A Sky Beyond the Storm: An Ember in the Ashes Novel: 4

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The anticipation of something better happening 'maybe in the next chapter/page' until the last few chapters is now hurting my head.

I would have liked it to have slowed down at moments so we could really unpick what was going on and how the characters felt.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life - and love - he left behind. It was just said/hinted at and I wish this had been more developed, because Dex has been with Helene and/or Elias since Ember, so it was a shame that he wasn’t really in it as much. The last couple of chapters actually had quite a few happy moments, including for Laia and Elias, and if not for the fact that it was after 2 in the morning and I share a small apartment with my family and didn’t want to wake anyone up, who knows how loudly I would’ve squealed.

ahh… yes I was so ready for lots of Helene and Laia moments so I would have loved more but what we got was sooo good.In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory – or to an unimaginable doom. And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life–and love–he left behind. I’m excited to see the next steps for her and I think it will be so good as I loved what she was able to do with this series ! It has been an amazing journey but at the same time it broke my heart and I'm sad about some people that we lost in the books. I have so much respect for her, even if, at times, I was internally shrieking because she was being so dense regarding her love life.

Helene and Musa had a sweet moment together at the end, and it seemed like it was hinting toward a potential relationship for them. Or can we just learn to protect each other, no matter if we are Scholars or Martials or Tribespeople?I re-read the whole series ahead of this, wondering why I couldn’t remember any of it, and my new review of the third book stands pretty well for the start of this. I think as this book really dove into the topic of war, and even topics of revenge, it was able to highlight Laia’s kindness and strength in different ways. And in general, most of the changes characters go through here are more suited to a first book of a series. I get it, this is war and there will be death and destruction and yada yada but why does Helene have to be the one who's tortured all the time? Even though Elias and Laia have the goal of “stop the baddie,” it doesn’t ever feel like they’re making process, and what does happen feels like random chance that they stumbled onto a set piece where they could learn something important.

I wish I knew more of her history with her father too as he’s surprised me over the course of the books, especially accepting Laia as one line mentioned. It also touched on personal responsibility and how we all play a part in society and you shouldn’t dismiss the importance of your own role.

my mind still fails to grasp that the characters from books 3-4 are the same characters i fell in love with in books 1-2. They will have to 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 former friend and the Empires newest Blood Shrike. And at the end of Sky, when we finally realize why Keris is the way she is, understanding is gifted to us, is instilled inside us. Outside of the end, this as usual has the same addictive prose as the previous books and a crapton of political intrigue. We always think we are incapable of enduring the things Helene Aquilla has dealt, or of doing the things Laia of Serra has done, or being as strong in both body and mind as Elias Veturius is.