"As long as there is life, there is hope"

All year I've been looking for that book that would light a spark in me and completely knock my socks off.  Ladies and gents, I think I have found that book.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir has been on my radar for awhile.  Not only had it been getting a lot of fantastic buzz from other bloggers, but it just sounded so very cool.  Gladiator meets The Game of Thrones??  Heck yes.  It was with some trepidation that I picked this one up since, as with many of you I'm sure, I've been burned before by books that are beloved by many and yet, for one reason or another, just don't float my boat.  From the opening few chapters of this one, however, my worries vanished; I was hooked.  I started reading it on my lunch break (and almost came back late because I didn't want to put it down) and was up way past my bedtime because I was just so captivated by the world that Tahir has created.

I don't think I've encounter a YA novel that was so thrilling, so blood thirsty, and so compelling since quite possibly The Hunger Games (ya, I said it).  If you were a fan of Suzanne Collins trilogy, you will enjoy this book.  I would also recommend this for fans of Marie Rutkoski's amazing (and still ongoing) Winner's trilogy.

The world building is well done and inspired by Ancient Rome (and there are maps!  I've said it before and i'll say it again; I love me a book with maps).  The characters are outstanding.  These are hardened individuals that are forced to take risks to survive and yet still contain an almost heartbreaking humanity.  There is romance, but not so much that it overshadows other elements of the book. Oh, and the brutality!  As with The Hunger Games, there is violence here that almost shocks the reader but at the same time is integral in depicting this world.

There is a sequel coming and may I say, THANK GOD, because what an ending.

Looking for an action packed read that has heart?  Read this!

* Many thanks to Penguin Random House for the Reading Copy!