Waiting on Wednesday 03/25/15
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick:
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: April 28, 2015 (Razorbill)
I enjoy reading YA, but admittedly the genre does not make up a large part of my reading diet. This book caught my eye, however, and I guess as time went on the more I learned about it the more intrigued I became. It seems to be getting quite a lot of attention lately, but what truly and finally cinched it for me is the author’s letter to readers on the first page right when you open up the cover (I was fortunate enough to get an ARC). Tahir writes that Ember was inspired by news stories about Kashmiri women whose brothers, husbands and sons were kidnapped by local military forces and were never seen again, but that she also put a lot of her own life into the story, from her experiences of being an immigrant coming to America, feeling like an outcast in a small town, and finding solace in reading. The message about love, courage and hope just really touched me, and I’m looking forward to starting this book now more than ever.
“Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.
LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.
ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.
When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.”
The BiblioSanctum 
It looks awesome. I saw the cover on a lot of Top Ten lists last week but had no idea what it was about… I hope it lives up to your expectations!
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LOL ME TOO, I saw this book around a lot but didn’t pay attention at all until I actually got an ARC. Now I can see why so many people are looking forward to it.
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oh yes I saw this one, I love the cover!
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Same, I enjoy it, some times, but I do not read a lot
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Nice! Seeing this one around a LOT lately! Hope you enjoy it too!
Here’s my WoW
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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This was my WoW choice two weeks ago, so you already know I’m looking forward to Ember, Mogsy. 😉 I think I might wait to order / buy it until I’ve read reviews of it at some of the blogs I trust. (Including this one!)
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I hope to start it tomorrow! Just a bit more to go to finish this book I’m reading, and I’m looking forward to diving right in 🙂
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This does sound good, I’ve been seeing it around but haven’t paid it much attention. But suddenly I’m seeing it everywhere! This will most likely go on the list.
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Yes, like I told Miriam, I didn’t pay attention at all, I just knew I was seeing it in quite a few places. Oh well, let’s see if it lives up to all the attention!
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Gah! This one sounds so bloody amazing! The synopsis basically had me at: ”terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world” You’re quite lucky to get an ARC and I look forward to reading all about how you did with it 🙂
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I got the digital galley through FirsttoRead but then was lucky enough to actually win the physical ARC as well from Goodreads. I was shellshocked. I NEVER win GR giveaways!
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This does sound really good! Glad you were able to get a copy, will be keeping my eye out for your review 🙂
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Going to start it very soon!
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Wow, thanks for the background info Mogsy! I’ll be honest, I’ve been very sceptical of all these “big deal” YA fantasy novels lately, but hearing the inspiration for this one makes me re-evaluate that. There’s a sneak peek up on NG so maybe I’ll request that. I hope you love this one!
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I’m quite skeptical of big deal YA books too…hype is dangerous. But I’m willing to give this one a shot, there does seem to be substance behind it! 🙂
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