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 nannah on

3 of 5 stars

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(3.5)

This is a hard book to review. There's so much happening that the plot doesn't really come together until it's time for it to resolve. And I mean . . . once it came together, I loved it. But it all just took way too long. And along the way, it was just misery on top of misery on top of misery.

After the first book, Laia and Elias are escaping Serra and the Commandant. They need to break into one of the worst prisons of the Empire to free Laia's brother, who may have the secrets the Scholars (people like Laia and her brother) need to fight back against the elite determined to wipe them out.

That's just brushing the surface, though. There's also jinn, Tribal wars, lots of inner political battles, ghosts, etc. While these add depth to the universe, they also complicate the plot, and too much of it can really bog the plot down. Sometimes it got to the point where I wasn't sure what the main plot really was anymore? Not that it wasn't entertaining! I just . . . began to get a little lost.

There was also the matter of the love triangle . . . (s). Love triangle on top of another. Exhausting! Laia loves Elias, but Laia also loves Keenan, and they both love her, but Helene also loves Elias?? The drama!! Along with everything else going on, this just seemed to push things over the edge. I just didn't have any patience for the love drama. I read a post somewhere that fits my reading experience perfectly: "Why do writers think folks want unnecessary drama involved in their couples? I don’t want drama. I want them to conquer exterior drama together while communicating well.".

Anyway, I never didn't enjoy the book. I just wished it was put together in a more cohesive way.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 May, 2017: Finished reading
  • 5 May, 2017: Reviewed