I remembered being really excited for this book after finishing A Torch Against The Night but then I did not pick it up directly after it came out. I also thought I would read this really fast but I also took my time reading it. I could not totally focus on this book and I can’t say why. Not because it was bad or I was not interested in the story but I was not into it as much as I would have liked to. I think it was a bad time for me to read this and I should have picked up a lighter book (that is what I did right after though). Still, I enjoyed this book!

I think this book was my least favourite of the three because I was not happy with what happens to Elias in it. I am actually kind of sad and furious about his storyline. However, after the events of the last book I was expecting to see less of Helene Aquilla and it was a great surprise to see that she was so present in the book. I love her character and I think she is really interesting. She was less torn between staying faithful to the Empire and helping Elias in this book but the poor girl has a lot of bad things happening to her. I feel like Laia wa also way less present in this book but I did not really care. I can’t say why but I am not a fan of her.

The storyline was not predictable and full of surprising events. I just think that it was a bit too slow sometimes.

This book was massive and it took me a lot of time to read it but I still really enjoyed it and I will definitely read the next one.

I read an Ember in the Ashes last year (in november 2016) and I discovered an amazing new world. I felt in love with Elias, Laia, Helene and all the other characters. It was one of my favourite read of 2016. It took me quite a long time to pick up A Torch Against the Night, and I was not disappointed by it when I finally did.

I was a bit confused at times; there are many new developments that I did not see coming and that I did not know how relevant they were to the plot. Some of them were revealed during the book, but some other elements left me perplexed and I can’t wait to learn more about in the next book.

I love Laia, she must be one of my favourite female character of all time. She is strong and independent, but tend to rely on other people sometimes, before realizing she can control her own destiny and do what the hell she wants to do. She is sometimes conflicted between those emotions, and as I said in my review of the first book, it made her so realistic, I liked that a lot.

Elias can be annoying because he is really stubborn. I just want to slap him sometimes. But he has such a great heart you cannot help but love him. Elias struggles between two identities, he is trying to understand what defines him. He will also do anything to protect those he loved, which is good, but he never thinks about himself and that can be pretty destructive.

Helene is an amazing character but I did not get enough of her and it was a bit sad. I really enjoy this character and her struggle between being loyal to the Empire and saving her best friend’s life. Just like Elias, she tries to protect everyone and it is not always working… I can’t wait to see what is going to happen to her in the next book.

I really enjoyed the events of this book and I can’t wait to read more about all these characters in A Reaper at the Gates (April 2018).