An Ember in the Ashes
Set in a Rome-inspired fantasy world, this novel follows Laia, a Scholar living under the brutal Martial Empire, and Elias, the empire's finest soldier who wants to be free. When Laia's brother is arrested for treason, she agrees to spy for the resistance in exchange for help rescuing him, going undercover at Blackcliff Military Academy.
Where An Ember in the Ashes keeps showing up
Ten of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Books in conversation with An Ember in the Ashes
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about An Ember in the Ashes
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
To save her brother from execution, a Scholar girl agrees to spy inside the Empire's most elite military academy. There she meets Elias, the academy's top cadet, who wants no part of his future.
Sabaa Tahir wrote four books in the series: An Ember in the Ashes, A Torch Against the Night, A Reaper at the Gates, and A Sky Beyond the Storm. The quartet is complete.
An Ember in the Ashes is YA fantasy with romance but no explicit content. Most readers rate the spice level 1 out of 5. The romantic tension and stakes intensify across later books while staying within YA bounds.
An Ember in the Ashes is YA fantasy with romance but no explicit content. Most readers rate the spice level 1 out of 5. The romantic tension and stakes intensify across later books while staying within YA bounds.
An Ember in the Ashes was written by Sabaa Tahir, published in 2015 by Razorbill.
An Ember in the Ashes is 464 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, An Ember in the Ashes takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
An Ember in the Ashes is a standalone novel by Sabaa Tahir, not part of a series.
An Ember in the Ashes is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
