Character Profiles: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Hey lovely people! Happy Monday! Today, I'm participating in Phase Three of the An Ember in the Ashes fan activity! Phase Three is all about Character Love, so I'll be featuring Elias and Laia in my own way. And be sure to check out my posts for Phase One (Name the Fandom) and Phase Two (Sequel Excitement).

As many of you know (or maybe not?), I'm Indian! And a huge fan of Bollywood. Sooo... I'll be sharing character profiles of Elias and Laia, Bollywood-style :D

Be prepared to get acquainted with two of my FAVORITE Bollywood stars!

Elias Veturius

- Son of the Commandant

- Represents Gens Veturius as an Aspirant during the Trials at Blackcliff Military Academy

- Highly loyal, protective

- Resistant to Academy attitudes

- "Short black hair" (ARC*, 190)

- Eyes: gray, "like the thick heart of a storm cloud" (ARC*, 370)

- Tall (compared to Keenan), muscular, deadly, vicious

Bollywood actors with light-colored eyes are VERY hard to find, let alone with grey eyes. Most Indian people have some variation of dark brown eyes. So it was hard to find an actor with Elias's eyes (the hair, height, build were easy). In the end I picked my favorite male actor who also happens to be known as the "Greek God" of Bollywood, and has green-ish eyes. Hrithik Roshan! He's tall, dark, and handsome personified, but he also has a wicked charm and grace about him. He often played deadly and/or action-packed characters, like in Dhoom 2 and Krrish!

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YAAASSSSS. Learn more about Hrithik HERE!

Laia

- A Scholar, now "Slave-girl" of the Commandant at Blackcliff Military Academy

- Fighting to free brother, Darin, who is a member of a resistance group

- Considers herself a terrible spy for the Resistance

- Very attractive

- Skin of "warm honey" (ARC*, 259)

- "Inky... hair" (ARC*, 259)

- "Gold eyes" (ARC*, 190)

It was MUCH easier to find a Bollywood actress with Laia's eye coloring - one actress jumped to mind, and I couldn't think of anyone else. Indian people with light brown/"gold" eyes are difficult to find, but the one and only Rani Mukerji fits the description! She's played many heartbreaking roles (prostitutes, like in Saawariya), and she is nothing if not a fighter. Also, she's gorgeous!

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Learn more about Rani HERE!

Both Hrithik and Rani are a bit old to represent Elias and Laia - both starred in films in the 1990s! And even then, they'd still be too old. I can't name any good Bollywood children actors (Bollywood doesn't really have an industry for teen stars, not like Hollywood). BUT. These two lovelies are the perfect adult Elias and Laia, don't you think? :)

About An Ember in the Ashes:

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Book One of the An Ember in the Ashes series

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Official Summary:

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.

ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

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About the Author:

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

Website | Novel Website | Goodreads | Twitter

*I didn't have my hardcover copy with me! I did have my ARC though. My apologies for the quotes/pages coming from the ARC!