The Masks in particular are very cool even though I sort of wish Elias has been stuck with his. The magical mythology weaves in well, and while we aren’t inundated with particulars, there are enough specific details to make it all feel deeply fleshed out. Very quickly we are given a good idea of how this society works, how and why the caste system is set up, and why various groups are at odds with each other. Tahir does a good job of establishing the universe. Probably my favorite part of An Ember in the Ashes is the worldbuilding. My brain is tired and I forgot to take notes when I finished. I finished the book about two weeks before I got to this review, so I apologize for how short and halfhearted it is. I wrote this review during NaNoWriMo when I had a lot going on and a lot of other reviews to write. Once there, she meeds Elias, who is training to become a “Mask,” a deadly tool for the Marital Empire, but who had planned to defect before being entered in a dangerous series of trials in competition for leadership of the empire.

Laia is placed in the dangerous Blackgate school as a slave to the dangerously cruel commandant with instructions to accumulate as much intel as she can. When Laia’s brother is imprisoned, she joins a rebel group in exchange for their help in procuring his freedom. I don’t know that it is going to be my newest obsession, but it was certainly an enjoyable read with some very quality worldbuilding. I finally got to it, and I very much did like it.

A friend with good taste recommended An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir to me, so I added it to my TBR.

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