LIMITED TIME OFFER. Get 3 months for $0.99 a month. Get this deal.
An Ember in the Ashes cover art

An Ember in the Ashes

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.
Amazon Prime member exclusive: get any 2 titles with your free trial. Terms apply.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

An Ember in the Ashes

Written by: Sabaa Tahir
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Steve West
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offers ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $34.96

Buy Now for $34.96

About this listen

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It's a story that's literally burning to be told.

Laia is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim they will help to save her brother from execution.

Elias is the academy's finest soldier - and secretly its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he's ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias' paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

©2015 Sabaa Tahir (P)2015 Listening Library Action & Adventure Dystopian Epic Fantasy Fiction Islamic Heritage Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Survival Military Romance Solider
adbl_web_adaptive_pdp_alc_button_t1

What the critics say

Named one of the best books of the year by:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

The Wall Street Journal

Buzzfeed

LA Weekly

Bustle

Paste Magazine

Indigo

Suspense Magazine

The New York Public Library

Popsugar

Hypable

“This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human - and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear.” (The Washington Post)

“[An Ember in the Ashes] thrusts its readers into a world marred by violence and oppression, yet does so with simple prose that can offer moments of loveliness in its clarity. This complexity makes Ember a worthy novel - and one as brave as its characters.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Sabaa Tahir spins a captivating, heart-pounding fantasy.” (Us Weekly)

All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this book. I like that the author took the time to set up the characters and the story for the next two books. She didn't rush and it shows. I really liked her unique take on an old idea. The characters really evolve nicely and I have been binge listening to this series.

Narrators: I like when there are different people reading different parts and all the narrators did a great job with accents and pulling you in and getting you there with each character.

Great Book! Fun read and really catches you!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
i really enjoyed this book! it was the first audio book i’ve ever listened too and i was happily surprised! normally i prefer reading it physically but this book gripped me by the throat!! i needed to know what happened even when i couldn’t physically read it!!

First audio book and I loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
it's a little slow but is nice to see the author build the character's. For pretty much the entire book I was wondering where the hell the main chick plays into all of this and I still am woundering what her role is... maybe the next book will explain what her significance is.

Pretty good series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the book was great and so was the audio veesion. loved the 2 voice actors!

such a wonderful reading of a great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve listened to this book three times now and I keep finding reasons to love it. I also hunt out other books read by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West as they both do great jobs. If you are looking for something truly refreshing, start here.

Phenomenal

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews