Goodreads Monday: An Ember in the Ashes

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where we randomly select a book from our Goodreads To Be Read list and share it with the world. It’s hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners, so be sure to link back to her site so that we can all see what everyone plans to read!

An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet #1)
by Sabaa Tahir
Fantasy
446 pages
First published in February 2016

From Goodreads: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

I’ve seen rave reviews for this book, and I’ve seen other reviews where the writers loathed it. But I’m interested in ancient Rome, so I’m willing to give this one a shot sometime.

4 thoughts on “Goodreads Monday: An Ember in the Ashes”

Oh this in on my list! I think I may have a copy here somewhere. Not sure I have time right now as I pushed one buddy read out to July, but if you have nit read it after then, maybe we can tackle it!