Image and blurb from Goodreads
Title: A Reaper At the Gates
(An Ember in the Ashes #3)
(An Ember in the Ashes #3)
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date: June 12th, 2018
Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling EMBER QUARTET.
Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.
Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.
4 “Spetacular last half” Stars
Unlike what happened with book #2, I went into this certain I would love it as much as A Torch Against the Light. Then, I almost stopped reading because (a) I had a hard time remembering important facts since it'd been 2 FREAKING YEARS since the last book came out, and (b) the first half was way too slow for me.
Look, I'm not saying the first half was bad. Sabaa Tahir is a talented writer and I doubt she can write bad books, but it was nowhere as good as the first book, let alone the second, which in my opinion is the best one in the series so far.
I'd expected A Torch to suffer from the second-book-is-a-filler syndrome, but it was A Repear that did for almost the entire first half. I didn't feel the same connection to Elias and Helene I used to. Laia was seriously getting on my nerves, something that I remember happened A LOT throughout most of An Ember, but had hoped wouldn't happen again since she made progress in the end of A Torch.
Having said that, I'm glad I kept going, because DNF'ing this would've been a HUGE mistake.
The second half of the book was A-MAZING!
Things finally started moving. Intrigue. Twists. Magic. Deaths. Darkness. Lots of blood and sacrifices and women being badasses. Lots of things going to shit.
Helene, my glorious Blood Shrike, finally found her strenght and her story. Elias' inner struggle highlighted all the traits that made me love him so much. Even Laia's stuborness and impulsiveness bothered me less at the face of her humanity and love for her people.
Look, I'm not saying the first half was bad. Sabaa Tahir is a talented writer and I doubt she can write bad books, but it was nowhere as good as the first book, let alone the second, which in my opinion is the best one in the series so far.
I'd expected A Torch to suffer from the second-book-is-a-filler syndrome, but it was A Repear that did for almost the entire first half. I didn't feel the same connection to Elias and Helene I used to. Laia was seriously getting on my nerves, something that I remember happened A LOT throughout most of An Ember, but had hoped wouldn't happen again since she made progress in the end of A Torch.
Having said that, I'm glad I kept going, because DNF'ing this would've been a HUGE mistake.
The second half of the book was A-MAZING!
Things finally started moving. Intrigue. Twists. Magic. Deaths. Darkness. Lots of blood and sacrifices and women being badasses. Lots of things going to shit.
Helene, my glorious Blood Shrike, finally found her strenght and her story. Elias' inner struggle highlighted all the traits that made me love him so much. Even Laia's stuborness and impulsiveness bothered me less at the face of her humanity and love for her people.
My pattern with Laia didn't change. She annoyed me a lot throughout most of the book and made me tear up and feel for her by the end. But it was Helene once again who stole my heart. Her relationship with her sister, her attempts to best the Commander, her hatred for Marcus, her will-we-won't-we relationship with Harper (a character I liked in A Torch and now LOVE)...everything came into place after the half-point.
All chapters after that seemed to end with a BANG and left me eager to read the next one. The surprises kept coming. The battle scenes were awesome. The magic didn't overtake the story, but added nice twists. Almost everything worked perfectly for the last half of the book.
I say almost, because one thing that bothered me in book #2 came back to bother me again. That thing is Cook, a character that worked well in An Ember…, but became inconsistent in A Torch. Even after the major revelation--one I didn't see coming--I still don’t understand how she was this super-skilled warrior/killer who simply couldn’t find a way to kill the Commander in all the years she lived in her house. I don't even understand how she came to be the woman's slave after everything that happened. Why would the Commander let her live? So much about that revelation and who she is still doesn't make sense to me. *sighs* That doesn't mean she didn't bring out major feels near the end. I feel for her and everyone involved.
Something that also didn't change was the small "problem" of how Helene and Elias are still super shippable with everyone. I still love the idea of Helene and Elias, even though Elias only has eyes for Laia, and that scene between Elias and Laia was WOW and had me seriously shipping them again. Then I also love Helene and Harper, and I want a repeat of that other scene near the end.
All chapters after that seemed to end with a BANG and left me eager to read the next one. The surprises kept coming. The battle scenes were awesome. The magic didn't overtake the story, but added nice twists. Almost everything worked perfectly for the last half of the book.
I say almost, because one thing that bothered me in book #2 came back to bother me again. That thing is Cook, a character that worked well in An Ember…, but became inconsistent in A Torch. Even after the major revelation--one I didn't see coming--I still don’t understand how she was this super-skilled warrior/killer who simply couldn’t find a way to kill the Commander in all the years she lived in her house. I don't even understand how she came to be the woman's slave after everything that happened. Why would the Commander let her live? So much about that revelation and who she is still doesn't make sense to me. *sighs* That doesn't mean she didn't bring out major feels near the end. I feel for her and everyone involved.
Something that also didn't change was the small "problem" of how Helene and Elias are still super shippable with everyone. I still love the idea of Helene and Elias, even though Elias only has eyes for Laia, and that scene between Elias and Laia was WOW and had me seriously shipping them again. Then I also love Helene and Harper, and I want a repeat of that other scene near the end.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is: If you start reading this book and feel like I did, DO NOT give up. The second half will blow your mind, so keep reading!
*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.
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