conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a book about Californias, Mojave, Desert with the genre: Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this book could be 'An Ember in the Ashes'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the first four paragraphs for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: An Ember in the Ashes
  My eyes jerk to hers, and for one tense moment, I think she knows everything. But there's no anger or judgment in her expression. Only concern.
  She counts off my sins on her fingers. "You're squad leader of the platoon on watch, yet you don't bring Barrius in yourself. Your lieutenant does it for you, and you don't commend him. You barely contain your disapproval when the deserter's punished. Not to mention the fact that it's the day before graduation, and your mask has only just begun to meld with you."
  A prickle of unease creeps down my neck. The Black Guard is tasked with ensuring the loyalty of the military. They wear the emblem of a bird, and their leader, once picked, gives up his name and is known simply as the Blood Shrike. He's the right hand of the Emperor and the second most powerful man in the Empire. The current Blood Shrike has a habit of torturing first and asking questions later. A midnight visit from those black-armored bastards will land me in the infirmary for weeks. My entire plan will be ruined.
  I try not to glare at Helene. Must be nice to believe so fervently in what the Empire spoon-feeds us. Why can't I just be like her—like everyone else? Because my mother abandoned me? Because I spent the first six years of my life with Tribesmen who taught me mercy and compassion instead of brutality and hatred? Because my playfellows were Tribeschildren, Mariners, and Scholars instead of other Illustrians?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know five more paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The message repeats, and groans and eye-rolling abound. "Do us a favor, Elias," Faris says. "When you win and become grand overlord, get us out of here, will you?"
  I tell him I won't miss it, and after he and the others leave, Hel hands me a vial. "You almost forgot the bloodroot serum."
  Helene throws me a look that says she's allowing me to change the subject. "Resistance ambushed a Mask—Daemon Cassius—in his house. Pretty gruesome, apparently. His wife found him this morning. No one heard a thing. The bastards are getting bolder. And... there's something else." She drops her voice. "My father's heard a rumor that the Blood Shrike's dead."
  Helene shakes her head. "You know that the Emperor's a few weeks away from Serra—at the most. He's started to plan his attack on Blackcliff—on us, the Aspirants."
  She looks up at me, expecting a response, but I just stare at her open-mouthed, because something huge has occurred to me, something I haven't understood until now.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the last three paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: For their steadfast faith in me, I owe a debt of gratitude to my family: Uncle and Auntie Tahir; Heelah, Imaan, and Armaan Saleem; Tala Abbasi; and Lilly, Zoey, and Bobby.
  My heartfelt thanks to Saul Jaeger, Stacey LaFreniere, Connor Nunley, and Jason Roldan for their service to their country and for showing me what it means to have the soul of a warrior.
  For their encouragement and general awesomeness, great thanks to: Andrea Walker, Sarah Balkin, Elizabeth Ward, Mark Johnson, Holly Goldberg Sloan, Tom Williams, Sally Wilcox, Kathy Wenner, Jeff Miller, Shannon Casey, Abigail Wen, Stacey Lee, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Renee Ahdieh, and the Writer Unboxed community.