by Sabaa Tahir 

Razorbill, 2015. 446 pages. Young Adult Fiction. 

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. 

This was such a wonderful start to a series. Both characters have deep and interesting with compelling arcs that make you want to keep reading to see what happens and how they will become more connected. The voices for the audiobook was especially entertaining and would be a book I recommend as an audio option. 

 If you like An Ember in the Ashes, you might also like: 

Daughter of the Pirate King 

by Tricia Levenseller 

Feiwel and Friends, 2017. 311 pages. Young Adult Fiction. 

When her father, the ruthless pirate king, discovers that a legendary treasure map can be found on an enemy ship, his daughter Alosa knows that there's only one pirate for the job herself. Leaving behind her beloved ship and crew, Alosa deliberately facilitates her own kidnapping to ensure her welcome on the ship.

Shadow and Bone 

by Leigh Baradugo 

Henry Holt, 2012. 358 pages. Young Adult Fiction. 

Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold. 

ME