“An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir – Dethroning Tyranny

Family and freedom: if there were ever more righteous causes to raise arms and fight against some enemy, we certainly haven't heard of them.

The desire to protect those we love and having the freedom to choose as we desire are very important motivators, ones that worked when it came time for citizens to rebel against their tyrants and to fearlessly charge against fate and its overwhelming odds.

This is what we've been fighting for in both reality and fiction, as is precisely the case in Sabaa Tahir's first novel, An Ember in the Ashes.

Set in a fantasy world largely based on ancient Rome and its empire, the book follows two main characters: Laia, a slave, and Elias, a soldier. Needless to say, both are made to serve the Empire, and they do for fear of meeting their end.

However, Laia's older brother is one day accused of treason, and the only thing she can do to save him is join a group of rebels who will help her spy on the Empire from its elite military academy.

Once there, she makes the acquaintance of Elias, the Empire's most promising warrior... and also it's most disgruntled one. Both seeking to dethrone the tyranny that has taken hold of their lives and countless others, they embark on a very dangerous mission, that of changing the fate of the Empire.

To begin with, the world created by Tahir is familiar, but at the same time different enough that we feel like we need to explore it. She does a good job at making us feel the oppressive atmosphere of a world basically ruled by martial law, where the iron fist of the Empire shuns knowledge, imprisoning scholars and burning the knowledge they've acquired. It is a world rich in various details, but one that isn't overly complicated in its mechanisms, hierarchies or structures.

As far as the characters are concerned, I found that their development went beyond what we would usually expect from a young adult fiction novel. We become privy to their personal, moral struggles, ones that take them to rather mature conclusions sometimes.

Their relations with each other do seem a bit simplistic, but in the end even they are diverse and realistic enough that they add to the story rather than taking anything away.

For instance, where you'd expect to find a cookie-cutter romance is a nuanced relationship mixing together feelings of friendship and romance, opposed by feelings of duty for the greater good, whatever it may be.

When it comes to the story itself, I'll admit that it is very captivating; it's the kind of book where you can end up reading two hundred pages without noticing it. Things move along at a quick enough pace and there is always a sense of danger and urgency, as if something was eternally lurking around the corner and waiting to pounce on our unaware heroes.

The way things develop can indeed by predictable at times, but that only comes with the territory, not to mention that the quality of the writing as well as some of the twists and turns more than make up for that.

In conclusion, An Ember in the Ashes is a fantastic first novel, one that will cater to anyone who enjoys young adult fiction set in an archaic and technologically-impaired world, where the heroes rebel against a far more powerful entity than themselves.

There are even many questions left unanswered, so with a bit of luck the author will change her mind on this being a standalone effort and drop a sequel.

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Sabaa Tahir Personal site Sabaa Tahir is an Indian-born writer who grew up in the Mojave desert and spent five years working at The Washington Post before setting off to write her first book. When it was released, An Ember in the Ashes earned her an enormous amount of accolades.