Author: Sabaa Tahir
Started: December 9, 2018
Finished: December 22, 2018
Pages: 458
Genre: Young Adult
First Sentence: You love too much, my king.
Summary: [From BN] Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger. Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister's life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own power—regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender—even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.
Thoughts: About three chapters in to this book, I got curious and looked up the author to see if she had any other titles out. That's when I discovered that this book is not the last in the series. There will at least be a book four. I can't wait! I don't want to wait! I want to read the whole story now!
That response should tell you what I thought about this book. I greatly enjoyed the first two books in this series, but A Reaper at the Gates is the best of them all. The characters are growing to face threats and a new side of the world, the jinn, are begin to emerge fully. The struggle between basic political strife, war, and family dynamics clashes with the emergence of the Nightbringer and his quest to release his people. Then you add on the continuing love story between Elias and Laia that never seems to reach a happy place - but in a realistic way that doesn't seem to keep them apart for the sake of keeping them apart. It's all a wonderful ball of drama and responsibilities where the characters make smart but difficult choices.
These kinds of books always seem to have characters that force story-lines, but not in Tahir's case. Her characters make choices that are right for both their character and the story. You can see the emotion, struggles, and shifting allegiances as new information comes to each of them. While the story and world-building in this series is extraordinary, the characters are what gives the books life. They are fully formed and grow with everything they encounter and learn. Laia and Elias struggle to be together while knowing that they are meant to do so much more.
And this end of this book is just devastating. Not only does it leave our two leads in a whole new level of their relationship (and not as you might suspect) but it ends on such a cliffhanger that you don't know what could possibly be next for them and everyone else.
I know that the next book is months, if not years, away. The second I know it's release date, I am pre-ordering. Tahir has true storytelling skill and I can't wait to see what's next for everyone in this world.
Rating: 8/10 [Terrific]
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