My Favourite Quotes from the Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir

A Sky Beyond the Storm is finally out in the UK! I am so excited to dive into this final book but also terrified because I know Sabaa will put us through pain and I am scared for Elias and Laia.

But until I can read the final book here are some of my favourite quotes from the first three books.

An Ember in the Ashes

Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.

I’d rather die than live with no mercy, no honour, no soul.

Nan always said that as long as there is life, there is hope.

I do not doubt, I do not hesitate. I am the Lioness’s daughter, and I have the Lioness’s strength.

When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart.

For tonight, maybe we can just be Laia and Elias.

Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after.

A Torch Against the Night

Failure doesn’t define you. It’s what you do after you fail that determines whether you are a leader or a waste of perfectly good air.

What point is there in being human if you don’t let yourself feel anything?

You are my temple. You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release.

The stars are so different when you’re free.

The problem with greedy people, Pop once said to me, is that they think everyone else is as greedy as they are

For you, I’m Ilyaas.

Don’t you see? So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.

Standing by someone during their darkest times creates a bond. A sense of obligation that is less a weight and more a gift.

There is hope in life.

This is what it means to have faith, to believe in something greater than yourself.

A Reaper at the Gates

Hope is stronger than fear. It is stronger than hate.

Skies save me from the men in my life and all the things they think they know

Curse this world for what it does to the mothers, for what it does to the daughters. Curse it for making us strong through loss and pain, our hearts torn from our chests again and again. Curse it for forcing us to endure.

This isn’t the end for us, Laia of Serra. I cannot give up what we could have. I don’t care what bleeding vow I made. Do you hear me? This is not our end.

Strange, how silence can speak as loudly as a scream.

The stories we tell have power, of course. But the stories that go untold have just as much power.

I will find you, Laia. I will find a way. This is not our end.

Everyone believes that nothing concerns them until the monsters are knocking on their doors.

Remember that fate is never what we think it will be.

The Tribespeople say that the heavens live under the feet of the mother. So great is their sacrifice. And indeed no one suffers in war more than the mother. This war will be no different.

So these are just some of my favourite quotes in this series! Share some of yours in the comments! But please no spoilers for Sky!

Why You Should Read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A Sky Beyond the Storm is finally out! We can finally find out how this incredible series will end and what will be the fate of Laia, Elias and Helene. But if you haven’t read these books yet and are unsure if you want to read them then here are some reasons as to why you should read them!

Incredible Storytelling Which Will Leave you an Emotional Mess

Sabaa’s writing is incredible and vivid and will leave you completely enthralled in the story. We initially see the world from Elias and Laia’s point of view and then Helene’s in the later books. Through them we see such a contrasting world view and we experience what they experience because her writing is so good that you will feel like you are right there with the characters. The fear that Laia feels is palpable, the anguish of Elias and the ruthless determination of Helene, we feel it alongside them. This does however mean that you will be left an emotional mess and fear for the lives of your favourite characters because Sabaa has created a brutal and ruthless world.

Incredible Immersive World Building

Not only is Sabaa’s storytelling incredible but so is her world building. You may think this is a world inspired by ancient Rome but then you hear about ghouls and jinns and it makes you think twice. As we read on we realise that there is also an Asian/Middle Eastern influence too. That the Empire might be inspired by ancient Rome but the Scholars and Tribes have an eastern influence and it creates a rich, diverse world. As the story in each book progresses we travel outside of Serra and see more of the world and we get an idea of just how vast the world is and that there is so much more we can explore. Sabaa’s writing is so immersive that we feel as though we are right there with the characters and experience what they experience. We see how they see the world and it’s as though we can almost touch, see and taste everything.

Complex Characters that Grow in Each Book

In Ember we get Elias and Laia’s point of view so we see the world from two vastly different perspectives. Elias is an elite warrior and assassin who wants to be free from all the killing whereas Laia is a slave and living in fear for her life after watching her grandparents get murdered and brother sent to prison. Yet they both grow so much throughout the book and Laia especially is my favourite character because she is so complex and her growth was incredible to read from the scared young woman to a resistance fighter and leader.

Important Discussions of Colonisation and Oppression

This book does not shy away from the way that people who are oppressed and enslaved and their land colonised are treated by the oppressors. We see the brutality with how they are treated, there are discussions of mutilation, rape and more and how these are justified because the Empire doesn’t even consider them to be human and are inferior in every way so it is fine. That the women are their property so they can do whatever they want to them. It is often horrifying and difficult to read but it is an important discussion to have. The Scholars way of life is completely eradicated and they aren’t even allowed to learn to read or write to keep them in a state of submission. Parallels with our history and even what is happening in the world right now and things that should be discussed.

A Story of Hope

Despite the brutal, ruthless world that Sabaa created there is hope. Hope that things will change, hope that this isn’t always going to be the reality for those oppressed. There will be justice and that these characters are going to bring about change. It’s something we can all relate to. It’s something we all need to believe in to get through difficult times and we can see the characters going through the same but holding on to hope to keep going. To keep fighting for a better world.

This is an incredible series and with the final book finally here it is the perfect time to pick these books up!

Here are my review for the first three books if you need further convincing:

An Ember in the Ashes

A Torch Against the Night

A Reaper at the Gates

Authors I’m Grateful For

Growing up I never saw characters in books that looked like me and come from a similar culture so the last few years when we are finally getting these books, it has made me so incredibly excited and grateful to these authors who created these characters and fought for them to be published.

S.A. Chakraborty – It’s no surprise that Shannon is on this list. The Daevabad Trilogy are books that I love with all my heart and soul. I adore the story and the characters and I love that Shannon immersed us in the history too. I will forever be thankful that she gave me Alizayd, a practicing Muslim man who is driven by his religious beliefs, especially social justice. His journey to learning how best to bring justice for all to Daevabad was incredible to read. I felt so seen and I will always have a special place in my heart for these books and especially Ali.

Sabaa Tahir – The first time I saw a main character who was brown and the hero was Laia and Elias. It was an incredible moment for me and it was written by a Muslim woman. I loved these two so much because they were the first characters I saw who looked like me. I loved that the culture was woven into the story and discussions of colonisation was included in the story. It’s something I related a lot to.

S.K. Ali – Sajidah gave me Zayneb, an unapologetic Muslim teen who just wants to live her life but is angry because of all the injustice she faces because she chose to wear a headscarf and it marks her as Muslim. I related so much to her and I loved how she contrasted with Adam. I loved that we got a love story between two Muslim teens and it was all halal. I wish I had this book as a teen.

Hafsah Faisal – Hafsah gave me hope. A niqabi who published an incredible book and it was supported by so many. I saw her and I knew that those of us who are struggling to find our way to achieve our goals will get that boost because when do women in niqab get published by a mainstream publisher?!  

Yasmin Rahman – I sobbed after reading the first chapter of All the Things we Never Said because I felt so seen. The way Mehreen feels, how Islam is an important part of her life and she takes that into account when trying to work through her suicidal thoughts. It isn’t something that is discussed in the Muslim community and I hope that this book helps others. Yasmin also started the book with Bismillah and I just knew I would love it after reading that.

Is there any authors who you’re grateful to?

Books with Healers

This weeks prompt for The Empire of Gold readalong and photo challenge is to share books with healers! So here are some of my favourite books with healers/doctors.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty – Of course we have to talk about Nahri and the family of healers she comes from. Magical abilities to not only heal themselves but also others serves Nahri really well on several occasions throughout the trilogy. My review is here

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan – How could I not mention the Greek God Apollo, or as he is better known as, Lester. While his healing abilities are somewhat restricted in this series his kids are of course the Camps best healers, including Will.

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes – Pink who is one of Eva’s closest friends and the doctor on the ship. She ensures that everyone survives the dangerous missions they have to go on throughout the book.

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavours by Sonali Dev – Trisha who is our Elizabeth in the story, is a genius neurosurgeon in this story. She takes great pride in her ability to help people.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – Laia is taught by her pops to heal wounds and be a midwife for women in labour. She is able to use these skills many times in the story.

What books have you read with healers?

My Favourite Friendships

I love seeing wonderful friendships in books sometimes even more than the romantic relationships. I love how much they love and care for each other and how much they would do for each other. I love seeing the banter and sarcastic remarks and the sibling type arguing. I want to see more great friendships in books! So I thought I would share some of my favourite friendships in books.

Laia and Izzy in An Ember in the Ashes – I loved the friendship that built between them, the tentative way they started to get to know each other because they knew that this would be a weakness that the Commandant would use to hurt them but still decided to become friends, to have at least something good no matter what the Commandant did to them. The way they tried to protect and shield each other and risked their own lives to protect theirs. I really loved them.

Ali, Aqisa and Lubayd in The Kingdom of Copper – I adored their friendship and I was so glad to see that Ali finally met people who he could trust and who would be there for him without wanting something in return. They had such great banter and I loved all of their interactions. I love how they protected each other and some of my favourite scenes are of the three of them.

Cinder and Thorne in The Lunar Chronicles – I read this book years ago and still Cinder and Thorne’s friendship is one of my favourites. They have such witty banter and sass and I love how much they help each other despite only having met when they were both escaped prison. That Thorne stayed with her during her whole revolution despite knowing how dangerous it is and how Cinder did her best to protect him and never forgot him despite everything.

Ayesha and Clara from Ayesha at Last – I loved these two so much and how they had such a wonderful sister bond with each other. How Clara was always there for Ayesha and pushed her to achieve her potential and how Ayesha helped her with her relationship. They are so understanding and even a part of their families lives.

Will And Jem from The Infernal Devices – I absolutely adore these two and their parabatai bond is unlike any other in this universe. The way they look out for each other and care so deeply for each other that they would sacrifice their own happiness and even their life for each other. I also love how much they roast each other and have such funny sarcastic sassy banter. Them being sarcastic to each other is some of my favourite scenes.

Which books have your favourite friendships?