A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I reviewed Book 1, An Ember in the Ashes, HERE if you want to get caught up.
This is the second installment in a YA dystopian fantasy series.
I said in my review of Book 1 that I’m a big sucker for books that grab me right from the first page. It’s something I strive for in my writing because I’m such a highly impatient reader that I imagine others must be too. Books that don’t reach out right away and yank me in like a fist rarely inspire me to stick around long enough for things to “get” good. They either start that way or are tossed aside. Sigh.
Okay, so onto Book 2. To my delight, it opens with an exciting sequence. We pick up right where the first leaves off, with the characters in peril. Tensions are high, stakes are higher, and things just spiral from there. The elements I loved about the first book are still in play here. There’s romance, a battle of good vs evil, and supernatural abilities. And there’s a surprise twist I hadn’t quite seen coming.
The book is told in multiple first person POV’s. While the first installment hops between Laia and Elias, our main characters, this one adds in a third. I questioned-even balked at-the addition of Helene, a side character from Book 1, at first. Then I realized that the glimpses of what was going on with the baddies from her perspective was an interesting, perhaps even vital, element to the story.
I did like the original book just a tad more. Sometimes, even when I like a book so much I’m dying to see more of that world, sequels can’t quite capture the magic that I find in discovering a new world. That said, this was a great follow up. I eagerly look forward to more.