he and his best friend are unwillingly entered into a competition to choose the Empire's next ruler. When Elias meets Laia, he's immediately attracted to the slave girl and puts his own life at risk to protect her. Elias dreams of freedom, and Laia wants to save the only family she has left, but together they will change the fate of an empire. Like Suzanne Collins with the Hunger Games series, debut author Sabaa Tahir doesn't write around the violence, which may be too extreme for some readers. The Commandant's cruelty has no limits, and children are often the targets. Laia and Elias' risky close calls will give readers heart palpitations. Be warned: An Ember in the Ashes ends on a cliffhanger, but with all the buzz surrounding this page-turning novel, including publication in more than 20 countries and snapped-up movie rights, a sequel is most likely in the works. Kimberly Giarratano. BookPage Yay! YA Web Exclusive Review. BOOKPAGE, c2015. |
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| Booklist | 01/01/2015 |
| Grades 9-12. Laia's adventures begin after her brother is taken captive by the reigning, warlike Martials, who have subjugated her people, the Scholars. In an attempt to save him, she enters into a dangerous agreement with the Resistance to spy on the fiendish commandant of the Martial's military academy. In the meantime, the commandant's son, Elias, the finest soldier at the academy, is undergoing a series of trials that will determine the next emperor of the Martial Empire, which loosely recalls the Roman Empire, though this one is no stranger to magic and the supernatural. Though born enemies, Laia's and Elias' lives will come together with unpredictable results that involve a love triangle of sorts. First-time novelist Tahir has written an ambitious sword-and-sand adventure story that is notable for its suspense and scope. There are flaws: the diction is sometimes not as fresh as it might be, and some incidents defy credulity, especially those propelling the ending, which, not surprisingly, is inconclusive enough to promise a sequel. Many readers drawn in by the action and romance will doubtless look forward to it.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With 19 international markets already sold, as well as an option to Paramount Pictures, this debut has already earned its upcoming author tour, multimedia ad campaign, and more. Cart, Michael. 464pg. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2015. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 06/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 9-12. Laia is a member of the conquered Scholars, who have lived under the rule of the oppressive Martial Empire for 500 years. Elias is on the winning side, close to graduating from a harsh program that produces Masks, creepy but powerful individuals who sport silver masks molded permanently to their faces, a fate he feels trapped by. The two stumble into each other because Laia, a slave in the household, is attempting to spy on the Commandant, Elias' mother. As things get more dangerous, the two will need each other as well as their networks of allies to survive. Though the romantic tension between the daughter of the Resistance and the son of a key figure in the oppressive regime is not terribly realistic, the author keeps it complex by providing much more politically and socially appropriate temptations (for Laia, a handsome resistance fighter who thinks for himself, and for Elias, a childhood friend, Helene, who is ambitious and adoring). Politically minded readers will spot the important point Tahir makes about the ways in which five hundred years of battles can leave both groups oppressed, wary, exhausted, and generally less than what they could be, though she doesn't shy away from the fact that life is still quite a bit better on the side of the conquerors, particularly for the citizens. Ultimately, this is a gripping fantasy, and readers seeking a lengthy novel into which to dive fully will appreciate the effective world-building, well-drawn characters, and nail-biting tension. AS. 464p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 3. This epic debut, set in a fantasy empire with nods to ancient Rome and Egypt, relates the intersecting struggles of Elias, an elite enforcer, and Laia, a Resistance spy. Nuanced, multileveled world-building provides a dynamic backdrop for an often brutal exploration of moral ambiguity and the power of empathy. A compelling emergent romance is only one reason among many to anticipate the sequel. cg. 446pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 01/15/2015 |
| A suddenly trendy trope--conflict and romance between members of conquering and enslaved races--enlivened by fantasy elements loosely drawn from Arabic tradition (another trend!). In an original, well-constructed fantasy world (barring some lazy naming), the Scholars have lived under Martial rule for 500 years, downtrodden and in many cases enslaved. Scholar Laia has spent a lifetime hiding her connection to the Resistance--her parents were its leaders--but when her grandparents are killed and her brother's captured by Masks, the eerie, silver-faced elite soldiers of the Martial Empire, Laia must go undercover as a slave to the terrifying Commandant of Blackcliff Military Academy, where Martials are trained for battle. Meanwhile, Elias, the Commandant's not-at-all-beloved son, wants to run away from Blackcliff, until he is named an Aspirant for the throne by the mysterious red-eyed Augurs. Predictably, action, intrigue, bloodshed and some pounding pulses follow; there's betrayal and a potential love triangle or two as well. Sometimes-lackluster prose and a slight overreliance on certain kinds of sexual violence as a threat only slightly diminish the appeal created by familiar (but not predictable) characters and a truly engaging if not fully fleshed-out fantasy world. Bound to be popular. (Fantasy. 13 & up). 464pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 01/01/2015 |
| Gr 9 Up. This strong debut novel is set in the Martial Empire, a fantasy world based on ancient Rome. Elias Veturius is the scion of a proud Martial military family and an outstanding soldier, but he dreams of escaping Blackcliff Academy, the elite military academy where he has nearly completed his training as a Mask, and his inevitable future as a ruthless killer. Elias and three fellow students will be facing the Trials, dangerous and rigorous challenges that will determine the next emperor. Laia is a Scholar, one of many oppressed groups living under the rule of the Martials. When nearly all of Laia's family is killed and her brother is arrested for having a sketchbook depicting Martial weapons, she goes to the Resistance in desperation. The rebel leaders plant her as a spy at Blackcliff Academy, where she must pose as the personal slave of the Commandant, promising that in return they will rescue her brother. Elias and Laia become romantically involved as they face treachery and political machinations. Tahir's world-building is wonderfully detailed and the setting is an unusual one for fantasy novels. All of her characters, even minor ones, are fully realized. In particular, the Commandant is a genuinely evil and frightening villain. The author doesn't pull any punches; her descriptions of torture, punishment, and battle are graphic and brutal, and her realistic depictions of the treatment of slaves include rape and physical abuse. For fans of Game of Thrones and of Melina Marchetta's Finnikin of the Rock (Candlewick, 2010). Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ. 464p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 08/01/2015 |
| 4Q 5P J S. Twice in this much-publicized first of a new dystopian series, augurs call a character an "ember in the ashes," destined to spark the regeneration of the Empire. Naturally, the two characters are from wildly opposite layers of society, and are also destined to meet in a pair of interlocking love triangles, with a plot resolution that sends them scurrying off in a tunnel towards volume two. Laia is an impoverished orphan desperate to rescue her brother Darin from execution for treason. To gain the help of the Resistance, she agrees to spy, posing as a house slave to an uncommonly brutal woman, Commandant of the Empire's military academy. The Commandant's estranged son, Elias, about to graduate first in his academy class, is secretly preparing to desert the military. Elias's and Laia's viewpoints alternate throughout. The augurs decree that Elias and three other graduating seniors must compete to be named the next Emperor and his assistant. The two losers will be executed. Readers may wince at the cruelty of the trials, which pose friend against friend, and require the competitors to kill others. The trials seem repetitive at times, and the heroics sometimes impossible. A fair amount of double crossing adds to the tension, but the ending is unexpectedly satisfying. The book has been heralded as a cross between The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but the similarity of survival contests and school setting does not pinpoint its flavor; it will develop its own fan base. With this promising beginning, the author now faces the challenge of sustaining its power in a sequel.--Katherine Noone. 464p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
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9781595148032,dl.it[0].title
| Review Citations |
| New York Times Book Review | 05/10/2015 |
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