Review: A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

BOOK STATS

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Title: A Reaper at the Gates
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Series: An Ember in the Ashes #3
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: Fiona Hardingham, Steve West, Katherine McEwan, Maxwell Caulfield
Length: 15 hours
Publisher: Listening Library; Razorbill
Release Date: June 12, 2018
Source: Library (Libby app)
Recommended for fans of: heartbreak

SYNOPSIS

Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister’s life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. Yet danger lurks on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor’s volatility to grow her own power—regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows that the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. During the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. However, in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender—even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.

MY THOUGHTS

THIS SERIES IS INCREDIBLE. If I haven’t convinced you to read it by now, I don’t know what else I can say.

Sabaa Tahir makes you FEEL for her characters and then she makes you HURT as they face every obstacle imaginable (and some you never imagined). Every time you feel hope, SHE CRUSHES IT. I mean seriously…can these characters ever catch a break that lasts more than two pages?

But despite my own heartbreak, I love this series. The writing is so intricate and smart. You think the characters you love have come up with a clever, foolproof plan, only to realize that their enemy has been 10 steps ahead the entire time. I love how the world building expands with each installment, and we learned a lot more about the Nightbringer and the jinn in this book. The ending was thrilling and mind blowing, and I am so excited and scared for the last book in the series to learn the fates of these characters I love so much.