Peter M. Last

THOUGHTS…

     The fate of the empire rests on the shoulders of warriors who must battle vicious enemies, a villainous emperor, and the powers of death and darkness in a titanic struggle for their country’s soul. A Torch Against the Night is the second installment in Sabaa Tahir’s young adult fantasy saga. In this sequel to the New York Times Bestseller, An Ember in the Ashes, a convoluted plot full of unexpected twists, shadowy characters, and unclear motives takes the reader on a confusing, nail-biting ride sure to keep the reader guessing.

     The plot of the book is easy to follow but difficult to comprehend. Though the action is generally straightforward, unusual spiritual and mystical elements left me scratching my head at times, contemplating the significance of what was occurring. The intertwining of the physical and spiritual worlds is nonsensical, accentuated by how heavily the interplay factors into the plot. Additionally, a jumpy timeline makes it difficult to keep track of the order of events while the plot speed routinely shifts from break-neck to a snail’s pace. The twists in the book are hit or miss, some being predictable and others so unforeseen they caught me by surprise.

     Though writing mechanics and style are not often in the foreground of reviews, this book exemplifies how they can break a novel. For much of the book they are unremarkable and fall to the background, allowing enjoyment of the stronger aspects of plot and characters. But as a persistent itch can ruin an entire day, so the writing damages this book in myriad instances. The first-person point of view haphazardly split among three characters had me constantly flipping back a few pages to figure out who “I” was. Another issue is the usage of laughably inaccurately statements including a horse still being around after a battle with a shrieking wraith when it would have run off in real life and all the male characters smelling like rain and spice or wood smoke and lemon despite the fact they had not showered or bathed in a long time and would actually smell like sweat and dirt. Additionally, a lack of understanding of the story’s setting, comparisons which regularly fall flat, and incorrect word usage erode the story’s ability to captivate.

     The way in which the characters are handled is a mixture of good and bad. The evil characters are truly despicable, but the most outstanding development goes to the single conflicted character in the story. The first-person point of view works to good effect here as it illuminates thoughts and reasoning with words, actions, and decisions flowing from personality and upbringing. Unfortunately, two of the three main characters are short-changed in depth, both feeling more like caricatures than actual people. The host of secondary characters seem to exist only to extend the plot or to jerk tears, and there are too many to remember, especially when the author casually refers to them chapters apart.

     Ultimately, A Torch Against the Night is a half-hearted follow-up to its precursor. It has a solid foundation and could have been great, but the author routinely ignored the aspects which makes novels truly great. Consequently, this is simply another volume for the pile of forgotten stories.