Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while. I only learned about its existence this year but the story was sold to me in an extraordinary way that I got hooked into it every time it passed. Me being a curious person with a major passion for ancient cultures, the fact that this was both based on the Roman Empire but it still had Middle Eastern influences was almost like the perfect story for me.

The book tells the story of two main characters: Laia e Elias. Laia is a Scholar girl under the rule of the Martial Empire, an Empire who has caused nothing but pain and grief to the Scholar people from the previous Scholar Empire. One night, Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered by the Martial Empire soldiers and his brother is taken away. In order for her to be able to save her brother, and feel brave for once in her life, she is going to get the help of the Resistance and she is going to spy for them at the Blackcliff Academy � the academy who trains the empire’s soldiers. Elias is a soldier � his academy’s finest soldier. However, Elias hates everything to do with the Martial Empire and he longs for nothing more than to run away and be free at last. However, when his path is taken into a different direction than he originally pretended, he finds himself completely entangled with the Empire, more than ever before. Elias� and Laia’s paths cross and they will find more of themselves during that time than they ever thought; their destinies are intertwined and their choices are going to change the Empire’s fate.

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. All the characters, even the ones I hated, were so very carefully created in order for the reader to be able to pick up their flaws and their attributes. The story itself is amazing and the book gets better at every page turn; the way that the whole story isn’t laid out for the reader but it doesn’t leave him much confused (except for the Augurs part, but even the characters were confused). The further the story goes, the further the character get intertwined, try to find their paths, the more intrigued and absorbed we get. The development of Laia and Elias is probably one of the best character developments in the story; the way that they both find their paths individually but while have sort of influence over each other and some of their ultimate decisions.

The writing structure is simple, easy to follow but beautiful. I don’t think the writing can be considered “flowery� but it has beautiful descriptions. The constant change between perspectives of the two main characters is done amazingly because it doesn’t keep on one perspective for too long, leaving you wondering how the other is doing � Sabaa Tahir created an amazing bridge between the two characters in which their point of view could provide more insight into the story and into their characters than just one single perspective or a long continuous one.

Sabaa Tahir definitely gained my heart and attention with this book and, even though there is still three books for me to read, I can tell I will suffer through the characters.