A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
In A Sky Beyond the Storm, Sabaa Tahir brings her An Ember in the Ashes series to an emotional and gut-wrenching conclusion. Picking up just months after A Reaper at the Gates, the fourth and final installment throws Laia, Elias, and Helene into a storm of escalating violence, supernatural threats, and soul-shattering choices. The long-imprisoned Jinn, led by the Nightbringer, wreaks havoc across the empire, and as Commandant Keris Veturia crowns herself Empress, the stakes for the Blood Shrike (Helene) and her family reach deadly heights. Laia, still grieving personal losses, becomes a fierce force against the Nightbringer, awakening ancient powers and risking everything. Meanwhile, Elias, now the Soul Catcher, wrestles with his fading humanity as he’s drawn back into a battle he swore to leave behind.
Tahir’s world-building remains dark, and the emotional stakes soar as the characters face betrayal and a lot of sacrifice. Laia’s resilience, Helene’s unyielding loyalty, and Elias’s heartbreaking journey toward (and away from) love make for deeply compelling arcs. The way Tahir writes her action sequences is intense, the twists are brutal, and the moments of tenderness are few but devastatingly impactful. As I listened to the book, the voice actors put all their emotions into their voices. I was hooked throughout the whole story…heck, through the entire series. Tahir’s prose captures the brutal cost of war and the fragile hope that keeps people fighting.
Final Verdict:
A Sky Beyond the Storm is a bittersweet, action-packed finale that delivers both heartbreak and catharsis. I was truly sad when this series came to an end. I went through all the different emotions and was sorry when the last word was spoken. This quote was loudest for me: “The world had ended, but it hadn’t ended for me.” That is how I feel about this entire series.
This book ended up being my book of the month…
Started: 25 April 2025
Completed: 30 April 2025
Total Pages Read: 516
Total Listening Time: 17 Hours:09 Minutes
Format: Libby (own the series)
Rating: 5 stars
