AHH. So much discussion, I love it!
I've been popping my head in and out over the past few days and I'm really enjoying hearing all of your thoughts on the book and the characters. It's interesting how some opinions differ from my own and some are very similar.
Unlike several of you, I actually really like both Helene and Laia. This might be because I've read the second book as well and there is (as you would hope) character development in that book. Helene is a character that I think has a lot of potential tbh. That being said, I think Ern hit the nail on the head and I feel the same way as she does about Laia in this book.
There has also been talk of shipping, so I'm curious.
Which pairing(s) do you think like best and would want to see developed more in the next book?
There are many more character-related questions I want to pose but first I would love for us to dive into visuals and theme a bit more.
As some of you pointed out, there are many visual aspects to this world - Blackcliff Academy and the Masks, for example. We aren't told that much about HOW the masks work and what - aside from signifying rank - their purpose is.
What are your thoughts on what the masks look like? And how do you picture Blackcliff? Sabaa Tahir based it on Ancient Rome but, personally, I quite like Ern's description of Dark Hogwarts without the magic.
Finally,
what do you think is the significance of the book's title, An Ember in the Ashes?
BONUS EXTRA THING FOR MUSIC LOVERS:
Sabaa Tahir actually created playlists for many of the characters, which I thought you might be interested in listening to. If anybody has any favourites from these playlists, I would love to know.
Clicky clicky. There are specific playlists for
Elias,
Laia and
Helene, if you want to skip straight to those.