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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Three words: REALLY. FUCKING. ANNOYING.
This book has a lot of potential (which is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1), but it’s so poorly written that all potential is thrown right down the drain, garbage disposal on. The narrator repeats herself so often, that after awhile I legitimately just started skipping paragraphs when I could sense she was about to soapbox about the same things again.
The other thing the writing will do is info dump CONSTANTLY. And for NO REASON. The narrator will be having a conversation with someone and then suddenly she will tell you all about her completely irrelevant memories of hanging out with this person. It goes on and on and on. I skipped a lot of that too.
So, as you can see, I skipped quite a bit of this book AND WAS STILL NEVER LOST. That’s how pointless a lot of this is.
This book has a lot of potential (which is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1), but it’s so poorly written that all potential is thrown right down the drain, garbage disposal on. The narrator repeats herself so often, that after awhile I legitimately just started skipping paragraphs when I could sense she was about to soapbox about the same things again.
The other thing the writing will do is info dump CONSTANTLY. And for NO REASON. The narrator will be having a conversation with someone and then suddenly she will tell you all about her completely irrelevant memories of hanging out with this person. It goes on and on and on. I skipped a lot of that too.
So, as you can see, I skipped quite a bit of this book AND WAS STILL NEVER LOST. That’s how pointless a lot of this is.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book surprised me in a good way.
The characters are well-written and it is amazing that they do unexpected things, for the YA it is actually an advantage. I liked how Theo developed, I understand her struggles and I agree almost with all her decisions. She is strong, smart and she has a big heart. Her life is a nightmare, but she found some strength and it grows in her will for the revenge.
Keiser is a perfect villain - he is cruel, mad and simply disgusting, I really hate him!
And I want to mention that the author created a detailed world, with its gods, legends and traditions. I want to read about it more. I hope that in the next book we will learn more about other countries.
So, I expect the second book to be as good as the first one!
The characters are well-written and it is amazing that they do unexpected things, for the YA it is actually an advantage. I liked how Theo developed, I understand her struggles and I agree almost with all her decisions. She is strong, smart and she has a big heart. Her life is a nightmare, but she found some strength and it grows in her will for the revenge.
Keiser is a perfect villain - he is cruel, mad and simply disgusting, I really hate him!
And I want to mention that the author created a detailed world, with its gods, legends and traditions. I want to read about it more. I hope that in the next book we will learn more about other countries.
So, I expect the second book to be as good as the first one!
Somewhat reminds me of The Cruel Prince but isn't half as clever.It was enjoyable though.
I don't really get the romances and I think there are too many focus points at once but this is a trilogy so... we'll see
I don't really get the romances and I think there are too many focus points at once but this is a trilogy so... we'll see
3.4⭐️
I’m definitely looking forward to the next but I did have some feels during this that I was just reading other books again without any cool new twists
I’m definitely looking forward to the next but I did have some feels during this that I was just reading other books again without any cool new twists
I was lucky enough to have been approved to read an ARC of Ash Princess from Macmillan Children’s Books on NetGalley. While this book doesn’t come out until June, I thought it best to post my review now for those who are in the US and those who can buy the book on Book Depository. I was drawn to this because it sounded like some other YA fantasy books that I loved in the past and I wanted to see if it would live up to them. In the end I found myself really enjoying Ash Princess and while it had a few tropes (love triangle anyone?) I didn’t actually mind them. If anything, I thought it was quite refreshing.
When she was six years old, Theodosia saw her mother brutally murdered when her kingdom was invaded by a tyrant known as the Kaiser. Since then he has kept her captive and either slaughtered or enslaved her people. Whenever they tried to start rebellions he took it out on her, whipping and beating her to send a message to her people. To them she is just the Ash Princess, a mockery, but she can only keep up the pretence for so long. When her last hope dies, she seeks out revenge and with the help of her people she concocts a plan to murder the Prinz. But as she grows close to him she realises that her feelings may not be as fake as she wants them to be. In the end, only she can decide what she will do to save her people.
There are a few traits of this story that relate to another famous series, but it was also unique in its own way. It starts off a little slow, as most fantasies do, but the world is slowly built up and we gain an understanding of what happened to Theo’s home, Astrea. Sebastian creates a brutal world where there is no hope until one girl decides to fight back. Throughout the book we find out more about the world, but one aspect I enjoyed was the magic and how it came about. Some Astreans have magical powers gifted from their Gods and they are enhanced with gems that come from the mines, which of course the Kaiser would harvest for himself, even though they cannot wield the magic in the same way.
I will warn you that there are some tough topics in this book, which include abuse, slavery and hints of rape. There were scenes that were tense and horrible to read, especially towards the end of the book, but they led to Theo’s penultimate decisions. Race plays a part as well, as the Kaiser and his people are fair haired with pale skin and the Astreans have olive skin with dark hair, something that is pointed out a few times within the book.
Unable to keep the name Theodosia, she became known as Thora, as the Kaiser wouldn’t allow her to use her royal name, and instantly we know that her life is one that has been spent walking on eggshells, cowering from the Kaiser and his men, and one that was torturous. But as the story goes on we see her finding the willpower to fight back and to be stronger than she has been. There was definitely some great character development and I enjoyed seeing her embrace her heritage.
The other characters in this story were likeable, especially Cress, the daughter of the man who killed Theo’s mother, but who treated her like a sister. Their friendship was sweet in places, especially in the beginning. However, as Theo became closer to the Prinz, you could see cracks start to form. Soren, the Prinz was a complicated character. I wanted to like him, but at the same time I was always waiting for him to become his father. The love triangle enters the story with Blaise, an Astrean who lived at the palace when Theo was young. As far as love triangles go, this one wasn’t hard to stomach and I’m looking forward to the second book where I’m sure it will feature more.
Overall, I found myself flying through Ash Princess and when I was past 75% I didn’t want to stop reading! The ending was great and sets up the second book up perfectly. It will be intriguing to see what happens to all the characters and how their stories will weave in to each other. Ash Princess was a great debut and manages to reach four stars in my opinion.
When she was six years old, Theodosia saw her mother brutally murdered when her kingdom was invaded by a tyrant known as the Kaiser. Since then he has kept her captive and either slaughtered or enslaved her people. Whenever they tried to start rebellions he took it out on her, whipping and beating her to send a message to her people. To them she is just the Ash Princess, a mockery, but she can only keep up the pretence for so long. When her last hope dies, she seeks out revenge and with the help of her people she concocts a plan to murder the Prinz. But as she grows close to him she realises that her feelings may not be as fake as she wants them to be. In the end, only she can decide what she will do to save her people.
There are a few traits of this story that relate to another famous series, but it was also unique in its own way. It starts off a little slow, as most fantasies do, but the world is slowly built up and we gain an understanding of what happened to Theo’s home, Astrea. Sebastian creates a brutal world where there is no hope until one girl decides to fight back. Throughout the book we find out more about the world, but one aspect I enjoyed was the magic and how it came about. Some Astreans have magical powers gifted from their Gods and they are enhanced with gems that come from the mines, which of course the Kaiser would harvest for himself, even though they cannot wield the magic in the same way.
I will warn you that there are some tough topics in this book, which include abuse, slavery and hints of rape. There were scenes that were tense and horrible to read, especially towards the end of the book, but they led to Theo’s penultimate decisions. Race plays a part as well, as the Kaiser and his people are fair haired with pale skin and the Astreans have olive skin with dark hair, something that is pointed out a few times within the book.
Unable to keep the name Theodosia, she became known as Thora, as the Kaiser wouldn’t allow her to use her royal name, and instantly we know that her life is one that has been spent walking on eggshells, cowering from the Kaiser and his men, and one that was torturous. But as the story goes on we see her finding the willpower to fight back and to be stronger than she has been. There was definitely some great character development and I enjoyed seeing her embrace her heritage.
The other characters in this story were likeable, especially Cress, the daughter of the man who killed Theo’s mother, but who treated her like a sister. Their friendship was sweet in places, especially in the beginning. However, as Theo became closer to the Prinz, you could see cracks start to form. Soren, the Prinz was a complicated character. I wanted to like him, but at the same time I was always waiting for him to become his father. The love triangle enters the story with Blaise, an Astrean who lived at the palace when Theo was young. As far as love triangles go, this one wasn’t hard to stomach and I’m looking forward to the second book where I’m sure it will feature more.
Overall, I found myself flying through Ash Princess and when I was past 75% I didn’t want to stop reading! The ending was great and sets up the second book up perfectly. It will be intriguing to see what happens to all the characters and how their stories will weave in to each other. Ash Princess was a great debut and manages to reach four stars in my opinion.
3.5 Stars
This was fun! There were a lot of plots and characters that reminded me of other books.
But over all the story is unique and the book has an interesting magic system. I'm excited for the second book!
This was fun! There were a lot of plots and characters that reminded me of other books.
But over all the story is unique and the book has an interesting magic system. I'm excited for the second book!
1. Bacha, !spoilery!
2. (hodnocení nejspíš ještě změním, nějak se nemůžu rozhodnout)
Nah, tohle bylo zlý. Příběh byl dost průměrný, děj byl téměř bez akce a moc neodsýpal, výskyt milostného trojúhelníku bych byla ochotná prominout, kdyby nebyl tak zmatený (chvíli hrozně miluje Sórena, pak se líbá s Blaisem, protože ho má ráda, pak se líbá zase s Sórenem, sice by to měla jen předstírat, aby ho pak mohla zabít, ale i tak mu vyznává lásku - wtf), plus jsem ho předpověděla už v prvních 10 % knížky. Největším problémem však byla Theo (Thora, Theodosia, jak chcete). Už dlouho jsem nezažila, že by mi byla hlavní hrdinka tak moc nesympatická. Neustále fňukala nad smrtí své matky, a když nefňukala, tak se dle mého chovala ke všem jen zle a naprosto nelogicky. Pro příklad (a bacha, pro jistotu znovu varuji - SPOILERY), celé její chování k Crescentii. Ona jediná se s Theou byla ochotná přátelit, i když byla princeznou popela a mohla tím riskovat celé své vysoké postavení. Ano, občas se k Thee chovala hrozně, ale zaprvé to nebylo nic extrémního (ach bože, donutila ji, aby si vyměnily šaty, protože chtěla balit prince) a zadruhé se jí pak omluvila a myslela to upřímně. To, co však nechápu je, že jí Theo i tak vidí jako hrozbu, pokusí se jí otrávit a poté se nechápe její rozzuřenost, když to jakýmsi omylem přežije. Haló?
Celou její osobnost a myšlení bych shrnula výrokem asi z poloviny knihy: "Jak se opovažuje milovat svou dceru (mluví o Theynovi a Crescentii), když mě připravil o matku? Kvůli němu se na mě už nikdy láskyplně nepodívá. Je jako kámen neschopný citu." Pardon, ale zdá se tak hrozný jenom mě? To, že zabil PODLE ROZKAZŮ OD CÍSAŘE (podle kterých jen tak btw měl zabít i tebe, on je ale neposlechl a ušetřil tě) tvou matku ihned musí znamenat, že nesmí milovat svou vlastní dceru? Chápu, nesnášíš ho a máš k tomu důvod, ale to z něj ihned nedělá kámen bez jakýchkoliv citů!
Mám-li ale vypíchnout pár pozitivních věcí, byla by to naprosto dechberoucí obálka, celý ten nápad, aby se do ní Sóren zamiloval a ona ho pak mohla zabít měl velký potenciál (kdyby se tedy odhodlala ho nakonec zabít, což neudělala, pak z něj na chvíli, když se jí to zrovna hodilo, udělala svého spojence a nakonec, když už ho nepotřebovala, z něj udělala jen bezvýznamného zajatce - wtf vol. 2), celá Sórenova postava, protože toho prostě nejde nenávidět a dále poměrně zajímavý konec.
Výsledek? Nedoporučuju. Ale dvojku si přečtu, nejspíš mě baví trpět.
2. (hodnocení nejspíš ještě změním, nějak se nemůžu rozhodnout)
Nah, tohle bylo zlý. Příběh byl dost průměrný, děj byl téměř bez akce a moc neodsýpal, výskyt milostného trojúhelníku bych byla ochotná prominout, kdyby nebyl tak zmatený (chvíli hrozně miluje Sórena, pak se líbá s Blaisem, protože ho má ráda, pak se líbá zase s Sórenem, sice by to měla jen předstírat, aby ho pak mohla zabít, ale i tak mu vyznává lásku - wtf), plus jsem ho předpověděla už v prvních 10 % knížky. Největším problémem však byla Theo (Thora, Theodosia, jak chcete). Už dlouho jsem nezažila, že by mi byla hlavní hrdinka tak moc nesympatická. Neustále fňukala nad smrtí své matky, a když nefňukala, tak se dle mého chovala ke všem jen zle a naprosto nelogicky. Pro příklad (a bacha, pro jistotu znovu varuji - SPOILERY), celé její chování k Crescentii. Ona jediná se s Theou byla ochotná přátelit, i když byla princeznou popela a mohla tím riskovat celé své vysoké postavení. Ano, občas se k Thee chovala hrozně, ale zaprvé to nebylo nic extrémního (ach bože, donutila ji, aby si vyměnily šaty, protože chtěla balit prince) a zadruhé se jí pak omluvila a myslela to upřímně. To, co však nechápu je, že jí Theo i tak vidí jako hrozbu, pokusí se jí otrávit a poté se nechápe její rozzuřenost, když to jakýmsi omylem přežije. Haló?
Celou její osobnost a myšlení bych shrnula výrokem asi z poloviny knihy: "Jak se opovažuje milovat svou dceru (mluví o Theynovi a Crescentii), když mě připravil o matku? Kvůli němu se na mě už nikdy láskyplně nepodívá. Je jako kámen neschopný citu." Pardon, ale zdá se tak hrozný jenom mě? To, že zabil PODLE ROZKAZŮ OD CÍSAŘE (podle kterých jen tak btw měl zabít i tebe, on je ale neposlechl a ušetřil tě) tvou matku ihned musí znamenat, že nesmí milovat svou vlastní dceru? Chápu, nesnášíš ho a máš k tomu důvod, ale to z něj ihned nedělá kámen bez jakýchkoliv citů!
Mám-li ale vypíchnout pár pozitivních věcí, byla by to naprosto dechberoucí obálka, celý ten nápad, aby se do ní Sóren zamiloval a ona ho pak mohla zabít měl velký potenciál (kdyby se tedy odhodlala ho nakonec zabít, což neudělala, pak z něj na chvíli, když se jí to zrovna hodilo, udělala svého spojence a nakonec, když už ho nepotřebovala, z něj udělala jen bezvýznamného zajatce - wtf vol. 2), celá Sórenova postava, protože toho prostě nejde nenávidět a dále poměrně zajímavý konec.
Výsledek? Nedoporučuju. Ale dvojku si přečtu, nejspíš mě baví trpět.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Solid book with a lot of potential for the rest of the series. I liked the turmoil the mc had over being friends with the enemies and how she doesn’t go through the stereotypical “chosen one gets magic powers that help them tremendously” bit, at least in this book. It made her plight feel more challenging and real. I don’t think I’ll continue the series but that’s only due to my gradual decline of enjoying young adult novels as a whole. but i would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
I really can't say what drew me in about this book because I really wanted to read it. I know it has very mixed reviews but I don't know if it was the concept or just the lure of the title but overall I bought it on sale and I've read it. "Ash Princess" by Laura Sebastian was a pretty solid three star read for me as far as YA fantasy goeswith some additional hope for book 2. "Ash Princess" is about a girl who was basically enslaved by a neighboring kingdom after they murdered her mother. They basically put her in the castle as like the representation of her people so whenever they rebel she gets tortured. She also spends her life being humiliated by the king. So when her people reach out to her to lead a new rebellion she put on her big girl pants and womans up. This book took me a bit to get into and it really took off by the end which makes me excited for book 2. I was really excited to read a bit of a plot twist that I didn't see coming.