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: 
A Torch Against the Night starts straight after where the first book left off. It has Elias and Laia finishing their escape from Blackcliff and heading to Kauf to rescue her brother from prison. Meanwhile we now have Helene’s perspective as she has been set on the mission to hunt down Elias. 

One thing I must note that I really enjoyed about this book was how much Elias and Laia time we had. Unlike the previous book, these two had far more scenes together. So that’s, a positive. 

I have to say I didn’t enjoy this book anywhere near as I loved the first one. This one was quite slow and repetitive. It was starting to lose my attention, whereas I couldn’t put down the first book. I feel this book though is more of a filler book for the next one. It’s just to get the plot rolling for book 3. So I still have hope that book 3 will be better. 

Overall, I am giving the book 4 stars. It was close to getting 3 stars at times but I think the ending really helped turn that around. I was drawn back into the story at that point. I’m still looking forward to Reaper at the Gate.

*SPOILERS*

I think the main thing that caused me to not like this book as much as the previous was that some scenes felt like they were dragging. For example, Elias and his poisoning. Elias is poisoned quite early on in the book by his mother the Commandant. The fact that he is slowly dying is dragged on throughout the whole of the book. He was giving 6 months to live and suffers from traumas and seizures constantly. I understand it was part of the storyline to get his character to take the role he gets at the end of the book. However, I just got bored of him being useless.

Another thing I hated with the Elias storyline was him visiting The Waiting Place. I just didn’t find those scenes interesting and were just filling space in the book. I’d rather just have cut them all out if we could but that wouldn’t have solved Elias coming back from the dead.

Something I enjoyed in this book was Laia exploring her invisibility magic. Laia was able to teach herself to use it on demand and it's starting to play a big role in the book. I suspect this magical ability to become more and more useful as the series continues. 

I will also say that I also enjoyed the appearance of Cook again. I thought after book 1 we wouldn’t see anymore Cook but then we do. Cook is trying to protect Laia by communicating with Helene where Elias is on the exchange of Laia being safe. Cook seems a bit wild in this book compared to the last. As she climbs buildings and leaves odd riddles. Although she is still demanding. 

In this book, Elias and Keenan finally meet. It’s interesting to see Laia’s love interests collide. I really love how much they hate each other. If it isn’t already obvious, Elias has always been my pick for Laia. Therefore, I’m loving the Keenan hate. 

Another character I didn’t expect to return from but should have was Afya Ara-nur. She had a very minor scene in the first book where she owed Elias a favour. Now Afya needs to pay up by helping them get to Kauf. Her minor role has become an almost major role. She is quite an interesting character.

A whole new character we got to finally meet was Elias’ adoptive mother, Mamie Rila. We have heard of her but haven’t got to really meet her until this point. Mamie is asked by Afya to help with Elias and Laia’s escape to Kauf. We can see how Mamie is such a caring person and is willing to sacrifice anything for her adopted so or her tribe. She’s a very inspiring character.

The most devastating scene was when Izzy was killed. She was my favourite character. I do admit it made the story more interesting and helped with the rating of the book. As the timing couldn’t have been better as Izzy was happy and she was developing a love interest. But it doesn’t mean I’m not really sad about it. I did get cheered up to see her as a ghost talking to Elias about getting closure. That gave me closure as I believed it was intended to do. 

One scene that really disappointed me and wished didn’t happen was when Laia sleeps with Keenan. I was disappointed before we found out more about Keenan but then got further disappointed after that stuff (more on that later). I just don’t think they are a good match and the first time should have been with Elias.

Now onto the Keenan stuff. Laia gave Keenan her armlet that she always touches. She shouldn’t have done that it was all she had left from her parents and he’s a snake that deserves nothing. After she does this is when we learn the truth about Keenan. Keenan doesn’t exist; he is actually the Nightbringer. Who was there to manipulate Laia to give him the armlet. This just made everything Laia did so much worse. But I’m glad she has the full availability now to pursue Elias. 

However, there is one big issue. Elias is now The Soul Catcher. This was the deal he had to make in order to live and save Darin. This means he can’t just live a normal mortal life anymore. The book ends with him, Laia and Darin in a cabin. Anytime Laia and Elias try something the forest gets mad and they have to stop. So the frustration of their relationship continues… for now. 

A scene I thought really spiced things up to get it to the 4 star rating was Helene’s family being executed right in front of her face and her sister Livia being forced to marry Marcus. It just took Helene’s storyline in a whole new interesting direction for the next book.


Harper is set to spy on Helene while she pursues Elias. Harper I quite like as a character, I realised he was involved deeper than just as a spy quite early on in the book. I assumed it was because he fancied Helene. But it turns out he was trying to get to know Elias through Helene, as he is half brother. Again this is something I look forward to more in the next book.

Quote: 

'You are a torch against the night—if you dare to let yourself burn.'

- Cain, A Torch Against the Night

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren