I got approved for the arc by netgalley before the holidays and just didn't get around to it until other day finally. I am kicking myself for not starting it sooner! I really enjoyed this book, start to finish and couldn't put it down! I love the world and the story. I will buying th3 finished copy as soon as it's released, because I mean that cover is stunning and needs to be owned and held!! This was such a good read!

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.

This book reminded me A LOT of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. There are a lot of the same ideas and storylines.

If you are looking for a YA Trope-free book, this is not for you. Despite that, I really did enjoy the book. The prologue starts with the Queen of Astrea being murdered and the princess being dragged away. Chapter 1 fast forwards 10 years, with the Princess, now 16, living in the palace with the Kalovaxians that slaughtered her mother and sieged her country. The world building aspect of this book was lacking, in my opinion. I wish there had been more in the prologue or something that gave you a look into Astrea before the siege. Yes, there were moments of flashback and even a part where Theo talks about Astrea, but it wasn't enough for me. I didn't feel a connection to the world. Along that line, I felt that some of the characters needed to be developed more. Theo sparks into action after Ampellio's death, but it kind of falls flat. I didn't have the emotional connection to Ampellio and prior to that part, he was never mentioned. Also, Theo doesn't know 100% if he is her father but just assumes it because he was always with her growing up (which she realizes at that very moment), but I don't see why that had to be included. It wasn't an essential detail.

Similar to how Ampellio was never talked about before, Blaise wasn't either. When he shows up at the Castle, its very anticlimactic. As a reader, I had no clue who he was and why Theo is shocked to see him, or even recognizes him. Again, this is where I would have loved to have him featured in the prologue, even if it was just for a little bit.

I will say that Laura Sebastian did an excellent job in showing how cruel the Kalovaxians and the Kaiser truly were. You can see how scarred Theo is from all the pain she has had to endure. Note: If you are sensitive to books which describe whippings, be aware that this book has a lot of that. You can see why she hates the Kalovaxians so much. I can see how Theo develops as a character and is struggling with what is right. She doesn't want to betray people who have been kind to her (as kind as they could be) like Soren and Cress, but she doesn't want to disappoint her people and Blaise, Art, and Heron. I'm interested to see how the story continues and how she deals with her duty vs. her heart.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The first hundred pages or so were harder for me to get through, but after that I couldn't put the book down. I love Soren as a character and actually felt bad for him throughout the entire book. He was being nothing but honest and I really want him and Theo to end up together. This book is not without some flaws, but I would definitely recommend reading it. I'm going to read the sequel whenever it comes out.

4/5 stars

It's been a while since a debut caught my attention for so long and so quickly, but this book definitely brought it's game.
While it was slightly cliche, the language used was clear and refreshing, and the characters seemed real.
Though it isn't really a NEW story, it was well executed and I am excited for the second book!
Also, the cover is to die for.

There have been a whole slew of princess stories lately and a book really needs to be unique to stand out. This book has a one of a kind story where the poor princess lives with the people who killed her family. Princess Theo has to pretend to be meek and submissive to her captors in order to survive, all while attempting to overthrow the bad guys without getting caught.

At times, I felt like the love triangle thing going on was a little daunting and produced an eye roll from me once or twice. I suppose it needed to be in the story to give you hope that Theo would someday find love, but it wasn't my kind of romance. I guess that was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars.

I really loved how Theo had to sneak around. There was always suspense and a thrill when you think she was going to get caught. I can't wait for this book to come out in hard copy so I can buy one for my bookshelf.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

One part RUINED and a smidge of RED QUEEN, Laura Sebastian's ASH PRINCESS does little new that one hasn't already seen before if you're a voracious reader of young adult fantasy. However, the characters and the world that this series-starter introduces us to are compelling enough to leave me eagerly anticipating the sequel. There's something to be said about heroines who show their strength, their fortitude through will and other inner attributes. You don't have to have skill with a sword or a bow in order to be strong or be a heroine. It's important to remember that - and it's important for readers of this book to have a heroine of another sort to root for. For that especially, I really enjoyed this book and would easily recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC for “Ash Princess”
by Laura Sebastian. This book felt a bit formulaic but it also had enough fresh bits that I plan to purchase a copy for my library. Those who enjoy fantasy worlds will have fun with this book.

Loved this book!!!

I went in not knowing what to expect, I barely remembered what the synopsis was, but that cover. Am I right or am I right?

There are some trigger warnings for abuse throughout, it comes up quite often.

I am giving this 4.5/5 stars. It started off pretty slow, and kept up that way. Thank goodness for no giant info dump, but it was a long and thorough setup for future books. I was really having to push myself to get though it (I got into a reading slump right after I started this due to my brain just wanting to shut down, not because of the book), but then all of a sudden it took off. And I mean TOOK OFF. And didn’t stop all the way to the end. Speaking of the ending, OMG.

How will I wait until 2019???

Can’t wait to have a finished copy of this beauty in my hands!

Highly recommended! Happy reading 😉

It does not matter how much YA you have read. Picking up this book is like finally getting a breath of fresh air. From the first chapter you are swiftly convinced to love the world beautifully crafted here. The main character is so believable and the writing will really work you completely into this story until you've forgotten you're holding a book. I can't stop raving about it. YA that actually feels new and surprises you is hard to come by, but this is one I will be recommending for ages.

I'm just going to open up and say this book is just a jumbo of every other YA fantasy book thrown together, especially Ruined by Amy Tintera, which is a book that I loved. It also had Red Queen vibes. I think if this would have been my first YA fantasy book, I would have probably liked it a lot more. Also, throw in my most hated trope, sort of a weird love triangle, and you already have me annoyed. Actually, I'm not even sure if it was a triangle, but there were multiple kisses going on.

Another thing that bothers me is when a character is annoying and takes herself too seriously. Theo/Thora just kept on saying my people this, and I'm the queen that. She also has all these intense memories from when she was seven or younger. I feel like I can barely remember yesterday, let alone when I was five.

What was good is that the writing was really well done, and if some of the trope things would have been removed (like girl pretending she likes a guy to betray/kill him, but she really likes him) it would have been a lot better. I just need something more fresh/different. However, I would still read the next book to see what happens next...

Theodosia--or Theo, as true friends would call her--has lived under the oppressive thumb of the Kaiser for years. She watched as a helpless child when the Kaiser's people invaded her kingdom and slaughtered her mother--the Fire Queen--right in front of her. She now serves as an example and hostage to ensure her people's cooperation. Whenever the rebellion tries to fight back or sabotage the Kaiser, she is savagely beaten in front of everyone.

Her only solace has been her one friend--who is incidentally the daughter of the Kaiser's right hand man. One day, the last vestige of free elemental wizards among her people is captured and brought before her. The Kaiser insists Theo must kill the man she thinks could be her father--or he will (in a much more painful way, of course). Killing him breaks Theo's endurance. So when she is approached by an old friend she hasn't seen in decades to join the rebellion in earnest--she decides in finally time to take back her kingdom.

A story with entertaining amounts of court intrigue and rebellion, Sebastian gives us a heroine we can easily cheer for as well. Often with Fantasy YA, writers fall back too easily on tropes of heroines who begin with a learned helplessness that some other strong soul has to shake her out of--thankfully, that's not what we get here. While some prodding does happen, Theo is the one who eventually has to insist on doing things the hard way. I look forward to the next in this series.

I'd heard a little buzz about people looking forward to reading this, so I was very excited to discover it as an advance reading copy on NetGalley. I opened it up on a lark as something to do while flying home for the holidays and was promptly hooked. It's gorgeous and intense from the first page! A beautiful broken lush world filled with complicated characters and developed details. My only regret of reading it is that now I have to wait for the sequel!

This is one I may have to revisit at a later date. I made it to almost 50%, but found so much of the story illogical. Mainly, the idea that Theo/Thora was kept alive to keep the rebels behaved. I mean, clearly that didn't work since they were still up to antics. But also, wouldn't a better message to them have been killing her, removing the last of the royal line? I also didn't feel the romance, with either guy. I'm sure I was supposed to be torn, but I just wasn't. It wouldn't matter to me who she picked in the end.

This could be a book that's just not right for me right now. It's happened before (Wintersong!!), so maybe down the road I'll try again. I'm a sucker for a fantasy in which the MC needs to get her kingdom back.

First of all I want to adress some of the trigger warnings this book had, like explicit physical and mental abuse, race, and slavery, for any sensitive readers. 

One of the problems that I had with this book is that it seemed like it was more a prologue than a first book in a trilogy, and the actual book was going to be the next installment. Sometimes there were a lot of things that took too long to actually happen, and other times there were some other things that were a bit unnecesary. 

Reading from Theo's perspective was a bit hard at times, She has been abused by the kaiser and the theyn since the moment they invaded her country and killed her mother (she was about six), and you clearly could see what that abuse caused to her. She was a really well done and realistic main character, and by reading from her point of view you could learn a lot of things about her family and her past, and her thoughts and feelings, which made a lot easier to connect with her.

However, sometimes she was a bit repetitive. There were a few lines that she repeated to herself and at times to others every few pages, and that was a bit tiring sometimes. I get that after all the abused she had been through she needed a reminder to herself so that she didn't lose her mind, but I feel it was sometimes a bit too much.

There were a few tropes in this book, and maybe that caused it to be not as unique as other story might be. Some I admit I enjoyed, but others (like the "girl who pretends to fall in love with the prince to kill him but then has feelings for him and can't do that") were a bit overdone and I didn't particulary cared for that much. 

The character development took a bit too long to happen, but it was really well done due to the circustances of the story. I was waiting the whole book to see that development, so when it finally came I was beyond happy to see her became stronger and overpower her fears and past. 

The last one hundred pages were amazing. It was so much faster and there were a few action packed scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, and I think it created an interesting base for its sequel. I wish there was more magic in this book, but I'm pretty sure the next installment is going to be a bit more focused on that, among other things.

Overall, despite being a bit slow sometimes and having some issues with the characters, I enjoyed the whole story and the character development, and I think the second book is going to be even better.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley and Random House Children’s Publishing. I was in no way disappointed! From the moment I started reading about the Ash Princess, I felt totally consumed by the book and the storyline.

“Today is done, the time has come
For little birds to fly.
Tomorrow is near, the time is here
For old crows to die.”

My Synopsis:

Theo is torn between who she must become to survive and who she should be to her people. The Kaiser is the cruelest of men who invaded her country and murdered her mother and hundreds of thousands of the people in Asteria. The rest are enslaved and treated with less than a spec of kindness. Theo is taken a hostage and punished over the course of ten years by her new lord for any infringement of the law that her people seem to make against him. By punishing the Ash Princess, the Kaiser thus punishes the people and kills their sense of rebellion. Or does he ignite the fire of rebellion that cannot be contained?

The rebels will not go without a fight! Art, Blaise, and Heron form a plot to retrieve their Queen, but Theo insists on making a lasting impact on the Kalovaxians from within by murdering their Prinz and main general. Murder, poison, and mayhem – OHHH MYY!! :0
 
The Breakdown
:
The World of the Kalovaxians
The author does a fantastic job painting a new world and peoples into existence. She does an extraordinary job creating new languages and dialects to accompany the realms since in reality, no one speaks the exact same language. Everything about this book is different from other YA books in the same genre, even the ones that it is compared to. Frankly, there are no other comparisons to this book or any of the characters that lie within.
I did like the setup of the confrontation to come with Theo and the Kaiser. Every step of the way Theo has to endure unimaginable tortures at the hand of her captors with the most mocking one being the ash crown that she is required to wear to show that she the heir to ashes and ruin. The Kaiser pushes and pushes so Theo was forced to either break or to rise like a phoenix from those ashes.

The religious aspect of the Asterians is also commendably new and I enjoy looking forward to the day Theo rips the Fire gem that belonged to her father from the Kaiser’s throat! (Ohhhhh! If only in the next book!) Theo has always been told that her people must choose to wield the Spiritgems or to be a monarch, but I am hoping that she will cast this ludicrous reasoning aside and burn the world of the shallow Kalovaxians down thus ruling over their land of ash!!!! (Is it 2019 yet??? I need Lady Smoke like now).

Can we discuss that cover really quick? OMG! Like how can you see that stunning burning crown of ash on the shelf staring at you like “Hey, take a peek at me” and NOT want to see what’s under its’ cover?!!!?!?!! Well done! Honestly, it was the cover that appealed to me on someone else’s Netgalley Facebook review that made me swoon and immediately have to see what was up with the story! I hope the publishers change nothing about it before release date as it is sheer perfection!
 
The Characters That Make This Book Delectable:

The people of this book were well thought out and their personas were foremost in the author’s mind at all times. There is no question of where any of their loyalties lie and who is on what side of the decided demarcation of war!

I believe that Theo will make a fantastic queen and will ultimately rally her people to thwart the Kaiser and his dominions. Already she has had to put aside her own desires and hurt the only person that she has loved since the death of her mother. Theo can only dream of escape until it is time to go but she quickly realizes that she is not a coward that steals away in the night. The Ash Princess has quite the reputation of being beaten into submission so by shedding away her recent moniker – Thora the Ash Princess- and letting Theodosia Queen of the Asterians arise, Theo takes up the mantle of rebel. I really liked her double-edged sword and how she walked the thin line portraying each character persona. This is a case of taking one’s self from the pits of despair and overcoming them at all costs! I love reading about heroines who can master their own destiny!

Cress has always been a beacon of light in the darkness that is the Ash Princess’ life. Heart Sisters through and through; until Theo realizes that Cress will do anything to rise to the top of the court and become Prinzessin and then Kaiserin (Queen). Not to mention Cress’ father was the one who actually murdered Theo’s mother at the command of the Kaiser. Cress is very self-absorbed and the picture of Kalovaxian nobility parading around in Asterian Spiritgems for beauty instead of the power that they are intended for. She fully supports her father’s absolute control over the slaves and his harsh treatments in the gem quotas of the mines. How can she really love Thora aka Theo if she condones this mistreatment? Thank god Theo finally realizes it and tries to remedy the issues even if it created the perfect setup for a badass female villain in the next book! I can’t wait to see who Cress turns into and how she wields the hate growing in her heart! (I am a huge fan of death and destruction, so I usually love a good villain or three!) 

I feel most for Soren the Prinze and spitting image of the Kaiser. Soren is looking to shed the world of the evil that his father has wrought upon it but finds himself drawn to the Ash Princess. Soren promises to steal her away and to make all the world disappear, including the remnants of her people that she is compelled to fight for. Unfortunately, by trying shed the shadow of his father, Soren ends up doing unspeakable acts that make them pretty much the same person. So, I was not surprised that Theo also must put away the feelings that Soren, has awoken in her heart and choose to not run away from the issues at hand to join the Prinze.

Blaise is a blasé run of the mill spare in the love triangle. His purpose was to further the plot, but I believe that he is just a tool. He certainly acts like one most of the time and as Soren alludes to him being a ticking time bomb, I hope he implodes thus emanating his boring role in the plotline.

Heron grew on me and after he reveals his backstory my heartstrings are pulled with his loss! Kudos to the author for having some semblance of the acceptance of homosexuality in this multiverse. Even if it is brief and tragic all at once! I like books with diversity and acceptance. So as brief as the mention of his partner’s loss is, that is just about all there is to Heron as well. I hope he proves to be a loyal friend to Theo in the next book and comes popping right out of his glorious shell!

Artemisia, Art for short, is the most appealing of the rebels and has the most clout. Her mother is the “thorn in the side if the Kaiser” named Dragonsbane and Art is a rare escapee of the mines. Art does not let Theo just be the queen heir and gives her a good bout of grief throughout the book. She does not have time for spoiled heirs who have lived lavishly for the last ten years. Art finally comes around when she sees exactly how the Ash Princess has been treated and becomes a true ally.

Conclusion:

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the YA genre and a great story of shedding your past to claim your future! To anyone who loves Throne of Glass or ACOTAR because I feel like Theo is going to be a household name like Feyre and Aelin.

I hate that I have to wait over a year for the second book and I pray that the author just takes this fantastic tale to a whole new level and smashes the existing YA tropes in one fell swoop! I am tired of seeing girl meets boy, boy likes girl, girl and boy live happily ever after! Take a page from the world of Adult Fiction and throw in tons of death and destruction! Happily-Ever-After is for fairytales- leave them there!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for letting me have a peek! I have already preordered this book and I am looking forward to adding this series to my vast collection!

(Review taken from http://literaryweaponry.com)

Alright. Alright. I will be the first to jump up and shout that I wanted this book with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I mean, just look at that cover! How does it not reach out and grab you by whatever genitalia you possess and force you to look at it. That, my friends, is a near perfect cover.

Second point I have is one that many people have been tossing around since ARCs of this puppy made their way into the world. It is a little tropey. That’s cool with me. People write tropes because they work and I for one don’t have a problem with that. If I am entertained I am entertained, that is the bottom line.

Next up on my list of things I want to bring up is the use of the word prinz instead of prince. For the love of all that is holy (or unholy, take your pick) that annoyed the ever loving hell out of me. Just say prince, that way I don’t have to glare every time I see that cocky ‘z’ thrown around. I got used to seeing it after a while as I read but I still got irritated.

Before I ramble too far about this I’m going to be straight forward with you all. The first part of this book was a drag to get through. I mean, it was tough. The second half more than made up for my first half agitation, though. Keep that in mind during my following rambles.

Theo/Thora made me want to punch her. Repeatedly. She watched her mother be murdered and her people suffer and didn’t do a damn thing about it until her childhood crush showed up and went, “Oh hey, want to take back the kingdom and stuff?” I hate weak females and that is exactly what she was. At every opportunity she had to be strong during the first half of the book she didn’t live up to her potential whatsoever.

During the second of the book, Theo found something like a spine. She had a wonderful, strong little monologue toward the end which was absolutely perfect. It encapsulated everything I had wanted from the character the entire book. Strength of character, decisiveness, willfulness. If she had shown even a spark of that in the first half I’d have gobbled this book down in a hot minute. (Do people still say hot minute? Am I old? Whatever.)

The story itself had a lot going for it. Kingdom in peril, a people in need of rescue, and many wrongs to be righted. Unfortunately, not a lot of that happened but the set up is there for the next book in the trilogy. I have a feeling that the second installment, due in 2019, is going to have a lot of action which is promised in Ash Princess.

Another point I’d like to bring up is character growth. I just really didn’t see any in this book. Okay, I take that back, Theo changed a lot but none of it seemed to be for a reason. Just suddenly, “Okay, lol! I’m queen! Haha! Look at me suffer for a purpose!” Insert eye roll here. The prinz, who is absent through the middle of the book, has the most character growth. His makes sense and follows reason. I liked him to a point. He seemed a little too “good boy” at parts but that suited who he needed to be. I can understand and appreciate that.

You know, now that I’m typing this all out, I think I just figured out my main issue with this book. I didn’t actually like any of the characters. They all had their parts and played them well but I didn’t like any of them. They were just…there. Don’t get me wrong, each character had a purpose that was clearly defined and well executed, but I just didn’t like them. Period.

Okay, this has turned into an almost rant but, I promise you, this book is actually pretty good if you are the kind of person that can overlook tropes. I’d give it a solid 3.75/5. Thanks for living through my ramble!

This book is so uncompromisingly brutal and ruthless that it left me with a hangover where I just stared into the distance wondering, <i>Who am I? What do I have to live for?</i>

Theo is the rightful ruler of her country, conquered by the Kalovaxians when she was little, and the Kalovaxian king keeps her around as a puppet member of his court so that he can use her as a whipping boy whenever he feels like it. She has to survive by pretending to buy in to Kalovaxian court life, when really she wants to burn it all down. <i>Ash Princess</i> is basically the chronicle of Theo burning everything down.

<i>Ash Princess</i> skirts the line between "compellingly horrible" and "TOO horrible." There were moments where I was just like... yeah, everyone in this world should just kill themselves. There is no escape, and there's nothing they can do to make it better. Just end it. For me, though, it landed just barely on the side of "compellingly horrible." If the later sequels are able to pull it out, and show that there is, actually, a way back from the darkness, I'll be a fan. If it just gets worse, honestly I don't think there's any point in exploring worse.

The """"""tropey YA fantasy"""""" type elements didn't bother me. The so-called "love triangle" isn't really a love triangle because she betrays and captures one guy and the other guy isn't going to live long enough to be a love interest. And what she does to Crescentia? The fact that she refrains from using spiritgem magical powers despite how desperate she is 100% of the time, because doing so will mean she won't see her mother again in the afterlife and that's all she holds on to? There is plenty here that's unique, and I cared a whole lot.

#AshPrincess #NetGalley

One of the best books I have read in awhile, I cannot say enough good things. It did start out a little slow, but the build up was necessary for the story. I like how she has not given up, how she learned all the weakness and tries to take in all the angles. She is a strong main character. She does also have a conscious and is not really liking the person she has to be in order to get the result she wants which makes her very identifible. She knows her mortal limits and goes around what she thinks she should to and finds what she can live with, a very good trait.

This book is even better that the synopsis makes it sound! I cannot wait until the next novel comes out!!


I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to leave off a rating because of the amount of triggers in this book. It was verrry difficult for me to get through because of the pain/abuse/etc in every single chapter. There are some powerful themes woven throughout, and I'm not saying any of this to degrade that or the story! It just hit me really hard and I had a difficult time stomaching it, especially with the amount in here.

So with that said, let's start off with some warnings.

This book focuses HEAVILY on abuse (both mental and physical and in sharp detail), as well as slavery and race (obviously I cannot speak on that, but just be aware). I personally felt ill during several scenes - not because they were handled poorly (I really can't be the judge of that). There's lots of empowerment/finding the will to stand up to your aggressors/etc - but the world is so so so dark and even the sliver of hope didn't feel very bright.

Basically, we have Thora (or Theodosia per her real name), who is known as the 'Ash Princess' because she was the former queen's daughter. Her country was captured when she was young by the Kalovaxians - who slit her mother's throat but kept her alive for punishment when people tried to rebel (and other sick reasons.) Throughout her life, Thora is beaten down constantly until she's afraid to stand up to the kaiser (king) - so when we start her story, she's almost complacent.

Anyway, something happens that I won't spoil, and she finds the willpower to stand up and try to bring down the kaiser from within.

I don't want to say much more. I think I'd have a hard time even discussing Theo as a character. She was strong and has been through so much, but ahhh it was so difficult to watch. There's a love triangle of sorts but it was soooo depressing and sad, just because of the brutality of the world and the choices that Theo felt had to be made.

So... I don't particularly know my feelings towards the story. The writing was lovely and the author seems like a wonderful person and I definitely admire her for braving these topics!

I enjoyed this book, despite its plot resting on many YA and fantasy tropes. Can everyone say love triangle, teen angst, and ultimate untapped power?

By the end, if not somewhere in the middle, I frankly found the protagonist unlikable. At this point the two characters I'm pulling for are(view spoiler).

I'll give the author credit for a couple of very well staged plot twists and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in series. I hope in the next book there's a bit more time for world building or exploration.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a digital copy for review.