I wish I could give so many more stars. An Ember in the Ashes was such a well written, gripping and dramatic book, and I fell completely in love. It's hard to find a dystopian novel that is so unique, but needless to say I found one! 
 I loved all the characters, as they all had different traits and values; they weren't just all 'brave' or 'smart'. The friendships (especially between Elias and Helene, as well as the rest of their classmates) were interesting and enjoyable to read about. I also liked how there wasn't just a simple love triangle, more like two combined. 
 The plot itself was exciting and shocking at times. Unlike a lot of books, I couldn't guess what was going to happen, especially with each of the trials. The third trial absolutely killed me! 
 I would definitely recommend this to anyone! Now to wait for the sequel...