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This is the third book in the "An Ember in the Ashes" series. Below is a summary for the first book, An Ember in the Ashes.
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.
Overall, I would probably give this book a 2.5/5. If the entire book was as good as the rest of the series and the last half of the book itself, it would have probably been a 4/5. The world, as always, is wonderful. It's definitely Arabic/Muslim inspired with its lore, and it's just so expansive and magical. It traverses a grey area that technically puts our heroes on the wrong side, but at the same time, the other side is committing a wrong far worse by seeking vengeance on a group that doesn't deserve it. You follow three different characters on very different journeys that somehow mirror each other in a way you wouldn't expect until you get to the end and notice a resounding theme with each of them.
So why the lower rating? Because as much as I love this series and its lore and most of its characters (though Laia has grown meh to me... doesn't have as clear of an arc as the others), the first half was. Such. A. DRAAAAG.
The world is dark. They're up against a powerful force paired with a heartless force. There is bloodshed, there are morals constantly jumping around as people just try to survive, and I like that aspect of everything. But when you're following three different protagonists that just feel utterly hopeless at the start of the book? It. Is. Hard. There was no light in these characters. No hope. The ending is dark too, but I loved it because the characters still had a strength of heart to them or an interesting path to follow. But the beginning just overdid it hardcore. I haven't finished a book in months because of the start of this blasted book.
So do I recommend this series? Yes. But I warn you, the first half of this book is a slooooog. I'm actually very excited for book 4, but the start of this book... It was painful.
