Nearly two and a half years after the release of A Reaper at the Gates, Sabaa Tahir is back and ready to break some hearts with A Sky Beyond the Storm, the final instalment of her Ember series. Although Tahir may be known by YA readers throughout the world as an “evil author” who likes to torment her characters, she closes out her best-selling series with some hope, some romance, and yes, some pain. Quite a bit actually. You might want to have some tissues handy for the tears…
In the months since the events of A Reaper at the Gates, Laia of Serra and the Blood Shrike have formed an alliance neither ever thought would work and are united in their goal of ending the terror of Commandant Keris Veturia and the Nightbringer. But the Commandant, now proclaiming herself as Empress, always moves one step ahead of Laia and Helene, leaving destruction, death, and despair in her wake. With the help of the Soul Catcher, who is desperate to forget his past life as Elias, and others aligned with their cause, Laia and Helene fight to save their people and the ones they love the most. But victory always comes at a cost.
It is rare that my old bones and consistently over stressed brain can sit down and read a book in one sitting, let alone a book that is just over 500 pages. But with A Sky Beyond the Storm, Sabaa Tahir has crafted a series finale that is so enthralling that I didn’t want to move for the five hours it took to read it. Filled with a depth of emotion that many authors would kill for, Tahir closes out her Ember series in a way that will satisfy the readers that have loved and lost with Laia, Elias, and Helene for the last nearly six years.
Tahir could teach a course in how to put your characters through the most awful things imaginable, and yet still have them come through stronger, while keeping their humanity and relatability in tact. What stands out the most when reading A Sky Beyond the Storm is Tahir’s return to humanity. Sky’s predecessor is a fantastic read, though there is very little joy or hope within its pages. Even as our main trio of Laia, Elias, and Helene face their biggest threats yet, there are moments of such pure hope and levity that you can feel yourself crawling out of the grave Reaper put you in.
While many readers may focus on Laia and Elias as the main characters in this series, it is Helene who truly shines throughout Sky. Her growth throughout the entire series has been immensely powerful to watch and seeing her come into her full self in Sky was nothing short of a masterpiece. To avoid spoilers, I won’t delve too deep into the growth of Laia and Elias, but Tahir writes these two with a deep, aching humanity that will keep readers going in hopes that these two can finally get some darn happiness.
One of the best things about Sky, and the Ember series as a whole, is the scope of what Tahir creates in these books. There is a great variance in the success rates of world building in high fantasy YA books, but Tahir manages to consistently hit the target. While in other hands, the depth of mythology and magic might be clunky, Tahir creates a rich world that feels tangible, but never overwhelming. Much of Sky is spent all over the map of The Empire, but you always knew where the characters were and how the events in one place would affect another.
There have been many series finales in the YA world these last few years, but Tahir outshines them all with A Sky Beyond the Storm. She managed to wring a few tears from my cold bitter heart, and that is saying something. Simply put, A Sky Beyond the Storm is a masterclass example of how to wrap up a series.
A Sky Beyond the Storm is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir’s beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?
Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off…
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory–or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life–and love–he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save–or destroy–all that he knows.
