BY SAM PAULEY “My brother is still fighting, and his screams slice right through me. I know then that I will hear them over and over again, echoing in every hour of every day until I am dead or I make it right. I know it.” Laia is a Scholar, a label which means prejudice and persecution under the Martial Empire. When her grandparents are murdered and her brother is taken by the Masks, she's determined to get revenge. She joins the Resistance, who send her as a spy into Blackcliff Military Academy, the very place where Masks are trained. Under her new identity as a slave, she's tasked to spy on the Commander in return for help breaking her brother out of prison. She isn't brave. She isn't fierce, she isn't fearless or charismatic or brilliant or anything like her parents. But for her brother, she's willing to put her life on the line.
Elias is top of his class as Blackcliff. He's son of the Commander, and one of the greatest soldiers ever to pass through the Academy. And he's planning to desert. But when a mysterious Augur claims him as one of four Aspirants competing in the Trials to become the next Emperor, deserting acquires new complications. No one hates the Empire as much as Elias, and no one at the Academy can understand his dreams of escape. No one, that is, but a certain Scholar slave working for his mother. I anticipated this book for months, ever since I got that 50-page preview from Barnes and Noble. When I finally got my hands on the real thing, I read the first chapter. Then, because of that dreadful thing called life, I put it away for a day or two. But once I got back to it, I was finished in a day. The setting is beautiful, will elements drawn from Ancient Rome. The student banter is well-written, and it never feels like you're reading an adult trying to be a teenager. In addition to Elias and Laia, all of the side characters were allowed to grow and develop on their own, creating a colorful, rich cast to fall in love with. Laia's arc is perfect. She doesn't start out a kick-butt YA heroine, but a scared girl willing to do anything for her brother. At points, I genuinely wondered whether she would make it out of a situation intact. And the love between her and Elias seemed to have genuine chemistry, something I find rare in YA novels. Yes, there was a love triangle-- love square-- love web-- love something, involving many of the characters, but this complex net only served to enhance the plot. Still a lot of scenes left me wanting to know more about this world, more about Laia and Elias, more about how things end than the final chapter was willing to give. The world and the characters created by Tahir were so captivating and complete, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
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