It’s Wednesday once again, so it’s time for some more Shelf Control. Shelf Control is an original feature created and hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out BookshelfFantasies.com.
This week, I’m talking about a popular YA fantasy book from a few years back. Well, it’s probably still pretty popular, I haven’t checked or anything though. It’s An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.
About An Ember in the Ashes
Series: An Ember in the Ashes [Book #1]
Length: 480 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Book Description
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Why It Languishes on My Bookshelf
When I Acquired It: October 2017
Why I Wanted to Read It: The book had good reviews, and many of the people around me at the time kept singing its praises.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: When I got the book, life happened, and I kinda forgot about it for quite a while. By the time I remembered that I had it, I’d lost interest in it.
Will I Ever Read It?: I honestly don’t know. I’ve heard different reviews since then that have turned me off from it a little, and the stuff I’ve heard about the plot and characters just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. Who knows, though?
Have you read An Ember in the Ashes? What did you think of it? Or is your copy languishing on your shelf, just like mine? As always, thanks for tuning in!