An Ember in the Ashes – Sabaa Tahir (2015)
Sabaa Tahir’s explosive debut novel launches the Ember Quartet, a brutal yet hopeful fantasy set in the Martial Empire, a Rome-inspired world where oppression is law and rebellion simmers in the shadows. The story alternates between two protagonists:
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Laia, a Scholar slave girl who infiltrates the empire’s deadliest military academy, Blackcliff, to rescue her imprisoned brother, disguising herself as a servant to the merciless Commandant.
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Elias, a gifted but reluctant Blackcliff cadet destined to become the empire’s next Masked Emperor, who longs to escape his bloody legacy.
Their fates intertwine amid gladiatorial trials, ancient prophecies, and the seductive cruelty of the Augurs, godlike beings who manipulate lives like chess pieces. Tahir’s world pulses with Roman aesthetics, Middle Eastern influences, and unrelenting tension, exploring themes of resistance, moral compromise, and the cost of freedom.
“A spark of defiance in a world that drowns sparks in blood.”
A New York Times bestseller that redefined YA fantasy with its gray morality and high stakes. Followed by A Torch Against the Night (2016).
