An Ember in the Ashes

I. LAIA
My big brother reaches home in the dark hours before dawn, when even ghosts take their rest. He smells of steel and coal and forge. He smells of the enemy.
He folds his scarecrow body through the window, bare feet silent on the rushes. A hot desert wind blows in after him, rustling the limp curtains. His sketchbook falls to the floor, and he nudges it under his bunk with a quick foot, as if it s a snake.
Where have you been, Darin? In my head, I have the courage to ask the question, and Darin trusts me enough to answer. Why do you keep disappearing? Why, when Pop and Nan need you? When I need you?
Every night for almost two years, I ve wanted to ask. Every night, I ve lacked the courage. I have one sibling left. I don t want him to shut me out like he has everyone else.
But tonight s different. I know what s in his sketchbook. I know what it means.
You shouldn t be awake. Darin s whisper jolts me from my thoughts. He has a cat s sense for traps he got it from our mother. I sit up on the bunk as he lights the lamp. No use pretending to be asleep.
It s past curfew, and three patrols have gone by. I was worried.
I can avoid the soldiers, Laia. Lots of practice. He rests his chin on my bunk and smiles Mother s sweet, crooked smile. A familiar look the one he gives me if I wake from a nightmare or we run out of grain. Everything will be fine, the look says.
He picks up the book on my bed. Gather in the Night, he reads the title. Spooky. What s it about?
I just started it. It s about a jinn I stop. Clever. Very clever. He likes hearing stories as much as I like telling them. Forget that. Where were you? Pop had a dozen patients this morning.
And I filled in for you because he can t do so much alone. Which left Nan to bottle the trader s jams by herself. Except she didn t finish. Now the trader won t pay us, and we ll starve this winter, and why in the skies don t you care?
I say these things in my head. The smile s already dropped off

Sabaa Tahir

Named one of the best books of the year by:
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The New York Public Library
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Hypable

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This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear. The Washington Post

[An Ember in the Ashes] thrusts its readers into a world marred by violence and oppression, yet does so with simple prose that can offer moments of loveliness in its clarity. This complexity makes Ember a worthy novel and one as brave as its characters. The New York Times Book Review

Sabaa Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy. Us Weekly

An Ember in the Ashes mixes The Hunger Games with Game of Thrones...and adds a dash of Romeo and Juliet.   The Hollywood Reporter

Blew me away...This book is dark, complex, vivid, and romantic expect to be completely transported.   MTV.com

Fast-paced, well-structured and full of twists and turns, An Ember in the Ashes is an evocative debut that has left me invested in knowing what happens next. NPR
 
Once you get caught up in the story, it s addictive, and there s no way you can put it down before you figure out what happens to the characters you have fallen for over the course of the 400 some-odd pages. So I didn t. Bustle 
 
One thing I can say for sure: this is a page-turner. There comes a moment when it's impossible to put it down. Sabaa Tahir is a strong writer, but most of all, she's a great storyteller. The Huffington Post

This epic fantasy set in the Martial Empire has it all: danger and violence, secrets and lies, strong characters and forbidden romance and a touch of the