A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes Book 4)

I’ve finally finished this series, and I have more emotions than I know what to do with. This is undoubtedly my favorite book in the series, even though (because?) it broke my heart the most. Sabaa Tahir is not afraid to rip my heart out, stomp on it, and then glue it back together. I respect that but also hate it. (Nothing against Sabaa. She’s great. But also, how dare she??) I read Reaper back in 2018, and looked up a recap of that book before starting this one. It’s a sign of Tahir’s skill that as soon as I started reading, I fell back into the world as if it hadn’t been three years since I did so last. I was sucked into the story immediately, and terrified for all of the characters. Unexpected things I loved: Helene, Helene and Harper’s relationship, Laia and Helene’s friendship. The theme here is that, despite sometimes wishing her chapters didn’t interrupt me reading about Laia and Elias, the girl really grew on me. I have so much respect for her, even if, at times, I was internally shrieking because she was being so dense regarding her love life. Also, her and Laia bonding over how much men suck was the quality content I didn’t know I needed in my life. Such a small thing, but a great one. I knew I loved Laia and Elias, but in between Reaper and Sky, I forgot just how much. They caused me SO MUCH PAIN as I was reading this freaking book, I don’t know how to express it all. The romantic tension between these two and Elias’ tendency to nope out of literally every conversation because he couldn’t handle his own feelings… oh my god. I mean, that specific part of Elias did make me giggle occasionally, but for the most part, I was just internally screeching. When she brought him a mango. When he helped her with her hair. SO MUCH SCREECHING. So help my hopeless romantic heart. Characters aside, the plot was also brilliant. No one ever caught a break. I never knew what was about to happen. Nothing ever felt repetitive, and there were certainly no easy victories. I think Tahir took the story with the jinn in a very clever direction, one I personally didn’t expect. The war certainly didn’t go the way I expected. I was getting closer and closer to the end, and more and more stressed because of how few pages were left and how much was still wrong. I love books that scare me that way. I’m only being a little bit sarcastic. :) As for the ending… So much heartbreak. So much pain. But a surprise came in and sort of saved the day, a little bit, so not everything was awful. The last couple of chapters actually had quite a few happy moments, including for Laia and Elias, and if not for the fact that it was after 2 in the morning and I share a small apartment with my family and didn’t want to wake anyone up, who knows how loudly I would’ve squealed. Internally, I was squealing very loudly. The last couple of pages fixed my broken heart with their Elaia content. I’m choosing to focus on that more than… other things. This review is a mess because I finished the book at nearly 3 in the morning and now it’s 4 a.m. and I’m also a mess. But it’s definitely honest, and even though I seriously did ramble, it got my point across. I loved this book so much, despite the emotional turmoil I experienced while reading. Like I said, it’s my favorite in the series, followed by Torch, then Reaper, then Ember. I think. It’s been a hot minute since I read the first three, but anyway. The whole series is spectacular, and I can’t wait to read more from Sabaa Tahir. 🖤 Representation -protagonist, love interest, and side characters of color Content Warning: blood/gore, body horror, violence, death/murder, war, genocide, grief, sexism, mentions of parent/family death and slavery

Believe me when I say that this series is amazing. Each of the character arcs are so satisfying. Seeds are planted well enough that you feel like you're in on some secrets and feel proud when you "called it", but then there are just enough surprises that can be hard to come by for seasoned readers. The world building is carefully crafted and vivid. Love scenes are tender and thralling without being smutty or even overly explicit. Now on to my main man, is. My favorite part of the switching POV was when his came around. The anticipation of the *chapter titles* was INTENSE! His story is so simple and so complicated and so impossibly relatable, yet captivating. Thank you for writing this story, from the bottom on my heart.

This series has been a wild ride with a lot of angst, battle, and death. This book doesn’t end things *exactly* how I would’ve expected it, but everything concludes in a very satisfying way. There are just a few plot points at the end that happened so quickly I am not exactly sure what happened, but this whole series has been a very enjoyable ride. Definitely would recommend it to older teens and adults interested in modern fantasy novels.

Initial Thoughts As mentioned in my review of Reaper, I finished book 3 and waited approximately 30 minutes for the release of book 4. If I had waited 18 months, I’d have lost my mind. Some Things I Liked Emifal Firdaant. I can’t even tell you how much I cried when I read this. I won’t say much more because it’s a little spoiler-y but, every time this came up, I cried. HARPER. Didn’t think I could fall in love with a fictional character any more than I fell for him in Reaper, but Sabaa Tahir did it again. Harper was everything I wanted for Helene and he was the most incredible side character. I especially loved the Musa moment with Harper and Elias. It was very Rowan from TOG. Closure. This book gave me what I wanted. An ending that I was satisfied with but long for more of. I’d keep reading about these characters any day of the week, but I loved the way everything tied up. It wasn’t neat, it wasn’t perfect, but it was right. My forever buddy reader @lianne_the_bibliophile pointed out something to me that I just absolutely loved: An Ember in the Ashes = Laia A Torch Against the Night = Helene A Reaper at the Gates = Elias A Sky Beyond the Storm was the conclusion they all deserved. Sabaa Tahir did these incredible characters justice with this ending. Favorite Quotes “You are a torch against the night – if you dare to let yourself burn.” “Emifal Firdaant.” Series Value I would reread this series a million times over. I’m obsessed. What’s more, I would read any and all sequels, spinoffs, side stories, novellas, whatever, that Sabaa Tahir wants to write in this world or about these characters. Final Thoughts I don’t think I’ve cried this much while reading a book since I read Kingdom of Ash last year. Sabaa Tahir tore my heart out, stomped on it, put it back, and left a smiley face bandaid over it. This was by far the best series I read all year. I have a feeling no series will top this for a long while. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommendations for Further Reading Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen – if you enjoyed the legion and Roman inspiration in this series as well as the multiple POVs, try this series. Book 3 as well as a prequel novella are set to come out early in 2021. Caraval by Stephanie Garber – this seems like a crazy recommendation but hear me out. The lush righting and heartbreaking moments I lived for in Ember are all over the Caraval series. If you enjoyed the drama and twists, try this series.

Words cannot describe how phenomenal this book is. Sabaa's way of telling stories and her choice of words is so captivating. There was not a moment of the book in which I was bored. Neither this book or the ones before. I found myself feeling sorrow for all the characters, even those who were bad. I found myself feeling compassion for all the hurt the characters went through, and crying at points where a beloved would die. It felt so real. Despite this masterpiece being a fantasy novel, everything about it felt so real and meaningful, the pain that the characters go through is a reflection of today's world and the hurt that children of war face. It's a representation of what is happening now, and it's so important that Sabaa emphasized on it in the book. Despite the pain and suffering that took place. Live played such a huge part, and Sabaa's take on love and it's importance in the world was so beautiful. Again, it was SO REAL. The role of live wasn't only for a happy ending, but also for ones strength and support, and willpower for one to go on and be who they are meant to be. This message was such a sincere and purposeful one, it brought me to tears. I seriously commend her for making this masterpiece. It's absolutely a book worth reading for the lessons that are taught and the love that it gives. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It will most definitely not disappoint. :)

WOW WOW WOW. Where to begin? I read the Ember series for the first time at the beginning of the year and reread it again just before SKY’s release (it’s THAT good) but I really wasn’t sure how this finale would play out. OH MY GOD, was I unprepared for this ✨PERFECTION✨ SKY was literally everything I could’ve hoped for and MORE. Every single character completed their story arcs in fantastic ways, and it was incredible to see side characters from throughout the series show up as well. The journeys that Laia, Elias and Helene go on are sooo rewarding at its end, and I love each of them so much (yes even Helene 🤣). I wasn’t planning on reading the entire book at once, but I was so engrossed that I just could NOT stop. The payoff from plot points that happened in earlier books and came full circle was AMAZING and I was a weeping mess (M E S S) by the end of it. This is absolutely one of the best finales I’ve ever read and it has firmly cemented this as one of my all time favorite series! I’m still reeling from how frickin’ satisfying and perfect it turned out. I’m already itching to reread it and I know this story will stay with me for a long long time! 💜

This is the final book in this series, and the series continues to pull you in and not let you go. I’m haunted by all of the battles in this series, but they are needed, I still feel that the torture in the early 2 books is just too much! But oh, this series is so good, and if you can get around the dark parts, it is such a great series. I know that I will once again read this series, perhaps next year, as it is just that good!!!! All the characters that you love to hate are back in this final book.

The final battle. The war that brings enemies together and makes them allies. The Blood Shrike, Laia of Serra and The Soul Catcher must bring down Keris Veturia and the Nightbringer to save the empire. I don’t even know where to start. This whole series was a delightful rollercoaster of emotions. The characters have grown up so much throughout the series and the author made me, the reader, feel like I was on the journey with them. This is one series that I will greatly miss. This final chapter in the lives of Laia, Helene (Blood Shrike) and Elias (The Soul Catcher) is packed with surprises, hope, devastation, and joy. I cried and laughed throughout the book. The deaths were the hardest for me. Many times while reading a book I may question why a character had to die. This was not a question I had with this book. Each death had a meaning and strengthened the other characters. I also like how the author did not spare the main characters. All of them suffered tremendous pain and injury during the battle. As I turned the last page I did it with a tear in my eye. A tear of sadness and happiness. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and relieved. There is still so much story left with this group of characters, in my opinion. There are no unanswered questions, just a want of more. This author is truly a great storyteller and I can’t wait to see what she does next. I highly recommend this series to everyone.

De levering was vroeger dan gepland dus dat scheelt ivm strandbezoek. Nu kon een boek mee 😊

Any book by this author is great, there is not a lot of profanity or set in her books but she is such a great writer her books are hard to put down .

“Diladhardha means ‘to know the heart of pain,’ ” Mamie says. “We seek truth, Laia. And when we find it, we must approach it with empathy. We must understand the creatures, fey or human, who populate our tales. Respect them. Love them, despite the villainous things they do. We must see them. Else how will our stories echo in the hearts of those who hear them? How will the stories survive beyond one telling?” This is one story that will stick with me for a lifetime. The characters were villainous and yet we love them. The battles were brutal and yet we cant turn away. The story, it clings to your soul. It warms you, and it breaks you and at last it rebuilds. Sabaa Tahir is the mistress of cruel. She weaves her beautiful web, catches you and destroys you. In the best possible way. Thank you Sabaa for this wild ride.

友人へのギフトとして購入しましたが、注文から配送までとてもスムーズで、破損なく安全に届きました。迅速で丁寧な対応のおかげで、安心して贈ることができ、贈り物に最適だと感じています。

A brilliant ending to the series. I had felt the other books were perhaps to much death and defeat and while this was similar the ending made it all worthwhile.