My Rating: 3 Stars
Here’s why!
Two Thanksgivings ago, I fell in love with the series, An Ember in the Ashes. I could not put down the first book, finished it on thanksgiving, and called the local library on Black Friday if they were open and if they had the second book, A Torch Against the Night, and if they could place it on hold for me. So you could assume from my need to devour these novels, when this third book came out, I should’ve been all over it! But I wasn’t…and here’s a bit why!
A Reaper at the Gates picks up where A Torch Against the Night leaves off. Now, since a lot of you readers probably haven’t read this series (not yet anyway!) I won’t go into detail about the synopsis. However, you have your three main narrators/characters: Laia of Serra, Helene Aquilla, and Elias Veturius. A bit of a love triangle you could say, but as the series goes on, things pan out differently than expected!
…
Now, this book came out June of 2018, but I first started reading this series in 2016. I definitely needed a refresher before picking up this third novel. Plus, they changed the cover of the series. Yes, I am going to be be picky about this. I was seriously so bummed. I know, I know, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I did for a long time. When I finally got over my “cover” issue, I refreshed my memory and dove into the story.
One thing I will give Tahir credit for is her ability to create good action scenes! They don’t last too long, they aren’t super confusing to read/wordy, and they flow nicely with the rest of the plot. She also has established some unique, and powerful, characters so it was fun to dive back into this world and experience these characters again. The first night I decided to read A Reaper at the Gates, I easily pumped out 100 pages in one sitting, and I was reminded as to why I enjoyed this series so much in the fist place!
I really liked the book overall, but I’m only giving it 3/5 Stars. The “reason behind the rating” is
1. The cover (I know it shouldn’t matter but it does!!)
2. One of the main character’s chapters began to not be as enjoyable to read as they themselves changed throughout the novel.
3. Some of the big reveals were really surprising and kept me wondering what was going to happen, but towards the end I realized this wasn’t the last book in the series, which leads me to my next point…
4. This isn’t where the series ends.
I really felt like there was potential for this series to come to a good conclusion in this book. Even with only 30 pages left – I knew it might feel rushed – but Tahir can pack A TON of information in a short amount of time, so I was still hopeful that it would all work out; but I was disappointed to get to the end and realize some of the main conflicts were just beginning. Not that I wouldn’t miss this world/characters/etc., I would! But the next novel isn’t supposed to come out until 2020 and I just don’t know if I can hold on to or remember all this information until then. I think I was hoping this was the last book because there had already been a big gap between the second and third book, I was ready to see it all conclude; but the thought of waiting another 2 years…I don’t know if I can do it!
All in all, was the writing good? Yes. Were there good plot twists? Yes. Was the action engaging? Yes. But for some reason, I just can’t give it 4 or 5 Stars.
If you are interested in finding out more about An Ember in the Ashes series, check out Goodreads or any local book store!
HAPPY READING 🙂
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Brooke & Binding 