RATING: 4 EMPIRE STARS
“ You are an ember in the ashes , Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.”
“You are full, Laia. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You are in our dreams. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes .”
This book is hands down, phenomenal. It had everything I'd wanted, a little bit of Romance, Action, Mystery. It made me change my perception of fear, bravery, and selflessness. Showed me, once again (in Divergent, first), that selflessness doesn't interpret weakness at all. Selflessness is bravery, for you have saved people who cannot fend for themselves.
An Ember in the Ashes is a thought-provoking story told by two different yet similar point of views. The story of Laia - a scholar under the merciless rule of the Empire - starts when soldiers, accompanied by a Mask, a very ruthless person slash master assassin, raid their house, killed her grandparents, and took away her brother, who was accused of being part of the Resistance, a group of Scholar rebels who defy the Empire. She then joins the Resistance, and she asks them to help her find her brother. The Resistance sends her on a nearly-impossible mission, and as she carries out her tasks, she becomes more and more dubious of the Resistance plans.
Elias' - Blackcliff Academy's finest Mask-in-training - story starts with him planning to desert Blackcliff, for he is disgusted of the Empire and refuses to be one of them, a ruthless mass-murderer of innocent Scholars. But suddenly, Emperor's' line fails, and the Empire is in search of a new Emperor. He becomes one of the aspirants, chosen to compete each other in the Trials, a series of almost-insurmountable events that will determine the rightful person to have the title of an Emperor.
I liked how these two main characters hm.. connected. I prefer them together instead of Keenan - Laia and Helene - Elias. Keenan is still a Resistance rebel, and he's hardly done anything to prove that he's on Laia's side. Elias falling in love with Helene would ruin their great friendship. By the way, that scene on the Trial of Strength is really.. gah! If I was in Elias' place, would I kill Helene? Probably. Because if I didn't, Elias' and Helene's platoon members would die further. I wouldn't want that.
I admire Elias the most because of his way of thinking. He doesn't want to be one of them. He doesn't want to kill people. He's guilty of all the people he killed. He believes that the Scholars need to be set free. He was just one step ahead of being Emperor, but he didn't choose to kill Laia. Even if it meant disappointing his grandfather. Even if it meant being a disgrace to Gens Veturia. Even if it meant his death. I really, really like his perception of death: Death is a way to set you free. He faced death with his head held high, and, like Harry Potter, he greeted death like an old friend.
Second on my list is Helene. She's just badass and all. She doesn't let being a girl be a hindrance to being one of Blackcliff's best Masks. She doesn't let being a girl hinder her from being Empress. Helene should've killed Laia, but she didn't. She fought Marcus and she let her best friend, Elias, kill Laia instead (but he didn't). She became Blood Shrike instead. On the moment of Elias' execution, I really though she would KILL Elias. But to my surprise, Laia saved Elias and Helene brought Elias his Teluman blades and distracted the legionnaires and the soldiers for Elias to escape. She was still Elias' friend after all! =)))
This book made me cry and rage all over. 4 Empire stars for this book. I wish there was a book two.. oh please! I want to know what happens to Elias and Laia and Helene and the Commandant. AA! I can't wait!
“You are full, Laia. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You are in our dreams. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes .”
This book is hands down, phenomenal. It had everything I'd wanted, a little bit of Romance, Action, Mystery. It made me change my perception of fear, bravery, and selflessness. Showed me, once again (in Divergent, first), that selflessness doesn't interpret weakness at all. Selflessness is bravery, for you have saved people who cannot fend for themselves.
An Ember in the Ashes is a thought-provoking story told by two different yet similar point of views. The story of Laia - a scholar under the merciless rule of the Empire - starts when soldiers, accompanied by a Mask, a very ruthless person slash master assassin, raid their house, killed her grandparents, and took away her brother, who was accused of being part of the Resistance, a group of Scholar rebels who defy the Empire. She then joins the Resistance, and she asks them to help her find her brother. The Resistance sends her on a nearly-impossible mission, and as she carries out her tasks, she becomes more and more dubious of the Resistance plans.
Elias' - Blackcliff Academy's finest Mask-in-training - story starts with him planning to desert Blackcliff, for he is disgusted of the Empire and refuses to be one of them, a ruthless mass-murderer of innocent Scholars. But suddenly, Emperor's' line fails, and the Empire is in search of a new Emperor. He becomes one of the aspirants, chosen to compete each other in the Trials, a series of almost-insurmountable events that will determine the rightful person to have the title of an Emperor.
I liked how these two main characters hm.. connected. I prefer them together instead of Keenan - Laia and Helene - Elias. Keenan is still a Resistance rebel, and he's hardly done anything to prove that he's on Laia's side. Elias falling in love with Helene would ruin their great friendship. By the way, that scene on the Trial of Strength is really.. gah! If I was in Elias' place, would I kill Helene? Probably. Because if I didn't, Elias' and Helene's platoon members would die further. I wouldn't want that.
I admire Elias the most because of his way of thinking. He doesn't want to be one of them. He doesn't want to kill people. He's guilty of all the people he killed. He believes that the Scholars need to be set free. He was just one step ahead of being Emperor, but he didn't choose to kill Laia. Even if it meant disappointing his grandfather. Even if it meant being a disgrace to Gens Veturia. Even if it meant his death. I really, really like his perception of death: Death is a way to set you free. He faced death with his head held high, and, like Harry Potter, he greeted death like an old friend.
Second on my list is Helene. She's just badass and all. She doesn't let being a girl be a hindrance to being one of Blackcliff's best Masks. She doesn't let being a girl hinder her from being Empress. Helene should've killed Laia, but she didn't. She fought Marcus and she let her best friend, Elias, kill Laia instead (but he didn't). She became Blood Shrike instead. On the moment of Elias' execution, I really though she would KILL Elias. But to my surprise, Laia saved Elias and Helene brought Elias his Teluman blades and distracted the legionnaires and the soldiers for Elias to escape. She was still Elias' friend after all! =)))
This book made me cry and rage all over. 4 Empire stars for this book. I wish there was a book two.. oh please! I want to know what happens to Elias and Laia and Helene and the Commandant. AA! I can't wait!
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