Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir’s beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?
Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off…
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory–or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life–and love–he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save–or destroy–all that he knows.
Well, this is it folks. I give the Ember Quartet recognition for being one of the first series to truly get me interested in fantasy as a genre. It is a sweeping epic, told through many eyes. It is no stranger to tragedy, but is also steeped with many joys.
This story is so dear to my heart, I put off starting this final chapter until I knew I could devote myself to the story. I had a sense that it would tear at my emotions, and boy did it. But I am not sad. No, I am fulfilled and complete.
Sabaa has given us a true gem of a tale. From An Ember in the Ashes, this story grew and evolved with it’s characters. As Laia, Elias and Helene became battle hardened, shed their innocence and felt the pain of loss, this series matured and became darker with them. It truly mirrored the path they walked. But in the darkness the characters and story found small slivers of light to bask in, until they were finally able to lift the shroud of darkness cast over The Empire and reveal the gleaming star that is A Sky Beyond the Storm.
My heart is sundered over the trials and loss throughout this series, but as Laia of Serra has shown me, it’s possible to experience heartbreak and understand there is still love and good to be experienced.
Most of all, I want you to know … I’m still going to lay in bed at night thinking of how hard I ship Helene and Harper.
But also … Musa?
Nikki Cameron 