Get All Caught Up On the Ember Series Before "A Reaper at the Gates" Release

It’s been ~~84 years~~ 638 days since the release of A Torch Against The Night, book two in the Ember in the Ashes series, and the wait for book three is ALMOST OVER! A Reaper at the Gates comes out June 12th, and we’ll finally get our long awaited Laia/Elias/Helene fix. If your memory’s a bit foggy on details and you just didn’t get around to that #EmberReRead you were planning, we got you covered! Here’s a real quick catch up from A Torch Against the Night with each of the major and secondary characters. And here’s a good recap of Ember if you need that as well. I’ll also make some predictions/hopes for Reaper and feature my favorite fan art, because this fandom has SKILLS.

Laia of Serra

Artist-Tpiola

Laia and Elias are on the run after destroying and escaping Blackcliff Academy. The plan is to travel to the infamous and merciless Kauf prison and rescue Laia’s brother Darin. They make their way to across the Empire, narrowly avoiding a) Martial patrols and b) the desire to shag each senseless. Keenan and Izzi somehow track them down and join them on their quest. Poor Laia is all sorts of confused about her competing feelings for Elias and Keenan. She also discovers that she has mysteriously acquired the ability to turn invisible, so that’s handy.

After Elias goes on ahead and Izzi is murdered, Keenan and Laia travel to Kauf alone. They have comfort sex, and while Laia doesn’t regret it, she feels like Keenan doesn’t bring out the best in her. She later gives him her mother’s treasured silver armlet after he pours out his lonely little heart. Extremely moved, he reveals that he’s the Nightbringer, and then leaves. So, that sucks. Laia rescues Elias and Darin (and other Scholar prisoners) with the help of tribal leader Afya. After the rescue, she and (a comatose) Darin stay in a cabin near the forest where Elias is now training to be the next Soul Catcher. Laia and Elias FINALLY start to make out, but angry ghosts swiftly protest. MYOB, ghosts.

Elias Veturius/The Soul Catcher

Artist-axxxa06

Elias narrowly escaped execution at the end of Ember when he refused to kill Laia in the Trials. Branded a traitor and now the most wanted man in the Empire, he and Laia try to get out of Serra during the chaos of a Scholar rebellion. They encounter his mother, and she cuts him as they escape the city. She used a poisoned blade (mother of the century right there), and he realizes that the wound will eventually kill him. Because of this, he keeps Laia at a distance, not wanting his eventual death to hurt more than it already will. He suffers numerous seizures from the poison that impede their travels. During these seizures, he’s transported to The Waiting Place, a forest where dead souls go to pass into the next world. There he meets the Soul Catcher, Shaeva, a secretive and lonely female jinn.

Knowing that he’s running out of time, Elias goes to Kauf to rescue Darin alone, but is captured and tortured by the demented Warden. He dies during the rescue attempt and his soul goes to the Waiting Place, where he makes a deal with Shaeva to take her place as Soul Catcher in exchange for being brought back to life. After the rescue he is bound to the forest that contains the Waiting Place. The forest also contains a whole bunch of imprisoned jinn. This will be important later!

Helene Aquilla/The Blood Shrike

Artist-gaby_thedragon

Helene is now The Blood Shrike, right hand of eeeevvviiilll Emperor Marcus. He has her tortured by a Lt Harper, who tries to learn if she helped Elias escape and where he might be going. Once cleared, her first mission is to capture her old friend and bring him in for torture and public execution. Fun, right? Torn between her love for Elias and her loyalty to the Empire, she successfully tracks him down but allows him to escape.

She also learns of a plot by Keris (The Commandant) to overthrow Marcus and make herself Empress. Despite warning Marcus of the plot, Marcus is furious at her failure to capture Elias. He murders her family, but leaves one sister, whom he marries as a way to keep Helene in line. Helene gives her sister an ornate silver mirror, which I think will be important later. She ends the book focused on keeping Keris from accomplishing her coup and allowing her love for Elias to die. Hahahahaha good luck.

A post shared by Gabriella Bujdosó (@gabriella.bujdoso) on May 11, 2018 at 1:21am PDT

Secondary Characters

Keenan/The Nightbringer-In Torch we learn that Keenan, Scholar rebel and love interest, is technically the Nightbringer, evil villain and jinn overlord. DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. He works with Keris and the Warden to exterminate the Scholars, who imprisoned all his fellow jinn centuries ago. In order to free them, he must collect the scattered silver pieces of a magical tool that unlocks their prison. Since the magic will only allow the pieces to be surrendered freely and out of love, he’s frequently taken human form and seduced or befriended each bearer. As Keenan, he woos Laia and she offers him her armlet, which is a piece of the tool. It’s unknown how many more pieces he needs.

Shaeva/Soul Catcher- A jinn who assists dead souls to the next life as punishment for betraying the Nightbringer. She is partially responsible for the imprisonment of her fellow jinn; we don’t know how. She is training Elias to become the next Soul Catcher, which will free her from the task.

Keris Veturius/The Commandant-She finds Elias before he can escape Serra, and cuts him with a poisoned blade before intentionally letting him go. Constantly antagonizes and subverts Helene’s authority. Colludes with the Nightbringer to completely wipe out the Scholar people, and kill thousands herself. Is also planning to overthrow Marcus and name herself Empress.

Marcus Farrar/The Emperor-Declared Emperor after winning the Trials at Blackcliff. Sadistic bastard who murders most of Helene’s family. Struggles to establish his authority as Emperor. Presumed haunted by the ghost of his brother, whom he murdered in the Trials. This ghost seems to keep him from harming Helene. Marcus marries Livia, Helene’s sister, as leverage over Helene.

Darin of Serra-Laia’s brother, and the only Scholar with the knowledge to forge unbreakable Serric steel. Imprisoned and tortured at Kauf prison. Rescued by Elias and Laia, but sustains a head injury that leaves him unconscious for a month. He awakens at the very end of Torch.

Avitas Harper- Member of the Black Guard and Helene’s interrogator, he accompanies Helene everywhere as a spy for the Commandant. He doesn’t come off as on overly terrible person, and eventually changes sides. He also constantly asks questions about Elias, trying to determine his character. Harper later reveals to Helene that they are half brothers, sharing the same father.

Afya Ara-Nur- Tribal leader who owes Elias a favor. She begrudgingly agrees to hide and transport the crew to Kauf prison. Also aids in Darin’s escape before returning to her tribe.

Mamie Rila-Elias’ foster mother. She starts a riot which allows Elias and Laia to safely escape to Kauf with the Tribesmen. Taken prisoner and interrogated by the Empire.

Artist-Victoria.Quezada

A Reaper at the Gates predictions

Unpopular Opinion: I don’t ship Elias and Laia. They respect each other and share an attraction, but Elias’ relationship with Helene is so much deeper and more authentic. Elias knows he loves Helene, and Laia admits she loves Keenan, but they’ve never used that word in reference to each other. So I predict Team Helias, and I will die on that hill.
I’m calling right now that Helene’s Blood Shrike ring and/or the silver mirror are also pieces of the tool. The Nightbringer will set his sights on her and her sister next.
I hope we get an epic, no-rules, dirty fight to the death between Keris and Helene. Elias shouldn’t have to kill his own mother, but his bff/future lover Helene can certainly avenge him. And then she’ll rip off her mask and she and Elias will make sweet love under the moonlight. Boom! End scene.