Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Wow. I cannot believe that I did not pick this book up sooner! It has been on my tbr shelf since Christmas. Sabaa Tahir wrote this story beautifully. I related to Laia so much. She wants to be strong for her brother, but she also faces terror every day. The terror that makes it so hard to be brave. However, to quote Marissa Meyer, "one cannot be brave who shows no fear" (Renegades), so I can only imagine what amazing things will come from Laia. And Elias is such an amazing, non-jerky male character. If only we book nerds could fall in love with more characters like him and not the typical morally gray psychopaths that we normally do 😂. I'll admit, at first the plot was a little hard to follow, but it all quickly started to make sense, and from there it was off to the races! The world-building and social classes were incredibly intriguing. I was only on the edge of my seat from about 60% through the book and on. I have no idea why I didn't pick up this book sooner, but I am really glad that I did. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!
UPDATE!!
This is one of the only series that I have given every single book a five star rating. The writing and plot development is breathtaking. I'm pretty sure Sabaa Tahir feeds off of the tears of her readers. I cried so many times while reading this series.I highly recommend!
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