Publish Date: September 10th, 2013
Number of Pages: 438 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre(s): YA Fiction, YA Romance, New Adult, New Adult Romance

Total Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision.”
– Rainbow Rowell, “Fangirl”

It may sound ironic, but this has to be one of the most popular books that I’ve come across that doesn’t have an actual fandom for it. Those who’ve read it all have said it’s a great story to enjoy and that they really enjoyed it, so why isn’t it referred to by many more avid book readers? Why don’t I see it showcased more on the many #Bookstagram accounts I follow? There’s also the later released book Carry On by this author too but everyone who’s read both said that this book comes first, so here we are!

I will say that besides other’s recommendations with that reading order, I had my own curiosity with this title for personal reasons. For those not aware, I’ve been on-and-off working on a coming-of-age college story of my own over the last two years, and this title popped out at me to what to check out to gather intel, see how the story works, what worked well and what didn’t, what I would change, help make some of my own college memories resurface, etc. For anyone interested, go check out my story’s progress on its page titled “When In Doubt (WIP Fiction Series)” on the main menu bar. It’s had its ups and downs and with a lot going on in my personal life at the time I’m typing this review, I haven’t worked on it as much as I’d liked to, but enough self-promotion, back to this review!…

You’re never going to find a guy who’s exactly like you—first of all, because that guy never leaves his dorm room.”
– Rainbow Rowell, “Fangirl”

I liked but didn’t love this book, even as I found it to be one of the more unique stories I’ve read in the YA reading level. the main character, Cath, who is a lot like most of us who have our heads in a book: she’s awkward, weird, complex, anti-social, and full of her own inner stories based off her favorite franchise, which is called Simon Snow and is basically a Harry Potter knockoff. Being a total Potterhead myself, even if the books no longer have an author (Shame!), I could totally relate because the Harry Potter franchise is what started it all for me! They’re the books that really got me truly passionate about books, about film, about storytelling in general, and is the catalyst that truly made me think “I want to do that” for the first time in my younger years.

As for why I didn’t love this book, it just felt like there could’ve been more that happened in terms of the plot? I think it just had too many slower moments that made it somewhat harder to keep my attention from wandering, and even the conclusion I felt like could’ve been bigger. It just felt like not as much as I’d thought would happen by the end had actually done so. I did love the growth that the main character went through as the story in all aspects: her family, finding her first love, and of course friendship, and felt like she was definitely a different person once we got from point A to point B, but I was hoping maybe there would be a bigger, and grander ending of some sort? Maybe the story works the way it is, but part of me felt like there was some buildup with Cath’s writing that got a conclusion that just fell a little flat for me.

Now despite all that, there is plenty to praise the author as well! Rainbow Rowell’s characters and her work on them are a major highlight; I think just about everyone can read this story and have most if not all the characters remind them of someone they know in real life because of how real they feel. She even has the ability to make them all so complex, even as they stand on opposite ends of the social spectrum. What I mean by that actually is by comparing Cath to her twin sister, Wren, and how they interact as the story moves forward. Cath is a totally anti-social introvert who stays in her dorm to write fanfiction, but Wren has totally embraced the college party scene and wants to drift apart from her sister, but they meet up several times and while obviously Cath has a lot of inner depth to her, you even see it in her sister in little moments and as their family is put through the emotional wringer. It was the little moments like these that made me believe that the author truly knew her characters in and out.

I was also a fan of the romance—of course—that develops in Fangirl as well! What I liked about it the most was how realistic it felt. Sometimes, the romance genre can go so over the top and make it feel like we have to bend hand-over-knee or whatever that phrase is for our significant others, and those grand gestures are the one answer it takes to show them our true feelings. Well, life ain’t like that nor is it some spanish telenovela, and what we need to remember is that even the simplest of things can get the message across just as effectively. The little things do matter!

She smiled, and her eyes started to drift downward.
‘Cather…’
Back up to his eyes.
‘You know that I’m falling in love with you, right?'”
– Rainbow Rowell, “Fangirl”

Besides the characters, it’s the nostalgia that was the most powerful thing for me to come out of reading this book. It was the nostalgia of my own freshman year of college—perhaps the greatest year of my life—and of course all the fandoms that I’ve been a part of over the years. Whether we admit it or not, we’ve all been obsessed at one point or another with something much like Cath is with Simon Snow. We’ve read the books, we bought the (sometimes) overpriced merch, the action figures, we went to the midnight premieres in costume, we had those heated debates with friends, we shipped those couples that never become canon, we joined the fanclubs, etc. Some of them we can openly admit to and maybe can even still say we belong to it, but I can agree that there are probably some that we blush and stay mum about and keep it a total guilty pleasure. I’ve been like that, but as a way to end this section of this review, I’ll put myself out there and list off all the fandoms that I can remember that I’ve been a part of:

Disney’s Little Mermaid, Spongebob Squarepants, Winnie the Pooh, Power Rangers, Pokémon, Digimon, Sailor Moon, Bratz Dolls, Kids Next Door, WWE, Yu-Gi-Oh, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass (or any book by Sarah J. Maas honestly), From Blood and Ash series, Dexter’s Laboratory, Scooby Doo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Batman and Batman Beyond, Dragon Ball Z, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Superman, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, Star Wars films, Teen Titans, Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, Choices, Schitt’s Creek, Samurai Jack, Finding Nemo, Stranger Things, MCU, Tomb Raider, Greek Mythology, The Powerpuff Girls, Shonen Jump manga, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, An Ember in the Ashes series, The Vampire Diaries, MTV’s The Hills, The Folk of the Air series, Rocket Power, Rihanna, Ed Edd ‘n’ Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Looney Tunes, N*Sync, The Backstreet Boys, Kim Possible, That 70’s Show, Hannah Montana, Mean Girls, That’s So Raven, Phil of the Future, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Spy High, The Falling Kingdoms series, The Cheetah Girls, The Sims, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Nanny, Full House, Friends, New Girl, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Proud Family, Jesse McCartney, Lizzie Mcguire, Goosebumps, Totally Spies, Family Guy, The Land Before Time, Hocus Pocus, Boy Meets World, Duck Tales, Monster’s Inc, The Rugrats, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Zoobooks, The Black Cauldron, Roller Coaster Tycoon, The Lion King, The Fever Series, Queer Eye, Riverdale, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Pizza, American Horror Story, 13 Reasons Why, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, and I’m sure plenty more that I can’t even remember! Here’s a crazy thought to leave you with: think of how the very person you are, your beliefs and personality and maybe even your soul is influenced by all the things like these that you grew up with, with the messages they sent you, the lessons you learned, and all that makes up who you are!

What It’s About:

The official blurb:

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan..

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

What I Liked:

The College Nostalgia! Oh man, did this book bring me back to my own college days! I actually started my freshman year the fall of 2012, which is actually the school year after the timeline that this book takes place in, so I found a lot of the pop culture references, clothing choices, etc. to be really relatable. Even the time at the bowling alley reminded me of the many Thursday nights I went to the UW-Stout Alehouse for 50 cent bowling nights. My freshman year of college is what I consider the best year of my life so far, so the fact that this book made me think back to some really fond memories gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling right in the chest.
The Themes! Family, isolation, love & sex, writing, drugs & alcohol, and of course coming of age are the themes I got while reading, and I thought they all commingled rather nicely into a realistic and touching story. Cath is so dedicated to her family even when she feels like everything is moving on without her which leads into the isolation. She’s not a partier like her twin sister and is totally content to stay in every night and just write more fanfiction because of social anxiety and the uncertainty of it all, I get it. Cath noticing boys in a new way, plus her growing relationship with Levi focuses on the love and sex aspects, add in a side note with Reagan as being involved with Levi in that regards too, but not in the way you might expect right off the bat. Creative Writing is a huge part of Cath’s life, plus the story follows her struggles with her writing course with Professor Piper and Nick. College and drinking go hand in hand—my two underage tickets can attest to that—and Wren really seems to embrace the party culture on campus with her blonde roommate, Courtney. Cath worries about her, but Wren continues to blow her off and downplay how far she goes whenever she goes out on the weekends.
The Romance Between Levi and Cath! The budding relationship between these two was a little insta-love on Levi’s part, which actually wasn’t too bad since he wasn’t the protagonist, but it was actually kind of sweet how it was so obvious he was totally smitten for Cath since day one. Reagan, Cath’s roommate, plays an interesting role as the thing that initially keeps them apart in the beginning. What I really loved about their relationship and all that happened within it was just how realistic it felt. He never judged her for her quirks, he broke through her walls and pushed her in a non-manipulative and genuine way, and always offered his support no matter what. Usually with romance novels, it can go a little over the top with grand gestures to win someone over and heart wrenching confessions of love with gorgeous prose, and it wasn’t like that this time and it was actually rather refreshing. Sometimes the sweetest thing a guy can do is bring their girl a specialty starbucks drink when they meet up after his shift, he offers to drive you home to see your sick dad in the hospital even though it’s hours away, or he’s a total gentleman who admits he’s in love first and says he won’t do anything sexually that she doesn’t initiate first. This romance just simple, and that should be enough!
The Author’s Character Work! Rainbow Rowell is really good at writing those quirky, oddball characters with plenty of complexity and a method to their madness. Each of them have their own distinctness to them, and you’ll never get confused with any of them or get their names mixed up. there’s an honesty about them in the sense that I feel like just about everyone in real life has met people who remind them of each and every one of these characters. There’s definitely a line straight down the middle and you either like a character or you don’t, there’s not a whole lot of in between, at least that’s the impression I got!

Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can’t quite keep up with gravity.”
– Rainbow Rowell, “Fangirl”

What I Didn’t Like:

Her Sister Wren Abandoning Her…Wren was a real piece of work throughout this book, and I was so frustrated with her most of the time! How could she so easily ditch her sister without a second thought, especially when she knew the anxiety issues Cath has and all that they’ve gone through together growing up, then just replaced her with Courtney, which no offense to her, wasn’t really an upgrade. I get her behavior to a certain degree: with college and new beginnings, it is a normal reaction to want to strike out and try new things, to test the waters and experiment, but know where you come from and don’t take the people who actually care about you for granted!
Their Mother…What a bitch-a-rooney-dooney she was! I was totally on Cath’s side with this whole situation, even if a small chunk of me understood Wren’s need to have her come back into her life. But seriously… who ditches their family on 9/11? Like, the actual 9/11?!
Too Much Fanfiction…So it sucks to say this about the book considering a huge them about it was about writing fanfiction, but I was not a fan of the passages of Cath’s story that we got. I know it would’ve been worse to not have any of them at all in the story, especially since there’s such an emphasis on it, but I thought there was just too much of it. I liked the parts when Cath read it to Levi for the most part, but I also never really got a gay vibe from Simon and Baz that everyone was totally gushing about. Not that I’m not for a gay relationship between a fictional wizard and vampire, but I wasn’t sold on the execution of what we were given.
The Plot Felt Too Slow In Parts…This story did feel like it dragged in quite a few places, which can be a side effect of a character-driven story such as this one. Maybe it could’ve been a shorter story in general, or something totally shocking could’ve been added?
The Ending Could’ve Been More Grand…For some reason I was totally picturing a much bigger way to end the story, like the author of the Simon Snow franchise found Cath’s fanfiction on the internet and offered her a publishing collaboration deal or something like that. It felt like not as much actually happened by the time the actual ending took place, and it’d been a whole ten months of the school year!

Conclusion:

‘No,’ Cath said, ‘Seriously. Look at you. You’ve got your shit together, you’re not scared of anything. I’m scared of everything. And I’m crazy. Like maybe you think I’m a little crazy, but I only ever let people see the tip of my crazy iceberg. Underneath this veneer of slightly crazy and socially inept, I’m a complete disaster.’”
– Rainbow Rowell, “Fangirl”

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is a cute, genuine, and real take on growing up during an eventful moment in a young girl’s life: starting her freshman year of college and having to deal with major change from what she’s grown up used to. It’s a coming-of-age story filled with distinct characters, humor, angst, fanfiction, and first love that I really enjoyed for the most part, but still felt like something was still just missing that keeps it from becoming a hit classic that would have a lot more people refer back to it. It’s character-driven, and maybe it just had too many slower moments to keep it from really picking up, plotwise. However, It invokes feelings of nostalgia from either your own college days or from the fandoms you grew up being a part of; the memories this book helps invoke certainly does feel like a little gift from the past to warm your heart, which I think is the main reason that a lot of readers really enjoy this title.

One addition I would to make is that the author has teamed up with Gabi Nam, and almost paying homage to her fandom roots and themes with this book, they’ve transformed this story into a manga! Check it out in the link HERE and I can say I’d definitely be interested to check out this version of the book myself! Maybe it’ll translate better into this format, who knows!

Another addition is that now that Fangirl is under my belt is how I now get to read Carry On, which stars Simon Snow, the author’s knockoff version of Harry Potter, and how it reads like the work that Cath was working on in this book! Someone told me it’s basically a gay version of HP and I was sold! I have a copy on my shelf to read, and once I have a few other titles read under my belt first, I can’t wait to see what Rainbow Rowell did with this idea.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy

My Review: A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3): by Sabaa Tahir

May 12, 2020October 28, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: June 12th, 2018
Number of Pages: 464 Pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre(s): YA Fantasy

***Warning! This book contains spoilers to previous books in the series! Continue reading at your own risk, you’ve officially been warned!***

To see my full review of book #1 – An Ember in the Ashes – Click HERE

To see my full review of book #2 – A Torch Against the Night – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Sabaa Tahir is an evil genius!

Never before has a story that’s so devastating, so visceral, so gut-wrenching in the YA Fantasy genre than this incredible—and underrated—book series that started off with a young girl trying to rescue her brother and a young soldier who just wants his freedom. Things seemed so simple back then, even though they weren’t, but so much has happened since then to not only Laia and Elias, but EVERYONE in these books.

I will admit, I loved the first book a lot more than the second book. I liked the simplicity in the idea of just these young heroes fighting for their freedom with the rebellion against the Martial Empire with a tiny hint of magic sprinkled in, but book two made the series go in a direction I was not fully expecting, nor was I incredibly thrilled about. It brought up ideas I was indifferent about, but fell in love with more characters as depths to their motives were revealed. This book made me fall in love with the books all over again, and in my opinion, saved the series from continuing to slump!

Was it perfect? No…

Was it fun and entertaining? Yes!

Did I cry like a baby at the end and go into a crippling book-hangover for about a week after I finished this book? ….yes.

I can agree with a few people who say this book was slower in the beginning and with Elias’s chapters, as I’m also not really on board for how his storyline is developing. I honestly never pictured how it’s played out from the way he was portrayed in the first book. While thats the case right now, this book ends in a way that makes me very curious to read what happens in the next book, because lesbehonest…it feels like a HEA is almost impossible for Elias and Laia at this point, and I just want them to be happy when this is all over!

Helene continues to slay across the page and become such a strong and fierce female as more and more terrible things keep happening to her thanks to Marcus and the Commandant. Helene and the latter forge a rivalry of who can become HBIC of the Martial Rule, and that was a highlight as Marcus slowly descends further into insanity and paranoia, but what surprised me was how the author explored his character a little more than usual this time around. I mean, he’s still a sadistic nutjob who needs to cool it with the threats against Helene and her family, but it was a surprise nonetheless. I will never complain about developed villain!

The Commandant continues on with her amazingness, and I continue to love her wickedness and overall badassery!

There was a significant less amount of romance in this book—some readers may like that, but I’m the opposite—and it seems like the author gets a kick out of putting just about ANY wall between Laia and being happy with Elias, but there’s another romance that develops that I had been shipping since the last book, so I was happy to see that become canon, and hope it continues into the next and final book!

Overall, I loved this book and it honestly saved the series for me! Since I wasn’t the biggest fan of book #2, I was nervous this book wasn’t going to be nearly as good, but then I get to the climax of A Reaper at the Gates, and in reading all that happens and having all the information revealed to me, I was absolutely blown away by the occurrences and how emotionally impacted I was! The way it was all tied together: The Cook, Laia and Elias, Helene, Harper, The Commandant, The Nightbringer, and the prophecy we learn about….I definitely teared up from this one, and only one other book did this to me back in 2018, and that was Kingdom of Ash, the final book in the Throne of Glass series.

It makes me just as sad all this time later in 2020 that this series is coming to an end at the end of the year. I will be depressed about it for quite some time, just being completely honest about that, but I also enjoy the challenge of continuing on and using all that I’ve gathered from this series that I love, and using that to find yet another series I can fall in love with and shamelessly promote to anyone else who’ll listen!

What It’s About:

I will sing you such a story—a story that was long untold. The story of a name and its meaning. Of how that name matters more than any other single word in existence. But I must prepare myself, for such stories are dragons drawn from a deep well in a dark place. Does one summon a dragon? No. One may only invite it and hope it emerges.“
– Sabaa Tahir, “A Reaper at the Gates”

The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir’s New York Times bestselling EMBER QUARTET.

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion—even at the cost of his humanity.

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.”
– Sabaa Tahir, “A Reaper at the Gates”

What I liked:

The Well Developed Villains! A definite highlight that was really surprising was how the author really took the time to shine a spotlight on the evil characters in this addition to their series. They’re still downright despicable, but there’s some hidden depths there now that do nothing but enhance the richness of a good story. The Commandant continues to be one of the most sadistic female villains I’ve ever come come across—something I’ve been saying since the beginning of these books—but even Marcus has more going on with his character, and you finally learn about the Nightbringer’s backstory…and what his master plot is!
The Stakes Have Risen Again, Indeed! The big reveal: what has The Nightbringer been planning all this time? What has all the buildup been about? Why is he there? Where did he come from? Who is he exactly? All this gets answered as the author finally exposes what his motive is.
The Climax Scene! Some may argue that the book has too much filler, and that really depends on the specific reader, but I can say the epic climax of the story really makes up for the slower plot points! So much happens, so much angst and betrayal and shock; it was one of the most emotionally impacting book moments I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. It was truly amazing how all these storylines came together, how the author included the prophecy into the actions of the characters, and the shocking events behind the Cook! I literally have chills thinking back on it…
The Slow-Burn Romance! Surprisingly, there wasn’t as much romance in this story, as the author has to come up with every single possible way to keep Elias and Laia away from each other…Helene and Harper have a nicely drawn out slow burn romantic sub-storyline that really develops. As someone who really shipped them since the previous book when Harper was initially introduced to us, I was happy for this to happen! I mean…Helene has a lot of heavy shit happen to her—as does everyone in this series—but she has had the most growth out of any character, so I’m more than fine for the author to throw her at least one freakin’ bone of happiness amongst all the misery!

What I Didn’t Like:

Elias’s Story Development…I’m not gonna lie…Elias’s whole storyline is not for me. I still love him as a character, but I just can’t get behind how his development, especially in this book, has come about. It’s still somewhat interesting and tragic, especially with how his relationship with Laia is affected at the end, but I can agree with other critical readers when they say his chapters were the slower parts of the whole book. However, I am very curious to see how his storyline developments in the next and final book!
Darin and Serric Steel Storyline Faces the Back Burner…I was majorly disappointed in how this whole storyline seemingly got dropped in this book. It was a huge part of Laia’s motivation as a character: to rescue her brother from Kauf prison and allow him to share how to use his valuable knowledge of the special metal to construct weapons to take on the Empire…but none of that seems to matter anymore. So, okay I guess…
THIS Was Where The Book Rebranding Occurred…I mentioned this in one of my previous reviews, but this series got rebranded and A Reaper at the Gates was when that happened. Personally, I do prefer the new covers because I think they make the series stand out a little more than the older versions did, BUT don’t rebrand books while they’re still coming out! Maybe do it years later once the series is complete, or just use the design for another series, but it’s tacky to do it right smack dab in the middle of the series. People like me are incredibly passionate about their bookshelves and are OCD about having their books match: hardcover or softcover, or if the covers match. While some would be more than happy to go out and repurchase the newly designed books all over again, some people need to worry about the cost of that as well! This may seem outrageous and completely extra, but like I said: I’m extremely passionate about the books I keep on my bookshelf, and I want my collection to match.

Conclusion:

This book brings so much life into the series!

I was less than enthused about A Torch Against the Night, so this series sank from the pedestal a little bit, but this book changed that, and made me fall in love with the series all over again. One thing that’s stayed constant is the fact that I think the Commandant is easily one of the top villains I’ve ever read or watched in my life, somehow she gets worse and worse as the story goes on.

Sabaa Tahir writes her world in such a beautiful way, and does such a great job of creating complex and interesting characters, and I’d also say her writing has matured so well as the series has progressed. Its somehow gotten even more serious and gained an even darker tone.

It’s a shame that more people won’t read this series because it’s YA/Teen, but seriously, it’s such a great series despite that, and it doesn’t even read like a normal YA fantasy book; the only thing that makes it fall under the category is the fact that the main characters are teenagers.

Overall, what an amazing book, I was until 5 am to finish it, now I seriously can’t wait for the next title to release!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: An Ember In The Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir

September 7, 2019February 5, 2021 nicholasjgoodsell

Image courtesy of Sabaa Tahir’s Instagram profile

In Sabaa Tahir’s debut YA Fantasy series, Laia is a young girl living in poverty under the Martial Rule of the Empire in a world reminiscent of Ancient Rome, and must become a spy for a covert rebellion group her parents were a part of in order to get answers and secrets from the most dangerous and cruel general in Serra, but discovers more than she could’ve ever imagined….

Elias, the son of the very same general and star pupil at military training camp, secretly wants a life of freedom and to run away from the scrutiny and expectations that have weighed him down for as long as he remembers, but unexpected events leads to a tournament where he must compete against his fellow classmates in order for a new emperor to be crowned puts everything on pause…

Meanwhile, dark forces are at work, and a malicious shadow known as the Nightbringer is developing a sinister plot that could mean the end of life as we know it…

Check out my review of book #1: An Ember in the Ashes – Click HERE

Check out my review of book #2: A Torch Against the Night – Click HERE

Check out my review of book #3: A Reaper at the Gates – Click HERE

Check out my review of book #4: A Sky Beyond the Storm – Click HERE

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Laia of Serra: Sophia Ali, or Shiva Negar

Sophia Ali, image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB profile

Shiva Negar, image courtesy of gemmamagazine.com

This one was a little harder to do because there aren’t a whole lot of well known, Middle-Eastern/Pakistani/Muslim actresses out there that I felt would be fitting of the role. However I did remember these two women; Sophia has been on the more recent seasons of Grey’s Anatomy playing a young intern, and Shiva was in American Assassin.

Elias Veturius: Eliran Biton, or Jorge Del Rio

Eliran Bitan, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Elias was incredibly hard to cast! A lot of other fancasts that I’ve looked at have made him caucasian, but I remember reading somewhere that Sabaa Tahir said he wasn’t. Toni Mahfud has been a popular choice to fancast him since, but for me, something about him just didn’t fit the bill. I found this guy on Instagram, found out he’s of Israeli descent, and so I thought he looked much more like what I imagined Elias to appear as. Jorge is another choice based off his hypnotic eyes, but he may not fit the ethnic background that Elias may fall under.

Helene Aguilla: Claire Holt

I’ve loved her ever since her days as Original Vampire Rebekah Mikaelson in the CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Like Rebekah, Helene doesn’t seem like much more than an a spoiled, elitist brat, but develops into a strong, brave & admirable young woman, so I believe that Claire would successfully showcase that if they cast her into the role.

Cain: Paul Bettany

Image courtesy of starwars.com

Paul has basically been my go-to guy for casting in strange, otherworldly male roles. He’s a terrific actor, has a unique look to him, and has a soft, yet powerful presence like his role as Vision in Marvel’s Avengers movies, so I believe he’d be absolutely wonderful as the mysterious Augur, Cain.

Marcus Ferrar: Willy Monfret

I also would’ve cast Jesse Williams possibly, but I always cast him into roles and he seemed a little too old to play Marcus, but this model (who is seen in several Nicki Minaj music videos) would also serve to play the egocentric, crazed, power-hungry antagonist, Marcus.

Darin (Laia’s Brother): Deniz Akdeniz

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

I’ve seen this guy play Aladdin on ABC’s Once Upon A Time, he’s also been on Jane the Virgin, and Agents of the S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s got a look that reminds me of Darrin, and seems good at playing the older brother of our Heroine, Laia.

Avitas Harper: Sean Sarantos

Avitas Harper was also a hard one to cast; not too much is given to us as to what he looked like. Sean is known more in the fitness world than Hollywood, but this half korean/ half greek model has a perfect look I had in mind for Avitas Harper, since the character is of Eastern Asian descent, according to the author!

Afya Ara-Nur: Priyaka Chopra Jonas

For some reason, I originally cast Angela Bassett as the role…I think I was riding a high from her iconic-ness from American Horror Story, but after looking into it and realizing that she didn’t look anything like the role, and was way too old to play this Tribal-woman! I thought Priya would be able to harness the power that Afya possesses as being the leader of the tribe that takes in Elias and Laia in the second title, A Torch Against the Night.

Keris Veturius (The Commandant): Cate Blanchett

I mean…do I really have to explain myself with this one?

Keenan: Ken Bek

Image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

There aren’t a whole lot of ginger men in Hollywood, at least younger ones. Most people would probably cast Eddie Redmayne or Sam Claflin, but neither felt right for this role. He’s not an actor, but this male model has a bit of danger in his eyes, a bit of swagger that I imagine Keenan had as he prowled the streets of Serra in search of causing a little chaos as he helps the rebellion cause.

Izzi: Scarlett Leithold

Image courtesy of fashionmodeldirectory.com

This model has what I imagine the similar features as our kitchen maid, Izzi. There’s no eyepatch, but she has young features, is absolutely gorgeous but not too prominent about it, and has a little more on an innocent vibe than other young blonde actresses that I could find.

Cook: Bahar Soomekh

Image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB profile

So the cook is such an interesting character…I really can’t say why, but this actress who I know from movies like Crash and Mission: Impossible 3 kind of, sort of fits my bill for what the Cook could possibly look like, especially as we get to know her character more and more.

Spiro Teluman: Nuufloeau Joel Seanoa

This guy is actually a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Superstar with his ring name being “Samoa Joe.” He fits the bill for what I imagined Spiro Teluman to look like; a big, brutish man who secretly makes weapons to aid the rebellion.

Zacharias Ferrar: Kendrick Sampson

Another go-to of mine when it comes to POC male characters with lighter eyes, but I thought he’d still be able to pull off the quieter, more softer brother to Marcus.

Shaeva: Sabaa Tahir

Image courtesy of the author’s Twitter account

Why not have the author of the dang series make an appearance if they ever make it a cinematic adaptation? I think if she ever wanted to go into acting, why not have her play the role of the Soul Catcher we meet in the second title?

Musa of Adisa: Sam Asghari

I could be WAY off base with this one, but based off my impression of Musa (aka “The Beekeeper), he’s this model-esque hunk of dream boat, and the man who’s dating Britney Spears seemed to physically fit what I imagined the smug, charismatic prince consort who has the magical ability to control lesser fey creatures.

~~~

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy

My Review: An Ember in the Ashes (Ember in the Ashes #1): by Sabaa Tahir

June 25, 2019October 17, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: April 28th 2015
Number of Pages: 446 Pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre(s): YA Fantasy

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

How was I supposed to know that I would absolutely fall in love with a random book that I just happened to grab off the shelf to fill a 14-hour international flight?

I absolutely devoured this story in almost no time at all; it completely immersed me into the ancient Romanesque Empiric rule of Serra; I saw myself using the shadows as my shield by moonlight with a dangerous & ominous feeling in the air. My chest was tight with fear and panic as I twisted through the winding back alleyways while trying to escape the malicious masked soldiers, their yells and warnings heard just behind me, and the only thing driving me forward is the small shred of hope for escape and a chance at a better world.

This book is a rare occurrence in the fact that it invokes such raw emotion from you, the reader. Whether its joy, sorrow, or rage; one thing that is certain is that this story latches onto your hearts if you choose to read it. It takes the breath right out of your lungs as a chill runs down your spine. For Young Adult/Teen Fantasy, it certainly doesn’t read like it truly belongs within the genre; the only criteria that supports the fact is that the two protagonists are within the age range. It’s brutal, it’s sadistic, it’s dark and unpredictable because every character faces life altering events with the ever present threat of searing pain and death.

Sabaa Tahir is an evil genius; for her debut work, she has truly created a masterful work of a novel filled with a harsh, ancient & corrupt world with such diverse, and well developed characters. An Ember in the Ashes is an addictive, high octane, epic debut that will take the literary world by storm, one reader at a time.

What It’s About:

The story takes place in the Capital City, Serra, in an ancient world that has been taken over by the militaristic, sadistic Empire (Who was inspired the occupation of the Roman Empire). The land used to be ruled by the Scholars, but are now either enslaved or forced into a rough, poverty-stricken life.

The World of An Ember in the Ashes, image courtesy of http://www.fantasticmaps.com

A closer look at Serra and the land surrounding it, image courtesy of http://www.fantasticmaps.com

Martial soldiers named “Masks” because of the silver masks they wear to cover their features prowl the streets like packs of ravenous wolves, but amongst the carnage, underneath all the oppression, pain, violence, and spilt blood; the Resistance grows with a burning desire for freedom that refuses to be extinguished.

The story is told from two perspectives, one of from Laia, who is a young Scholar slave that lives with her older brother and grandparents after the deaths of her parents, who were leaders in the Resistance. Because of their loss at a young age, they learned to keep their heads low, not to draw attention to themselves, and live amongst the other impoverished citizens of the capital city. One night during a raid, her life is twisted and torn from her grasp, and leaves her alone and utterly terrified. Her brother is taken as a prisoner by Masks under the accusation of treason, and with nowhere else to go, she seeks out the same group her parents lead in order to save him and get him back. They agree to assist her, but only under the condition that she must infiltrate the military training school, Blackcliff Academy, as a personal slave to spy on the Commandant, the Empire’s cruelest general.

Then there’s Elias Veturius, the son of the Commandant, and the reluctant star student of Blackcliff who is about to graduate after it’s 14 year enrollment. Ever since he was brought into his elite family, Elias has been bred and formed into becoming the Empire’s perfect soldier and to continue it’s legacy, but as he’s grown more into himself, he’s wanted nothing more than to escape from the scrutiny, the expectations, and to just run away and be free. After certainly unexpected circumstances, he’s thrust into a competition amongst several of his schoolmates; the winner will become the next Emperor.

Elias and Laia meet, and while a definite spark strikes, they both learn that their destinies are intertwined and heavily rely on each other, that prophecies and secret plans are being set in motion and dark & sinister creatures, long thought to be just myth, do in fact exist. They rage, they burn, and they intend to destroy.

What I Liked:

The Iconic Characters & Their Growth! Both major and minor, all the characters within this story truly shine and add so much excitement to the story. Laia and Elias are amazing characters that you can get behind and relate to, but there was also a plethora of other characters that act as large pillars that hold the story intact and provide the ability to keep it’s splendor. There’s Helene, who’s such a strong, fierce female warrior who has been Elias’s best friend for many years, but harbors a secret longing for him while also competing against him for the role of Emperor. There’s the Commandant, who was so great that she earned her own spot on this list below, where I will go into more detail as well. Another one is Cain, who is a part of a group of mysterious monks with magical abilities called the Augurs, who guides both Laia and Elias and merely hints at what’s to come in their futures. There’s Cook, a disfigured older woman whose title is her name, helps Laia but is definitely keeping secrets of her own. There’s Markus, Elias’s rival who is completely merciless and vile. There’s Spiro Teluman, a blacksmith who Laia meets up with in order to find answers. There’s so many more people to add, but these were the ones that especially stood out to me. There was also a lot of development within the story and the character’s initial arc. Laia is absolutely terrified of the war that she’s become involved with, but becomes so brave as she faces against everything that weighs her down, and all for the unlikely hope to be reunited with her brother. Helene, who shows very little compassion to those stationed below her, learns to see others in a new light, and Elias learns the difficult lessons of living up to expectations and when it conflicts with personal desire.
The Brutality! From the very first chapter, you’re thrust into the violence of the world that the author created. There’s murder, kidnapping, slavery, attempted rape, vicious torture, sexism and abuse in pretty much every form. While some are probably less than thrilled about these subjects occurring in a YA novel, I wholeheartedly thought that it made the story so much more worthwhile, causing it to soar high above all the other titles that more conservative readers would consider “safer.” Tahir exposes us to the harsh brutality of it all, as she should because let’s face it; it’s out there and it’s happening in the real world. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous; but amongst all the darkness and heaviness that this story entails, it gave me much respect to the author for going there, and exposing it for the raw reality that it is in a brilliant way.
The Mystery & Unpredictability! Along with the brutality, the unpredictable sub plots that were all happening throughout added so much excitement and drive to keep reading. (Here I go with yet another GoT reference), but it was similar to how I was immediately drawn into it because when even the main characters are in actual danger, and you find yourself legitimately fearing for their lives, you know you’ve found something worthwhile. Cain, the Augur, was especially great at adding the love/frustration for this aspect; he would sometimes only speak in riddles when asked to elaborate, and you groan out loud and want to slap him. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? I DON’T NEED SLEEP, I NEED ANSWERS!
The World-building! While it even says in the pitch about the book that it’s inspired by the rule of Roman Empire in ancient times, the author adds so much more to it and created a compelling world filled with a violent history. It was especially fun to see that she mixed in some elements of her own nationality of being Arabic into the story, especially with the mythology and magical aspects. The Middle East; with it’s culture, religion, and mythicism, is incredibly underrepresented in media and having it be showcased in this story not only shows the authors pride for her background, but also helps create something that feels fresh and original. Jinn, which from my impression are the Arabic version of demons, will have a major role to play in the outcome of this series. I also found the silver masks that the Martial soldiers wore with their uniforms incredibly interesting, filled with representation similar to what English teachers love to force down our throats in the classics that they assign students to read. They’re actually quite simple in terms of design, but as the soldier continues to wear it, it forms to the shape of their face until it’s impossible to remove. It makes me think of how it dehumanizes the person that wears it; they go from being an individual soul with emotions, hopes and fears to becoming just another face of the tyranny; a desensitized and apathetic soldier whose only purpose is to enforce and/or kill anyone who doesn’t stay down.
Love Square? Or Pyramid? Laia and Elias for sure get the hots for each other, but there are other players that put their names into the hat, thus creating the timeless story arc of YA in having a love triangle. The big difference for this story is that there’s actually, like, two that go on at once. While initially weary of Elias and his family name, Laia finds herself drawn to Keenan, a brash and sarcastic rebel warrior who aids her along the way of her painful mission. Laia finds herself having mixed feelings for both boys and is torn by them and what they each represent. Elias, who is intrigued by his mother’s new slave with the striking golden eyes, also learns that his life-long friend Helene has been harboring secret feelings for him, and even finds himself wondering if he feels the same. Unlike a lot of other titles in the genre, the romance doesn’t take lead in the story at all. While it is present, the characters truly see the higher stakes that surround them, and don’t allow their raging hormones to distract them. The book never makes readers think that it’s more important to choose between one hot guy or the other over making the hard decisions and overcoming adversity.
The Cliffhanger Ending! I loved it, but also absolutely freakin’ HATED it at the same time. It comes with the territory of cliffhangers to feel like the book abruptly stops in order to make you want to keep going along with the story, and this one is no different. While I applaud Sabaa Tahir for invoking such strong emotions from me, I want to be furious with her too. I think certain authors get a sick thrill of how they torture us with their work.
The Villain! Can we talk about the Commandant? Because HOLY SHIT…you guys, if you read this story and introduce yourself to her, you’ll meet probably one of the most iconic female villains EVER in all of fiction. She makes you stop reading the book, blink and whisper “holy shit”… several times while cocooned underneath your covers with eyes as wide as dinner plates late at night. Think of her as Cersei Lannister, but if she had the Mountain’s physical aversion to violence, and somehow has even LESS empathy or compassion than the lioness who GoT fans absolutely despised. While not batting an eyelash or showing an ounce of emotion, the Commandant would slowly rip out your fingernails, impale a rusty nail through your eyeball, cut off limbs and brand or carve her initials into your flesh; she’s an absolute psychotic sociopath. There’s even more to her as the story develops; it turns out that she’s working with a dark, mystical and ominous hooded figure known as the Nightbringer. The Nightbringer is the king of the Jinn, therefore the ruler of demons, and while it’s not revealed who exactly he is or what it is that they’re plotting, it certainly means to doom them all…

What I Didn’t Like:

The Pacing…The first half of the story can drag on for quite a bit because of the slower scenes and possibly because of the fact that it’s told from both Laia and Elias’s perspectives. They actually don’t spend a whole lot of time together; they may only have about a handful of scenes where they actually interact. This just means that they simply have their own separate storylines going on and that the book jumps to the other after a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. The pacing felt like it was a little uneven at some points; it would go from 0 to 100 real quick, but then would go back down to 0 almost just as quickly, so you might find yourself tempted to skim over the slower parts in order to return to the faster, more epic events that take place. Yeah…don’t do that. Luckily, this mainly only takes place in the first half of the story, and stays at a more consistent and exciting level from then on.
The Series Rebrand…So how would you feel if in the middle of a series, it all of a sudden has a rebrand and changes the whole outer appearance? I’m personally someone who is picky of how my personal bookshelf appears and how the titles within a series match to each other. For example, having a paperback edition amongst Hardcovers, or having mismatching cover designs. It’s a bit OCD of me, but cry me a river; I’m passionate about books and as a former art student, I hope others can understand when I say it’s all about the aesthetic. Basically the covers of the first two novels in the series started off as this:

But then they go to this:

The rebrand made its debut with the release of the third book in the series, A Reaper At the Gates, was released on June 12th 2018, and so the newer covers above are paperback editions to match. Honestly, I totally get that the reason behind this was that Sabaa Tahir wanted better representation for her ethnicity, especially for Laia, and I can fully support that. Also, both designs are absolutely stunning (YA Cover Designs have been ON POINT over the last several years and deserve to have their own awards show), but it now means that I HAD to get the new designs of the first two novels, but now they’re paperbacks compared to the hardcover third novel…I know this sounds ridiculous, petty and you’re probably thinking “Why does this matter?” I can’t really explain it, but it’s the way I am, so no apologies there. I just need things, especially my book collection, to match; I’m an OCD passionate book enthusiast. Luckily, I don’t mind giving up my money in order to help support the author, and It’s recently been revealed that a Barnes & Noble hardcover special edition with the new design will come out in the Fall of 2019, so y’all know I’m about to get all up on that!

Conclusion:

I can’t recommend this book enough you guys…It’s truly spectacular, and I really connected with everything that this story is about and all the characters that it includes. I still shake my head at how I actually accidentally happened upon this book in Barnes and Noble back in 2015, when there was so little hype or anything known about it. I don’t know if that means I’m supposed say something deep, prophetic, and quotable about giving a chance on the unexpected, taking the plunge into something new and unfamiliar, but ehh… It’s honestly just so great to find something that causes you to feel something so strongly, to cause adoration, and feel so passionately about. This is one of my top 5 books of all time for anyone to read, even to those who pretentiously scoff at the idea of reading a Young Adult title. It’s only the beginning of a magnificent series, and if this is only her debut novel, I have a feeling that Sabaa Tahir could be destined to become one of the all time greatest authors, and I for one cannot wait to see it unfold!