Book Review: A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes Series #2)

*Disclaimer: This review can contain spoilers!

*Note: Book reviews are raw general opinions and thoughts I write down after reading a book. I try to keep it as cohesive as possible, but it just might not be as I'm just spitting everything out onto my laptop. There is almost no structure to these, so they'll mostly be in paragraph form. Apart from these general reviews, I might post more structured reviews about certain aspects of the book if I want to or if there's a high demand for it.

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Finishing An Ember in the Ashes a few days ago, I quickly jump into the second book in the series by Sabaa Tahir, A Torch Against the Night. With the first book ending on a high, adventurous note, I was excited to see where Laia and Elias's story was going to go. I find that throughout the entirety of this book, I was a lot more drawn in and intriguied by the storyline. There was so much action and plot twists from all three perspectives the story was told through, keeping me attached to the book non-stop for days. I'll be going over some of my raw thoughts and opinions regarding this part of the story with the following:

As I've mentioned before, the number of plot twists has to be one of the main factors as to why the second book drew me in so much more. As someone who has always enjoyed more action, I enjoyed the way the story was so carefully crafted to not only keep up the intensity in regards to the different challenges the characters were trying to overcome, but it also intertwined and created complex connections and twists that made the story seem so much more fuller. I remember thinking to myself that it's mindblowing how I went from thinking I knew the essential backstory in this world to rediscovering it once more through these twists. With that being said, I've detailed my reactions to some of the plot twists as I was reading the book in this section.

1. Laia and Keenan's relationship - It was pretty surprising to me that the story conveyed Laia and Keenan's relationship progressing once Elias left. As I've stated after reading the first book, we didn't see much of Keenan, so I didn't predict that Laia and his relationship would go anywhere. For this reason, I was actually quite taken aback when they slept together. I was sure that Laia was going to hold herself loyal to Elias. It seems as though she still feels these conflicting thoughts, conveying that she can't choose between them. I don't blame her, 1) she's young and she's not going to hold herself down 2) you're more likely to partake in anything (comfort included) out of desperation. I do like that we see more of Keenan and Laia together. It displays their chemistry, what they mean to each other and how they can be a potential couple. I like Keenan more as a character in this book. I enjoy how caring he is.

2. Darin's supposed death - I wonder why the Martials keep saying that Darin is dead if he is apparently alive. I'm glad he isn't dead though. I feel as if that would mean that half of the series/books would have been for nothing. The entire plot rests in the idea of saving Darin, and if they don't find them, I couldn't imagine the plot progressing further since it seems as though the story is leading into a possible revolt against the Martials from the Scholars.

3. The Jinn - OH and Shaeva? and Laia being a jinn? Oh my god these were huge plot twists. I thoroughly enjoy the incorporation of the history of the jinn in this book. It's such an interesting twist and it really brings a perspective of Martial-Scholar history that explains their conflict so much more. I find it so interesting that Laia is specifically a jinn though. I wonder what this means. I wonder if it's similar to another series I'm reading where the main character is the queen of her people, who are also jinns.

4. Keenan's Betrayal at Kauf - Okay, hello? Keenan was a spy for the martials/Warden this entire time? Is this why he's not on any of the covers (I've assumed that the characters on the covers are the most important characters in the story, or that the story is told through their perspectives)? Oh my god, this is so upsetting. He was so caring towards Laia, and she even gave him herself. Also, when did Keenan have the time to interrogate Darin? Did he make some deal with the Warden to save his own life? Maybe he got captured when he was trying to look for Darin with the Resistance, and as a compromise for his life, the Warden used Keenan to interrogate Darin instead? The Warden might not have killed Keenan right away if he told the Warden that he knew Darin through Laia.

5. Keenan's Betrayal as the Nightbringer - Keenan just transformed in the Nightbringer?! What happened to actual Keenan? I think that the actual Keenan was captured, and that the Nightbringer (or it could be the jinn that was chasing Laia in the beginning) cosplayed as Keenan to get close to Laia to get the silver from her armlet. Once he got the armlet, he turned into his true form, the mission being complete.

6. Who is Laia? - WOAHHHH Laia is transforming too?! She has a darkness that's erupting from her? Now I understand why it was so important that she was so little and helpless in the first book. This is some character growth right here.

7. Back when I thought I knew the plot... - This entire thing where Laia is going through the memories of the Nightbringer is literally explaining everything, and I thought that everything was already explained?? It's like you think you know something but then you actually don't.

8. Laia alone - This whole thing (Keenan turning into the Nightbringer) is especially insane because now Laia's alone. She has no reassurance anymore since Keenan betrayed her.

9. Elias's Exchange - There are a lot of things happening towards the end of the book that I hate. I hate how Elias had to exchange Shaeva's spot in the Waiting Place in order for him to come back to life. He'll be tied there unless he can find someone else who is willing and strong enough to take his spot. What does that mean for the rest of his story? I don't believe that that is his destiny because there are still 2 more books left and he's on the covers for both, so he still has a story that's much more than the Waiting Place. Helene also just underwent her unmaking, which encompasses her witnessing her parents and sister being slaughtered due to her failure to bring Elias back by Rathana. I feel so bad for her and everything that she had to deal with up to this point. However, I feel as though this can make way for some great character development, as the Augurs have predicted.

10. Elias's Long Lost Brother - HELLO?? Excuse me, but how the hell is Harper Elias's brother, I am so confused?? I am so distraught and taken aback at this! That's why Harper stands out from who he's supposed to be. This entire time, he was supposed to be the Commandant's spy, but he's switched sides. Is he as different as Elias? Their father didn't like the Empire, neither does Elias, and neither does Harper deep down? Do they also share the same mother? My other theory as to why Harper had a change of heart when it came to helping the Commandant is that when he learned more about how Helen, Faris, and Dex speak of Elias, he learned more about his brother and realized that his brother is as strong as his dead was. He was probably moved by this, and wanted to leave the Commandant behind after seeing his brother's perspective.

These are the biggest plot twists and they were keeping me on the edge of my seat. Apart from this, I want to also mention the way that the story was structured was definitely a lot more interesting in this part of the story compared to the first book. For one, we get to delve into another perspective, which is Helene's. It's intriguing to read through her lens and see how she views her challenges. I definitely like that Tahir did this. Helene has so much potential to be a significant character in this story, and her character arc seems so significant as well. She is the only significant character on the inside of the Empire, who can bring about some change directly. I'm excited to see what sort of woman she transforms into at the end of this series--though, I am worried because she's not on the cover of the fourth book. Hopefully, she has a nice ending. Another component that Tahir added that contributed significantly to the story was Elias's seizures and his connection to the Waiting Place. The growth in his relationship with Shaeva unveiled so many significant parts of the plot, especially in regards to the jinn's history. Although I don't enjoy the idea that Elias is now tied to the Waiting Place, I do understand how it makes sense with all of the self-healing he has to do in terms of accepting that he's killed others. It was also so essential to the story in the end. If it weren't for his connection to Shaeva, he wouldn't have gone back to life to save Darin and Tas, and the entire operation as a whole.

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I'm just itching to start reading the third book already. I apologize if this was a long review, but there was just so much that happened and so much that needed to be said. I feel as though the first book was just barely preparing you to jump through the intricate webs of the story that is progressing through this series. With that being said, while it can seem overwhelming, I can say that the story is a lot more full now that I've read through the second book.

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