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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Ash Princess was alright. I was engaged from the first page. Theo was an okay storyteller. Soren is the biggest cinnamon roll around and I loved him. Weird love triangles are weird. And I love a good battle of the besties. Or hope for one in the sequel.
fast-paced
The only thing I hate more than a love triangle that involves the MC and their oppressor is if that oppressed MC is white. I was hoping that the MC was poc but I know better. With their “tan skin” and “dark hair,” they’re Italian at best. And the idea of white people co-opting the struggle of oppressed people in a fictional setting pisses me off. And topping off that insult with the injury of a predictable and upsetting plot is a little more than I could handle. This trend of genocide -> years of enslaving and generally brutalizing the survivors -> one girl who makes a stand -> said girl falling for a boy who was complicit is disgusting and overdone. I should read the reviews before I get pulled into the thrall of really cool titles.
Nothing makes my heart happier than a novel with royalty, magic, and misery. It is the holy trinity that turns a book from a casual read to a pageturner.
Theodosia (Thora) is a difficult character to swallow, but for reasons that are easy to understand. We get to watch as she struggles with knowing who to trust after years of a facade that kept her alive. We watch as she learns to harness the fire and rage inside her into a plan. She's young and manipulated and battered, her somehow, she hopes.
Prinz Soren is the unsung hero who is the catalyst for action for Theo. Easy to love and an even easier target.
Interesting plot lines for many of the side characters made this book a fun and exhilarating read. Note, there are many dark themes present such as abuse and slavery.
Theodosia (Thora) is a difficult character to swallow, but for reasons that are easy to understand. We get to watch as she struggles with knowing who to trust after years of a facade that kept her alive. We watch as she learns to harness the fire and rage inside her into a plan. She's young and manipulated and battered, her somehow, she hopes.
Prinz Soren is the unsung hero who is the catalyst for action for Theo. Easy to love and an even easier target.
Interesting plot lines for many of the side characters made this book a fun and exhilarating read. Note, there are many dark themes present such as abuse and slavery.
Este libro me atrapó en cuanto empecé a leerlo, pero conforme iba avanzando se me hizo muy pesado y lento, quería adelantarme a donde ocurría algo lo que fuera.
Aun así siento que la autora dejo los puntos necesarios para darle una oportunidad al siguiente libro.
Aun así siento que la autora dejo los puntos necesarios para darle una oportunidad al siguiente libro.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
2.5
Dark. Lots of torture and mental abuse.
The rest is a typical ya fantasy novel trope. Love triangle, chosen one, and so forth.
Truly hated the names. Crescentia? Corbinian? Ugh. That and kalovaxian was said at least 3 times per page. Yeesh.
The magic was really only a factor when no other logical explanation could be found. I’m a fantasy it should really be a main plot point not contrived convenience.
Dark. Lots of torture and mental abuse.
The rest is a typical ya fantasy novel trope. Love triangle, chosen one, and so forth.
Truly hated the names. Crescentia? Corbinian? Ugh. That and kalovaxian was said at least 3 times per page. Yeesh.
The magic was really only a factor when no other logical explanation could be found. I’m a fantasy it should really be a main plot point not contrived convenience.
**3.5/5**
Positives:
- the writing style offered a really captivating and quick read (in my opinion)
- the Prinz had a nice dichotomy and was one of the only characters that wasn't one dimensional
Negatives:
- the MC was one-dimensional, annoying and constantly indecisive
- some of the indecisiveness was warranted in some situations, but it got old in other respects after a bit
- the plot has a bit of a 'I've heard this before, but in a different way' vibe
- the love triangle was completely unnecessary and served no purpose to anything
- the idea that she would be in love with Blaise at all because of their past when we never had a sense of her having a 'past love' until we met Blaise, and even then it was a huge stretch to suggest a romantic link between the two that was mutual
- it seemed that the only reason she clung to Blaise was because he reminded her of her past and who she was, but other than that there wasn't anything remarkable about their 'relationship'
- her constant flip-flop treatment of the Prinz got so old
- the Kaiser was a stereotypical villain who wanted power and had no other qualities; he was also one-dimensional
- the reasoning behind the Kaiser keeping Theo alive was so thin and made no sense, especially seeing as how he ended up wanting her killed
- the three Shadows (Blaise, Art & Heron) were annoying (Heron was okay)
- the fact that the First Kiss and Blaise's reaction to it was never addressed was ???
All in all, it's not a terrible book; with the plot being similar to other books that are out, you could find a terrible one. It just wasn't anything special.
Positives:
- the writing style offered a really captivating and quick read (in my opinion)
- the Prinz had a nice dichotomy and was one of the only characters that wasn't one dimensional
Negatives:
- the MC was one-dimensional, annoying and constantly indecisive
- some of the indecisiveness was warranted in some situations, but it got old in other respects after a bit
- the plot has a bit of a 'I've heard this before, but in a different way' vibe
- the love triangle was completely unnecessary and served no purpose to anything
- the idea that she would be in love with Blaise at all because of their past when we never had a sense of her having a 'past love' until we met Blaise, and even then it was a huge stretch to suggest a romantic link between the two that was mutual
- it seemed that the only reason she clung to Blaise was because he reminded her of her past and who she was, but other than that there wasn't anything remarkable about their 'relationship'
- her constant flip-flop treatment of the Prinz got so old
- the Kaiser was a stereotypical villain who wanted power and had no other qualities; he was also one-dimensional
- the reasoning behind the Kaiser keeping Theo alive was so thin and made no sense, especially seeing as how he ended up wanting her killed
- the three Shadows (Blaise, Art & Heron) were annoying (Heron was okay)
- the fact that the First Kiss and Blaise's reaction to it was never addressed was ???
All in all, it's not a terrible book; with the plot being similar to other books that are out, you could find a terrible one. It just wasn't anything special.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
Oh The Drama of it all. This novel has all the hallmarks of melodramatic YA fiction- but in the best ways. An orphaned main character? Check. A love triangle (but not an actual complete one- more of a V formation) where the main girl is torn between a kind but sad light haired boy and a dark haired boy with anger issues and a rebellious tendencies? Check. Betrayals? Triple Check.
I am very excited to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy.
(Also weird bonus points for the audio book being narrated by a fellow Saskia...)
I am very excited to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy.
(Also weird bonus points for the audio book being narrated by a fellow Saskia...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment