An Ember in the Ashes
#834.22 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Ongoing 2015–present Reading commitment Medium Sabaa Tahir Last reviewed 2026-08-20
Overview
A dystopian epic-fantasy quartet (2015-2020) set in the brutal, magically-touched Martial Empire, following an enslaved scholar-girl and a conscripted soldier whose fates become entangled with the Empire's throne and its restless spirit world.
Epic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
An Ember in the Ashes Sabaa Tahir
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | An Ember in the Ashes | 2015 | core | 4.23 (360,245 ratings) |
 | A Torch Against the Night | 2016 | core | 4.21 (207,309 ratings) |
 | A Reaper at the Gates | 2018 | core | 4.15 (79,557 ratings) |
 | A Sky Beyond the Storm | 2020 | core | 4.27 (87,493 ratings) |
The four-book main quartet set in the Martial Empire, following Laia and Elias/Elias's successor Helene across the whole arc; the primary reading unit and the work this universe is admitted for.
Library / Expanded (3 works)
Heir Sabaa Tahir
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Heir | 2024 | N/A |
A new duology set generations after the original quartet, in the same world; only the first of two planned books had published as of the latest update, so registered Expanded Canon rather than Core pending the set's completion, per this project's standing in-progress-series discipline.
An Ember in the Ashes novellas Sabaa Tahir
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Thief Among the Trees | 2020 | N/A | |
 | A Spark Within the Forge | 2022 | N/A |
Two short e-novellas set within the main quartet's timeline; supplementary reading, not required for the main arc.
Quick answers
- How many books are in An Ember in the Ashes? An Ember in the Ashes's Core Canon is 4 books, plus 3 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for An Ember in the Ashes? Publication order, starting with An Ember in the Ashes. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is An Ember in the Ashes finished? Ongoing (2015–present).
- How much reading does An Ember in the Ashes take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~1,450 pages).
- How is An Ember in the Ashes ranked? #83 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 734,604 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #83?
Ranked #83 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.22 across 4 core books.
- Backed by 735k reader ratings.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 4 rated core books rate within 0.12 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #82, The Traitor Son Cycle (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 4 books · Ongoing · 735k ratings · Ranks #83 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- An Ember in the Ashes (2015)
- A Torch Against the Night (2016)
- A Reaper at the Gates (2018)
- A Sky Beyond the Storm (2020)
Awards (verified)
- No independently-verified awards on file for this universe yet.
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- Shades of Magic Portal fantasy / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.13
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.22 across 734,604 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit An Ember in the Ashes (Sabaa Tahir) accepted 2026-08-20
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Sabaa Tahir - Wikipedia Tier 2
- Publisher/retailer product listings for An Ember in the Ashes series Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-20
Rule: Core Canon is the four-book main quartet: An Ember in the Ashes, A Torch Against the Night, A Reaper at the Gates, A Sky Beyond the Storm. Two short novellas and the newer Heir duology (set generations later in the same world, only its first book published so far) are Expanded Canon.