2016 book 47

Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes
The major downside of running the local branch of the FYA book club is not being able to put down a book that isn't working for me. And boy, did this one not work for me. It's the same sort of dramatic, formulaic mishegas that seems to be driving a lot of YA these days-- a girl, a boy, opposite sides of an evil empire, dramatic backstories, monsters from Middle Eastern folklore, a love quandrangle, etc. You get the picture. It's also very rapey (the evil empire is all about rape, torture, and slavery) and there is an Excessive Use of Capitalization. So basically, a lot of things I am not into in a book I wish I didn't have to read. I mean, the pacing is good, and the characters are interesting enough in that generic way, but this was just too unpleasant for me. I mean, the CONSTANT rape threats and general violence. Just too much for me. B-.