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hurrikanekathrina's review against another edition
3.0
6 out of 10
Genre: High Fantasy, YA
Fav. Character: Helene
Least Fav. Character: Laia
" 'But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift-burning spark. You’re a torch against the night – if you dare to let yourself burn.' “
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Second Warning: Long review and RANT (if you love this book and don't want anyone ranting about it, don't read this review)
A Torch Against The Night picks up right were An Ember In The Ashes left off, with Elias and Laia on the run from the Empire, while order in the Empire starts to crumble under the new Emperor, Marcus the Snake, and the viscious Commander of Blackcliff. While Elias and Laia go on a quest to free Laia’s brother from prison, Helene, as new Blood Shrike, has no choice but to hunt them down, having to decide between the fate of her gens and that of her former best friend.
The synopsis sounds promising enough, the conflicts the characters have to face – especially Helene – are stuff that could make a great plot… and still, I struggled with giving this book even 4 stars (it lies somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me). While the plot is good and entertaining in most parts, the female lead character Laia and her never ending love triangles are so utterly bad, so horribly annoying, that it diminished my joy in reading this book. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are lots of annoying female leads in Young Adult books and there are lots of love triangles as well. I’ve never been a fan of either of those things (who is?), but most of the times, I could still enjoy a YA book for most of the time, despite containing those elements. In this book, however, I feel like these flaws stood out so much, that I just couldn’t ignore them and let the plot pull me through.
Laia . If you’ve read my review of the first book, you’ll already know that I’m not too big of a fan of this whiny, self-absorbed, useless girl, and were hugely annoyed by Tahir’s constant need to repeat just how utterly beautiful she is. If you agree with me and just couldn’t stand that in book one, I have to tell you, it doesn’t get better. What is it with Tahir’s need to constantly remind the reader of how gorgeous and stunning Laia is? Yes, we get it, she has hair like black silk, eyes like honey, and amazing curves, and – of course – doesn’t even know any of that (because god forbid a girl feels confident and pretty in her own skin, we all know only those that don’t know of their own attractiveness are beautiful), because she’s such a pure, innocent, magical snowflake. But just in case you’ve forgotten about her beauty at one point, do not fret, Tahir is right there to help you remember by throwing in a side-character, whose only purpose seems to be to talk to Laia or Elias about how beautiful Laia is.
“ ‘Tas worships you,’ Elias says with a grin. ‘I think he’s in love, actually.’ ”
“ ‘So a jinn is in love with me. I far prefer the ten-year-old.’ ”
“ ‘You should have seen him when he found out she’d left with you. […] All he could think about was getting to her.’ ”
“When I turn to Mamie Rila, she’s eyeing Laia and grinning. ‘Good hips,’ Mamie says. ‘You’ll have many children.’”
“ ’The spirits,’ I say quietly. ‘They don’t like it?’
‘Not in the least. Jealous, probably.’ ” Yes, even lost souls are so attracted to Laia that they are jealous when anyone else makes out with her. God, seriously?
And if a side-character doesn’t serve the purpose of repeating how beautiful and desirable Laia is, then they’re probably busy trying to convince the reader that Elias and Laia are made for each other.
Which brings me to my next fly in the ointment.
The romance (between Elias and Laia).
Ah the romance, so poorly build-up, so forced, so utterly annoying it had me put the book down on multiple occasions because I just. Couldn’t. Stand. It.
So in An Ember In The Ashes we experience this amazing and strong relationship between Elias and Helene, their powerful friendship that is suddenly not as it used to be, because both seem to have developed feelings for the other. In Helene’s case, it’s clearly love, in Elias’s case, maybe not more than lust, but the reader slowly witnesses as their relationship becomes more and more difficult because of all those feelings. And still, their friendship remains strong, because they’ve been best friends since years and it was pure joy to read of a relationship between two characters that seemed so well-executed and different from the usual YA insta-love. That was, of course, until Laia came along. Without any real interaction, Elias immediately falls in insta-love (or –lust) with her upon first seeing her, going so much as forgetting his own name, because she’s so beautiful and constantly worrying about what could happen to this magical, delicate snowflake in a horrible place like Blackcliff. Despite the fact that he’s been there fore over a decade and there are dozens of female slaves that suffer the same fate as Laia. But hey, she’s so much more beautiful than them, so it’s fine to only worry about her, right?
Of course, she notices him right away as well, because, well, they’re the main characters, so it’s only natural for them to contantly think about each other without so much as speaking to each other? The only time that they actually properly converse in book one, is in the scene where Laia is sent to Elias’s room, and then they already make-out.
And yet again, in A Torch Against The Night Tahir tries so desperately to sell the reader that there is a bond of long friendship and trust between these two characters, and that their fates are interwined in a way that makes clear for any bystander, that Laia and Elias are each other’s counterparts , that they are meant for each other.
Apart from the utterly annoying fact that in neither Elias’s nor Laia’s POV it seems to be possible to just describe the other in a neutral, informative way (it’s never his shoulders are tense but always his broad, muscular, manly shoulders are tense ), the only feelings the reader witnesses these two characters experiencing for the other is lust. Yes, we get it, Elias can’t stop thinking about running his hands along some part of Laia’s anatomy, and Laia can’t stop thinking about his strong arms encircling her, but that’s pretty much it for the romantic aspect of their relationship. And yet, we get dozens of scenes where both characters muse about how they can only trust the other with their most intimate fears, or can only tell the other a special secret, because there’s no one else that they feel bonded to quite as strongly. What scene, what action of either of them elicited this feeling? When, exactly, did this utterly unbreakable bond of trust and love develop between them? I tell you when, never. Tahir just puts it down in the book and hopes that the readers will swallow it.
I cannot put into words how poorly build-up and developed the relationship between Elias and Laia is, and still Tahir expects us to just buy that their each other’s one true luv . A future note for all authors: If you can’t express a relationship or personality through the actions or thoughts of the characters, or through story development, then bombarding us with cheesy quotes and side-characters that try to repeat the point you’re getting across is not goin to work .
And what the hell was this quote:
“Laia is curled in a ball on the other, one hand on her armlet, fast asleep. ‘You are my temple,’ I murmur as I kneel beside her. ‘You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release.’ “
Just… what? I know it’s his family motto altered, but still. Are you kidding me, Tahir? All I’ve ever read Elias feel toward Laia is lust. There is no interaction between them that justifies such an over-the-top, melodramatic decleration of love. Hell, I’ve read trilogies with characters constantly bonding and developing a relationship and they still wouldn’t make such speeches to each other.
So, as you can see, Laia and her romance(s) where a big part of the book, and a big reason why I just couldn’t get into the story. The only character that I really liked (and that granted this book at least two of the three stars) was Helene. I still just want Elias to wake up and see that the bond he shares with her is much stronger than whatever he’s having with Laia, but after this book, I realized that that’s just not going to happen, so I just hope Helene finds someone who acknowledges how awesome she is (Avitas maybe?)
The third star, this book got because of the plot, which wasn’t outstanding but good enough, although I do stick by it that this story could’ve been pulled off in two instead of three books (wasn’t it supposed to be a duology at first?)
Genre: High Fantasy, YA
Fav. Character: Helene
Least Fav. Character: Laia
" 'But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift-burning spark. You’re a torch against the night – if you dare to let yourself burn.' “
Warning: Spoilers ahead
Second Warning: Long review and RANT (if you love this book and don't want anyone ranting about it, don't read this review)
A Torch Against The Night picks up right were An Ember In The Ashes left off, with Elias and Laia on the run from the Empire, while order in the Empire starts to crumble under the new Emperor, Marcus the Snake, and the viscious Commander of Blackcliff. While Elias and Laia go on a quest to free Laia’s brother from prison, Helene, as new Blood Shrike, has no choice but to hunt them down, having to decide between the fate of her gens and that of her former best friend.
The synopsis sounds promising enough, the conflicts the characters have to face – especially Helene – are stuff that could make a great plot… and still, I struggled with giving this book even 4 stars (it lies somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me). While the plot is good and entertaining in most parts, the female lead character Laia and her never ending love triangles are so utterly bad, so horribly annoying, that it diminished my joy in reading this book. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are lots of annoying female leads in Young Adult books and there are lots of love triangles as well. I’ve never been a fan of either of those things (who is?), but most of the times, I could still enjoy a YA book for most of the time, despite containing those elements. In this book, however, I feel like these flaws stood out so much, that I just couldn’t ignore them and let the plot pull me through.
Laia . If you’ve read my review of the first book, you’ll already know that I’m not too big of a fan of this whiny, self-absorbed, useless girl, and were hugely annoyed by Tahir’s constant need to repeat just how utterly beautiful she is. If you agree with me and just couldn’t stand that in book one, I have to tell you, it doesn’t get better. What is it with Tahir’s need to constantly remind the reader of how gorgeous and stunning Laia is? Yes, we get it, she has hair like black silk, eyes like honey, and amazing curves, and – of course – doesn’t even know any of that (because god forbid a girl feels confident and pretty in her own skin, we all know only those that don’t know of their own attractiveness are beautiful), because she’s such a pure, innocent, magical snowflake. But just in case you’ve forgotten about her beauty at one point, do not fret, Tahir is right there to help you remember by throwing in a side-character, whose only purpose seems to be to talk to Laia or Elias about how beautiful Laia is.
“ ‘Tas worships you,’ Elias says with a grin. ‘I think he’s in love, actually.’ ”
“ ‘So a jinn is in love with me. I far prefer the ten-year-old.’ ”
“ ‘You should have seen him when he found out she’d left with you. […] All he could think about was getting to her.’ ”
“When I turn to Mamie Rila, she’s eyeing Laia and grinning. ‘Good hips,’ Mamie says. ‘You’ll have many children.’”
“ ’The spirits,’ I say quietly. ‘They don’t like it?’
‘Not in the least. Jealous, probably.’ ” Yes, even lost souls are so attracted to Laia that they are jealous when anyone else makes out with her. God, seriously?
And if a side-character doesn’t serve the purpose of repeating how beautiful and desirable Laia is, then they’re probably busy trying to convince the reader that Elias and Laia are made for each other.
Which brings me to my next fly in the ointment.
The romance (between Elias and Laia).
Ah the romance, so poorly build-up, so forced, so utterly annoying it had me put the book down on multiple occasions because I just. Couldn’t. Stand. It.
So in An Ember In The Ashes we experience this amazing and strong relationship between Elias and Helene, their powerful friendship that is suddenly not as it used to be, because both seem to have developed feelings for the other. In Helene’s case, it’s clearly love, in Elias’s case, maybe not more than lust, but the reader slowly witnesses as their relationship becomes more and more difficult because of all those feelings. And still, their friendship remains strong, because they’ve been best friends since years and it was pure joy to read of a relationship between two characters that seemed so well-executed and different from the usual YA insta-love. That was, of course, until Laia came along. Without any real interaction, Elias immediately falls in insta-love (or –lust) with her upon first seeing her, going so much as forgetting his own name, because she’s so beautiful and constantly worrying about what could happen to this magical, delicate snowflake in a horrible place like Blackcliff. Despite the fact that he’s been there fore over a decade and there are dozens of female slaves that suffer the same fate as Laia. But hey, she’s so much more beautiful than them, so it’s fine to only worry about her, right?
Of course, she notices him right away as well, because, well, they’re the main characters, so it’s only natural for them to contantly think about each other without so much as speaking to each other? The only time that they actually properly converse in book one, is in the scene where Laia is sent to Elias’s room, and then they already make-out.
And yet again, in A Torch Against The Night Tahir tries so desperately to sell the reader that there is a bond of long friendship and trust between these two characters, and that their fates are interwined in a way that makes clear for any bystander, that Laia and Elias are each other’s counterparts , that they are meant for each other.
Apart from the utterly annoying fact that in neither Elias’s nor Laia’s POV it seems to be possible to just describe the other in a neutral, informative way (it’s never his shoulders are tense but always his broad, muscular, manly shoulders are tense ), the only feelings the reader witnesses these two characters experiencing for the other is lust. Yes, we get it, Elias can’t stop thinking about running his hands along some part of Laia’s anatomy, and Laia can’t stop thinking about his strong arms encircling her, but that’s pretty much it for the romantic aspect of their relationship. And yet, we get dozens of scenes where both characters muse about how they can only trust the other with their most intimate fears, or can only tell the other a special secret, because there’s no one else that they feel bonded to quite as strongly. What scene, what action of either of them elicited this feeling? When, exactly, did this utterly unbreakable bond of trust and love develop between them? I tell you when, never. Tahir just puts it down in the book and hopes that the readers will swallow it.
I cannot put into words how poorly build-up and developed the relationship between Elias and Laia is, and still Tahir expects us to just buy that their each other’s one true luv . A future note for all authors: If you can’t express a relationship or personality through the actions or thoughts of the characters, or through story development, then bombarding us with cheesy quotes and side-characters that try to repeat the point you’re getting across is not goin to work .
And what the hell was this quote:
“Laia is curled in a ball on the other, one hand on her armlet, fast asleep. ‘You are my temple,’ I murmur as I kneel beside her. ‘You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release.’ “
Just… what? I know it’s his family motto altered, but still. Are you kidding me, Tahir? All I’ve ever read Elias feel toward Laia is lust. There is no interaction between them that justifies such an over-the-top, melodramatic decleration of love. Hell, I’ve read trilogies with characters constantly bonding and developing a relationship and they still wouldn’t make such speeches to each other.
So, as you can see, Laia and her romance(s) where a big part of the book, and a big reason why I just couldn’t get into the story. The only character that I really liked (and that granted this book at least two of the three stars) was Helene. I still just want Elias to wake up and see that the bond he shares with her is much stronger than whatever he’s having with Laia, but after this book, I realized that that’s just not going to happen, so I just hope Helene finds someone who acknowledges how awesome she is (Avitas maybe?)
The third star, this book got because of the plot, which wasn’t outstanding but good enough, although I do stick by it that this story could’ve been pulled off in two instead of three books (wasn’t it supposed to be a duology at first?)
marisa27's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
broenyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my gooooood?? This series is only getting better. The things that these characters have to go through rip through to my soul. I was aghast by the end of the book. There's two more books! What more can happen??? 🫣
Just an absolutely phenomenal book. Can't wait to be ripped to shreds again.
Just an absolutely phenomenal book. Can't wait to be ripped to shreds again.
juliaanne101's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
roorooreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Just as good the second time around, just as heart breaking
my_bookedshelf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lcunha72's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
darienb's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book even more than the first one! The changing POVs kept me on the edge of my seat, love a trial/competition in a fantasy book and slow burn/enemies to lovers is the best trope of all time. I liked the incorporation of Helene’s POV, I feel like it added another side to everything going on and I liked the development of her character and decipher the Augurs message. The ending of this was also so insane but i’m glad they had somewhat of a happy ending but I do fear what will come next.
beachblondie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75