Magnificent. Can’t wait to start Reaper ( )

This is a reread in preparation for the final book coming out later this year! Still a fantastic, emotional, high-stakes read that rips me apart at points. :,) ( )

Enjoyed it even more than the first one (in part because I didn't have to hear the horrible voice the narrator used for Helene in the audio version of book one). Excellent plot with twists I didn't anticipate. Amazing and varied female characters. Really good ethical dilemmas. Her world building is very good as well. The sections with the Dreamcatcher were sometimes a bit choppy, and I'll be interested to see how she develops this strand in the final book. ( )

Very good sequel. Not as engaging as the last book but i enjoyed. i LIKED all the twists and turns and how the book ended. It was slow at points but overall a very good read. ( )

Very good sequel. Not as engaging as the last book but i enjoyed. i LIKED all the twists and turns and how the book ended. It was slow at points but overall a very good read. ( )

Seems like trauma/violence porn at some points (or maybe it’s the realities of a cruel regime). Elias (and Helene, the Scholar people), in particular, can't seem to catch a break. But it's the character connection/interaction between Elias and Helene that keeps me hooked.

I never would’ve dreamt of it, but I find Helene the most interesting. She cannot kill Elias and yet she must; the Commandant is playing chess with her, her soldiers don’t respect her, and her family has sworn allegiance to Marcus, a certified butthole, fighting his own demons. I don’t dislike Laia, but I feel like I’m just being told she’s brave/different now. But I’m not really seeing it. her invisibility power does sound like it could be dope now that she’s mastered it.

I also loved that Elias got to see his family again.

There are some parts I enjoy and others I don’t like. As far as interest, it’s like 4 – 5 stars, but I don’t know if I like how some of the heavier elements are handled. But I can’t put this series down either, so onto book 3 I go.

TW: genocide, enslavement, prison torture, seizures, death, child abuse

Ending thoughts (major spoilers): it feels like Helene gained this whole family overnight. I don’t remember them being mentioned in the first book much, if at all.

I was surprised when Laia slept with Keenan because most books have the female lead “untouched” by no one other than the LI, even during a love triangle.

I liked that the Scholar people played a huge role in their own escape. It wasn’t like Elias was the chosen “savior” or something. Maybe he brought morale up, but they also helped themselves. It’s always iffy when the savior of a people is an outsider, but I think the story avoided that.

Also, loved that he died. You don’t expect the hero to die in these stories, even if he does cheat death for a few pages more.

The whole Keenan-Jinn felt majorly cheesy. I thought he was just helping the warden because they had information on a family member of his who wasn't killed.

2.5? 3? 4? ( )

Loved it... Just un-put-downable! ( )

I just screamed for the entire book. ( )

I love that this book carried so much momentum and urgency. Again, with the lightening pace that didn't feel TOO fast but made it hard to put down! I really enjoyed getting Helene's perspective and feeling completely torn about who to root for throughout the book. The story kept me engaged, and managed to build upon the character depth I so enjoyed from the first novel.

The best books are the ones where the line between good and evil is so blurred, and the characters so balanced with a bit of both, that you're left torn in trying to decide which side to root for!

Definitely read it. ( )

I love that this book carried so much momentum and urgency. Again, with the lightening pace that didn't feel TOO fast but made it hard to put down! I really enjoyed getting Helene's perspective and feeling completely torn about who to root for throughout the book. The story kept me engaged, and managed to build upon the character depth I so enjoyed from the first novel.

The best books are the ones where the line between good and evil is so blurred, and the characters so balanced with a bit of both, that you're left torn in trying to decide which side to root for!

Definitely read it. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book because of what's happening in the story. It's a very intense book with a lot of emotion and action and everything going on and I was caught off guard by quite a few things in this one.

I can't wait to find out what happens next!

If you haven't checked out this series, you should, but be warned, it's going to be a rollercoaster for you and your emotions. Also you'll likely have some book hangover issues after reading this series especially this book ( )

I just can't find the right words to describe Elias' mom. She's such a b*tch! ( )

Helene! Helene. HELENE!

can't say I know super much about this world or understand its politics but boy am I invested and I'm liking how it tells me about its politics while focusing just on the characters' motivations

OH BUT THAT TWIST UGH I'M NEVER SHIPPING ANYONE AGAIN but oh Nightbringer how you fascinate me let's see more.

Oh, Helene! ( )

UPDATE 10/01/2021

CW: child abuse. torture, brutal on-page death of loved ones, slavery, genocide

Well the drama continued and got even darker! In my opinion the more interesting story arc in this book was Helene's. She is depicted as both vicious and vulnerable. I love characters that fight moral wars within themselves as she is torn apart by duty, familial love and the bonds of friendship. Not quite as strong as the first book but still loved it.

UPDATE 6/12/2021 - Rereeeeead! ( )

This book was such a slug to get through, I had to put it down and read something else before I could summon the energy to come back and finish it. I got so bored and other than the very last part absolutely nothing happened. There’s a few heart-tugging moments that honestly just don’t make sense with the rest of the book, I’m sure this could have been summarises in a chapter. The last 2 chapters are so out of place, pointless and random as well. All in all not a book I enjoyed at all ( )

I loved it. So anxious to read what happens next. So much going on but we'll tied together. ( )

5 stars only if there is going to be a book three. ( )

2018 Spring:

I continue to be so in love with this universe and all the steps all the characters are taking it. I love the new things we are learning about our two main characters, and I deeply appreciate that we are watching Helene's journey as well. I am waiting with such impatience for the next novel in this gorgeous setting. ( )

The audiobook readers for this are excellent—Katharine McEwan, Fiona Hardingham, and Steve West—but I wanted to devour it faster, so I switched to print halfway through. If you have a long road trip coming up, I recommend getting this series on audiobook.
The second Ember book didn’t sweep me away like the first, but it was still quite good. There was a little more traveling and angsting and mustache-twirling than I wanted. But I’m still in love with these characters and eager to see what happens next.
The thing I liked most about this book was Laia’s journey as a character. As frustrating as parts of that journey were, and as much as I wanted to shake her sometimes, I liked what Tahir did with the character.
There are two aspects of Tahir’s characters that make me want to cheer because they address two of my literary pet peeves: her characters regularly choose honesty with each other over keeping secrets, and they call each other (or get called on) stupid martyrdom complexes. I found those character traits exceptional and refreshing, and it far outweighed any frustration I had with pacing in this book.
As with the first book, the body count was pretty high, and I was shocked a few times by who was killed off. Sadly, there were deaths I was hoping for that didn’t happen. Fingers crossed for book 3.
One of the big twists was spoiled for me because I was stupidly reading reviews before I finished. What a bummer. I never would have seen it coming that Keenan was the Nightbringer, OR that Avitas is Elias’s half brother! Yay! At least that one wasn’t spoiled. .
I’m not going to dive right into the next one—my dance card is a little full right now—but I’m definitely not waiting as long as I did last time before getting back to the series. ( )

3.5 ★
It is very hard to rate a sequel without comparing it to it's predecessor at every step, to measure how much of it stands on it's own.

A Torch Against the Night is a solid sequel: it stays true to what was established, both on the good and on the bad, even if I felt it could've expanded more it's themes and execution. There was a point where things started to feel dragged and repetitive and that's always a problem.

But on the good side of things:
- I still enjoy the dark tone, even if sometimes they tiptoe a bit on what I think would elevate the overall message instead of key moments. (Scholars are killed scene after the other, just call it genocide. The impact should be moral too, not only shock-value gore).
- We explore more of the magic, and there's obviously more to come!
- Elias still is my favorite character, and seeing the story through his perspective and his struggles is incredible. Helene's pov is a colder but great addition.
- The communication? Unmatched. At least the trope of stupid secrets is not one to be worried about here.
- The last couple action sequences were genuinely incredible, I was taken by surprise by a couple things and the execution was impressive given the switching povs.

And onto the bad ones:
- I have a difficult time ignoring the YA cliches and stupidity. This is obviously a more mature story within the genre and the silly love triangle was very unappealing. It doesn't match with the story at all and there where certainly better ways to creat romance obstacles.
- Laia still is the most boring pov, and she's supposed to be the main character. Her growth is clear and she's less annoying than before, I'll give her that, but jesus it was a drag to read. Fortunately it seems she'll keep a steady pace on improving.

Overall, it wasn't bad. Had I devoured this faster as I usually do I probably wouldn't have catched myself dragging as much through the story and focused on the final frenesi, but as it is: it was good, but it didn't impress me like I know it could. ( )

Wow! Another fantastic story by Sabaa Tahir! Truly storytelling at its finest. The characters are rich and real. Magical. ( )

A Torch in the Night was really excited specially the last 100 pages or so.
I feel like Sabaa improved a lot with this one because honestly, I liked it more than the first book.

I enjoyed Elias and Laia's journey to Kief although at some points I felt bored but at the end there's always a surprise that took me of guard and don't let me start with THAT plot twist at the end ( )

SO GOOD i need the next book now pls ( )

I read the first book of this series several years ago, so wasn't sure I'd remember much. But it didn't take long for the details to start to come back to me. I enjoyed it a lot too. It's an easy read and that was what I needed. It is young adult but that's not always a bad thing. ( )

Continues the breakneck speed and unending violence of the first book, with some interesting twists on characters and story. I think I would love it, if I had read it right after the first book. As it is, I found it just took me way too long to remember who everybody was and what was going on. Very violent, very dark, unconvincing love triangles and it's pitched headfirst into genocide -- so if any of that puts you off, perhaps try a different series. ( )