Before I begin, I should warn you that there WILL BE SPOILERS in this post. If this book looks interesting to you, I would not recommend reading further, but if you've read it before or just feel like reading about it, please continue. I will say that A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir is the third novel in a series, and it is a wonderful fantasy novel with a slight resemblance to the ancient Roman Empire. This book is preceded by An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night.
If you're like me, then you hate the idea of reading an unfinished series. Much to my surprise, An Ember in the Ashes is an unfinished series of four, while I was under the impression that it was a trilogy. Imagine my despair when I discovered halfway through the third book that the fourth installment isn't even titled yet and is expected to be released in April of 2020. I thought I was finishing off a dramatic series with a quick wrap-up ending! Sadly, I will most likely forget by the time the fourth book is released, though I hope that I will not.
The three man characters are Elias Ventura, Helene Aquilla, and Laia of Serra, and Tahir switches points of view between these three by each chapter. What I love about this is that each chapter is named after the person whose point of view it is from, and these names change for each character as the novel progresses. The reader can literally see the characters' development through their titles and who they have become. Helene becomes "The Blood Shrike", Elias becomes "The Soul Catcher", and Laia becomes "Laia of Serra", a symbol of her leadership of the Resistance.
Tahir must really love symbolism through titles and names, because it appears in more than just the three main characters. My favorite is Cook, who is introduced as a minor character that Laia meets in the first novel. When I read about her, I could tell that she had some kind of meaningful past, but I thought it was fully revealed in the first novel. I was wrong. Turns out, Cook's original name was Merra of Serra or the Lioness, aka the head of the Resistance and Laia's mother!!!
The character development that occurs in all three main characters is incredible to read, especially Laia's metamorphosis from a scared, timid girl who ran from trouble to the leader of the Resistance. Helene changes from an obedient servant of the empire, to The Blood Shrike: the second in command warrior princess who can heal people with her voice. Elias becomes the Soul Catcher, Buau-al-Mauth, emperor of all the deceased, tasked with passing them on.
Personally, I don't see Elias's character development as particularly positive even though I understand why Tahir writes him this way. His loss of his humanity and lack of feelings is necessary for the survival of the empire, even though it means I lose one of my favorite characters. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Tahir magically fixes this in the last novel! Until then, I'll just have to wait.
If you love everything you've heard about this series, visit this link to purchase the first three.