This book is fast paced and absorbing, although a bit like a train wreck. You know something bad is coming but can't stop looking away. That being said I did enjoy it and will be recommending this to anyone who loves love triangles, rebellion and a strong female protagonist!

I feel like I've read this type of book before. Girl loses kingdom/family, girls wants them back, girl gets help from boys. With the typical love triangle majority of YA fantasy books I've read have. However I loved this, It still has its own twist on a plot I've seen before. Instead of the girl being weak Theo pretends to be weak to manipulate her way out of trouble and to freedom.
The writing flows pretty easily. In fact I think this is one of the quicker YA fantasy books for me. Once I started I didn't want to stop. I was captivated, I wanted to know where the story was going and how much of a love triangle this had. I think book two will have more, this was more hinting than a full on love triangle which I loved. I usually hate them but I'm interested to see where this one goes.
I'm excited to see the world building continue and the magic elements progress as its all just starting here, but leaving me wanting more already.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon and my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on 21 May

I enjoyed Ash Princess but I felt it could have perhaps been more somehow -- perhaps that something was lacking?

The premise is pretty much the same as a lot of YA Fantasy: the conquered princess is kept as a docile 'guest' of the cruel king and paraded in front of his court. Of course, she rebels against the king, while navigating a love triangle comprising her childhood friend and the enemy prince.

Sebastian does have really nice writing though. There are some beautiful turns of phrases and some nice metaphors. Occasionally this was a little overdone and might possibly read as too much for some readers' tastes.

As a character, I am not entirely sure how I feel about Thora/ Theodosia. She reminded me a bit of my precious baby Sansa (Game of Thrones), both the situation and the scheming, but I didn't feel the same connection to her as a character. Much like Ash Princess itself, I kind of just wish Theo had been more. I did like that, because she isn't a fighter, Sebastian went down the route of cunning and guile instead. But somehow -- despite all her protestations -- I never really felt that Theo actually was all that cunning or ruthless.

The love triangle (which we all know I'm not usually a fan of) was a little eye-roll inspiring but actually pretty well done. Again it could've been a bit more. Especially towards the end, there was the potential to make this something really different -- to play on the tropes were all expecting in this type of YA fantasy. Sebastian came close but ultimately failed to really diverge from what was expected.

Although Ash Princess dragged in one or two places, the way things came together and the finale threw up a lot of potentially interesting conflict for the rest of the series (because, of course, it's a series). I'm not entirely sure if I'll pick up the next one -- Lady Smoke -- but depending on the synopsis I think I could be convinced.

A YA book but with some sensitive content so beware if you are recommending this to a younger reader. I personally found it hard to get into but those who enjoy fantasy may have other opinions.

This story is quite enjoyable and definitely tripped along at a good pace. I am sure it will be enjoyed by many YA readers. I did find the formula a bit samey though - captured princess fall for enemy prince has been done a few times before! It will be interesting to see how the story develops. Perhaps this may turn out to be something more? i will wait and see.

3 stars.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018 and I'm sad to say that I'm disappointed. It's a good book, with a good story but it just isn't for me. It was just.....ok. I was very interested in the first 60% of this book and it was a four star read but then I just got massively bored. It's very slow and doesn't really seem to pick up towards the very end in which I had already lost interest and pretty much skimmed the rest of the book.

The synopsis sounded very interesting but when reading the book, it's not unique in any way. I've seen this type of story before and this one didn't really stand out. This book is very heavy and you should be warned before reading this book that it is heavy on violence and abuse.

I didn't really like the characters. I didn't feel 'connected' to them in any way. I just thought they were all pretty bland. I didn't really understand the 'romance' aspect of this book. It did not connect between them for me at all. The 'love triangle' was pointless. WHY?

I don't think I will continue with this series. I think this is the type of book people either love or dislike. Sadly, I was one of the people who didn't enjoy it as much.

There should be trigger warnings for this book. That would be the first point I would make in this review. There are some instances of off scene rape, abuse - both sexual and physical. The overall concept of the book makes for an interesting plot, but as the more sensitive readers among us may not enjoy this. There was a lot of action in the book which was interesting, In a way, the use of these descriptions could be seen as necessary for the time that the book was set in, so I can understand why this was the case. The characters were likeable - I really did root for the characters. Overall, a diverse read that was an eye opener into that part of history.

This dark YA fantasy is the debut novel of Laura Sebastian, it is the first of a planned trilogy. 16 year old Theodosia Houzzara has suffered the nightmare of 10 long years as a prisoner of the Kalovaxians and the tyrant King Kaiser. Her mother, the Queen, was murdered in front of her eyes when she was 6, the country was conquered, land taken and resources pillaged. Theo is shamefully known as the Ash Princess, and her people have been enslaved, any murmurs or acts that challenge the dismal misery of the Kaiser's rule results in Theo being cruelly punished, torture has left her body with a mass of scars. Theo has put up with the horror that is her life, but when she is forced into unspeakable territory by Kaiser, it is the last straw. She has had enough, there has to be more to life than this, and even though she knows she could die, she finds the backbone to resist and fight back. She is smart and intelligent, this will take her far, and she is not alone, there are others who will do anything to remove the violent oppression under which they live.

Sebastian does some intricate world building, and within the kingdom there are powerful caves with magical gems, although one has to earn the ability to use the gems. Rebel leadership takes its toll on Theo, she experiences inner turmoil as to the price and consequences of her actions and decisions. It is not surprising after the life she has led that she should struggle, not to mention that she is young and facing a steep learning curve, and there are expectations of her that she has to mentally sort through. This is a story of intrigue, betrayal, gods, loss, brutal savagery, friendship, magic, war, complicated romantic entanglements and unbearable injustice. The narrative travels a well trodden path with its established fantasy tropes, but the tale is told well, well plotted and packed with twists. I found it a compelling and atmospheric read with its wide cast of characters. I should warn readers that there is abuse and rape in the novel. Many thanks to Pan MacMillan for an ARC.

I really enjoyed Ash Princess. I found it to be a fast paced read, that I wanted to plow through to find out what would happen (house work had to wait). I loved the world it was set in and though the characters were great. I will definitely recommend this book to my fantasy genre loving friends.

I've been hearing soooo many things about this book that I had to check it out for myself as soon as I saw it come available on NetGalley.

​Whilst the storyline does seem a little familiar, an avenging princess is a fairly common theme in YA, the author executes this narrative extremely well through the complex characters.

The interweaving cast of characters are each driven by their own motives but tied to the past actions of their predecessors and those influencing them, making it so that even at the end of this book, I still wasn't quite sure who's side I was on or who to root for.

Theo is a fantastically compelling character, she has all the qualities of a badass heroine; she's strong, loyal, fierce, driven and tortured. The pain that she deals with each day from her memories, her subjugation, and her own inner conflict is staggering. Watching her evolve from the character we meet at the beginning of the book to who's revealed at the end is quite an adventure.

The opening of the book is brilliant! The first chapter was so compelling that I became instantly invested in Theo, wanting revenge for her on all who'd destroyed the very fabric of her world. And the second chapter even further cemented all that she's lost and who she's been forced to become.

"You know who you are," she said to me. Her voice didn't waver, even as drops of blood bloomed where the blade cut her skin. "You are our people's only hope, Theodosia."

😭😭😭

I do love Theo's strength, especially as time progresses, I love that she's not afraid to recognise that she will never be who she once was, who she was supposed to have become, that she's been moulded and forced into a different version of herself, one that even she doesn't yet understand. I'm truly looking forward to discovering what she's capable of as the series progresses.

"My body remembers - even when the rest of me forgets - that I am not made for curtsying."

There is a love triangle aspect to this book which I really, really wasn't a fan of. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles anyway since someone almost always gets hurt (you know, unless the author decides to resolve it in a seriously creepy way *cough*Twilight*cough*).

I actually really love the symbolism of the ash crown, as horrible as it is, I can picture it clearly in my mind, and love the imagery.

The other characters in the novel are also really well done:
​
- Soren - I have so many mixed feelings about this character!!! He's pretty useless to be perfectly honest. But, I think Theo is confused by him too so I guess that's kind of the point.
- Cress - I hate her for the most part, but there's a spark of something yet to come.
- Heron - Needs a much bigger role (because he's awesome and to help boost the very minimal LGBT rep)!
- Art - I love her no-nonsense attitude, it will be interesting to see who she becomes in the next book.
- Blaise - I don't know whether or not I actually like Blaise, but it looks like he's in for a rocky road ahead.

There is a lot of plotting and deception in this book which leads to some great, 'heart in mouth' moments where you're really unsure what's going to happen next. However, I did struggle with trying to decide whether some of the actions of certain characters, were acceptable or not. I think this builds upon my uncertainty of who to root for, but there's a line in the book about not having to apologise for what we do to survive...it feels a little sketchy for me and an easy path to becoming just as bad as the oppressor you're fighting against. So, I'm interested to see what comes of that.

In whole, this book is a very powerful portrayal of privilege, power and abuse. Probably the most poignant line being,

"I suppose it is easy to be at home in a world where you are on top. It's easy not to notice those whose backs you stand on to stay there."

Overall, I'm really looking forward to continuing Theo's journey in the next book of the series and would highly recommend Ash Princess to lovers of strong heroines, subterfuge, revenge, love-struck princes, female pirates and maniacal villains.

I think fans of Throne of Glass and Children of Blood and Bone, in particular, would enjoy Ash Princess.

I have tried to keep in mind that this is a YA book and therefore the story should be a little simpler than adult fiction. I quite enjoyed reading it but felt that I could have been reading many better books. The story is a little stereotypical, young teenage royal heroine with conflicting love interest of two young men. She is held prisoner and must escape to reunite her people. I found the story slow and with nothing particularly new to excite interest. I do not think the characters were well developed. It will appeal to those who like fairy tale love stories with a fantasy twist.

Content warning: rape, domestic abuse

Starting off with the most obvious observation. This is a very classic YA novel in many ways. It has pretty much all the tropes that are associated with this genre. With that in mind, if you’re on the fence about this title I would consider how you feel about these things. Personally, I don’t mind them, I think that they are tropes for a reason, but you should make up your own mind. There is a bit of a love triangle which made me a little sad since that’s one of the few tropes that does feel overplayed to me but overall this is an enjoyable plot even with the romance.

I thought the way that this book toyed with the idea of conquest and appropriation was interesting. Laura Sebastian, to my knowledge, is a white author so I don’t want to read too much into the idea of appropriation, but I think it was a good example of how fantasy books can deal with real-world issues. In this case the appropriation is the wealthy conquerors wearing the gems of power that have a certain ‘religious’ (inverted commas because the word ‘religion’ comes with a lot of real-world - and western- connotations that don’t necessarily apply here) significance as symbols of wealth and extravagance, ignoring the rituals and responsibility associated with them. It certainly speaks to certain practices in the world today.

One of the things this book does differently is that, as opposed to having a YA heroine who has special powers that she must learn to wield, our heroine instead resists using her powers because she has not yet earned them. It adds an interesting dynamic to that classic storyline that I wasn’t expecting.

I think this is a good start to a trilogy and that there are some great ideas within this book. The crown of ashes itself (though I still can’t quite work out how that would be fashioned) is a beautiful and also hugely powerful moment that is one of the most evocative pieces of writing I’ve found in a book such as this in a long time. There are some moments that fall a bit flat within the narrative, but I think this could easily be different in later books in the trilogy, where there is more space to explore that which has already been set up.

This book is certainly one that improves as you go along. As Theo develops throughout the story so it becomes more enjoyable to read. The plot thickens, as they say, and by the end of the book, I was totally hooked and ready for a sequel. Maybe that’s because this is exactly the kind of YA novel I fell in love with when I first encountered the genre if so I can’t say I mind.

One major criticism I have…fridging your queers. By which I mean, one of the characters is queer, but the only mention of that aspect of their personality is that their partner has been killed. I appreciate the representation of queer people within this land, but it felt quite gratuitous and I’d like to see that brought more to the forefront later in this story. We shall see.

Should you read this? If this is the kind of story you enjoy then I would say it is a great example and yes, you probably should. I certainly had a good time.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Theodosia is the last remaining heir of a vanquished country but now she is owned by her conquerors. Paraded around as the Ash Princess, for all she now truly rules has been burnt to its roots, and whipped for every misdemeanour of her enslaved people, her thoughts seek no further than in surviving every day. But her people do not forget. And neither will she, when they come to return her to her rightful spot as ruler of the kingdom.

This was an amalgamation of both my favourite aspects of high fantasy as well as a creation of something entirely Sebastian's own. The focus on court politics and civic intrigue were highly entertaining. It was an interesting insight to the lives of the fictional Kaiser and Kaiserin, from one so close to their person yet so removed from their beliefs. This perspective also afforded the reader to understand the barbarity of the world and to align ourselves with Theo's faith in the existence of a better rule.

Theo's character arced drastically throughout the course of this novel. Friends, the loss and the return of them, as well as her own burgeoning independence force her to confront the consequences of her actions, and how with every step she now takes, the fate of thousands tremble. Much of my adoration of this book lay in my own turmoil over Theo's inner-struggle. Her understanding of the right thing to do and the course of action she must actually take begin to diverge, and the reader is forced to undertake some of the burden of the emotional repercussions of this.

The magical elements were barely there throughout the first portion of this book but performed a larger, latter bearing on the story-line, leading me to suspect their significance to continually increase. I adored the world and, as stated, the political intrigue but am anticipating my enjoyment of the next series instalment to be even greater, with an increased magical focus.

It was so refreshing to find such a unique voice and such a well-built world, when I have been discontent with much of my YA fantasy reading, of late. I am again enthralled with my once-favourite genre and am eagerly awaiting my next return to this fascinating world.

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading Ash Princess. I read it straight after A Court of Frost and Starlight which I was really really looking forward to. In all honesty I was fully expecting a book hangover from ACOFAS, but Ash Princess saved the day! I ended up reading the last 60% of the book in one sitting. 

The world of the Ash Princess is a beautifully created and incredibly brutal. The vast majority of the book takes place is the palace in the occupied capital city Astrea. 10 years have passed since Astrea was invaded and in those ten years Theodosia has suffered at the hands of the Kaiser. She has become Lady Thora or The Ash Princess, meek and submissive. It is only when she is faced with the unthinkable that she realises that she must leave the shame of the Ash Princess behind and become the Fire Queen her people need.

I really liked the focus on character development in the Ash Princess. Not only that of Thora/Theodosia but also Soren and Cressentia. I loved the twists and turns they had to navigate whilst trying to work who they are, and more importantly, who they want to become. I found Soren's character particularly interesting.

I did have doubts about the love triangle, which features in the book. And although I don't like love triangles, I thought it was well done. I do have issues with books in which childhood friends who suddenly become possessive (I am thinking Mal in the Grisha books) or suddenly return from a separation and act like the girl/woman belongs to them. And whilst I did see a bit of that here with Blaise and Theodosia, it was subtle. 

I did particularly like the development of Cressentia's character - it was spectacular. I won't say anything else for fear of spoilers but I did not see that coming at all! I actually loved her character and it's development. Though part of me wishes we could have strong ladies helping and supporting each other. 

Theodosia made for a very interesting point of view. I loved that she questioned her own decisions, that she was ready to accept herself, failures, flaws, and all. She makes bad choices in the book, but recognises why they need to be made. I love morally grey characters. I love that she recognises that although she is her mother's daughter, she has also been shaped by the Kaiser too.

I do want to point out that there are some rather dark moments in the book, as you can probably imagine. Theodosia suffers a decade of physical and mental abuse at the hands of The Kaiser. There is a fairly graphic whipping scene late on in the book, and towards the end of the book there is also the threat of rape. Whilst it is fairly clear that Theodosia's people have been subject to slavery, abuse, starvation, and rape there are no rape scenes on the page. There are, however, on page scenes of unwanted touching and Theo's reaction to that. 

I am intrigued to read more of Theodosia's story, and I can't to see to see what happens to the characters in the next book. I would love to see more of the world outside the palace and also how the relationships between the characters develops. 

I think that the Ash Princess was a really enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next book.

I was invited to read this book by Pan Macmillan and given an ARC for review purposes.

Somehow I think I have managed to fall very slightly on the outside of the target audience of this one. Don't ask me how. Rebel alliances, evil regimes, princesses fighting for their crowns and magical gems all in a fantasy setting are definitely my bag. All the ingredients were there, it just resulted in a cake I wasn't especially fussed over, but I think that's more me than the book. Newcomers to fantasy will probably find this far more engaging than I did.

Thora/ Theodosia is an interesting character with some tantalising flashes of genuine ruthlessness however I just din't click with her. Or with any of the others for that matter. They all seemed sufficiently well developed - with the possible exception of the Kaiser who was too evil to be believable and thus came off as quite one note - but I just didn't find myself rooting for him. While Theo was in an impossible situation, and was relatively canny playing teen 'game of thrones', there were times when her choices were so spurious or just bizarre that I found I was losing interest. I suppose it's fair to say that other than the Kaiser, no one is good or bad and the situation is not black or white. The two possible romances made me sigh with resignation because of course if you're living day to day with the threat of torture or death over your head, you have time for a love triangle. Although perhaps I would have been sold on it if the actual relationships had been more developed.

Ultimately this is a fast paced book full of intrigue and treachery with light fantasy elements. It didn't ring my bell but it was very readable. It's a pretty brutal read from the getgo with Theo being whipped for her people's transgressions - in that respect the author pulls no punches. There is rape-threat and while it's handled better than many YA authors do it (shout out for actually using the word rape for a start) I would rather see that subject fully explored or for the trope to die a fiery death. I think this will appeal to people who want something grittier than Red Queen - to which it is vastly superior - and those who enjoyed Queen of the Tearling and the Remnant Chronicles may also enjoy it as a lighter, less complicated alternative.

Sometimes you have to stick with books that feel a little slow at first, because you might be richly rewarded. This is what happened with ASH PRINCESS by Laura Sebastian – what felt initially like an exposition-dense tome of YA fantasy cliches soon revealed itself to be a gripping, tantalising novel. I’m glad I stuck with it.

Thora – real name Theodosia – has been a prisoner since her mother was murdered in front of her eyes. She’s routinely tortured and humiliated by the Kaiser, but one day he pushes her too far and she decides to take matters into her own hands.

ASH PRINCESS is packed with familiar YA fantasy tropes – a love triangle, a princess waiting to be restored to her throne, a dead mother, a vaguely old-timey-European setting, a prince (or Prinz, in this case) who doesn’t want to turn out like his cruel father, elemental magic – but it doesn’t suffer for these; in fact, it uses them incredibly well. This makes the book feel familiar to anyone who’s ever read even a little bit of YA fantasy, but it is also immensely satisfying. You’ve got a wily, intelligent heroine with admirable resolve; a brooding childhood best friend; a privileged best friend who ignores the suffering right in front of her face; and many other great characters who fill out the rest of the cast. There are little unique details of the world of ASH PRINCESS that I loved – my favourite being the “Ash crown” that the Kaiser forces Theodosia to wear. It’s a crown literally made of compacted ash, that crumbles down her body during public events – a reminder of her people’s defeat and a repeated humiliation for her.

Despite being a thick novel, it’s not a dense read at all – I zipped through it, following the twisting plots with great interest. I did quite enjoy that the book isn’t action-heavy: I find that lots of YA fantasy involves sticking a sword in the main character’s hand and leaving her to fight, but Thora/Theodosia has to rely on her own cunning, and her own skills for lying, in order to execute the plan that might let the rebels finally topple the Kaiser forever. Don’t get me wrong, I love a female lead who can kick serious ass, but sometimes it’s nice to see a girl who doesn’t have any real fighting ability, just using her wits to stay alive, and carry out a cunning plan, and quietly oppose a dictator.

As someone who gets out of breath running for the bus, I like to see characters who don’t have any athletic ability do stuff too. And Thora/Theodosia gets to do plenty – though she’s trapped in the Kaiser’s world, she helps to set a plan in motion that could change everything.

As for the love triangle…I wasn’t massively keen, but I’ve definitely seen worse. It’s used effectively enough and is actually relevant to the plot (Theodosia intends to seduce the Prinz and then have him killed and frame someone for his murder, but this plan is complicated by her developing feelings for him) – I just didn’t find Blaise particularly interesting: he reminded me a lot of Mal from SHADOW AND BONE. Just kind of irritating, and a bit possessive. However, their bond felt very real – Theodosia and Blaise were close friends as children, before her mother was murdered – and I could definitely see why it played out as it did.

So while on one hand ASH PRINCESS felt like a lot of other YA fantasy titles cobbled together and remixed (with a dash of Avatar: The Last Airbender – that elemental magic reminded me a lot of bending), it also managed to completely engross me. If you’re a lover of YA fantasy, I’d definitely recommend this – while there isn’t much original about the concept of ASH PRINCESS (Take THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, mix it with RED QUEEN, add a bit of THRONE OF GLASS, a hint of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and a sprinkle of THE SIN EATER’S DAUGHTER, and just a touch of SHADOW AND BONE and you get this book’s plot, pretty much), it utilises well-loved fantasy YA tropes incredibly well and is undeniably readable. Laura Sebastian does an excellent job of making Theodosia both sympathetic and intriguing, with a strong voice and deep characterisation. I particularly enjoyed the extremely complicated relationship Theodosia shared with Cress, her “friend”, who happens to be the daughter of the man who killed her mother. There are plenty of plot twists (and good ones that I didn’t expect, yes!) and I felt particularly strong emotions at the death of one character.

While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, ASH PRINCESS serves as a love letter to all the best things about YA fantasy and will delight lovers of the genre – just get through the first chapter or so (there’s a bit of an exposition dump regarding the magic and Spirit Gems and things) and you’ll be hooked. I was.

I received with thanks an ARC copy of Ash Princess (Ash Princess #1) from Pan Macmillan & Netgalley.

This is my true and honest review of Ash Princess (Ash Princess #1) by Laura Sebastian. This is due to be published on 14th June 2018

This book is a new dark YA fantasy. This book is emotionally heavy and with at times violent dark themes. The writing is beautiful and haunting, and this book will stay with me for a while. This new world the author has created is cruel and mesmerising all at the same time.

Please be aware that this book has trigger warnings for the following, Violence, Slavery, Abuse and Rape is hinted at.

Great book for fantasy lovers of dark YA high fantasies.

I received a free ebook copy of this from Netgalley. Thankyou to both the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this! My review is still honest.

Well. I've just read this in one sitting. It's been a while since I read something this compulsively readable where I just could not stop! Is this original or a new favourite? No, but it was really enjoyable and certainly not the worst YA fantasy I've read.
Ash Princess follows Theodosia, the rightful Queen of a country invaded by a brutal race, held captive by their creepy Kaiser. There's a magical element, a vague system of magical gems, that I think will be built on more in the sequels. It's nothing I haven't read before-rightful ruler is such a common plot point, as is a vague magic system-but this stood out with how brutal and raw it was. This book has some pretty awful abuse and slavery and just all round nastiness going on that made my skin crawl, and that's what makes this different. There was also a love triangle that I didn't mind (although it's so one sided, it's not even really a love triangle) because it was complex and genuinely a difficult choice. The characters are good, I think Theo's head was a very interesting place to be in as she struggled with rebellion and subservience, and there are some great supporting characters in this too.
I will end my review by saying that I prefer this by far to Throne of Glass and Mortal Instruments, I like it more than An Ember in the Ashes and Miss Peregrine's and I think it's as readable as Red Queen, which I did like. I like to think of myself as quite well read in popular YA fantasy, and I think this one should take it's place amongst those. It's an unoriginal genre in general, but this one was a good one.

As the smoke settles a princess rises from the ashes. Theo is a beautiful protagonist. We feel every lash and support her rise to her rightful place as ever oage turns. Well written and a powerful story of magic, oppression and love. This time, love is not romance, it’s love for a nation, freedom and revenge will also be sweet and at a crucial cost. I’m already waiting for book two. Laura, well done. A truly brutal, magical tale which rivals other dystopian novels. Buy, read, share!

I was lucky enough to have been approved to read an ARC of Ash Princess from Macmillan Children’s Books on NetGalley. While this book doesn’t come out until June, I thought it best to post my review now for those who are in the US and those who can buy the book on Book Depository. I was drawn to this because it sounded like some other YA fantasy books that I loved in the past and I wanted to see if it would live up to them. In the end I found myself really enjoying Ash Princess and while it had a few tropes (love triangle anyone?) I didn’t actually mind them. If anything, I thought it was quite refreshing.

When she was six years old, Theodosia saw her mother brutally murdered when her kingdom was invaded by a tyrant known as the Kaiser. Since then he has kept her captive and either slaughtered or enslaved her people. Whenever they tried to start rebellions he took it out on her, whipping and beating her to send a message to her people. To them she is just the Ash Princess, a mockery, but she can only keep up the pretence for so long. When her last hope dies, she seeks out revenge and with the help of her people she concocts a plan to murder the Prinz. But as she grows close to him she realises that her feelings may not be as fake as she wants them to be. In the end, only she can decide what she will do to save her people.

There are a few traits of this story that relate to another famous series, but it was also unique in its own way. It starts off a little slow, as most fantasies do, but the world is slowly built up and we gain an understanding of what happened to Theo’s home, Astrea. Sebastian creates a brutal world where there is no hope until one girl decides to fight back. Throughout the book we find out more about the world, but one aspect I enjoyed was the magic and how it came about. Some Astreans have magical powers gifted from their Gods and they are enhanced with gems that come from the mines, which of course the Kaiser would harvest for himself, even though they cannot wield the magic in the same way.

I will warn you that there are some tough topics in this book, which include abuse, slavery and hints of rape. There were scenes that were tense and horrible to read, especially towards the end of the book, but they led to Theo’s penultimate decisions. Race plays a part as well, as the Kaiser and his people are fair haired with pale skin and the Astreans have olive skin with dark hair, something that is pointed out a few times within the book.

Unable to keep the name Theodosia, she became known as Thora, as the Kaiser wouldn’t allow her to use her royal name, and instantly we know that her life is one that has been spent walking on eggshells, cowering from the Kaiser and his men, and one that was torturous. But as the story goes on we see her finding the willpower to fight back and to be stronger than she has been. There was definitely some great character development and I enjoyed seeing her embrace her heritage.

The other characters in this story were likeable, especially Cress, the daughter of the man who killed Theo’s mother, but who treated her like a sister. Their friendship was sweet in places, especially in the beginning. However, as Theo became closer to the Prinz, you could see cracks start to form. Soren, the Prinz was a complicated character. I wanted to like him, but at the same time I was always waiting for him to become his father. The love triangle enters the story with Blaise, an Astrean who lived at the palace when Theo was young. As far as love triangles go, this one wasn’t hard to stomach and I’m looking forward to the second book where I’m sure it will feature more.

Overall, I found myself flying through Ash Princess and when I was past 75% I didn’t want to stop reading! The ending was great and sets up the second book up perfectly. It will be intriguing to see what happens to all the characters and how their stories will weave in to each other. Ash Princess was a great debut and manages to reach four stars in my opinion.