Review; An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Summary; Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
 
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
 
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
 
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
 
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

My Thoughts;

This book was pretty badass. Also, that cover? Totally gorgeous! So in love with it! There was a ton of hype surrounding this book before it had even been released, just from people who had received ARC copies so I was so stoked when I won a giveaway for an ARC copy, thank you Chapters Indigo for the giveaway!

Like I said, this book was pretty badass! It's told in a world inspired by ancient Rome called the Empire. The world is pretty brutal and harsh. Laia as a slave, she was subjected to so many harsh and cruel things, I really felt for her but I loved that it didn't break her, it only made her stronger and more determined to find her brother and get him out of wherever the hell he is. 

This book is told in dual perspectives, so we get to see the story told through both Laia and Elias! I really loved that we got to see this world from two sides, Elias as a solider to the Empire and Laia, a slave to the Empire, but both against it. I can't even say whose POV I enjoyed more because I really liked reading both! 

I absolutely loved Sabaa Tahir's writing. It was very beautiful and captivating. I wouldn't say this book was very fast paced, but the writing is just so beautiful it makes you want to read slower so you can fully immerse yourself into it and take it all in. The world she created was so fascinating and her writing just made it all the more real to me. 

One of the issues I had with this book was the complicated romance. I wasn't a huge fan of this love-square. I really don't like how many YA novels have love-triangles and the fact that this book had a love-square was slightly disappointing. I probably would have even been able to get past it if the romance hadn't been so overpowering. Plus, the kind of love-triangle in here is one of my absolute least favourites and it was the most overpowering so I really couldn't get past it and be fine with it. 

Overall Rating; 4.5/5

Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Summary; Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

My Thoughts;

So, The Murder Complex is Lindsay Cummings debut novel and it's had a lot of talk surrounding it, both bad and good. I went into this only having a very very vague idea of what it was about and it was completely different from what I expected, though not in a bad way! The Murder Complex is a pretty dark read, which you can probably gather just from the title. This book is pretty bloody and gory, so be aware of that. It's a pretty dark dystopian but personally I enjoy those best!

This book is told in dual POV's, between Meadow, who's the daughter of a fisherman with two siblings to care and watch out for, and Zephyr who's a Ward, which is what they call orphans. Meadow was very tough and kickass, I liked that she was a fierce female main character! I liked that we got to see both these characters backgrounds through the dual perspectives but at the same time I feel like the POV changes and short chapters hindered me from fully connecting to the characters. I ended up connecting with Zephyr sort of towards the end, but I didn't really connect with Meadow which was one of my main issues with the book, along with the romance. I felt the romance was too rushed and happened way too fast for me to even connect with their relationship.

I really loved how action-packed this book is and how many surprises there were! Also so many plot twists and heart racing moments! There was always something going on and it kept me intrigued and kept me wanting to keep turning the page!

Overall Rating; 4/5