Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir (born November 7, 1983, in London, England, and raised in California’s Mojave Desert) is a bestselling American author best known for her powerful Ember in the Ashes fantasy series and her National Book Award–winning contemporary novel All My Rage. A former journalist at The Washington Post, Tahir brings a sharp eye for storytelling and cultural complexity to her fiction.

Her breakout novel, An Ember in the Ashes (2015), introduced readers to Laia and Elias, two teens struggling for survival and freedom in a brutal empire inspired by ancient Rome. The novel quickly became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by A Torch Against the Night, A Reaper at the Gates, and the final installment, A Sky Beyond the Storm—a bestselling and critically acclaimed quartet known for its diverse characters, fast-paced plot, and emotional depth.

In 2022, Tahir shifted from fantasy to contemporary young adult fiction with All My Rage, a deeply personal story of two Pakistani American teens navigating grief, identity, and forgiveness. The novel won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Printz Medal, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, cementing Tahir’s place as a versatile and impactful voice in YA literature.

Her work often explores themes of oppression, resilience, family, and cultural heritage—drawing from her own experiences growing up as a Pakistani American Muslim in a small desert town. With sharp prose and powerful emotional arcs, she writes stories that speak to both the fantastical and the deeply real.

Tahir is also known for her advocacy of diverse voices in publishing and frequently speaks at schools, literary festivals, and writer conferences. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.