Reviewed By: Jessica P.
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.
For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.
Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.
For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.
About the Author: Laura Sebastian grew up in South Florida and attended Savannah College of Art and Design. She now lives and writes in New York City. Ash Princess is her first novel. To learn more about Laura and her book, follow @sebastian_lk on Twitter.
Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: I am a die-hard fantasy fan and this one hit it off early on.
Do I Recommend this book? YES if you love darker themed stories this one is for you!
Notes and Opinions: Color me sold with this very dark and dangerous fantasy. I think this one could have gone even darker but as it sits it was so amazing and I couldn't put it down. This one has it all magic, amazing characters, and some wonderful world building.
The world building to this one was great. We get a rundown of the magic and the gods in this world as well as a little backstory on what happened. I would love a prequel to this one about Theo's mom and her rule. Or even further back. The author did a fabulous job making this world come to life and I never felt that it was info dumping or confusing me.
The magic in this one was new (at least from what books I have read). I love reading about new creatures and new magic. So many authors just use the same old thing with a slight twist and this one didn't do that. The magic in this one was spot on and worked well. It was easy to follow but also still had that mystery surrounding it where you know that they don't know everything about their magic. It really made it feel vibrant, new, and amazing.
The characters in this one were great. I do think that this would have made a very good dual POV with Theo and Soren but as it sits it was still wonderful. I really loved Theo she was put into a situation where everything was her fault even though it wasn't. I don't think I would have been strong enough to be whipped again and again. She was strong and fierce and a survivor. I am excited to see what happens in book two Lady Smoke. As for the light love triangle (yes there is one) I really enjoyed it. It was done very well and I again can't wait to see what is going to happen with it. At the end of this book, you find something out about one of her loves. And I am very interested to see how that plays out.
At the end of this one, I think that this one overall could have been much darker. This being a higher young adult story I think that the author could have gone all out with the darkness and really make us readers scream. But as it sits I still really loved it. It was pretty much perfect in my eyes. It was still plenty dark and had such an amazing world. If you like darker stories this one is for you!
Go Into This One Knowing: Murder, Plots, Magic, Punishments (whipping), no cliffhanger, slight love triangle
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FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored.
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