An Ember in the Ashes

Cultural Groups

The Scholars – The Scholars are a class of oppressed individuals who once ruled the land that has since been occupied by the Martial Empire. Many Scholars are enslaved by the Martials, and those who are not enslaved live a difficult, poverty-stricken life. The Resistance is a secretive group made up of Scholars seeking to overthrow the Empire.

The Martials – The Martials make up the brutal ruling class of the Martial Empire. They have, for 500 years, oppressed and enslaved the Scholars. The Martials are a military-focused group of people, with a large army and a group of elite soldiers within that army who are referred to as the "Masks."

The Tribes – The Tribes are a group of nomads inspired by the Bedouin Tribes of North Africa.

Characters

Laia – Laia is described on the official An Ember in the Ashes web site as "a Scholar living with her grandparents and brother under the brutal rule of the Martial Empire. She and her family eke out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets, trying their best not to draw attention to themselves. But one night, Empire soldiers raid Laia’s home—and life as she knows it changes forever."

Elias – This character is described as "the finest soldier at Blackcliff Military Academy—but secretly, its most unwilling. The scion of one of the Empire’s finest families, Elias wants only to be free from the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce."

Helene – Helene Aquilla is Blackcliff Academy's only female student and also best friend to Elias.

Commandant – The Commandant is the cruel head of the military academy, Blackcliff, as well as the mother of Elias, and is considered "one of the most powerful people in the Empire."

Development

While working at The Washington Post, Tahir read an article about Kashmiri women whose male family members were kidnapped by the military and never returned. She asked herself what she would do if she were one of those women. This was the kernel from which An Ember in the Ashes grew.

The book's Martial Empire system is based on the social stratification of Ancient Rome.

Tahir got the idea for An Ember in the Ashes in 2007 and wrote the book over a period of six years. She cites music as a key inspiration.

Reception

An Ember in the Ashes became an instant New York Times bestseller, debuting on the young adult list at the number two spot. It has garnered generally positive reviews. The Huffington Post said "An Ember in the Ashes glows, burns, and smolders—as beautiful and radiant as it is searing." Amazon named it one of the best books of May, as well as the best young adult book of 2015 and the fourth best book of the year. CNN included the book in the list of best summer beach reads.

The New York Times called it "a worthy novel—and one as brave as its characters". However the Chicago Tribune found that "the characters never fully spring to life under the author's ever-present hand."

Film adaptation

Film rights were optioned by Paramount Pictures in a seven-figure deal in 2014, well before the book's publication, and Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Chronicles of Narnia) has signed on to produce the film. The book's success led to the acquisition of a sequel almost immediately after its release. The sequel, entitled A Torch Against the Night, was released in August 2016.