This book by debut author Sabaa Tahir is a fantastic new addition to the world of young adult fantasy fiction.

    In a world ruled by cruel Martials, the lowly Scholars are forced into slavery and poverty. Their libraries are destroyed, and they are forbidden to learn how to read. It has been this way since the Martials took over the Scholar Empire 500 years ago. It is an honor when Martial children are accepted to the warrior school Blackcliff. They train to become a Mask, an elite* assassin*. The Scholars, deprived of their names, are forced to serve those at Blackcliff. However, in the city outside the gated fortress, a resistance* army has formed.

    In the beginning of the book, Elias, a student at Blackcliff only days from graduating as a Mask, is planning his desertion*. He faces a death sentence if caught, but Elias is sickened by the actions of the Masks and does not want to become one of them. Then it is announced that the emperor’s reign is at an end and the new emperor must be chosen from one of the top four graduates at Blackcliff who participate in the grueling* tests of skill and loyalty called the Trials. An ancient seer* convinces* Elias that to desert would not bring him freedom, but to stay and fight would.

    Laia, a young Scholar who lives in the city, watches in horror as Masks arrest* her brother Darin, murder her grandparents and burn her home to the ground. Her only hope of finding and freeing the last member of her family is to join forces with the resistance and work as a spy for them at Blackcliff. While readers may guess the basics of what might happen between Elias and Laia, their story is much more complex than that. (SD-Agencies)