A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir
Sep. 4th, 2016 11:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
A Torch Against The Night takes readers into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.
In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire’s twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself – a mission that might destroy her, instead.
It’s right after AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. Laia and Elias are fleeing the events in Blackcliff Academy and plan to get to the notorious Kauf Prison and free Laia’s brother, Darin. But with the entire Martial Empire looking for them and the Commandant keen on revenge against her son, their journey won’t be easy. Elias needs the help of his adoptive mother, Mama Rila, and must call in the favour granted to him by Zaldera Afya, but the odds are against them – not least because Elias is keeping a secret from Laia, a secret that risks everything they’re working for.
Meanwhile Helene Aquilla is adjusting to her new role as Blood Shrike to the emperor Marcus but her position is precarious – Marcus and the Commandant both suspect her of helping Laia and Elias to escape. To prove her loyalty, Marcus requires her to find Elias and bring him back for public torture and execution, and to ensure it he assigns Lieutenant Avitas Harper to accompany her and report on her progress. As Helene struggles to fulfil her mission, she finds herself questioning her old loyalties to the Empire even as she’s forced to navigate the politics of Marcus’s new regime …
Sabaa Tahir’s YA fantasy sequel expands upon the world of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and develops the central characters of Laia, Elias and Helene but the pace meanders in places and one of the key twists is more obvious than it should be. The best bits of the book are those told from Helene’s point of view and I found her journey the more interesting as she’s forced to confront her loyalty to the Empire and whether it’s really a force for good. The political scenes (particularly those involving her family) are well executed and while the Roman influences are obvious, Tahir deftly weaves them into her world building. For me the Laia/Elias road trip was less interesting and really dragged the pace at points and while I enjoyed the return of Izzi and Keenan, the love triangle element bored me. Some of the twists in the story are more obvious than others – particularly a key one towards the end, which I saw coming from AN EMBER IN THE ASHES – but there are some intriguing developments in the back story and a lot of potential for book 3, which I will definitely be checking out.
The Verdict:
Sabaa Tahir’s YA fantasy sequel expands upon the world of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and develops the central characters of Laia, Elias and Helene but the pace meanders in places and one of the key twists is more obvious than it should be. The best bits of the book are those told from Helene’s point of view and I found her journey the more interesting as she’s forced to confront her loyalty to the Empire and whether it’s really a force for good. The political scenes (particularly those involving her family) are well executed and while the Roman influences are obvious, Tahir deftly weaves them into her world building. For me the Laia/Elias road trip was less interesting and really dragged the pace at points and while I enjoyed the return of Izzi and Keenan, the love triangle element bored me. Some of the twists in the story are more obvious than others – particularly a key one towards the end, which I saw coming from AN EMBER IN THE ASHES – but there are some intriguing developments in the back story and a lot of potential for book 3, which I will definitely be checking out.
A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT will be released in the United Kingdom on 8th September 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
A Torch Against The Night takes readers into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.
In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire’s twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself – a mission that might destroy her, instead.
It’s right after AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. Laia and Elias are fleeing the events in Blackcliff Academy and plan to get to the notorious Kauf Prison and free Laia’s brother, Darin. But with the entire Martial Empire looking for them and the Commandant keen on revenge against her son, their journey won’t be easy. Elias needs the help of his adoptive mother, Mama Rila, and must call in the favour granted to him by Zaldera Afya, but the odds are against them – not least because Elias is keeping a secret from Laia, a secret that risks everything they’re working for.
Meanwhile Helene Aquilla is adjusting to her new role as Blood Shrike to the emperor Marcus but her position is precarious – Marcus and the Commandant both suspect her of helping Laia and Elias to escape. To prove her loyalty, Marcus requires her to find Elias and bring him back for public torture and execution, and to ensure it he assigns Lieutenant Avitas Harper to accompany her and report on her progress. As Helene struggles to fulfil her mission, she finds herself questioning her old loyalties to the Empire even as she’s forced to navigate the politics of Marcus’s new regime …
Sabaa Tahir’s YA fantasy sequel expands upon the world of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and develops the central characters of Laia, Elias and Helene but the pace meanders in places and one of the key twists is more obvious than it should be. The best bits of the book are those told from Helene’s point of view and I found her journey the more interesting as she’s forced to confront her loyalty to the Empire and whether it’s really a force for good. The political scenes (particularly those involving her family) are well executed and while the Roman influences are obvious, Tahir deftly weaves them into her world building. For me the Laia/Elias road trip was less interesting and really dragged the pace at points and while I enjoyed the return of Izzi and Keenan, the love triangle element bored me. Some of the twists in the story are more obvious than others – particularly a key one towards the end, which I saw coming from AN EMBER IN THE ASHES – but there are some intriguing developments in the back story and a lot of potential for book 3, which I will definitely be checking out.
The Verdict:
Sabaa Tahir’s YA fantasy sequel expands upon the world of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and develops the central characters of Laia, Elias and Helene but the pace meanders in places and one of the key twists is more obvious than it should be. The best bits of the book are those told from Helene’s point of view and I found her journey the more interesting as she’s forced to confront her loyalty to the Empire and whether it’s really a force for good. The political scenes (particularly those involving her family) are well executed and while the Roman influences are obvious, Tahir deftly weaves them into her world building. For me the Laia/Elias road trip was less interesting and really dragged the pace at points and while I enjoyed the return of Izzi and Keenan, the love triangle element bored me. Some of the twists in the story are more obvious than others – particularly a key one towards the end, which I saw coming from AN EMBER IN THE ASHES – but there are some intriguing developments in the back story and a lot of potential for book 3, which I will definitely be checking out.
A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT will be released in the United Kingdom on 8th September 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
