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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is one of those cases where I don't like any of the characters and I don't care for them to live and survive but I'm also curious as to where this is going to go.
'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian is the first book in a trilogy of the same name. Ten years ago Lady Thora wasn't the Ash Princess held captive by the Kaiser, the leader who took over her kingdom, who had her mother slaughtered, who sent her people to live and die in the mines, and who keeps her like a pet to parade in front of his subjects when he wants to remind them of his power. Ten years ago she was Theodosia daughter and heir to the Fire Queen. Beloved by her people. Theo has barely been existing, living day by day, until one night the Kaiser brings in a leader of the rebels and forces Theo to put blood on her hands, the Kaiser thinks he's breaking her but in truth in taking everything from her his has sharpened her into a weapon and given her nothing to Lise in defying him.
spoilers
This felt very predictable and very pick me from Theo. Which I guess would make sense of a personality of a princess but I found her off putting. This was one of those books that when I was reading it, it was enjoyable but when I was away from it I didnt yearn to get back to the book. One of the things that drove me mad was stuff that didnt make sense, though to be honest I didnt enjoy stuff that made sense too. Why wasn't she killed, I don't believe the story Cress gives her, oh it could have happened, but a man as demented and crazy of the Kaiser wouldn't have let a 6 year old heir to the throne live, unless he always planned to use her as a broodmare, or foster her off on his son. Which doesn't jive either because the racial differences seem important and he wouldn't want to dilute his line. So some one convincing him to let her live I just don't see. Another thing that made little sense, is the main plan, lets kills the main general, giving away that its us by using a method from our culture, and then lets kill the son that we are kinda using. Wouldn't it have made more sense to kill to the Kaiser? to stroke the flames between them enough so Soren attacks his father for her and then they can continue to use Soren as they see fit? Also what good is the attack on the Thyen? What did that accomplish other than killing one man (not the head of the snake) and outing them? I get that they are children who have been used and abused the majority of their lives, but get a better plan please.
What irked me but made sense was her indecision. Either you're going for vengeance or you're not. Either you've grown to love your oppressors or you don't. But again she was taken at 6, one is the only playmate she's known since 6. I get why she struggled to make that move. And I like how their relationship played out of slowly feeling each other out until lines were drawn. I get being confused by Soren being nice. it must be a stark change from what she's used to. If anything she should have been more mistrustful. Also if he's been away all this time how is it that he fell so fast for her, cause he's quickly deep in this, breaking rules, sneaking her out. If the regular shadows hadn't been replaced he would have been found out before he barely spent any time with her. It felt too insta-lovey on his end.
And again why was there no plan to strike directly at Kaiser, why didnt anyone think hey this prince boy is weak let's use him and take out the real problem. Theres a big thing about using a child, Elpis, to poison Cress and Thyen but if they didnt use her how were they expecting those targets to get poisoned? And if that's so doable with all the slaves around shouldn't they have been able to take a shot at the Kaiser?
I've added book two and three to my tbr but I'm not sure if I'll actually read them or remove them, theres so much out there to read and only so much time.
'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian is the first book in a trilogy of the same name. Ten years ago Lady Thora wasn't the Ash Princess held captive by the Kaiser, the leader who took over her kingdom, who had her mother slaughtered, who sent her people to live and die in the mines, and who keeps her like a pet to parade in front of his subjects when he wants to remind them of his power. Ten years ago she was Theodosia daughter and heir to the Fire Queen. Beloved by her people. Theo has barely been existing, living day by day, until one night the Kaiser brings in a leader of the rebels and forces Theo to put blood on her hands, the Kaiser thinks he's breaking her but in truth in taking everything from her his has sharpened her into a weapon and given her nothing to Lise in defying him.
spoilers
This felt very predictable and very pick me from Theo. Which I guess would make sense of a personality of a princess but I found her off putting. This was one of those books that when I was reading it, it was enjoyable but when I was away from it I didnt yearn to get back to the book. One of the things that drove me mad was stuff that didnt make sense, though to be honest I didnt enjoy stuff that made sense too. Why wasn't she killed, I don't believe the story Cress gives her, oh it could have happened, but a man as demented and crazy of the Kaiser wouldn't have let a 6 year old heir to the throne live, unless he always planned to use her as a broodmare, or foster her off on his son. Which doesn't jive either because the racial differences seem important and he wouldn't want to dilute his line. So some one convincing him to let her live I just don't see. Another thing that made little sense, is the main plan, lets kills the main general, giving away that its us by using a method from our culture, and then lets kill the son that we are kinda using. Wouldn't it have made more sense to kill to the Kaiser? to stroke the flames between them enough so Soren attacks his father for her and then they can continue to use Soren as they see fit? Also what good is the attack on the Thyen? What did that accomplish other than killing one man (not the head of the snake) and outing them? I get that they are children who have been used and abused the majority of their lives, but get a better plan please.
What irked me but made sense was her indecision. Either you're going for vengeance or you're not. Either you've grown to love your oppressors or you don't. But again she was taken at 6, one is the only playmate she's known since 6. I get why she struggled to make that move. And I like how their relationship played out of slowly feeling each other out until lines were drawn. I get being confused by Soren being nice. it must be a stark change from what she's used to. If anything she should have been more mistrustful. Also if he's been away all this time how is it that he fell so fast for her, cause he's quickly deep in this, breaking rules, sneaking her out. If the regular shadows hadn't been replaced he would have been found out before he barely spent any time with her. It felt too insta-lovey on his end.
And again why was there no plan to strike directly at Kaiser, why didnt anyone think hey this prince boy is weak let's use him and take out the real problem. Theres a big thing about using a child, Elpis, to poison Cress and Thyen but if they didnt use her how were they expecting those targets to get poisoned? And if that's so doable with all the slaves around shouldn't they have been able to take a shot at the Kaiser?
I've added book two and three to my tbr but I'm not sure if I'll actually read them or remove them, theres so much out there to read and only so much time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 stars
That had a lot of the same elements as other dystopian princess YA novels, while also managing to stand apart.
A few scenes we're especially dark, but not enough to be a deterrent for me. I'm hoping that the motivations of certain characters are explained further in the next book!
Update:
Upon re-reading this book, I didn’t find it as dark as I did before and I liked it more. Perhaps that’s the difference between a phone and a hardback? Or just taking it in twice. Now that the whole series is out it’s easier to keep reading.
That had a lot of the same elements as other dystopian princess YA novels, while also managing to stand apart.
A few scenes we're especially dark, but not enough to be a deterrent for me. I'm hoping that the motivations of certain characters are explained further in the next book!
Update:
Upon re-reading this book, I didn’t find it as dark as I did before and I liked it more. Perhaps that’s the difference between a phone and a hardback? Or just taking it in twice. Now that the whole series is out it’s easier to keep reading.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5* It was definitely a story you’ve heard before but still managed to be a page turner for me.
I don’t really like love triangles but at the same time I still NEED to know how theirs turns out!!
I don’t really like love triangles but at the same time I still NEED to know how theirs turns out!!
𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Ash Princess
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Laura Sebastian
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: The Ash Princess trilogy
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 436
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀: Upper YA fantasy romance
𝑽𝑰𝑩𝑬𝑺
•love triangle
•political scheming
•magic
•found family
𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
Finished another book off my physical tbr! Woot woot!! I am in the middle of two kindle reads but picked this one up and it hooked me. I found it quick, fun, and enjoyable. I loved the premise of a princess witnessing her mother’s death and then becoming a political prisoner/captive in her own castle under the new evil king for the next ten years enduring beatings and cruelty. Then she must kill someone close to her and suddenly a boy from her past shows up and she decides that she wants to scheme against the evil king to reclaim the throne. But wait, there is a handsome prince who has been gone for the last five years and shows up and quickly FALLS hard for her. But the king wants to take her as his next bride. And did I mention that she is supposed to be 16 or 17 years old? There were a few things that didn’t sit well with me, but it was an entertaining story. I admit that I will probably not continue with the series, but I am glad that I read the Ash Princess.
I loved the maps at the beginning of the book. I referred to them a lot while reading.
𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.”
“𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠, 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔. 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝.” 🤣
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Laura Sebastian
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: The Ash Princess trilogy
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 436
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀: Upper YA fantasy romance
𝑽𝑰𝑩𝑬𝑺
•love triangle
•political scheming
•magic
•found family
𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
Finished another book off my physical tbr! Woot woot!! I am in the middle of two kindle reads but picked this one up and it hooked me. I found it quick, fun, and enjoyable. I loved the premise of a princess witnessing her mother’s death and then becoming a political prisoner/captive in her own castle under the new evil king for the next ten years enduring beatings and cruelty. Then she must kill someone close to her and suddenly a boy from her past shows up and she decides that she wants to scheme against the evil king to reclaim the throne. But wait, there is a handsome prince who has been gone for the last five years and shows up and quickly FALLS hard for her. But the king wants to take her as his next bride. And did I mention that she is supposed to be 16 or 17 years old? There were a few things that didn’t sit well with me, but it was an entertaining story. I admit that I will probably not continue with the series, but I am glad that I read the Ash Princess.
I loved the maps at the beginning of the book. I referred to them a lot while reading.
𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.”
“𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠, 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔. 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝.” 🤣
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
This book really worked for me. It was quite grim, but actually war and its consequences are, and it did not wash down what it is to live as a political prisoner.
The side characters are quite interesting as well, I really want to know more about how the magic gem works, about the royal family's powers, about everyhting, so this novel really succeded in making me curious and wanting to read on.
I must say congrats to the author, as this is also a first novel!
The side characters are quite interesting as well, I really want to know more about how the magic gem works, about the royal family's powers, about everyhting, so this novel really succeded in making me curious and wanting to read on.
I must say congrats to the author, as this is also a first novel!
I really enjoyed this! Looking forward to the next book in the series.