A Torch Against the Night is a young adult fantasy romance novel written by Pakistani-American author Sabaa Tahir. It was released on August 30, 2016, by Razorbill, which is part of Penguin Random House. It is the second book in the An Ember in the Ashes series, coming after An Ember in the Ashes and before A Reaper at the Gates. The story follows three different first-person narrators: Laia, a former slave trying to free her brother from jail; Elias, a former soldier who left the Empire to help Laia; and Helene, a Blood Shrike who doesn't want the job and was once Elias's best friend, now hunting him.
Plot
The second book in the Ember Quartet continues the story from the first book. Laia, a Scholar, and Elias, a Martial, are trying to escape from the Empire. Their goal is to reach Kauf prison, where they hope to rescue Darin, Laia's brother. Darin has unique abilities as a blacksmith that are important for the Scholars' survival.
At the same time, the story follows Helene Aquilla, who was once Elias's best friend. She is now asked by the new Emperor, her old enemy Marcus, to find Elias. With help from her friends Faris and Dex, Helene begins her challenging mission. The situation becomes harder when Commandant Keris Veturia, Elias's mother and Emperor Marcus's newly promoted officer, assigns a man named Avitas Harper to join Helene.
As Laia and Elias travel, they face enemies, including Emperor Marcus, the Commandant, and supernatural creatures who are hunting Laia. Laia does not yet understand why these creatures are after her.
Development
Tahir mentioned the global refugee crisis, her early life, information about child soldiers, and the book On Killing as influences for writing A Torch Against the Night.
Reception
Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said the novel "has a darker tone and even higher stakes than its predecessor, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion." Kirkus Reviews described the novel as "An excellent continuation of a series seemingly designed for readers of the political, bloody fantasy style popular right now, set apart by an uncommon world." The A.V. Club, TheGuardian.com, and The Christian Science Monitor praised the novel's way of challenging common ideas in young adult fiction. A Torch Against the Night is included in Time magazine's list of The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time.