An Ember in the Ashes

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 2015
Pages: 448

ISBN: 9780007593262
Series: Ember Quarter #1
Genre: Fantasy

Reading Time: 8 - 26 July

Binding: Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 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 Mask's 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.

Review:

 This was a five-star the first time I read it when it was released five years ago and it still is. If you haven't already check out Penguin Teen's #EmberReadAlong in which they are giving as an entire month for each book leading up to the final instalment to be released later this year. I tried to stick to the schedule but couldn't resist finishing a little early!

Characters

 Our main characters a points of view in this book come from Laia and Elias, two people that lead very different lives. As the above blurb says, Laia is timid and experiences real tragedy in the opening chapters whilst Elias plots an escape from his barbaric people that is fraught with danger. Of course, the two collide in the training school of the Masks, elite soldiers, with Laia as a slave and Elias as a graduate of the highest prestige. They should hate each other. But Elias is more complex and compassionate despite Blackcliff trying to beat this out of him and Laia is in need of whatever help she can get. There's good development of these main characters in this first book but I sense so much more can be done in the coming books as well.

 Thinking firstly of those linked to Laia, her family set up and history is definitely an excellent origin. We don't spend an awful lot of time in their presence as we're quickly passed over to the Resistance. The resistance is full of characters that are here to take us places. I don't find Keenan all that interesting but Mazen has a confidence about him. He's also older but does that mean he's wiser? After all if the older members of the Resistance were any good there would be no need for a Resistance any more, would there?

 Izzi and Cook are marvelous, clearly submissive in their role as slaves but with more to them than we know in the beginning.

 The Masks are characters we get to spend a bit more time with. The Commandant is a fantastic character, horrible but excellently entertaining. She's a catalyst for so much and I love that we have a cruel female to do that. Love her when I shouldn't. Helene is conflicted and it's difficult for Elias to know how much he can trust her given she is otherwise a stickler for the rules, meaning she doesn't shy away from the sadistic duties of Masks. Marcus and Zak are a fantastic edition, Marcus being a particular kind of evil that thrives under his duty as a mask. Elias is quite right to hate him.

Setting

 This is a rich setting. There's a history that we're not overloaded with in the beginning and we learn more about later in the story. There aren't just humans, we have a number of creatures that I only expect us to continue to discover more of through this series. There are vast settings for us to discover along with the creatures. Being based at Blackcliff Academy for this book there's so much hinted at for us to look forward to!

Plot

 It's the beginning of a very big change of the times in this world. A change of those holding the power and the story of how that happens after being foretold hundreds of years before. It's difficult to speak of very much without giving things away.

 It was previously prophesied that the emperor's bloodline would end and thus a new emperor would need to be chosen. The trials are to determine the Mask appropriate from this role immediately after their graduation from Blackcliff. Can you guess who's going to be taking part? It certainly keeps the book action packed whilst Laia mopes about for a while.

Writing

 This is easy reading for me, I could gobble this up. I didn't remember much of the details of plot from my reading nearly five years ago but I certainly remember enjoying this and I think that's in part due to the writing. It could fit in young adult with this ease of reading but it may be a little violent and thus was just in fantasy when I first bought it.

 It will not be long before I continue these books. I'm actually rather glad I left it a few years rather than having to wait at the end of each of these books. I'm looking forward to polishing of the series with the release of the last book this year!

Warriors of the Storm

Title: Warriors of the Storm

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2015
Pages: 296
Series: The Last Kingdom/ The Saxon Stories #9
Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Time: 16 - 20 July

Binding: Kindle
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 A fragile peace is about to be broken...

 King Alfred's son Edward and formidable daughter, Aethelflaed, rule Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. But all around the restless Northmen, eyeing rich lands and wealthy churches are mounting raids.

 Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the kingdoms' greatest warrior, controls northern Mercia from the strongly fortified city of Chester. But forces are rising up against him. Northemen allied to the Irish, led by the fierce warrior Ragnall Ivarson, are soon joined by the Northumbrians, and their strength could prove overwhelming. Despite the gathering threat, both Edward and Aethelflaed are reluctant to move out of the safety of their fortifications. But with Uhtred's own daughter married to Ivarson's brother, who can be trusted?

 In the struggle between family and loyalty, between personal ambition and political commitment, there will be no easy path. But a man with a warrior's courage may be able to find it. Such a man is Uhtred, and this may be his finest hour.

Review:

 I'm continuing with testing a new review format, when reviewing a long running series it's difficult to keep comments going so this should be a bit lengthier than my previous review! Spoilers if you haven't yet read the previous eight books, obviously.

 Characters

 Uhtred continues to amaze, he's getting old but his mind is still sharp. He has a warrior's mind and his loyalties straight. He's come so very far from the beginning of this series and I continue to enjoy the retrospective narrative that gives you a different flavour for the situation every now and then.

 Finan. We learn SO MUCH about Finan in this one. Some of the history comes out and it's heartbreaking. I've always rooted for Uhtred's return to Bebbanburg but now I want to follow Finan back to Ireland as well, he would deserve it after all he has been through. Naughty little Irishman.

 Aethelflaed is getting on my nerves. I used to find her quirky, witty and brave and now my view is switching to stubborn, naive and irritating. She's so changed from the girl she began as in the series as well. She's a powerful ruler but only due to the support of Uhtred and so when she constantly orders his obedience or ignores him for the view of priests it really riles me up and I'm surprised that Uhtred has not yet abandoned her. She seems like an ungrateful cow about now. No matter, Uhtred knows when she's being made a fool of but will fix it all and have the poets sing her praises anyway. What a man.

 Uhtred's children are all about for us in this one. Uhtred I feel takes a small step back from the last one and is continuing to prove himself as a warrior. Stiorra appears a little later and she has only grown stronger away from the father, she's fantastic. We even get a short time with Father Judas now calling himself Osbert. That was definitely interesting.

 Ragnall is a very good foe for this book having only been introduced to his brother in the previous book. I think it keeps the actions timely and more intriguing than just bringing in another Dane from across the sea. He's fed up of fighting the Irish and has come for easier pickings. He's clever, but is he clever enough?

 An old foe that continues to plague us is Haesten, the little weasel just shows up everywhere and anywhere he's not wanted.

 Another even older character from the very first book comes back to play with us. I'd been missing them and had searched to see if they would reappear and spoiled myself but that didn't make any of it less satisfying. So good.

 Edward is blissfully absent as are most of our Wessex based characters in this one. We have too much action in the north for anything else!

 Setting

 As an English person, I'm probably biased here. . .

 Cornwell continues to help us immerse in the history of England's making, referencing history of Roman buildings is a little nod to their recent history which I feel helps. Immersing in the religious views and reminders of the beliefs at the time is also quite immersive. I find any scene on a ship certainly reminds me of how perilous travel was in history.

 Plot

 This one was action packed and I loved it. We've gotten used to a certain formula of story telling by this point. A beginning battle and build up to an end battle. A little boring for some that like more of a surprise but it hasn't slowed me down and I loved this one. I think love for the characters is what pushes me forwards. The pacing is good, constantly moving and there was a lot going on in the book. I didn't feel it went stagnant at any point. In terms of where this fits in the series, I feel this is also an important development for the books which only happens for a few of them.

 Writing

 I'm still in love with the retrospective narrative. Seeing from Uhtred's side means a slightly one sided story but there's no one else that I'd rather follow. I think I fear historical fiction and that it will be written in a way that's difficult to read and these books are very easy to read through.

 I never expected these books to be funny but little interactions are always making me laugh. Whether it be current interactions or flashbacks it's usually to do with mocking priests whom I find as tedious as Uhtred does.

 I'm not far off the end of this series now. I'm loving that I'm racing towards the end but also wanting to slow down and make it last longer. The Flame Bearer is next!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

Title: Girl, Serpent, Thorn

Author: Melissa Bashardoust

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: May 2020
Pages: 311

ISBN:  9781529340976
Genre: YA Fantasy

Reading Time: 13 - 17 July

Binding: Fairyloot Hardback
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★☆☆

Blurb:

 There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away from everyone apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.

 As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn't afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

 Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming . . . human or demon.

 PRINCESS OR MONSTER

Review:

 I'm going to try a new structure to my reviewing on this one, I read this as part of the Fairyloot read along to give myself some reading goals and want to have the review to show it!

 Characters

 I don't think we have any particularly surprising characters in this book. I'm going to go by known importance at the start and try not to spoil!

 Soraya is our main character and she hasn't felt the touch of a human since the days after her birth, her poisonous skin making any and all contact with living creatures impossible. I've seen a few people mention that this isn't something they've seen or read about before but it's certainly not unique. Rogue from X-Men, anybody? I've yet to really read about someone with this curse/ability that is a badass from the first page. There's always the loneliness and self-pity which is grasping Soraya a lot. She's the twin to the shah, Sorush, and so is a princess shrouded in mystery, hardly known by her own people. A kind of living legend. Sounds cool, right? Not really. I found Soraya boring and struggled to really root for her. In the first few pages she makes eye contact with Azad that is apparently some kind of order, I thought that was showing us she was going to be a real sassy character and then utter blandness followed.

 Tahmineh, that's a woman I could read more about and I love the complexity that surrounds her. A mother present in a YA book that we know holds a lot of secrets, even though we don't know why in the beginning.

 Sorush is the shah and doesn't get a lot of page time, though I thought he was a pleasant enough character that people were expecting to be cruel rather than understanding.

 Azad was also quite predictable, read anything he says and tell me you didn't find him suspicious and I shall laugh at you. He's cute and immediately loyal? Have you read YA recently?

 Parvaneh, another character I would have preferred to read a story about. There's years of fantastic stories there.

 Laleh is only marginally used, just a little side character and her brother Ramin has had some serious hate on the Fairyloot read along. Yes, he's pretty hateful but I thought he was one of the best characters!

 The Shahmar is a great character, a mirror for Soraya to despair at and the real reason there's any plot to this book. I want to read of his history. That'd be a really good book but let's make it adult because that's about to get bloody!

 Setting

 This is a nice fairytale setting and to begin with we realise that Soraya gets to experience nothing outside of the palace walls, indeed she's only really familiar with the secret and servant passageways to get around her own home.

 For this reason I quite enjoyed the setting, it grew with Soraya's experiences. There are horrors in the mountains which she can't imagine but there's also the terror of walking the streets of her own home for fear of touching and killing the citizens in a crowd. There is mythology and divs and pariks to evolve this world into our fantasy genre and the development is small yet suitable to the book.

 Plot

 Predictable, kind of formulaic in the way it ticks off every box of what you should expect in a YA fantasy book coming out in the current day. It moves along well enough, but just slow enough for you to also realise things a few chapters in advance. I need a little more surprise than that. Doesn't mean that many others will not be shocked or fall in love with this! It's very fairytale. I like things a little more hardcore.

Overall any enjoyable book, I just wish it had some more surprises in store for me!

The Empty Throne

Title: The Empty Throne

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2014
Pages: 353
Series: The Last Kingdom/ The Saxon Stories #8
Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Time: 29 June - 12 July

Binding: Kindle
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 In the battle power, there can be only one ruler.

 The ruler of Mercia is dying, leaving no apparent heir. His wife is a born leader, but no woman has ever ruled over an English kingdom. And she is without her greatest warrior and champion, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.

 An empty throne leaves the kingdom exposed to rival West Saxons and to the Vikings, who are on a bloody rampage once more.

 A hero is needed, a hero who has been in battle all his life, who can destroy the double threat to Mercia. A hero who will ultimately decide the fate of a nation...

Review:

 Female characters, go! I mean, not massively but I definitely felt there was a surge of focus on female characters in this book and it was great. It's still based on true points of history and as a female reader that just makes it that little bit nicer to read of strong women, some fiction and some that truly did exist in the making of my country.

 The start of this book is good. Especially following the end of The Pagan Lord when we didn't really know the outcome of the final battle. We have a different point of view for the first time in the series and it's just a little bit of harmless trickery for our opening.

 Uhtred is unwell since the last battle of The Pagan Lord and healing history is a strange thing. He's battling his own health, those that fight for control of Mercia and those that continue to try and invade. Poor bloke never stops. . . 

 It's a real politically heavy setting this time. Powers are shifting and it's making all of our characters tense. The writing continues to provide an easy read and I notice Cornwell is pushing it a bit now with the ages of characters, he even mentioned it in an interview on the BBC!

 But these books always seem to come in a story of two halves and that last half was just fantastic. Eadith is a very interesting addition and Sigtryggr, just yes. Fantastic. Very good, can't wait to see him again.

 In comparison to the series which I'm watching again now there are more differences than some books. No Brida in the book, there hasn't been for a while, I'm waiting for her return or a nugget of information on her. The invasions are actioned differently but for more tension on screen, though I would have liked to see that final battle on screen, Sigtryggr is developed slightly differently and I feel hopeful for his return because of that. Some characters are present in the series but not the book. All interesting to see how it goes now that season 5 has been announced!