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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed reading this book, I love the characters and the storyline, and also representation of lgbtq+ relationships
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
3.5 stars.
It was appropriate and sobering to read this book the week of Indigenous Peoples’ Day – formerly Columbus Day **cue booing** - in the United States. While I knew that this book told the tale of a young queen fighting to take back her kingdom, I didn’t realize just how much Theo’s story would lead me to reflect on the brutal history of colonization and its horrifying destruction of native peoples and their cultures.
As a child, Theodosia witnessed the murder of her mother and the conquest of her kingdom. Once destined to be queen, she has lived under the blood-stained thumb of the cruel Kaiser for a decade and allowed him to morph her into a delicate puppet with a new name and a shameful title. When a violent act forces Theo to reflect on her role in this brutal world, she sets in motion a rebellion she once believed impossible in her order to save her people.
Easing into the story, it took me awhile to adjust to Theo’s PoV. I would not say the writing in this book was amazing, however its colloquial nature did give Theo a distinct voice. The early chapters were a bit too expositional for my liking, with a lot of telling rather than showing; however when sprinkled appropriately into a scene, specific worldbuilding details on Astrean and Kalovaxian food, clothing, and languages painted a vivid picture of Theo's life. I was disappointed that we only saw hints of Astrean magic, as it was mentioned often but so rarely shown that I felt a bit cheated.
Regarding the characters, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Theo was my favorite in the novel. Generally I gravitate towards supporting characters in 1st person PoV stories, which was the case in both the [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449778912l/22328546._SY75_.jpg|25037051] series and the [b:Shadow and Bone|35384793|Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546204239l/35384793._SY75_.jpg|15093325] trilogy. However, Theo was resilient and clever and had a clear, well-executed character arc in which she learned to fight back against the people and past traumas plaguing her. I struggled alongside her in my feelings towards other characters, especially Cress, realizing with Theo that people are not so easily categorized into good or evil.
"I'm a queen," I correct her softly, even as I wonder if I'm both. Maybe all rulers have to be at least part monster in order to survive.
I’m looking forward to getting to know our supporting cast even better – Cress, Soren, Blaise, Art, Heron, and Erik - as they were all enjoyable characters just beginning to come out of their shells. Theo's roller coaster love triangle could have used a bit more build up, however I appreciated that Theo's dedication to her mission took precedence over her love interests. I even found myself wanting to know more about the cruel Kaiser – was he simply written to be SuperEvil™, or will we get a backstory on how he became such a fear-mongering tyrant?
Lastly, despite my opinion on the overall writing of this book, there were a lot of thought-provoking quotes. I found myself marking several pages for future reference and had a difficult time choosing which quotes to include in this review.
I suppose it's easy to be at home in a world where you are on top. It's easy not to notice whose back you stand on to stay there. One doesn't even see them.
If you're looking for a story with a cunning heroine and familiar YA fantasy tropes - some incorporated in revolutionary ways, others not so much - that will allow you to reflect on the real world, I would definitely recommend picking up this book. Now onto [b:Lady Smoke|40702154|Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy, #2)|Laura Sebastian|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532535833l/40702154._SY75_.jpg|60796563]! I plan to enter this sequel trusting no one but Theo herself.
It was appropriate and sobering to read this book the week of Indigenous Peoples’ Day – formerly Columbus Day **cue booing** - in the United States. While I knew that this book told the tale of a young queen fighting to take back her kingdom, I didn’t realize just how much Theo’s story would lead me to reflect on the brutal history of colonization and its horrifying destruction of native peoples and their cultures.
As a child, Theodosia witnessed the murder of her mother and the conquest of her kingdom. Once destined to be queen, she has lived under the blood-stained thumb of the cruel Kaiser for a decade and allowed him to morph her into a delicate puppet with a new name and a shameful title. When a violent act forces Theo to reflect on her role in this brutal world, she sets in motion a rebellion she once believed impossible in her order to save her people.
Easing into the story, it took me awhile to adjust to Theo’s PoV. I would not say the writing in this book was amazing, however its colloquial nature did give Theo a distinct voice. The early chapters were a bit too expositional for my liking, with a lot of telling rather than showing; however when sprinkled appropriately into a scene, specific worldbuilding details on Astrean and Kalovaxian food, clothing, and languages painted a vivid picture of Theo's life. I was disappointed that we only saw hints of Astrean magic, as it was mentioned often but so rarely shown that I felt a bit cheated.
Regarding the characters, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Theo was my favorite in the novel. Generally I gravitate towards supporting characters in 1st person PoV stories, which was the case in both the [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449778912l/22328546._SY75_.jpg|25037051] series and the [b:Shadow and Bone|35384793|Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546204239l/35384793._SY75_.jpg|15093325] trilogy. However, Theo was resilient and clever and had a clear, well-executed character arc in which she learned to fight back against the people and past traumas plaguing her. I struggled alongside her in my feelings towards other characters, especially Cress, realizing with Theo that people are not so easily categorized into good or evil.
"I'm a queen," I correct her softly, even as I wonder if I'm both. Maybe all rulers have to be at least part monster in order to survive.
I’m looking forward to getting to know our supporting cast even better – Cress, Soren, Blaise, Art, Heron, and Erik - as they were all enjoyable characters just beginning to come out of their shells. Theo's roller coaster love triangle could have used a bit more build up, however I appreciated that Theo's dedication to her mission took precedence over her love interests. I even found myself wanting to know more about the cruel Kaiser – was he simply written to be SuperEvil™, or will we get a backstory on how he became such a fear-mongering tyrant?
Lastly, despite my opinion on the overall writing of this book, there were a lot of thought-provoking quotes. I found myself marking several pages for future reference and had a difficult time choosing which quotes to include in this review.
I suppose it's easy to be at home in a world where you are on top. It's easy not to notice whose back you stand on to stay there. One doesn't even see them.
If you're looking for a story with a cunning heroine and familiar YA fantasy tropes - some incorporated in revolutionary ways, others not so much - that will allow you to reflect on the real world, I would definitely recommend picking up this book. Now onto [b:Lady Smoke|40702154|Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy, #2)|Laura Sebastian|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532535833l/40702154._SY75_.jpg|60796563]! I plan to enter this sequel trusting no one but Theo herself.
i need to stop rooting for the love interest to get schwacked in these things
Wow! What a book! I don't think I've loved a female MC this much since Hermione! There are romantic subplots, and I did get invested in them, but more than anything I was cheering for Theodosia to take her kingdom back. The prose is elegant and purposeful, leaving little trails of foreshadowing expertly throughout the story. I absolutely cannot wait for the second book in this series!
Wanted to read this for a while and loved it! Very GoT but with a much better heroine in Theodosia & co. Gripping plot, and normally I wouldn't read high fantasy that's very politically oriented but I loved this one.
Is this a story we’ve seen many times before in YA fantasy? Absolutely. But it still managed to keep me gripped the whole way through, I couldn’t put it down.
Ash Princess is more brutal than what we’re used to seeing in this genre, and as a result the stakes feel higher. To top it off we have morally grey characters and the promise of some intense feuding in the next book. I can’t wait.
Ash Princess is more brutal than what we’re used to seeing in this genre, and as a result the stakes feel higher. To top it off we have morally grey characters and the promise of some intense feuding in the next book. I can’t wait.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes