A Torch Against the Night

An Ember in the Ashes, Book 2

By: Sabaa Tahir

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan, Fiona Hardingham, Steve West

The Number-One New York Times Best Seller

One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time

Book two in the New York Times best-selling series

A USA Today best seller

A Wall Street Journal best seller

“Spectacular.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Fresh and exciting...Tahir has shown a remarkable talent for penning complex villains.” (A.V. Club)

"Even higher stakes than its predecessor...thrilling." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“[An] action-packed, breathlessly paced story.” (Booklist, starred review)

Set in a rich, high-fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome, Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes told the story of Laia, a slave fighting for her family, and Elias, a young soldier fighting for his freedom.

Now, in A Torch Against the Night, Elias and Laia are running for their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf - the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison - to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene - Elias’ former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus' will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own - one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.

©2016 Sabaa Tahir (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Named one of the best books of the year by:

Time

Entertainment Weekly

Buzzfeed

Amazon

PopSugar

Bustle

Paste Magazine

PopCrush

“The stakes here are high and the plot runs like a well-oiled machine, ratcheting up the tension with every chapter.” (NPR.org)

“An adrenaline rush till the very last page.” (Buzzfeed)

“The sequel to Tahir’s bestselling smash An Ember in the Ashes finally comes out in August, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint.” (Book Riot)

Ahhhmazing

I'm very picky with my audiobooks - this one was up there with Harry Potter as one of my favorites. The narrators are amazing, the story line kept me engaged during my daily subway commute. Definitely worthy of a credit!

Loved it!

Excellent narration ! Can't wait until the next installment! please don't change anything. I loved the two separate narrators. It helps with the story line.

Best YA Fantasy

The Ember In The Ashes series is hands down my favorite young adult fantasy reading. Great writing, characters, and readers.

Can't wait for #3!

Fantastic writing! Kept me on the edge of my seat, I didn't want to turn it off! many unexpected twists... Can't wait for #3!

I just couldn’t put this down!

This one has been my favorite so far. A lot of what was a mystery in the previous book gets cleared out and many omg’s and oh hell no’s will happen. I don’t want to spoil it so Happy reading!!!

I want more! give me more!!!!!!

its so good it sucks you in and leaves you wanting more like a lover

Awsome

Great reading and story, begining to end, one can identify with the caracters and even suffer with them
can't wsit for the next book.

Excellent Story

The second book in this series is as good as the first. it is filled with drama, new twists and turns, as well as great new places.

An intense read that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I was squealing and screaming something fierce!
The Nightbringer twist was EXCELLENT, I did not see it coming and I loved it! I’m also intrigued by the implications of that twist; it has so much potential for the rest of the series, and I can’t wait to see how Tahir utilizes it.

Could not stop listening!!!

I was enthralled with the first book and was even more so with this one! Now I'm absolutely teeming with anticipation for the next book!