Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes Is the Next Must-Read YA Fantasy

Two embers, smoldering separately, find a common flame in Sabaa Tahir’s debut, An Ember in the Ashes, and in doing so they lay the groundwork for YA’s next gigantic fantasy world. Tahir has created a brutal, fully fleshed, Roman-inspired empire and filled it to the brim with characters as relatable as any young wizard in Harry Potter and as sympathetic as any Hunger Games tribute.
The story flows from two perspectives: Elias, a Martial soldier in training, and Laia, a subjugated Scholar orphan. The Martial Empire, in which brute strength is the only true power, rules with an iron fist, seeking to crush or enslave Scholars at every turn. The Scholars, though, aren’t dead yet: the Resistance movement lives on, with an agenda and ambitions of its own.
When we first meet Laia, she’s a shaken teenager, unsure of herself and fearful for her safety that of her family. Her brother, Darin, has been trailed home by Martial forces, who have accused him of spying for the Scholar Resistance. The confrontation between the Martial Masks, elite warriors whose gleaming masks meld to their faces, and Laia, Darin, and their grandparents ends swiftly and painfully: the elder generation is killed, Darin is taken prisoner, and Laia escapes.
Racked with guilt, she sets out on a quest to save Darin. In doing so, she will cross paths with the Resistance, with whom she shares a long-hidden connection. Her mission—to embed as a slave and spy in a treacherous Martial academy—puts her in the sphere of Elias, whose struggle with his own identity as a Mask has him thinking dangerously treasonous thoughts.
Lest you peg this as a simple star-crossed love story, know that things are more complex. If anything, this is a quadruple Romeo-and-Juliet situation, populated with young people devoid of paths to escape their respective struggles but frothing with those kind of feelings. The fire between Elias and Laia burns brightly, but so does the romantic friendship between Elias and his longtime confidant and fellow warrior, and the wary kindling between Laia and her red-haired rebel handler.
There is love and lust, but this isn’t a story about either. This is a story about choices, particularly in relation to identity, loyalty, and courage. Because of its engagement with those universal themes alone, Ember would have been an engaging novel. But with the added thrill factor of the Trials—a deadly selection process meant to divine the new Emperor, in which Elias is forced to take part—and you’ve got yourself the next supernova YA hit.
On top of all that, the ending leaves itself open to a good old-fashioned quest sequel (pretty please!). If you aren’t sold yet, you lack a pulse. And that’s a shame, because Ember is a deft and fresh take on both the fantasy and dystopian fronts. Missing it would be a fate worse than whatever lies in store for Elias and Laia.
An Ember in the Ashes is on sale tomorrow, and available for pre-order now.