THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Book two in the New York Times bestselling series A USA Today
bestseller A Wall Street Journal bestseller "Spectacular."-Entertainment Weekly "Fresh and
exciting...Tahir has shown a remarkable talent for penning complex villains."-A.V. Club "Even
higher stakes than its predecessor… thrilling." -Publishers Weekly starred review "[An]
action-packed breathlessly paced story." -Booklist starred review Set in a rich high-fantasy
world inspired by ancient Rome Sabaa Tahir's AN EMBER IN THE ASHES told the story of Laia a
slave fighting for her family and Elias a young soldier fighting for his freedom. Now in
A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the
Fourth Trial Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and
undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break
into Kauf-the Empire's most secure and dangerous prison-to save her brother who is the key to
the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed even if it means giving
up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces human and otherworldly work against Laia
and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the
bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus the merciless Commandant the sadistic Warden of Kauf and most
heartbreaking of all Helene-Elias's former friend and the Empire's newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus's will Helene faces a torturous mission of her own-one that might destroy her:
find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them
both.
