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An Ember in the Ashes

Written by: Sabaa Tahir
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Steve West
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Publisher's Summary

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It's a story that's literally burning to be told.

Laia is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim they will help to save her brother from execution.

Elias is the academy's finest soldier - and secretly its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he's ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias' paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

©2015 Sabaa Tahir (P)2015 Listening Library
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What the critics say

Named one of the best books of the year by:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

The Wall Street Journal

Buzzfeed

LA Weekly

Bustle

Paste Magazine

Indigo

Suspense Magazine

The New York Public Library

Popsugar

Hypable

“This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human - and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear.” (The Washington Post)

“[An Ember in the Ashes] thrusts its readers into a world marred by violence and oppression, yet does so with simple prose that can offer moments of loveliness in its clarity. This complexity makes Ember a worthy novel - and one as brave as its characters.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Sabaa Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy.” (Us Weekly)

What listeners say about An Ember in the Ashes

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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Great Book! Fun read and really catches you!

I really enjoyed this book. I like that the author took the time to set up the characters and the story for the next two books. She didn't rush and it shows. I really liked her unique take on an old idea. The characters really evolve nicely and I have been binge listening to this series.

Narrators: I like when there are different people reading different parts and all the narrators did a great job with accents and pulling you in and getting you there with each character.

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  • Overall
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First audio book and I loved it!

i really enjoyed this book! it was the first audio book i’ve ever listened too and i was happily surprised! normally i prefer reading it physically but this book gripped me by the throat!! i needed to know what happened even when i couldn’t physically read it!!

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Pretty good series

it's a little slow but is nice to see the author build the character's. For pretty much the entire book I was wondering where the hell the main chick plays into all of this and I still am woundering what her role is... maybe the next book will explain what her significance is.

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such a wonderful reading of a great book!

the book was great and so was the audio veesion. loved the 2 voice actors!

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  • Overall
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Grew on me

Hard to take the Female character at first, but with development, she is enjoyable.

I think the issues I had with her character were more due to narration, and would not have been as pronounced if I were reading the story.
The story grew on me as well, and by the middle I know I will be looking for more books in this series.

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Loved it

It’s been a while since a book has sucked me in this quickly. I loved An Ember in the Ashes, and the voice acting for it was done really well by both narrators. I bought the sequel immediately!

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As good as the first time I've read it!

I absolutely loved the book. The third of the series is coming out in June 2018, and I'm getting back into the series before its released.
First time I've audiobooked it, and I thought it was even better than my first read. The narrators, especially Fiona Hardingham, were fantastic. I was really brought into their world, and felt everything Laia and Elias have felt. It is so nice to hear their voices, and not imagining them.
I can't wait for the third book so that I can be transported back into their world, through Fiona and Steve.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

I’ve seen a lot of good things about this book so I decided to pick it up this month. Loved the writing and the story of each character involved. A fantastic fantasy!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Phenomenal

I’ve listened to this book three times now and I keep finding reasons to love it. I also hunt out other books read by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West as they both do great jobs. If you are looking for something truly refreshing, start here.

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Amazing book, excellent story telling

This was going to be my last go at audible books. The last few I've listen to the narrator ruined the book. I was going to cancel my subscription and be done. This book gave me faith in audio books again! Loved it!!

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