An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet, #1)

by Sabaa Tahir

[Beth C.]

Laia - Her parents were instrumental in the Resistance against the Martials, until they were killed. She and her brother now live with their grandparents...until the day they too are killed, and her brother taken prisoner. With no one else to turn to, Laia tries to find the resistance to help - and ends up a slave to the bloodthirsty Commandant at the most feared military academy in the Empire. As she concentrates on staying alive, unknowingly becomes a catalyst in helping one unwilling soldier, Elias, decide to take a stand.

Ember is told from the alternating viewpoints of both Laia and Elias, and it's done very well. Both characters are well-written and realistic. Laia doesn't just suddenly become a ninja and destroy what she hates, and Elias continues to battle his own demons - but along the way, they learn who they are and grow as characters, just as a real person would. Even those in the book who are less-than-pleasant are not written as one-dimensional "bad" characters, but have their own human impulses and reasonings for what they do.

Tahir has written an excellent novel, and I'm guessing (hoping?) that it is the first in a series. I couldn't find anything to verify that, but it's perfectly plausible. This is the first novel in quite some time that I read within a couple of days, staying up far too late both nights in order to do so. I look forward to reading more from this new author, and particularly if it carries me further into the land and the people that make up "An Ember in the Ashes".