A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes 2)

A Torch Against the Night picks up immediately where Ember leaves off. If you missed it - you can read my review of An Ember in the Ashes ---> here.

Laia and Elias have fled the Empire only to find themselves fighting for their lives as they leave the city.
Betrayed by the Scholar Rebels, Laia is determined to rescue her brother from Kauf - the Martials' most dangerous and highly guarded prison. With Elias beside her, she may just have a chance.

Together they leave on a mission that, if successful, could have the key to saving the Scholars from the Martial Empire. However, leaving the Empire is easier said than done. With a bounty on their heads, Laia and Elias must travel a dangerous road where they are threatened by both humans and the supernatural, and hunted by the Empire's newest Blood Shrike - Elias' best friend Helene.

Helene, who knows Elias as well as she knows herself, is given the task of hunting Elias and Laia and bringing them back to the Emperor. Caught between her duty to the Empire and her heart - Helene must make sacrifices with heart breaking consequences to determine where her loyalties truly are.

But you, Helene Aquilla, are no swift buring spark. You are a torch against the night - if you dare to let yourself burn.

I read an Ember in the Ashes - I loved it.

So then I read A Torch Against the Night and I'm not sure how this is possible, but I loved it more than Ember.

A Torch Against the Night acts as an extension of the first book. The plot is largely the same - Laia and Elias are trying to escape and save her brother, so this book continues on as they attempt to achieve that goal. In the process they meet new forms of opposition and each character struggles with his or her own issues. There is some pretty significant character growth throughout this book, not everyone is who they seem, loyalties are challenged and friendships are strained and it is magnificent my friends!

I was very happy to get Helene's POV in this book. She adds a third dimension that is so valuable for the reader and in many ways I felt that this book was hers. I'm excited to see what she does next and the alliances she forms. I also want her to be the one who takes down the crazy, psycho hellbitch Commandant and disgusting Marcus. Helene is a badass chick and she is fully capable of laying down the law.

For those who thought An Ember in the Ashes was slow, I feel you. But I found A Torch Against the Night to be a faster paced book with so many more little plot twists, character developments, and mysterious magical elements. This book evokes so many responses from me. I raged with Helene, I had hope for Laia and Elias. The stakes were raised, new information and characters were introduced. This book kept me guessing and thinking about it long after I finished reading it.

And now I have no idea what do while I wait until 2018(!) for the next one!

Sabaa Tahir - I have questions!!