Review of A Torch Against the Night

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Review WITH SPOILERS
5 out of 5 Stars

HOLY BOOK FEELS!!!!! ***screaming internally for eternity*** I am definitely going to consider this as one of my favorite books of 2016. Sabaaa Tahir wrote such an intense story, but it was shrouded in beautiful words that brought all of the scenes, happy and sad, to a point of distinct reality within the minds of the readers. Not only were the emotional moments written spectacularly, but the politics of the world were expanded even more, if that is possible. A Torch Against the Night is the perfect mix of fantastical, political, suspenseful, and romantic. 

 SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:


Laia: I am really curious about those power things that show up in this book. They're mentioned a bit, but I really want to learn more about them and I would love if they are used more in the next books. OH! She actually annoyed the hell out of me with her flipping between Elias and the-other-guy-whose-name-I-can't-remember-at-this-moment-but-I-know-it-begins-with-a-K (I remember now, his name is Keenan) but is secretly the Nightbringer. Grrrr...... oh well. Besides that one little snag that bothered me, I thought that Laia was, again, an incredibly strong character. When shit gets real, she is the kind of person to stand up, take charge, and clean up said shit.

Elias: ELIAS. Elias. Elias, ELIAS. I think this was one of the more painful things in the book (and there were many): he dies withing the first quarter of the book! True, he is not completely dead yet, but he is dying. And it is confirmed that he is dying. And then THERE WAS NO LOOP HOLE. Seriously! All of the crap that he has had to deal with, and he still dies in the end. And not only does he die, but his work STILL isn't finished and he STILL can't have his happy ending with Laia because the spirits are bitter and jealous!!!! I JUST WANT HIM AND LAIA TO BE HAPPY WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT??!?!!!?!?!

Helene: This poor child. She's only trying to serve the country she loves and she is dealt an absolutely miserable hand of cards for it. NOT. FAIR. I didn't appreciate her character as much in the first book, but now all I want is for her to be happy and in charge and get complete and total revenge and compensation for everything bad that has happened to her. Helene for the next Emperor.

PLOT:

I swear, this is the year that defies the sophomore slump phenomenon in the book world. There is so much jammed packed into this one book that you didn't have the option of taking a break from reading. The book and the plot and how things moved demanded that you keep turning the pages. And what is really interesting, is that this is a set up book. Yes, there are major plot development within this book itself that gets resolved in this book alone, but there was still so many other aspects and elements that are just lying there now. As a reader, I really appreciate this because not only was ATATN fantastic alone, but now I REALLY can't wait for the other books in the series! The thing that is going to kill me is that WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2018 FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!! HOW DO I SURVIVE THE WAIT!?!?!?!?

lol this is the German edition but I love the cover!

WRITING:

Sabaa Tahir's writing is captivating. This is one of the books where you can easily forget that you are reading a book because the writing is so seemless and engaging. It is gritty and somehow beautiful at the same time. I have to say, one of the things that Sabaa is superb at is her description. Gory scenes are gory x10. Romance scenes are x10. Creepy scenes are creepy x10. People.... the creepy scenes....... *shudders*



This is one of those books where people are either in complete love with it or they were bored entirely. Personally, I don't understand the second option is a thing, but I also totally respect the difference of opinion. For all of us that loved the first book, you will love this second book!! If for some reason you are looking ahead even though you have read neither of the books, now would be a really good time to catch up on them because there are going to be two more!!! I love them. I think they're amazing. I highly recommend them. And I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Thanks for reading!