A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet, #2)

by Sabaa Tahir

‘Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy’ – Us Weekly

The sequel to the explosive New York Times bestselling debut An Ember in the Ashes, that’s captivated readers worldwide.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt Elias and Laia as they flee the city of Serra.

Laia and Elias are determined to break into the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison to save Laia’s brother, even if for Elias it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

They will have to fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene — Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own — one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape . . . and kill them both.

Reviewed by alindstadtcorbeax on

5 of 5 stars

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Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

Whew this installment most definitely UPPED THE ANTE at every turn! I loved the first book but this was seriously just mind blowing! Consider me invested, entertained, & a *liiiiitttttle* (a lot, naturally) OBSESSED AF.

I love how far on her journey to becoming a TOTAL badass Laia is! My girrrllllllll! At the beginning of book one, she was really kind of inherently unlikable because her inner dialogue was running on a constant negative feedback loop that became somewhat arduous & utterly exhausting. NOT ANYMORE, MY FRIENDS! She’s an actually incredible person, & instead of feeling sorry for herself, will stop at nothing to help others. Plus, shes just plain cool AF. When, exactly, that happened, I am not even sure. BUT the fact remains that she is amazing!

I also effing LOVE Helena, now. I really do. Everyone is changing for the better!

So many things I loved about this book, but RTC! Because On to Reaper At The Gates!
*squeeeeee take 3!*

(Interestingly enough, there were a lot of aspects of this that brought the Poison Study books to mind, which is an added bonus because those are incredible!)

Also, though, I have to say the two things that brought this down .5 a star:

• HOLY HELL, I cannot stand love, erm, quadrilaterals? (Not a triangle, and pretty much involves 4 main people, so...) I REALLY hated how the most “involved” in a way didn’t even seem authentic to me. They made me feel NADA.

• WILL LAIA & ELIAS EVER CATCH A BREAK?!? Aagghhhh! I feel like there should be SOME reprieve longer than a brief, BRIEF moment. I love slow burn but this is like... RIDICULOUSLY frustrating, because these reasons don’t even seem like ones that should actually keep them apart?

*mild keyboard smash*

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 June, 2020: Finished reading
  • 21 June, 2020: Reviewed