A Sky beyond the Storm is the final book of the thrilling Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir. It was published on the 10th of December, 2020.
In this article, I will answer some of the most FAQs about this book and create a handy overview of some of the most important characters.
What is A Sky Beyond the Storm about?
A Sky Beyond the Storm is the finale of the Ember in the Ashes series and will pick the story up where A Reaper at the Gates left off.
The Jinn who were imprisoned for centuries are finally free and prepare to attack the Scholars under the Nightbringer’s command. This book will show the war that was built up in the past three books and will let the reader fully understand the history and motives of the characters on both sides.
Character overview
Laia of Serra
Laia of Serra is the main character of the Ember in the Ashes series. She’s a Scholar and very loyal to her family. Thus, the plot of books one and two (An Ember in the Ashes & A Torch Against the Night) are saving her imprisoned brother Darin.
In A Sky beyond the Storm, she learns more about the history of the Nightbringer and the reason why a war between the Jinn and the Scholars started. To defeat the Nightbringer, she must fully understand his story – and that is what drives the plot in this final book.
Elias Veturius
Elias Veturius is now the Banu Al-Mauth (the Chosen of Death) and therefore is not quite like the Elias Veturius we know from previous books anymore. He has joined with Mauth, and that has caused the disappearance of his memories.
Though images haunt him of people in his former life who were close to him like Laia, Helene, and Keris, his mortality tugs on him. His story is about regaining his mortality with sheer will of mind, and to find himself – Elias Veturius – again.
Elias and Laia
Because of Elais being Banu Al-Mauth, there aren’t many scenes in which Elias and Laia are truly together. Mauth doesn’t want to let go of Elias. So Elias can’t deny his obligations. But he tries to come back to ‘the mortal world’ and help in the war whenever possible.
Laia and Elias as characters were mostly trying to figure out themselves and weren’t yet both ready to be together. But, no worries to the Elias shippers, because the plot does ‘force’ them to work together!
Avitas Harper
Avitas Harper is Helene’s second-in-command and a love interest. He can be very cold, but people who know him see a totally different side of him. He’s in love with Helene and tries to protect her as best as he can, but she isn’t easy to reach when it becomes too personal for her.
[SPOILER ALERT]
He also is Elias’s half-brother.
Helene and Harper
The relationship between Avitas and Helene is not easy. With Harper as her second-in-command and Helene as the Blood Shrike, she keeps pressing on their duties and on who they are and should be.
On top of that, there’s a war going on and no time for love. Helene believes in duty before anything else and mostly tries to avoid Harper. Therefore, her feelings for him to stay focused on the war.
Helene Aquilla
We know Helene Aquilla as the Blood Shrike, but in A Sky beyond the Storm, she becomes Empress of the Martial Empire.
Besides that, she now has the title Imperator Invictus. However, she is reluctant to wear it because Keris Veturia was set on receiving that title, and Helene is afraid of fueling her wrath even more.
She is busy trying to win the war and outmaneuver Keris Veturia who has always been her enemy. But in this book, their opposition becomes more and more pronounced.
The Nightbringer
The Nightbringer, also known as Meherya (meaning Beloved), is the king of the jinn.
His goal from book one was to free the jinn who were imprisoned by the Scholars for centuries and take his revenge on the Scholars.
In this book, he is busy waging war and attacking Scholar cities with his army of jinn. He has an alliance with Keris Veturia and attacks the Martial Empire together with her.
Keris Veturia
Keris Veturia is the leader of Blackcliff Academy, Elias’s mother, and ally to the Nightbringer. She’s the Commandant and leads (part of) the Martial Army.
She starts the war in an attack on Marinn, killing the princess and the king. She means to take all of the Empire and rule there as Empress. But to do that, she must confront Helene first. With the Nightbringer by her side, it looks as though they are winning the war.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Sky beyond the Storm series order
A Sky beyond the Storm is the last book of the Ember quartet, following this order:
- An Ember in the Ashes
- A Torch against the Night
- A Reaper at the Gates
- A Sky beyond the Storm
How many pages is this book?
The Penguin Young Readers Group’s edition has 544 pages.
Does A Sky Beyond the Storm have romance?
Yes. this book has two main ships: Elias and Laia & Helene and Avitas.
These complicated relationships make it all the more interesting to read about.
It’s the plot that forces Elias and Laia to work together – as Laia of Serra and Banu Al-Mauth – and Laia trying to reach the human Elias inside him to bring him back to her.
Helene is the Empress of the Empire, with Avitas as her second-in-command. Her focus lies on the ongoing war, and she wants to stay focused because she believes in duty before anything else. Therefore, she tries to avoid Avitas and her feelings for him as long as possible.
How old is Laia in this book?
Laia is seventeen years old when the story begins in An Ember in the Ashes, so she will probably be around eighteen or almost eighteen years old in this book.
Does A Sky Beyond the Storm have LGBTQ+ characters or romance?
None of the main leads are LGBTQ+.
A Sky Beyond the Storm has a few side characters who’re LGBTQ+, but the author does not feature them prominently in the story, only mentioning them a few times.
Is this book spicy?
Not really. This novel has a few fade-to-black sex scenes. There are thoughts of desire and descriptions that hint very clearly at what the characters are about to do. But the author does not explicitly describe those scenes.
There is kissing and touching and removing clothes, but it does not go further than that.
Is A Sky Beyond the Storm enemies to lovers?
A Sky beyond the Storm isn’t necessarily enemies to lovers.
Elias was in the first book, An Ember in the Ashes, an enemy of Laia because he was a Martial and she was a Scholar, but they’ve grown past that in the more recent books.
Helene and Avitas started off as enemies to lovers because Avitas who was at Keris’s side tortured Helene in the second book. But Avitas pledged his loyalty to Helene, and they haven’t been enemies since then.
Is this book YA?
Yes, the entire Ember in the Ashes series is marketed toward Young Adults from age 12 and up.
Who is Rehmat in A Sky beyond the Storm?
Rehmat is a jinn and was the Nightbringer’s wife and queen.
Long ago, she and her children were killed by Scholar soldiers which is the main reason for the Nightbringer’s wrath. She can also see the future.
Rehmat searches for “her warrior” to defy the Nightbringer, for he will otherwise destroy the world. Rehmat has found that Laia is her warrior, and wants to live inside her mind. But when the time comes, she wants Laia and her to merge because Rehmat is eventually the one who can stop the Nightbringer (Meherya).
When and where does this story take place?
A Sky beyond the Storm takes place in the Martial Empire, a world inspired by the old Roman Empire, although it is heavily influenced by Middle-Eastern cultures.
Trigger warnings in A Sky Beyond the Storm
There’s plenty of violence in this book, handling themes like war and genocide.
There is also blood, branding, (child) deaths, murder, and childbirth. It also contains grief and mourning.
A Sky beyond the Storm mango scene
In the mango scene, Laia seduces Elias by eating a mango very passionately in an attempt to rouse his humanity.
She starts massaging the mango and lets the juice drip along her chin to activate some kind of human emotion in him so that he remembers what he felt for her.
Eventually Elias licks the juice off her arm, but it doesn’t go much further than that.
*SPOILER SECTION*
How does A Sky Beyond the Storm end and is it a happy ending?
A Sky does have a happy ending in sense of that Laia, Elias, and Helene win the war from the Nightbringer (Meherya). But like all wars, they do not win without cost.
Laia loses Darin, and Helene loses Harper. But Elias and Laia have a chance to be together after all, and it ends with them being happy together and looking forward to their future. The author also hints that Helene and Musa find comfort in each other after the war. So perhaps this is a new ship.
Who dies in A Sky beyond the Storm?
Darin of Serra, Laia’s brother, dies in battle just like Avitas Harper does while he was protecting Helene.
Who does Laia end up with?
Laia ends up with Elias, whom she was always meant to be with.
They both have gone through a lot as individuals and with each other, but after everything, they can be together and live a quiet life together in their house. They also both want to raise children.
*SPOILER SECTION ENDS HERE*
Thank you so much for reading this article! Did you not see your question answered or do you have any other remarks? If so, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below! I will read and answer them as soon as I can. Happy reading!
