Review of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Probably a mistake to start this just as Desert Bus for Hope started; I should have known I wouldn’t get any reading done last week.

In any event, I couldn’t get into An Ember in the Ashes. I don’t think it’s a bad book, or even badly written (though I’m not sure its style is for me). I just didn’t connect with either of the protagonists, and the characterization is a little too clear-cut for me. All the Proper Nouns and things like the Martial Empire and Scholar Empire leave a dystopian-YA taste in my mouth. If I were in a different mood I might overlook this to find a better book beneath, but I’m at the point in the year and my reading head-space where I’m not going to spend extra time trying to get myself to like a book.

DNFed for me, but don’t let that bother you.