An Ember in the Ashes

Laia and her family live under the oppressive and brutal rule of the Empire, where all defiance is met with death. When her grandparents are murdered and her brother imprisoned for treason, Laia has no choice but to ask the rebels for help. However, in return for helping free her brother, the rebels want her to spy on the merciless Commandant of the Empire's premiere military academy, Blackcliff.

Whilst enrolled at Blackcliff Laia meets Elias, on the surface the academy's finest recruit but beneath a young man filled with misgivings over the Empire's conduct, and together their actions will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Tahir creates a vivid ancient world and fills it with believable human characters. Her writing elevates this novel beyond swords and sandals romance and poses difficult moral dilemmas for her protagonists.