A Torch Against the Night: 2 (Ember in the Ashes)

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Not even his fate at the end of this book could surprise or thrill me, probably because it felt like a random choice.

If you love compelling characters, horrendous villains, fascinating history and devastating fantasy worlds then this is absolutely the series for you though.While I think An Ember in the Ashes is the stronger novel overall, A Torch Against the Night was still a fantastic follow up.

As the characters had already been introduced, the story was able to get going quite quickly, and I adored their interactions with each other.Laia is determined to break into Kauf – the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison – to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. A thrilling sequel to an incredibly riveting series, A Torch Against The Night is ultimately a story about strength in the face of unknown danger, compassion in the face of violence, and it explores themes of slavery, racism, and colonialism through the experiences of incredibly well-developed characters. There was a very intriguing individual introduced known as The Soul Collector whose story was fascinating to slowly uncover.

Besides, you know I always mention them, and I don't do it only because we discuss the book together: it's because they know what it means to review a book and analyze it with humor and intellectual honesty. They will have to fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene-Elias's former friend and the Empire's newest Blood Shrike. My only disappointment is that the second book focused so much on the character development of Helene, Elias, and Laia, that we could not learn enough about the villain’s backstories. Moreover, introduction of more intriguing characters like Mamie (you define strength), the Warden (hate him with all my book collection), Tas (boy, my precious, I want to adopt you so bad!The book picks up right there, moments after Elias and Laia escape, and from the very first page, the story is fast-paced, intense, and heartwrenching at the same time. Elias - Okay, well, I'm sure you have a good reason for risking both our lives (and countless others) for this mission right? There's no backstory to make their actions believable, aside from petty hatred towards the main characters.

but whatever - it's a minor quibble that irritated me when i was reading it, but when i think back on all the stuff that happened in this book, my irritation is totally squashed by my much stronger feelings of having read something fun and dark and fierce.It’s quite different to the first instalment of this series with the action taking place away from Blackcliff Academy where most of the first book takes place. This is also allowed a further understanding of her feelings towards Elias, which was much appreciated.