Another YA book that follows a formula too closely and suffers as a result for me. This tells the story of Theodosia, the eponymous ash princess, living under the scrutiny of the Kaiser and suffering daily torments. When she is forced to face up the the horrors of the regime, rebellion foments, There are some interesting elements at play in this world which don't get enough exploration for me - the magic system is based on the use of elemental gems and only appears sporadically. What we do get is an awful lot of trite flip-flopping by the protagonist between two male characters and what seems to me a lot of gratuitous violence that doesn't feel earned or necessary and consequently loses its impact. I would say that the book got better as it went along as I did get involved in the plot more, but there is just too much stereotypical stuff thrown in here that for me, was unnecessary and distracted from what could be an interesting story.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a solid YA fantasy that has me looking forward to the sequel. Laura Sebastian has crafted an exquisite world populated with wonderfully complex characters. The plot was engaging and well-written, keeping me engrossed from beginning to end. For those people who feel the beginning is a little slow, please persevere as you'll be rewarded with a fantastic story. I would definitely recommend this one.

Ash princess has that classic YA feel but also with a fresh twist. It's dark and twisty and the characters will own your heart after the first chapter. I enjoyed the fast pace and how the author really made me root for my favourited. I'm excited to see which way Laura Sebastian takes the plot in the sequel.

No my genre- can’t suspend my disbelief. Made it to 18%… I’m sure this will fill a gap for people who love fantasy but every time I try I can’t get into any story.

Not a real comment of book.

This book was bloody fantastic. I loved the Tris vibe I got from Theo, she's such a strong lady and although in the beginning, I DIDN'T like her, as we went through the story I started to get more and more attached to her. Magic, kings, war and spying. I could barely put it down! I'm so excited for the sequel already!!

I was completely absorbed in the world that the author created - languages, folklore and history brought it to life for me. The characters and relationships were complicated, reflecting the real world. The book didn't shy away from the brutality that would doubtlessly be part of the regime described, which made it seem very real. Very much looking forward to the next book.

Ash Princess tells the story of Theo, a princess captured by the invading Klaxonians. This books follows her journey from captive to head of the resistance.

This book is mainly set up for the rest of the series, centring on Theo, the reader already knows where this book is going and so it is really a case of sitting back and enjoying the ride. It took a long time for me to relate to Theo, but once she got going it was really easy to read about. I loved the diversity of characters in this book, although sometimes it felt a bit forced in terms of how it was presented in the dialogue. The characters were interesting and well developed, however it does seem to be a bit "cut and dry" in terms of the main villain (who I class as the Kaiser) and, since some of the moral lines were blurred throughout (especially in relation to actions towards Cress), it would perhaps have been interesting to see some form of character development outside of him just taking the role of the big bad.

In terms of the other villain, the Theyn, I honestly thought he was more interesting than the Kaiser and felt that he deserved more than he got. I was not happy with his character arc at all.

However, the set up with Cress is interesting and this is the main plot point that makes me want to continue with the series to see where this takes us.

The love triangle was boringly predictable however, with it being a YA novel it was bound to happen. I personally don't like either of the characters and hope that this is not end game. There is too much water under the bridge in both cases, and they both acted terribly so I am not sure if either of them deserve her tbh.

All in all, this is a reasonably good beginning to a series, with a hook that I hope will be developed further through the rest of the series. As a side note, the book may have benefit from having a prequel so that there is more time to get to know both Theo and her mother. I think that the ending would have had more shock value if we had developed some sort of connection with Theo's mother rather than just knowing what she looked like and occasional memories without real context.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Enjoyed Ash Princess, though at times it felt particularly reminiscent of a lot of other books in the YA Fantasy genre.

I've seen reviews with the criticism that this book is very formulaic of it's genre, YA fantasy. And I have to admit that I would agree with that. However, that doesn't mean that this isn't a fantastic book. Yes it does have all the usual elements of its genre but it is a great storyline, really well written with fantastic characters and some complex relationships. It's obviously the start of what is going to be a well received series that I can see rivalling the likes of Sarah J Maas. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Review: Ash Princess

I received a copy from Netgalley.

This one was a granted wish!! One of my greatly anticipated reads of this year as well. It's not a new concept - surviving princess of a conquered kingdom discovers the means and power to aid a revolution to take back her throne. The way the plot was handled was extremely good. Again not particularly unique, but well written with interesting characters and a narrative that made the story captivating.

Theodosia is the surviving princess kept as a hostage to a cruel Kaiser and his invading court, a reminder to her people now enslaved of the power the Kaiser. Nicknamed the Ash Princess (her mother was a Queen of Fire magic, killed in the invasion) and renamed Thora, she now lives a hard life in the Kaiser's court. While she still lives in the palace she's as much as a slave as any of the remainder of her people. She's punished brutally at the Kaiser's slightest whim and supposed to sit there dolefully and accept everything thrown at her without complaint. She's supposed to be thankful she's there at all.

She's sneered at and ridiculed by the court people. She has guards and a maid who watch her every move and report on her daily. It's a walking nightmare. The magic that was once sacred to Theodosia's people is now almost like an accessory to the people now living in her world. Theodosia's only friend Crescentia is the daughter of the Theyn, the head of the Kaiser's army and punisher. Crescentia is an airhead, a spoiled court daughter. She's sweet but dim. She's kind to Theo and one of the few people who treat her like a real person. Yet there has to be some resentment there on Theo's behalf - it's just not really something that Cress wants to deal with. (Or at least that's my interpretation).

The Kaiser's heir Prinz Soren has come back to the kingdom and the buzz is that he's ready to settle down and choose a wife, all of which Theo has no interest in. It appears that The o has pretty much given up at this point but there's something deep inside her, a righteous anger simmering beneath the surface. Mourning the family she's lost, of the people who died in the invasion, the pain she suffers daily, and the helpless that she can't seem to do anything about her position.

Until one night when she comes across an old friend, now an escaped slave from the mines pretending to be a palace worker makes her an offer. Help her escape. Theo is given some harsh truths about what is left of her mother's people. They want a queen to rise and take back what is rightfully theirs. And Theo is that queen.

There is a revolution brewing, there are still people loyal to Theo who believe she can be the queen her people need. It's an awful lot of pressure. Theo has to decide what wants. The punishments she is suffering are getting worse and there's also a threat of marrying her off hanging around as well. The revolution needs someone on the inside.

So plots form. One involving the handsome, eligible Prinz Soren, round the same age as Theo. Ditzy Cress is swooning over the prince convinced her position as the Theyn's daughter makes her the most eligible match. Yet it's not Cress of course, who has caught Soren's attention.

And there of course, the inevitable fantasy romance. Theo's emotions are in overdrive, Soren is nothing like his monstrous father - if Soren were king would things be different? The plot continues to twist and turn. The end was pretty damn good, cliffhanger (of course) and I really want to see where this one was going.

It's quiet violent in parts, particularly Theo's punishments. The character building is intense, every character grows throughout the novel, a shock twist at the end changes the boundaries between Crescentia and Theo which could be an interesting plot for the follow up novel to take on. And the twist at the end for Theo and Soren made me grin.

I loved Theodosia and how she grew over the novel, she's my favourite type of fantasy heroine. She makes tremendous sacrifice for herself to start to right the wrongs that were done. Her strength and development is brilliant. And this is only the beginning of her journey.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for approving my request to view the title.

Ash Princess tells the story of Thora, a girl destined to be queen in a country enslaved by an evil tyrant. It follows her fight for freedom and the difficulties she encounters when forced to make a choice between her people and her friend. To me this is your YA bread and butter, and it follows every predictable trope known to the genre. You have the typical evil villain, determined to keep our heroine downtrodden. You have the suppressed heroine, destined for greatness, who doesn’t know her own strength. And you have the obvious love interest and a weird love triangle of sorts between childhood friends. It’s written well and entertaining but unfortunately it was all too predictable for me, and it’s all been done before. There was nothing unique or different about the story - especially if you’ve read a lot of YA fantasy.

As stated, I found the villain very obvious with no subtlety to him at all. He’s one tone with no hidden depth. He’s just a tyrant. The other secondary characters are a little more complex. In particular I liked the Kaiserin with her hidden intelligence and all seeing eyes, and Artemisia, who gets some of the best lines with her straight talking personality. At times I thought these characters were woefully under used though, as the story instead chose to concentrate on our protagonist Theo/Thora, her ‘friend’ Cress, Prinz Soren and childhood friend Blaine.

I found Cress to be extremely vapid and ornamental, especially early on in the story. She’s interested only in clothes and gossiping - all the while treating Thora like some kind of pet. Their relationship irritated me, as Thora is so obviously conditioned to see her as a friend when in reality she’s being incredibly naive and repeatedly manipulated to be compliant. This results in Theo making excuses for Cress’s behaviour, even when it’s painfully obvious that what she’s doing is wrong.

With regards to Soren, Blaise and Theo the only aspect of their relationship I enjoyed was the subtle courting and flirting in the beginning between Soren and Theo. Theo’s manipulation of Soren demonstrates her inner strength to get what she wants when she puts her mind to it, and it had the potential to go a long way. However, half way through the book Soren disappears on a mysterious trip and we don’t see him again until near the of the novel, wasting so much possible tension and character development. By the time he appears again I’d lost interest. The interactions between Blaine and Theo I found, for the most part, awkward and a little forced. I would have preferred more Soren and Theo, due to the complex nature of their relationship.

A lot of the novel is quite slow in pace, with endless internal dialogue devoted to inner turmoil and angst from Thora. There’s little action, just endless talking about what the right thing to do is without actually doing it. I also found some of the plot points confusing. Theo repeatedly states that the Kaiser needs her alive and that she’s valuable, yet at one point he’s willing to marry her off to a duke known for abusing and killing his wives as if she’s worthless. It’s never really explained why she would be of any use to the Kaiser alive, especially as he’s so keen to kill everyone else who threatens his rule.

Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel to this, unless reviews suggest a drastic change in pace and character development. It suffers too much from a deja vu feeling of every YA novel before it. This is a shame because it had a lot of potential to develop some unique characters in the genre, but fell a little short in execution for me.

2.5 stars

When Theodosia was six, her country was invaded and her mother, the queen, was murdered in front of her.
For the past ten years, Theodosia has been Thora the Ash Princess. As Thora she has learned to survive despite the near-constant abuse she receives from the Kaiser. Thora is placid and does not fight back.
However, when the Kaiser forces Thora to execute the man she thought would rescue her, Theo is done being Thora. Now she wants revenge.
With the help of a group of rebels, Theo plans to seduce and murder the Kaiser's son, the Prinz.
Will Theo get her revenge?
Will she escape the Kaiser?

The blurb for Ash Princess really intrigued me. It sounded like something that would grip me and keep me guessing. However, I was left disappointed.
I liked Theo and felt sorry for her - she had gone through a lot and I thought she was very strong.
None of the characters stood out that much for me, although Cress was quite interesting.
The plot was okay. Nothing that happened shocked or surprised me. For a book that's over 400 pages I found it quite slow and I didn't think very much happened plot-wise.
I didn't mind the writing style but it didn't hold my attention - I lost interest towards the end and I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.
I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall this was an okay read.

Ash Princess was very entertaining. It's a grim sort of YA fantasy with a lot of emotion involved. In many ways, it's a fantasy you've read before but there are a few details that make it stand on its own. I will happily seek out Lady Smoke.

Omg this book was insane I loved it so much. In all honesty I went into this book thinking it would be a generic ya fantasy but omg it was amazing. I adored out heroine she was so strong and determined and didn't get distraced from her main cause. I can't wait for the sequal! !

DNF.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into the story. I have decided not to leave a negative review, and will not post anything on my blog.

Thank you for the opportunity to review.

I'd heard a lot of good things about this book and it did not disappoint.

Theo is a fantastic main character who is easy to relate to. Add in magic, spying and adventure and it makes for one hard to put down book.

It does contain a love triangle, but one of the more believable ones I have read lately.

That being said there are an awful lot of triggers in the book with it heavily focusing on Abuse, Race and slavery so be prepared when reading as it does go into some detail!

Overall and entertaining read and I will be picking up the sequel when its been released.

I really enjoyed this book. A morally grey main character who wants to make things better is always going to be a winner with me!

Theodosia's home, Astrea, was invaded when she was only a child and she was forced to watch them murder her mother, the Queen, in cold blood. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s then humiliated and subjected to torture for 10 years under the “care” of the conquerors. They torture her to the point that they want her to forget completely who she is, and in mockery to her heritage (being said to be descended from the Fire God) they make her wear a crown made of ash to events and call her the ‘Ash Princess’.

Naturally, you’ll hate the majority of people in this story. But Theodosia’s character development from a brainwashed prisoner to rebelling queen is fantastic to read about. She gains some moral support from fellow Astreans, including a childhood friend/one love interest - Blaise. Theo has another love interest in the story, as she woos the ‘Prinz’

I loved his character also, his character developed alongside Theodosia’s for the most part and I definitely preferred him as a love interest to the “sensible” choice of Blaise.

Theo plays a dangerous game throughout the story and it’s more than enough to keep readers entertained. You’ll wonder alongside her whether she can trust those closest to her after she’s become close to some who are her enemy, but more than anything else you’ll be eager for her to stand up to those bullying her.

I’ll definitely be reading the next instalment, Ash Princess ended on such a cliff hanger that there’s no way I couldn’t and I’m genuinely excited to see if Theo will regain her rightful title as Queen and take back her home from the Kaiser.

Entertaining and well written, have to keep in mind this is a young adult book!
Theodosia is a strong character, a princess who's fight back for the throne her mother lost 10 years ago. This book handles some pretty serious subjects as well. Loads of YA should be able to identify themselves in this book.

The story is not unique, it has a mix of other stories but that's OK. It's hard to be original these days and in this genre. YA who step into this genre will enjoy this story I suppose.

Ash Princess has one of the YA-iest titles and covers I've seen, and the story within is also incredibly trope-y and YA-ish. This is not, however, a jibe, as I think it uses each of these tropes well, and though not entirely original, it's compelling enough that I read it in one sitting!

Here's a quick run-down of the tropes you'll find in this book:

1. A princess
2. Who must fight against an evil king to reclaim her throne
3. Oh wait, a boy from her past!
4. Oh wait, a handsome prince!
5. To rebel, she must seduce one and battle her feelings for the other.
6. Oh no wait we said only seduce, not fall for!
7. Did I mention she's 17? Did she mention it on this page yet?
8. And uncommonly beautiful (though she'd never agree)
9. (She's the spitting image of her dead mother of course)
10. Also she may or may not have repressed magic powers.

So yeah. You've seen the bones of this story a lot. But I really would reiterate that that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are flashes of uniqueness throughout. I very much liked the way that Theo/Thora/Theodosia (more on that later) is a political prisoner - the whole reason she's still alive is that she is a useful PR stunt for the Kaiser. She gets beaten when her people rebel; she's routinely humiliated to prove his power. It's more interesting than her being in hiding while she waits to take back her throne, certainly, because she's in the eye of the political storm, and it crystallises her loathing of the Kaiser and his people from something vague and patriotic to something personal and specific. It has a feel of Poison Study, or Throne of Glass, about it. 

Theo isn't the most active of heroines. She's shoved about a fair bit, and her hand is often forced. I particularly wanted to shake her over her attraction to the Prinz, because seriously? He's part of the system that enslaved you and killed everyone you love. Who cares how dreamy his eyes are? This wasn't even insta-love, given that they've known each other for 10 years - she just turned around one day, and was like, oh, I want to hit that. And he didn't notice her til then either! I found this relationship pretty hard to get behind. (Also, spoiler: there's a story he tells her about his sad childhood and how he had to poison a bunch of cats that loved him, and this endears him to her. Nope. Cat-murdering is a massive turn off.) This completely stupid end of the love triangle reminded me of Shatter Me. 

Oh, a quick content warning - this is aimed at the upper end of YA and has some dark moments. There is a really quite graphic scene where the Kaiser publically flogs Theo, and previous punishments are talked about a lot. There's a brief couple of mentions of rape and other sexual assault in the context of a conquering army. It's not too brutal, but I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers. 

One thing that's done really nicely is the inclusion of the cultural appropriation that the Kalovaxians (the bad guys) perpetuate. The Astraeans (the good guys) are vaguely Greek in their names and fashions, and the Kalovaxians (vaguely German/Scandinavian) adopt their fashions in a way that Theo finds rather offensive. More importantly, they use the gemstones that the Astraean magic comes from, which are so holy that only a few people should be granted their use, as decoration and playthings. This is a factor you don't often see in fantasy, so it's cool to see it spoken about. 

Speaking of the vague Greek-ness brings me on to the names. I know that YA heroines have to be obsessed with saying their own names, just like they always look into a mirror and enumerate their "flaws" (usually curly hair and freckles, sometimes stretch marks - thanks for the ego boost!). But here, our protagonist has so many names, and it's incredibly, astonishingly tedious to hear her keep going on about it. She's Thora when she's obedient to the Kaiser; Theo to her old friends (which is a boys name anyway and should be Thea); Queen Theodosia when she needs to be strong. It's brought up in almost every chapter. Like, we get it. 

The plot progresses more or less as you would expect, and isn't in any way shocking. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it bobs along nicely and doesn't require too much focus to work out what's happening. I think that the next book, Lady Smoke, has a lot of space for some twists, based on how this one ends. I hope we get more pirates, especially. I'll be picking the sequel up, because despite my criticisms, I think this is a solid inclusion in the YA fantasy genre. Your reaction to it will be based entirely on your tolerance of tropes and your previous reading material. It's a good, enjoyable book, which I think will have a lot of success.

Y.A is not a genre that i normally read but this novel called to me and i knew i just had to read it. Laura Sebastian builds the world well, with many twists and turns to keep you interested and turning the page. You felt as though you were walking with Theo as your emotions were taken on a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows as you cheered for Theo and wanted to make King Kaiser pay the price. I am looking forward to the sequel and hope it is just as good as this one.