[Review] A Torch against the Night - Sabaa Tahir

Titel: A Torch against the Night

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #2

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Publisher: Razorbill

First Published: 30.08.2016
Format: Kindle, 456 pages, english

Synopsis/Inhalt: GoodReads

Review: 4*, GoodReads

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.
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As this is the second book in a series I'm not sure what to say to keep this spoiler-free, so maybe steer clear of this review if you don't want to be spoiled for the first book.

I don't have much to say about Tahirs writing as it was pretty much the same as in the first book in my opinion. I liked the world she set up and can easily follow her writing.

Most of the time at least. One thing that consistently through me off, was the points of view. I don't mind multiple povs but I had to pay close attention to read the name every chapter other wise I would get pretty confused and need quite a few lines to realize the POV changed.

The plot picked of right where the first book left off and I really enjoyed it. The first part was quite road-tripy, but I actually enjoyed that. In the second half of the book the plot thickened quite a bit and there was a lot of action.

I didn't really enjoy Elias and Laias romance as it seemed incredibly forced in this book and I couldn't quite follow their feelings.

Laias other relationship seemed equally forced here and a certain thing happened way to fast for me, at least considering the plot until that point.

All in all I did enjoy the book quite a bit and rated it 4 stars.