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A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2)

Sabaa Tahir

Start date: September 1, 2016

Finish date: September 30, 2016

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the series in progress BOTM
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Series

* Continuing Series- Nightbane
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* New Series- The Princess Trials
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What Members Thought

Aug 30, 2016 Angie Taylor rated it it was amazing

Updated 2018
I just reread this to my husband in prep for book three's release in June. And I have to say that I LOVED it. So much better than the first time I read it. Though I was still bugged by the Nightbringer's influences over Laia, everything made so much sense and seemed to flow as effortlessly as the first book. I now wonder what I was thinking in my review below. Awesome job! I can't wait until June.

SPOILERS!!

Okay. So, of course I loved this because Sabaa Tahir's Ember world is amazing Updated 2018
I just reread this to my husband in prep for book three's release in June. And I have to say that I LOVED it. So much better than the first time I read it. Though I was still bugged by the Nightbringer's influences over Laia, everything made so much sense and seemed to flow as effortlessly as the first book. I now wonder what I was thinking in my review below. Awesome job! I can't wait until June.

SPOILERS!!

Okay. So, of course I loved this because Sabaa Tahir's Ember world is amazing and wonderful and one I love losing myself in. HOWEVER, I have very different thoughts and feelings about the overall Torch story than I did with Ember.

Thoughts and comparisons- Ember was so thoroughly detailed and plotted with not one event or plot twist feeling out of place or random. I've read it 8 times and everything fits completely, leaving me totally satisfied and content to speculate what would happen in book two.

Now with Torch, I was expecting from the get go to feel differently about it because it's a second book in a series and second books always push characters and plot to their limits in ways that frustrate readers expectations. And yet, that risk taking usually makes the overall series better. With that in mind, Torch definitely took risks that were exciting and left me excited for book three. But a lot happened that I just couldn't seem to suspend my disbelief or thoroughly buy into.

For example, Avitas. Is he Elias' half brother? Keris' son as well? And if so, why would she trust him to hunt Elias down? I'm assuming not since Gens Veturia doesn't know about Avitas yet. But if that's the case why not tell the reader? Finding out that Elias has a brother is a plot twist enough. But to not give just a little more explanation about the circumstances feels a little manipulative and out of the blue.

Also, Laia and Keenan's relationship/intimacy. I didn't buy it. It was unbelievable. There isn't enough evidence from either the first book or the second that Laia has been able to fall in love with Keenan. Neither is there any evidence that Laia has had prior sexual experience. I'm not talking about her kisses with Elias or Keenan. I'm talking about sex. And from the evidence given in Ember, I assumed that Laia was inexperienced. So for her to give herself to Keenan so nonchalantly felt trite and disingenuous. I didn't believe it. On that note, if being with Keenan was her first sex experience than it seems like it would have impacted her more than it did. For me, the way Laia's and Keenan's relationship was handled, felt rushed and planted to support the subplot of the Nightbringer receiving the armlet because Laia loved him. And it just didn't feel developed enough to be believable. Granted, there was so much going on in this story that I understood why the romantic elements weren't the main focus. But by not developing them more, Torch lost some of the magic and romantic feels that Ember had.

Overall I loved the story. And I'm excited to see what happens with the plot twists concerning The Waiting Place, Cook, the Nightbringer/Keenan, etc. I was able to buy into those and love the possibilities. I'm also totally excited to get to know Darin. I have hopes and expectations for him and Helene?!? Maybe? Please!! So much could happen and the not knowing is so exciting.

I'm also excited to see what will happen with Laia and Elias. Their relationship is not developed yet and it needs to be so much deeper and fleshed out in my opinion.

Regardless, Sabaa Tahir is an amazing story teller. I hope my questions and doubts are addressed in the next two books and that details and events slow down so that every little thing fits the way it did in Ember. ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 Lauren⁷ 💜 rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-has-a-copy, young-adult-teen-new-adult, fantasy-science-fiction

I found this to be a very worthy successor to An Ember in the Ashes with good character development and a plot that hummed along nicely with good twists and turns. And I'm very glad Sabaa decided to write two more books in this series. She could have ended it here, but it honestly felt like there's a lot more story to tell and I'm glad that she's going to. ...more

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