Book Review :: A Torch Against the Night, by Sabaa Tahir

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Series: An Ember in the Ashes #2
Also in this series: An Ember in the Ashes
Published by Razorbill
on August 30th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 452
Buy on Mighty Ape
Goodreads

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

Last updated on 7 June 2022

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What is A Torch Against The Night by Saba Tahir about?

Jumping straight back in from where the story left off in An Ember in the Ashes, A Torch Against the Night follows Laia, Elias, and also Helene as they battle their way towards Kauf to rescue Laia’s brother.

Laia and Elias are on the run; the Commandant (who also happens to be Elias’ mother) is after them, and the newly-made Emperor Marcus has Helene the Blood Shrike hunting down Elias to kill him. When Elias is poisoned, their desperate journey to Kauf becomes all the more urgent, as he doesn’t have long to live. Laia and Elias seek the aid of Elias’ old Tribe to help them get through part of their journey as they make plans to enter Kauf, the prison where Laia’s brother is being held. Along the way, Keenan and Izzy join them, against Elias’ will.

As Elias suffers from his poisoning, he is often dragged into the Waiting Place, where he talks to the woman who helps souls pass through. He wanders in and out of this place, and eventually makes a decision that, while may not be the best thing to do, is his only option.

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

As Blood Shrike, Helene has to do what the Emperor says. Her current job: kill the man she loved, her best friend. As her trek across the country brings her within inches of Elias, Helene is walking her own kick-ass journey, and she’s definitely a fantastic character.

It all converges at Kauf. Elias is dying, Laia is falling for Keenan, Helene is hunting her best friend … But can they save Laia’s brother and all make it out alive? Dun dun dun …

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My Thoughts on A Torch Against The Night

I loved this story, just as much as the first, An Ember in the Ashes. While a lot of people on the internet have talked about these stories as ‘just another YA novel’ and that they aren’t really anything new, that is totally fine with me. The storyline may be similar to a lot of stories, but it’s the way that it’s written that is really gripping. It feels completely new because of the way that Tahir writes and draws (or sucks) you into the story. The quotes from this book are spot on, and I love so many of them. More proof of the great writing.

“So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.”

The characters are superb, and your love and hate for each other grows in this sequel. Laia does make some mistakes, Elias is a tad reckless, Helene makes super hard decisions, but they’re all totally in character and deepen their personalities even more.

The plot line was another phenomenal one, with an ending that I didn’t really see coming at all. I knew something was wrong, but what it turned out to be wasn’t quite what I thought. It takes a lot of cunning writing to surprise me these days, but Tahir certainly did, and I love her for that.

If you’re after ‘another YA novel’ that’s actually fantastic, you have to pick up An Ember in the Ashes. You can read my review of it here, but make sure you have A Torch Against the Night close at hand so you can just keep on reading.

Have you read A Torch Against the Night? What did you think?