Ash Princess (Ash Princess, #1)

by Laura Sebastian

Billelis (Illustrator)

The first book in the New York Times bestselling series "made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" (Bustle), Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

"Sure to be one of the summer's most talked about YAs. . . . A darkly enchanting page-turner you won't be able to put down."-Bustle

• ISBN10: 1524767069
• ISBN13: 9781524767068
• Publish Date: 24 April 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781524767068

Reviews

[reveriesociety_]

I'm so grateful that I got to read this book because it'd have been a shame to not to follow Theo in her journey. I was very excited when I got sent an ARC, but when I got it and started reading, maybe at first I was a bit hesitant. But I really had nothing to worry about because I fell in love with this story.



High stakes that only increase
YA can be epic, but most of the time, it can also be pretty tame. Ash Princess broke the mold in that sense. The stakes are high from the get go, making you sympathize with Theo and her predicament. All the bad things that could happen, happen. And you're just there, like her, unable to stop them. It makes you root for her, for the resistance and make you feel for the people of Astrea.


A question of morals
As the rightful queen of Astrea, Thea is presented with difficult choices. How much is freedom worth? How many lives is she willing to sacrifice to recover her life, her land? What is she willing to give up? Where is the limit? She wonders about this continously throughout the story, maybe up to the very end, and I was right there with her. I really didn't have the answers. There was no Oh my god, but the answer is so obvious! The answers weren't obvious. Any decision would have consequences and Theo will have to live with those decisions and consequences she made. And I loved that. It wasn't easy, and it'll only get worse before it gets better during the series, I think.



The love triangle
Yes, I distinguished the shape of a love triangle. It was well done, in my opinion, because it was part of the story, in the way that there's the guy she should probably choose, and the one that's beyond forbidden. But at the same time, it wasn't overwhelming. It was just well placed, because it served a purpose. It made sense and it was entertaining and also intriguing because I'm still wondering how on earth that will play out.

[Ashley]

Ash Princess was AMAZING!! It met all my expectations and then some.

The story in this book is devastating. Pretty much every page tugged on my heartstrings. The main character, Theo, has to live among the king and people that took over her country. It completely broke my heart.

I also loved how Theo struggled with characterizing some of the people around her. For example, she grew up with this girl Cress, who's the daughter of the man who murdered Theo's mother. On the one hand, Cress was kind to her when no one else was. On the other hand, she's associated with the man who killed her mother and she's not sure how real her friendship with Cress really is. Are they truly friends or is Theo more like Cress's "pet"?

Then there's the Prinz, Søren. He's kind to Theo, but he's also the son of the guy who took over Theo's country. He also does horrible things on his father's orders.

I really sympathized with Theo struggling to figure out who could be a friend and who was an enemy. I also really loved hating the horrible Kaiser and other evil characters. But mostly, I loved seeing poor Theo's anger and hatred build until it reached a boiling point. This is going to turn into an epic revenge series and I can't wait for more!

Ash Princess is a must-read! ♥

Ash Princess was deeper and more well rounded than I expected it to be. I really enjoyed it! Even the love triangle was subtle, it wasn’t forced and it wasn’t meant to be the focus of the story so I actually didn’t hate that.