A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet, book 2)

By Sabaa Tahir

Blurb: 
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.

Review: 
I feel in a way that this book was a let down compared to An Ember in the Ashes. I wasn't so into this one compared to the first but I still think that the story is worth the read for sure.

This whole book is about Helene hunting down Elias and Elias's journey with Laia to save her brother. This is the part that dragged the book down to 4 stars, I just felt the journey to the prison was so long winded and that it really could have been cut shorter. 

I understand that there were key moments throughout this journey but there should have just been less in between bits, if that makes sense. In a way I felt events were just repeating themselves and I'm sure if I skipped a few chapters, I really wouldn't have missed much.

Throughout this book I feel Helene is discovering more about herself and what she thinks is the best but then she also discovers her weakness as a mask as the Emperor is using it a lot and so is the Commandment. Overall, I think Helene is quite a strong character and I really enjoyed reading her point of view of the story because you could pinpoint when she started to believe in herself so others would actually take her seriously. 

Laia also developed a hell of lot throughout this book, we discover more about her ability of disappearing. We also learn more about her feelings towards other characters and their consequences. I think Laia is also quite a strong character but she just seems to do everything on impulse and doesn't really think of the next step.

The main part when they get closer to the prisoner and actually inside the prison is really well described and I liked this part of the book, because obviously this is where most of the action happened. I feel like the description of this scene was quite accurate and allowed a full picture in my head with how each of the scenes played out. I also liked how certain thing started to play out and started to be uncover different little things about certain characters. Which means that's the third book is going to be pretty awesome because loads of things have been uncovered.

I'd definitely recommend this series if you love adventure, friendships and twists.

Favourite Character: Helene

Read: 20/01/20 - 20/03/20

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie