SuitabookResistance and imperial power
Laia and Elias oppose the Empire while Helene is ordered to pursue Elias; the characters repeatedly face choices about loyalty and the price of victory.
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Book details
Sabaa Tahir - Author
This is a fast-moving fantasy sequel built around a prison rescue, a dangerous pursuit and competing loyalties. Its world combines imperial oppression, rebellion and magic, while three viewpoints explore freedom, power, friendship and the personal cost of resistance.
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. Sabaa Tahir grew up in California's Mojave Desert at her family's eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother's comic book stash, and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks, and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
Book Brief
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a fast-moving fantasy sequel built around a prison rescue, a dangerous pursuit and competing loyalties. Its world combines imperial oppression, rebellion and magic, while three viewpoints explore freedom, power, friendship and the personal cost of resistance.
Laia and Elias oppose the Empire while Helene is ordered to pursue Elias; the characters repeatedly face choices about loyalty and the price of victory.
Laia seeks her imprisoned brother, while Elias helps her despite surrendering his last chance at freedom; the Scholars’ survival is also at stake.
The characters fight enemies in a military and magical conflict, and the book includes brutal deaths and choices that cause pain and suffering.
Give particular attention to the intensity of the journey: the book includes brutal deaths, violence, characters causing pain and suffering, military and sexual tension, supernatural threats, and high-stakes pursuit.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
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Razorbill’s Publisher, Editor and Author on A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT | Penguin Random House
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Checked: 19 September 2026.
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