This is my very first review here for Netgalley.
When I read the blurb for Ash Princess i was drawn in and the cover art was super eye catching.

I started this book earlier this afternoon and could not put it down. I came to really like Theo as a character.
I needed to know what would happen to her.

I didn't like the way she was treated. The beautiful dresses then that horrible crown... And the beatings ? They felt unnecessarily cruel. Her mother was killed her people taken, her name forcefully changed. There were other ways to make her aware she only lived at his sufferance.
That was a bit much for me but it didn't stop me reading.

As another reviewer said this book felt like a prequel rather than a first book what with Theo's escape coming at the very end.
Still characters are well thought out and well presented and their interactions are very real.

I look forward to the next book.

Quality Rating: Two Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Stars

I don't like saying something is copying everyone else because I think there are millions of ways to make something very familiar just a little bit different - and that little change can dramatically change everything. That being said, while Ash Princess feels like it's heading in new directions at times, it skirts the edge and carries on as predicted. In all fairness, I think it had good elements, but it needed a few more times through editing before it was ready.

The biggest thing I've seen people talking about (who disliked it anyway) has been about the cruelty. Now, I like dark twisted stuff, and I like explorations of tough subjects. But I like them because I like stories dealing with the bad things in the world and looking at how we as humans can get past them. But Ash Princess was carelessly cruel. It used subjects like torture, being a hostage, riots, murder and sexual harassment as plot devices, and that's where it crosses the line for me. I don't have a problem with any of it in substance, but the style in which it was applied used it to further the plot and not to explore tough themes. This meant that it wasn't believable and it wasn't purposeful either.

I was also a put out by the fact that the author's writing was so clearly geared towards her final 'twist'. I knew who the surprise antagonist was going to be at the end because Sebastian was against them from the start. It was perhaps meant to be the twist that would set this out from the thousands of other YA captured queen books. Sadly, the side-story it comes from was revisited for seemingly no reason and flung around with such volatility that it was quite clear from the get-go.

A big part of the reason that this book falls so hard when it comes to believability is that there's no preamble. We get thrown straight into what's happening, and not for a story reason. We need to believe that Theo's lived in captivity and been tortured for the resistance of her people for 10 years, but within the first dozen pages the rebels have infiltrated the castle and are plotting with her. There isn't enough establishment of her position in the castle, of the severity of the rebel cause, Theo's mental state etc. It might say a few things in exposition but it feels like a weak-ass system of guards, politics and torture (and yes, I have said how violent the torture is - do you see my problem?).

On top of that, Theo's character doesn't make sense. In stories like these, the heroine is so key to pulling everything together, and Sebastian can't quite keep hold of her. She's painfully passive in a painfully cruel world - which is fair enough. I'm all for letting protagonists struggle in situations where you'd be insane not to struggle in. I'm not accepting people saying she's not kick-ass enough to be a heroine. Women can be quiet and still be strong. The issue is when she's suddenly observant, strategic, devious the second a rebel turns up on her doorstep. After being trapped for 10 years, suddenly everyone's in love with her, and she's a tough queen. By the end I liked her, but she didn't have a believable arc. You can't victimise someone in such an exaggerated way and then say 'she's fine' and get on with the story. Struggle is okay, especially in the dramatic form of a novel, but you can't dismiss trauma like that whenever you feel like it.

It's fine, and it has potential. But too much speed and not enough haste makes it nothing particularly special, especially in a market so oversaturated with fantasy heroines trapped into castles with evil conquerors who inevitably fall in love with their sons. It's all the tropes we're bored of, but in a less effective way (we're told who someone is, the position they have and what they mean to Theo AFTER they've been introduced - even copy and paste-ing the exposition paragraph two pages earlier would make it more impactful). A couple more times in edits were needed I think.

Theodosia was very young when her country was taken over by the Kalovaxians and her mother, the Fire Queen, Daughter of the Fire God Houzzah, was slaughtered before her eyes. She never knew why her life was spared. She is being kept prisoner, regularly punished for things her people do in rebellion, and has been dubbed the Princess of Ashes. All of this hasn’t broken her, but when one of her people is captured and she is forced to carry out his punishment, her resolve is broken and it’s the start of Theo rebelling against the cruel Kaiser who has kept her under his thumb for all of her life.
This book got better for me as I got deeper into the story, as soon as I was a third of the way in I could not put it down! All the different plots and subplots, and scheming and character development was incredibly well done. and if I had, had the time free time I would have just devoured it all in one!
There are a few tried and tested fantasy tropes in here, a princess fighting for her kingdom, a love interest from the "baddies" side and an intricate spiritual side to the region, but this didn't put me off at all.
It stands out for being compulsively readable and entertaining.

4.5 stars for this YA fantasy novel.

Ash Princess is the first in an exciting new fantasy series by Laura Sebastian. The princess of the title is Theodosia Eirene Houzzara, Princess of Astrea. Astrea was conquered by the Kalovaxians when Theo was six, her mother the queen was slain before her eyes, and the kingdom was annexed to Kalovaxia. Theo lives on in the palace but everything has changed: she is a defenceless pawn held by the tyrannical and sadistic Kaiser who delights in having her whipped; she is isolated by having three Shadows report her every move so that, for example, eye contact with Astrean slaves results in their deaths; and she is forbidden even her own name, being given the mocking title of Ash Princess and having to answer to the name Thora.

Now 16 years old, Theo/Thora's life is a jarring mix of sophistication and savagery. While Astrean slaves are half-starved, she attends banquets and dances. She has her own servant to dress her but the servant's mouth is sewn up. She has a friend in Crescentia who has saved her from bullying and worse at court but Cress is daughter of the Theyn who killed Theo's mother. Theo, rightful queen of Astrea, is subjugated and although she might seethe underneath, her words and actions show complete submission to the Kaiser in her bid to survive.

This all changes after an Astrean rebel leader is captured and Theo is forced to kill him. The other rebels in the palace make a bid to rescue her and take her away to safety outside Astrea but she manages to persuade them that an uprising is still possible without their leader, that the Astreans might be freed and rally around her as their queen. Theo wants to save her people, not only herself, as they lead miserable lives as slaves, many of them forced to mine magical Spirit Gems. This is not only hard work but dangerous as exposure to the magic there often leads to mine-madness and death.

This novel is good from the start but as it progresses the plots, tests, humilations and acts of savagery and betrayal accumulate and accelerate, making the book impossible to put down. The relationships Theo has with the other characters become more and more fascinating too, for instance in the exploration of the complex layers of affection, love, jealousy, fear, condescension, hate, kindness and rivalry that go to make up Theo and Cress's friendship - by the end of the book this has become elecrifying! The love interests in the story are well-written too as Theo struggles to understand what she feels for childhood friend-turned-rebel Blaise and for the Kaiser's son Søren. The tension between love and duty is beautifully done and the reader is never quite sure just what Theo is capable of deciding and carrying out.

Ash Princess is a really good read that I highly recommend. But I have to warn you that you will race to the finish and be desperate to read more only to find that the sequel Lady Smoke is not due out until Spring 2019 - I'm not sure how I can wait that long!

I received this ebook free from  NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3,5 stars

Not quiet what I expected yet it was a great story!it was pretty interesting, thought I think I would have liked it more, if I was younger.Around 14-17 years old.

“Today is done, the time has come for little bird to fly. Tomorrow is near, the time is here for old crows to die.”

Another problem I had with this is the fact that it seemed like it was more a prologue than a first book in a trilogy. The character development took a bit too long to happen, but it was really well done.I couldn't get in it immediately but when everything shorted I wanted to see what will happen!Overall, it was a good book but not for me!

Ash Princess has a heroine desperately trying to reclaim her stolen throne, a mindlessly evil tyrant who stole said throne, and a love triangle... What's that, you say? You've heard this one before? Yeah, me too.

That being said, to give credit where it's due, it stands out for being compulsively readable and entertaining.

Plot and character-wise, it resembles many other YA fantasies. But I was just complaining in my review of Sky in the Deep about how I keep reading a lot of “shallow and emotionless” YA fantasy books, and this happens to be one that breaks the pattern. I can't deny it is very compelling, though it relies heavily on violence, abuse and misery to keep us turning the pages.

I'll spare you a plot summary - you can probably guess it anyway - and just say there's a rightful queen held captive by the conquerors of her kingdom who must assist the underground rebellion and reclaim her throne. Whilst fighting off the hot dudes along the way, of course.

Many are comparing this to Red Queen, which I did think was shallow and emotionless. Instead, I’d compare it to Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes - both books are heavy on the violence, feature slavery as a theme, have a love triangle (sort of) and an evil tyrant driving the drama and action. They are also similarly paced and engaging.

Aside from an awkward infodump in the first chapter, it goes down smoothly. The violence and unfairness make it easy to keep turning the pages. Shortly after the book opens Theo is forced to murder her father, and nothing gets me reading like a nice dose of fury at the injustice of it all. Theo's undercover manipulations are also fun to read.

Some of the major plot aspects seem illogical, such as why the new king (called the Kaiser 🙄) would leave the rightful heir alive. The book tries to explain it away but it doesn't really make much sense. Surely if you want to dampen any hope of reinstating the rightful monarch then you would just kill the rightful monarch.

I should warn that it is at times grim and gory. Slavery is a norm; beatings, torture and rape (non-graphic) are common. The divide between the dark-haired, olive-skinned Astrean people and the pale-skinned, blonde-haired Kalovaxians is clearly along racial lines.

BUT what can I say? It is also an entertaining pageturner. If you have room in your heart (and on your bookshelves) for another fantasy with princesses, evil rulers, rebellion and romance, then you could definitely do worse than this one.

Ash Princess is a Young Adult fantasy novel.

It centres around Theodosia, rightful Queen of Astrea. Only, Astrea is not as it once was - the Astrean people were overthrown, slaughtered, and enslaved by the Kalovaxians. Theodosia's life was spared by the evil Kaiser, but not without cost: she was stripped of her name, her title, and her life as she knew it. She is now Lady Thora, or more cruelly nicknamed "The Ash Princess" and made to wear a crown of ash during official functions. She must do as she is instructed, or she will be punished.

But Theodosia is growing tired of doing what she's told, and when the opportunity to revolt presents itself, she may just be ready to take it. Theodosia is going to change things - beginning with getting revenge on those who have done the most damage. But who will be her allies? And who can she trust?

I LOVED this book. The characters were fantastic, the world was brilliant, the cultures and traditions explained well. I really enjoyed Theodosia, and while I could always do without another love triangle, it worked here. It's inevitably going to be compared to Sarah J Maas' writing, but that in itself is no mean feat for a debut novel.

I'm really excited to read more from this author, and I'm looking forward to the remainder of this series.

Thanks so much to the publisher for granting me access to a digital copy via Netgalley, this is one I want on my shelf so I'll be purchasing a hard copy when it's released.

ARC kindly provided by publisher for an honest review.
Absolutely excellent. I have been looking for a good fantasy novel and this absolutely fit the bill.
Full of intrigue, strategic decisions and treachery. I highly recommend this book to fans of The Winners series.