Book: A Torch Against the Night
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Genre: YA Fantasy
“You are a torch against the night—if you dare to let yourself burn.”
A Torch Against the Night is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes, set in an Ancient-Rome-like world where Elias is a soldier and Laia is a slave. Read my review of An Ember in the Ashes here.
Warning: spoilers for book 1, An Ember in the Ashes
In A Torch Against the Night, Elias and Laia have just escaped from Blackcliff Academy. Laia has enlisted Elias’ help to get her out of the city and break her brother out of the notorious Kauf prison. Not only does Elias’ ruthless mother stand in their way, but so does Elias’ former best friend, Helene, who now acts as the emperor’s enforcer. And they aren’t the only forces working against Laia and Elias.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
A Torch Against the Night was a great sequel to the first book. It didn’t capture my attention quite as well as the beginning of the first book did, but by the end, I was sucked in again.
The characters and worldbuilding continue to be so well done. The characters feel so authentic, and I loved the way their stories continued in this sequel. The world continues to expand in interesting ways that only make me want to learn more about it.
So without further ado, let’s get into my review of A Torch Against the Night.
A Torch Against the Night Review Breakdown
Characters: 5 Stars
Plot: 4 Stars
Prose: 4 Stars
Worldbuilding/Setting: 5 Stars
Spoiler-Free Thoughts – A Torch Against the Night Review
The book picks up right where the first one left off, and the beginning is super exciting. But after the initial conflict, the book slows down a lot, and the middle drags a bit. I was still interested enough to keep reading, and there is a twist that changes your perspective of some things that happen in the middle and makes them more interesting, but the pacing of the middle was a bit off.
The end made up for it with lots of excitement and answered questions. And the twist of course.
I liked the characters in the first book, but I grew to like them even more in this book, especially Elias and Helene. I was rooting hard for Elias and Laia to succeed in getting to Kauf, and there is something that affects Elias that I was really hoping he’d overcome.
Elias is probably my favorite character. He is so cool and highly skilled, but I also love his compassion. He has a nice arc in this sequel. I also love how the author didn’t shy away from giving the situation he was in real consequences, and I’m excited to see how that affects the rest of the series.
Helene continues to be SO interesting. I loved getting her POV in this book. We got so much insight into who she is and why she’s done what she has. She is going through it, and it was so compelling to watch her struggle between her different loyalties. I’m excited to see what plans she has in the next book.
Some people have said they don’t like Laia because she can be selfish and whiny, and while I didn’t see her that way, I do see where they’re coming from. I don’t think the love triangle works in her favor in this book, but it was the thing to do when this book came out. And it’s not exactly a typical love triangle.
I loved Cook in this sequel; she’s even more awesome than I thought, and I love her interactions with Helene.
I liked Harper, and it seems like he’s going to be even more involved in the next books, so I’m excited about that.
The worldbuilding expanded a lot. I liked how connected everything with the Soul Catcher and what happened in the past is with the things that are currently happening. When she was first introduced, I wasn’t expecting that.
The Waiting Place was a cool setting, and I’m excited to see what else comes from the place.
I’m also excited to see even more magic in the following books. It’s finally coming into play more.
Spoiler Section – A Torch Against the Night Review
Those are all my spoiler-free thoughts. Click here to reveal my thoughts with spoilers.
I did not expect Elias to become the next Soul Catcher, but I love how this was a consequence of what happened to him. Tahir didn’t give him a way out of it, which is what I expected. I thought they’d find some kind of cure/antidote or that Helene would heal him. Becoming the Soul Catcher sort of was a way out of dying, but it was well foreshadowed. I wonder if Elias will have magical abilities now. He already had a sort of magical ability to survive and fight.
I’m excited to see how Darin impacts the story now that he’s finally out of prison—been waiting two books for this.
So sad about Helene’s family. I can’t believe Marcus already knew about the coup. I underestimated him. He seems like he would be angry and unhinged enough to be incompetent, but I guess not. And he clearly has help from whoever he talks to. Not sure if I believe that it’s Zak’s ghost, but it could be. I thought it might be the Nightbringer, but I’m not sure about that. He would be working with Marcus and the Commandant, who seem to be in opposition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nightbringer was manipulating both of them.
Keenan is the Nightbringer? I knew he wasn’t who he said he was but wow. And he actually loved Laia. And she loved him. So weird. It seems like the Nightbringer is going to end up as the big antagonist, so I wonder how that’s going to play into the conflict in the next books.
The warden? So evil. Glad he met his end. All those poor kids and prisoners. It was so creepy that he was feeding Keenan information about Laia. But he was just creepy in general.
Harper is Elias’ brother? I knew I liked him for a reason. He is very different from Elias, but I think he has good in him. I just want him and Helene to come to the side of good. Helene does want revenge now so that might help her oppose the empire (or at least Marcus). I wonder what Harper wants. I’m very curious about Harper and Elias’ dad, and if he was a good man, how did that go down with the Commandant?
Laia’s invisibility is cool and so is Helene’s healing. I’m glad that Laia finally stopped listening to Keenan about it, but I’m so sad she lost her armlet to him. I really hope both Laia and Helene develop their magic further in the next books.
Thanks for reading my review of A Torch Against the Night. You can read more reviews here. Let me know if you’ve read this book and what you thought of it in the comments.
