Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I really enjoyed Ash Princess when I read it back in 2018. I had high hopes of continuing the series but after starting Lady Smoke and then reading a few reviews I don't think this series is for me anymore. I don't want to force myself to finish it and rate it negatively so it's a DNF for me.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This copy was kindly gifted to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (submitted on Instagram)

Solid follow up to Ash Princess.

This second volume sees Theo and her band of escapees from the evil Kaiser looking for new allies to build an army and start taking back their kingdom. They may have escaped, but it's not all smooth sailing. They need funds, they need help. Theo may be a queen, but there are lots of people who don't see her as ready to fulfil the role yet. They get help from another kingdom and Theo reluctantly agrees that the best way to get help from a country with resources is to offer herself as a potential bride. So a ball is held and suitors start turning up. Before long of course things start going hideously wrong and it's hard to know who to trust.

This one focuses more on the political side of building a rebellion, with some nice introspective thoughts on what's going on and how it's all going to work. The goal of putting your own needs aside for the good of others who need you to be there for them. Theo struggles with this, as well as her feelings for old friend Blaise and conflicting feelings for Prinze Soren.

As well as faced with some disturbing news from her former friend Crescentia. The magical aspect is explored a bit more in this one well.

Looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up in the conclusion.

This series is becoming addictive, Ash Princess was good. Lady Smoke was so much better. Which is a true test of a YA series, sometimes the second book can fall flat - but this book broke the mould and didn’t fall into the trap. Truly it was wonderful and I cannot wait to continue on with the series.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series but I didn’t like the second one at all which is a shame as it was one of my most anticipated reads. I’d definitely look out for books by this author again but think I have come to the end of my relationship with this series.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Following the events of Ash Princess, Theodosia is now free, with her shadows/Guardians in tow, aboard the fleet of renowned pirate, and her aunt, Dragonsbane. Fleeing Astrea and the wicked Kaiser, Theo needs to keep her wits about her, and truly become the Queen that she's always been, and her best hope of reclaiming her home is to travel to the rich, and neutral, Sta’Crivero, and agree with the king's plan to marry her off to the strongest ally. With Prinz Soren as an ally and supporter, Theo finds herself knowing that she will have to give up part of herself to save her country, and her people. But, strong forces are acting against her, and not just the Kaiser this time. Cress, her once friend, and now enemy, survived her poisoning, and is the new Kaiserin, and vows to destroy Theo. Can Theo do it all, especially after seeing the conditions that refugees are living in, or will the Kalovaxians succeed as they have done so often in the past?

Theo has grown so much from where she was in the start of this series. She is stronger now, and knows that true life isn't all black and white, and sometimes she will have to cross the line of right and wrong to save her people, even if she can't save herself. The old gang are all together, and I love the banter between herself, Soren, Artemesia, Heron, and Blaise, especially as they are plotting themselves against what the Sta'Crivero king and Dragonsbane wanted from her.

The romance in this book got a little annoying at times. Yes, there is a love triangle, and I really don't see how Blaise was a perspective suitor, really. Nothing between Theo and Blaise ever felt romantic to me, nor did I think they had all that much chemistry. Soren and Theo, on the other hand, were perfect together, and their every interaction just showed how comparable they were. Ok, when they first became involved, in Ash Princess, Theo was lying to him, and planned on kidnapping him, but now she's completely herself, and they rely on each other and use each other as a sounding board while trying to stop the Kaiser and come up with a plan. The conclusion of this book was so explosive, and I can't wait to start reading Ember Queen to find out what happens with Theo and the rest of the gang!

After reading (and loving!) the first book in the trilogy, I was eager to read Lady Smoke. Theo is such an interesting character and seeing her fight for her freedom - and succeed in the first book, I was intrigued to see what would happen next. Theo must auction herself as a bride to the highest bidder, thereby losing her freedom and making the ultimate sacrifice. It was great to see her character grow and develop on the page! as with the first book, the world building is fantastic. Looking forward to reading the third book in the trilogy.

Oh man, I love the covers of these books, and I just saw the one for Ember Queen and hot damn, this series is going to become one of my favourites. I cannot wait to see how the story ends. The cover drew me in, the first book captured my heart, and the blurb made me know that this sequel was going to be JUST as good as the first book.

In most trilogies, the second book can sometimes fall short but this book exceeded expectations and is amazing in its own right. Lady Smoke takes place right after the events of Ash Princess where Theodosia escapes her homeland and is trying to form an alliance with another country in hopes of taking back Astrea and defeat the Kaiser. The only problem is, she has to take on a husband, something a queen has never done in Astrea. Which, I love because hello tension and conflict ramped right up!

We see a very different side to all the characters here, and it’s so nice to see a character arc develop well, not just for the main character but for all of the characters involved. We have Theo who was only concerned with self-preservation in the first book to now realising that she has a chance to change everything. Cress used to be a friend and now she’s the villain - which I just love and the scene in the last third of the book of Cress and the Kaiser is simply perfect!

Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book series enough. I am loving the Ash Princess trilogy and eagerly await Ember Queen.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure, I hadn't read the first book in this series before I read this book. I feel like everyone in the world would be happier if a brief summary of the previous book/s in a series was included at the beginning of subsequent novels.

Anyhoo, I digress.

This book opens with Theodosia, the usurped queen of the kingdom of Astrea, adventuring on the high seas with her motley crew of bodyguards and rebels plotting how to reclaim her throne from the evil Kaiser. So it's the plot of a typical YA fantasy really.

My expectations weren't sky high but I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a page turner this was. There was enough action and intrigue to keep my attention and the characters were (for the most part) a cut above the norm, particularly Heron, Artemesia and Cress. There's a good dose of feminism and LGBT representation running through the story and I appreciated a plot based more around diplomatic wranglings rather than a ton of battle scenes.

It's not perfect by any means. The love triangle is a complete nonsense although, I did get a kick out of Theo shamelessly telling two men she loved them and keeping them on the hook with no apparent conflict or guilt whatsoever. The Kaiser is almost cartoonish in his villainy and some of the character names are Sarah J Maas levels of cringey like Blaise. No. Just no.

It's all a bit silly and all of our beloved YA tropes are here - instalove, characters making completely illogical decisions, the fate of kingdoms being held by teenagers, weird coloured hair, completely baffling magic system.. but..!  I actually really enjoyed this one and will probably look out the sequel when it's published next year.

When I read Ash Princess last year, I remember enjoying it quite a bit. I wrote my review for it, and in the time since, promptly forgot what happened. So, with little to no time to read this for review following my mini-break from reading, I didn't exactly have time to reread the first book. Initially this made Lady Smoke more difficult to get into. I was thrust straight back into the action, completely unaware of the minor details, and left floundering through my memories of the first book to try and make sense of what was happening.

Almost immediately, I remembered just what I loved about the first book. The prose. Laura has a great writing style that I can just fall into, and paired with the story, and (for this book in the series) the pirate-style setting, I wanted to fall into the world and get lost.
The world is so immersive, the magic system well thought out, and the political drive well and truly present.

This installment gives us a more diverse view of the world, and allows for more complex relationships to grow following the events of the first book. Theo's situation has changed so drastically from the first book, she has to find new tactics and skills to help navigate the changing world. From difficult politics, to complicated love, she faces so many different things, you can't help but feel sorry for her a little.



I can't wait to see where this story goes in the next installment, and it's going to be awesome seeing where the magic system goes!

Lady Smoke is a strong second book in the Ash Princess trilogy, although the first half of the book is a little slow and all the action happens at the end . The development of Theo from child princess to political leader of her people. But having won her freedom Theo is forced to trade it for a husband to forge an alliance and gain an army to take back her country.

I enjoyed the growing roles of the supporting cast and the discussion about all the hoops Theo needed to jump through to secure a marriage (proving her virginity) and the various fierce females (Dragonsbane is and Artemisia)

Lady Smoke is an excellent follow-up to The Ash Princess. I love the political intrigue, the continuous sense of danger and hidden threats around every corner.
It was really interesting to see different parts of the world Laura Sebastian has built, with suitors from a diverse range of nations turning up, and the political manoeuvring was fantastic.
There was a lot less action in most of the book, compared to the first novel, but I didn't think that was a bad thing. It allowed us to take a breath and reassess characters and their motivations, and then it all built up wonderfully into a powerful and dramatic battle.
The love triangle works really, really well too.

I was lucky enough last year to get a copy of Ash Princess before it hit the shelves, and to take part in the blog tour for it. Overall, I thought it was a pretty cool book, but I also didn’t really think much about it in the aftermath. Unlike some of the other books I read around the same time, I wasn’t dying for the next book in the series, but I knew I enjoyed it enough to pick it up.

Fortunately, I managed to swipe an ARC of Lady Smoke too, and I will be honest and say the series went from being a pretty solid series to amazing. This is exactly the kind of book that I love to just devour in one or two intense sittings. A lot of it is political intrigue stuff, rather than too much action, so if you like faster paced books it might not be your thing, but I was honestly living for the trickery and plot twists in this book.

It also felt like there was a lot at stake. I knew this was always the case, even back in book one where Theo was just trying to survive in a palace full of snakes and conquerors. But this was a whole other ball park. It is possible to guess at some of the twists and turns, but there were lots that I didn’t see coming and they just blew me away.

Regarding the characters, I feel like Lady Smoke gives us a brilliant insight into Theo and her state of mind. She’s been through an awful lot, and it was interesting to be inside her head and see how her thoughts turned into actions on the page. She’s not necessarily the strongest or most physically kick-ass of heroines, but she is whip-smart and will definitely figure out a way to talk someone into doing the butt kicking. She’s honestly just a brilliant character, and I loved every second of her voice. I thought it really resonated off the page, and she felt like a real person I cared about. There were definitely some moments when she was in a sticky situation and I almost threw the book across the room in sheer frustration. I am currently, as many of you are, going through those awful GoT stresses, where you’re wondering if your favourite character will survive, and I will honestly say that reading this felt a little like that. I loved Lady Smoke but wow, it was stressful to read.

And yes, there are some seriously amazing twists at the end of the book that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I forgot how much I enjoyed Ash Princess, but this was a sharp reminder. And I will be adding the next book to my TBR pile as soon as it is released.

Overall, I’m giving Lady Smoke a 9/10 stars. I think the plot was fabulous, and the characters are growing on me so I will be excited to see how the story progresses as the series continues. It feels like the writing is improving, which is impressive since the first book was already so so good.

This is book 2 in the Ash Princess series and I was absolutely over joyed when I got approved for this. I already had it on pre-order and really excited to read it! I really enjoyed the First Book (Ash Princess) and gave it 4 stars on GoodReads. I read it in 48 hours and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it was a very typical YA fantasy story, I enjoyed how it was written and some of the little nuances that set it apart. So when Book 2 was announced I immediately pre -ordered it :D

Lady Smoke carried on the story of Theo and her discovery of who she is and what she is heir to. I really quite enjoyed Theo in this book. She was a little bit of an annoying brat in Ash Princess, where she was essentially just a child. In Lady smoke we really start to get to know her more, see her grow into herself and discover a strength and resolve that she didn’t know she possessed.
One aspect of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed was that the ‘side’ characters were no longer just side characters – we learn so so so much about Art, Heron, Blaise, Dragonsbane, even the Kaiser in some ways. It felt like it really rounded the story out. This wasn’t just about Theo with a hefty dose of Soren anymore, we see fully realised and thought out characters that have just as big an impact on the plot as the main protagonist.

My one gripe about this book would be pacing… We spend a long time in the palace with Theo during the middle part of the book, and while there is a significant amount happens, it also feels like it takes forever, which means the last 3rd of the book felt rushed and could have done with just a little bit more time. There is one specific event where I actually found myself going ‘Oh, right ok, so that happened a bit quick, wait, what?’ because it was a significant event but it was done in about 5 pages, where it felt like it could have been an entire chapter.

Overall this was a 3.5/5 rounded up to a 4* for GoodReads. I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to Book 3!

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Smoke has two main problems for me - the first is that I couldn’t remember enough of Ash Princess! And the second is that not a lot happens in the first half of the book. Theo has very much felt like she’s finally free but back under guard and goes back to trying to figure out what to do next, how to test the limits put on her.

But once all that is over the book seriously picks up. I also love the frank discussion of how she’s expected to find a husband, and prove her virginity, and matriarchys, and so much. This book is jam packed with brutal honesty over the situation they are in. My favourite is a conversation between Theo and Art where Art is totally uninterested in gossiping about boys. Not that that’s exactly Theo’s intention, but Art’s response is pure gold. Those moments are utterly brilliant.

The action is pretty good too - from little things like sneaking out the palace, to the more involved scenes later on, they are well written and pacey, and play a good band to the politics involved in the situation without diminishing the tense atmosphere. I did want a little more on why the refugee camp is seen as it is by the people there, but I hope we get that in Ember Queen.

The whole suitor thing was interesting too - I liked that Theo always stuck to her stance, but was always thinking about how to change the situation she was in.

Overall, the second half is a very strong finish and has left me dying for Ember Queen, but the first was a little slow. 3.5 stars, but definitely worth it for the overall premise of the series which I am really enjoying and for the strong finish.

Lady Smoke takes place right after the events of Ash Princess where Theo escapes her homeland and is on a ship owned by none other than pirate Dragonsbane who happens to be Theo's aunt and Artemesia's mother. Now that Queen Theodosia has escaped with her life and has Prince Soren as her prisoner, the next step in Theo's journey is to build an army to finally put an end to the Kaiser by trying to form an alliance with another country. The only problem is, she has to take on a husband, something a queen has never done in Astrea. However, the pirate Dragonsbane has other plans in mind and they don't exactly line up with what Theo wants for her future. Theo soon realises it’s one thing to escape the Kaiser’s stronghold, it’s another thing altogether to tear it from his murderous grasp and take back her country.

Theo is being forced into forging an alliance through marriage which means forsaking what Theo believes in. In a sad roundabout way, Theo finds herself having to giving up her newly gained freedom in exchange for the men, arms and funds needed to take back Astrea. Despite became Queen Theo still has a lot of learning and growing up to do. Despite suitors pouring into Sta’Crivero, Theo is still not safe from the long reach of the Kaiser. Laura takes the book through a feminist arc that i loved and I applaud Theo for standing up for not only her country but for herself. As Theo calls into question the patriarchal system and the outdated traditions that further gender inequality, that are only accepted due to nothing more than being practised for years and being committed to memory.

Lady Smoke delves more into the idea of doing whatever it takes to do what is right even if it means giving up your pride and accepting help. Laura steeped this book with the embodiment of female empowerment and I have so much love for her for doing so. I want these characters to succeed and honestly cares what's going to happen in the final book. I cannot recommend Ash Princess and Lady Smoke enough. This is one trilogy not to be missed!

Lady Smoke is a brilliant second book in the series. It picks up soon after the events of Ash Princess (worth reading if you haven’t) and follows Theodosia as she deals with the aftermath of the events of Ash Princess. I loved the story of Lady Smoke, the fight for survival, the fight for the throne, the characters, it was all great. My only niggle is that it was a bit drawn out in parts, but that’s a personal thing. It’s still an epic read!