‘Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy’ Us Weekly
Read the explosive New York Times bestselling debut that’s captivated readers worldwide. Set to be a major motion picture, An Ember in the Ashes is the book everyone is talking about.
What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?
For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.
For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands of Scholars, all in the name of power.
When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.
But once Laia and Elias meet, they find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire.
In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.
‘Game of Thrones fans will relish Tahir’s debut set in a brutal Rome-inspired empire. It follows Laia, a slave and Elias, a young soldier, whose lives are unexpectedly intertwined in this story of freedom, loyalty and love’ Independent
‘The writing is as smooth as silk and keeps one reading long after the lights should have been out’ Robin Hobb
‘With AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, Sabaa Tahir shows us light in darkness, hope in a world of despair, and the human spirit reaching for greatness in difficult times.’
Brandon Sanderson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘I fell in love with Laia and Elias from the moment we met. This is a story you'll read with your heart in your throat’ Lauren DeStefano, New York Times bestselling author
‘A heart-pounding story of love and loss, with the most original world-building I’ve read all year. Deeply felt and deeply moving, I could not put it down’ Margaret Stohl, New York Times bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
‘This electric debut is a pulse-pounding, action-packed Romeo and Juliet story in a richly imagined world with a great twist and heroic characters you’ll root for and won’t stop thinking about’ Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times bestselling author of FROZEN and THE RING AND THE CROWN
‘AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is a spectacular page turner that asks readers to consider how far they’d go to save the ones they love. Sabaa Tahir is the next superstar in young adult fiction and her debut is as cinematic as Gladiator and as high-stakes as Game of Thrones’ Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of COUNTING BY 7S and I’LL BE THERE
‘Blew me away...This book is dark, complex, vivid, and romantic―expect to be completely transported’ MTV.com
