Review: Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against the Night

We review Sabaa Tahir’s “A Torch Against the Night,” the second installment in the bestselling “An Ember in the Ashes” series.

A Torch Against the Night  is the long-awaited second installment in author Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series.  It was released at the end of August, to great fanfare and several weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

Spoiler alert: I’m basically a complete newcomer to this series. It came recommended to me since I’d enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass novels, so of course I immediately had to pick it up. (Y’all know how I feel about Throne of Glass.) After tearing through both books in a week, it is safe to admit this recommendation was spot on. The Ember in the Ashes series is definitely the next big YA hype train you should jump on.

The series follows the story of Laia, a young woman who lives in the Martial Empire. This oppressive, brutal regime enslaves many people, stifles dissent and is generally all-around terrible. After her brother is arrested and her grandparents are killed, Laia becomes a spy hoping to secure his release. While undercover, Laia meets Elias, an elite soldier at the Empire’s military academy who secretly dreams of freedom. Their fates slowly intertwine as the threat of rebellion, war and dark magical forces loom across the Empire.

Torch basically picks up where Ember left off. Laia and Elias are fugitives after a series of trials crowns a new, terrifying Emperor. Hunted as outlaws by the Empire’s forces, the two must flee north in an to attempt to rescue Laia’s brother from an incredibly dangerous prison. (This is about the least helpful summary ever, but it’s better if you find out all the other details for yourself.)

In short: A Torch Against the Night is an exciting, exhilarating read, with many things to recommend it.

Here are three of the most significant.

The Addition of a Third POV Character Fills the Story Out

The Ember series is written in that alternating character point-of-view format that you probably already either love or hate if you’re a regular reader of YA fiction. I’m not a huge fan of this rotating POV style as a general rule. Though, to be fair, Tahir does it better than most. Torch is a rare instance of an author using this plot device to actual purpose – the story adds a third POV character in this book, and is actually stronger for it.

Elias’ best friend and fellow Empire soldier Helene Aquilla is finally given her own voice in Torch, and she is fascinating. She is also incredibly necessary. (Honestly, I wish we could retroactively insert her POV into the first book!) Her presence keeps us connected to the ongoing story within the Empire, where things are getting increasingly worse for everyone. It also allows us to see more of villainous figures like the nightmarish Commandant or unstable Emperor Marcus. And Helene’s internal struggle to balance her dedication to her family, her commitment to the Empire she (maybe) believes in and her history with Elias is an extremely compelling one. I look forward to seeing where Tahir takes Helene’s character in the next book.

Sketch of the world of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. (Illustrated by Jonathan Roberts and published by Razorbill for Penguin)

The Characters and World Get Even Stronger

Torch takes many of the great things from Ember and makes them better. The characters become more layered and interesting. They face greater challenges. They have to make more difficult decisions and deal with the (sometimes awful) consequences of them. Laia and Elias both have moments where they are not perfect, or even particularly heroic.

The villains – particularly the Commandant – are increasingly terrifying, and the novel does not shy away from the fact that these are very bad people who do very bad things. Innocent people die. Others sacrifice themselves for loved ones, or for a cause they believe in. The book pulls no punches that this a dangerous, and bloody world.

Torch does its best to expand that world for readers, as well. Since almost everyone departs the Ember’s  main city of Serra at some point, we see more of the story’s world. Torch gets into some serious world-building, taking us from one end of the Empire to the other. We meet many new characters and learn about the history of this world, as well as the magic in it. It really makes the overarching story feel more expansive. This series isn’t just about a girl trying to find her brother anymore, though that is still the story’s driving narrative.

There’s An Attempt to Make Predictable Tropes More Unpredictable

An Ember in the Ashes didn’t exactly reinvent the basic formula of YA fiction or anything, though it handles all the basic elements you expect from a story like this extremely well. Torch Against the Night is an order of magnitude better in that regard – the action sequences intensify, characters become more complicated, and the story stops feeling quite so familiar.

Unfortunately, the love triangle is a YA staple and the one that happens here is as irritating as you might expect. However, Tahir does her best to throw a wrench into your expectations with regard to how anyone’s relationships will ultimately turn out. Or even if any of them will survive the story. (Some don’t!) The previously way-too-convenient and sketchily explained arrival of magic in the story is also given more attention. We meet all kinds of otherworldly or magical creatures, in this book and their impact on the story is significant. And, while you may think you know what these characters are likely to do next – you’re almost guaranteed to be wrong. No choice is easy, and everyone must constantly grapple with the cost of getting what they want.

Should You Read It?

A Torch Against the Night is the second installment in what will be at least a four-book series. (Personally, I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t extend to five or six by the end.) Since this is the case, it is also not surprising that many plot threads are left open in the end.

By the end of the book, several main characters and relationships are reset or significantly altered; leaving many questions about the direction the next book will take everyone. There are at least two major twists so unexpected that I’m honestly not sure how Tahir will manage to write her way out of them. This is a good thing, if you ask me – and I absolutely look forward to watching her try.

Next: 21 Star Wars Books You Should Read

The third book in the Ember in the Ashes series will likely drop in 2018. Not that I’m counting the days alor anything.