This was an enjoyable Teen fantasy that will also appeal to adults. I expected it to be a Cinderella adaptation but
aside from a few details it was very different and an enjoyable read.

The cover of ASH PRINCESS is so gorgeous and pulled me in, but unfortunately I had trouble getting into the fantasy world so this is a DNF for me (for now at least, I may try again in the future).

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

After the brutal attack against Theo's home and family, she has been forced to be a prisoner for the last 10 years under the rule of the new leader, Kaiser. Every time her people rioted against him, Kaiser would take their punishment on her, showing the world what will happen if they continue to defy against his rule. But when Theo was forced to kill one of her own people - someone she knew and loved, she realized that this is not the way to live her life. In fear and betraying her people. She realizes that she needs to fight back, and after a few unexpected visitors find her, she actually has the power to do that.

Within her plan is to trap the Prinz Soren. Theo is all for that considering what his father, the Kaiser, has done to her. What Theo didn't expect was to actually like Soren. Webs of lies and betrayal and guilt are spun around Theo and she needs to figure out what to do in order to secure her future as a free person, instead of the Kaiser's prize and prisoner.

So I've been sitting on this book for a few years, waiting for the trilogy to be complete. Since I just got the 3rd book as an eARC, I dived right into it, excited to see what this world is all about. And overall, I enjoyed the book. It wasn't the best book in this genre that I've read, but it has a lot of potential moving forward. I appreciate that, currently, Theo isn't a character who was weak one moment and the next can wield a sword and fight like a warrior. She knows her capabilities and she knows what she can't do, and that didn't change throughout the book. Now, I can see her growing some supernatural abilities, considering it's been hinted at a few times in this book alone, but she still isn't a superwoman who can rip out a heart or anything.

I'm annoyed about the "love triangle" in this book. I get her conflicting feelings for Soren, but I also feel like she is forcing things between her and Blaise. Honestly, she should just focus on herself because she is so messed up from the trauma that has been her life for the past 10 years instead of trying to see which boy is the best....

I did enjoy this book and I'm looking forward to more information about Cress and the Dragonsbane plotlines. I think there will be a lot of surprises with those two alone in the next two books. I'm very glad I got an eARC of this book and am excited for the rest of the series!

DNF at about 38% - I was bored, I hated the characters, and I couldn’t make myself keep going. I was super hopeful for this one but it didn’t work for me.

This was a novel I read without knowing exactly what to expect. I was so surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. The character development of Theo was great and I loved seeing her embrace who she is instead of hiding herself. Really good and I can't wait to read the next one by Laura Sebastian.

This is your typical story of girl's kingdom is stolen, she takes it back via revenge, friendship and love triangles. And yet, despite it being predictable it is a really enjoyable read. The world we're placed in is well thought out and developed. The characters are unique and individual. The romance isn't the main plot point but it's distinct and moves the plot without being protected by plot armor. This is a strong fantasy piece that is worth the read.

Although I was not able to read this book before it was archived, I have purchased this title for my high school library based on reviews and the exert I read here. It has been a very popular title!

This was a fantastic fantasy novel that left me excited for the sequel at the end. The characters and world were well developed which left me very invested in the story.

I liked that the MC wasn't a warrior princess (because not all heroes have to be), but triumphed using her smarts. It was hard but important to see how even the few "friendly" conquerors treated her, even when they thought they were being nice.
Interesting story.

Ash Princess, a complex and thrilling series starter, introduces Theodosia, a royal prisoner, who lives with her captors, the Kalovaxians, who murdered her mother, the Fire Queen of Astrea and enslaved her people. The Queen's Guardians, who drew power from magical gems found in Astrean caves, are gone and her people are forced to work in the mines, harvesting the magical gems for the Kalovaxian Kaiser. Theodosia, who is now known as Thora, is forced to wear a crown of ashes and is punished every time the rebels, who swear allegiance to her, act out. After being forced to kill the last Guardian, rumored to be her father, Thora vows to retake her kingdom. She has the sympathy of the Kaiser's son, Prinz Soren, the friendship of Lady Cress, whose father heads the Kalavoxian army, and the loyalty of Blaze, who leads the rebels. The princess agrees to remain a prisoner to spy for the resistance, plotting to overthrow the Kaiser and take back her kingdom. The plucky heroine, the love triangle, and the twists and turns in the plot that set up the climatic ending make this a sure-fire winner that readers won't want to put down.

This somehow was both really good while also falling a little flat for me. I feel like it kept dragging on and then right at the end several things happened that really intrigued me and made me possibly interested in reading the next book, which I'm actually kind of mad about, haha.

I didn't really enjoy the love triangle aspect between Soren-Thora/Theo-Blaise. The T (which I'm going to call her because she has too many names and at the same time none) and Blaise bits sometimes felt a little strange and forced, and I was shipping T and Soren at first, but then he just goes away for a good while... Actually I still ship T and Soren, and I like how conflicted she is about liking him and whether or not she can and should and actually does like him. It's got a little bit of a fake relationship turning into a real romance trope about it, except for Soren it was always real. Soren is actually pretty great.

It's always a bit difficult reviewing the first book in a series (or trilogy, as the case may be), especially in the fantasy genre, because there is SO MUCH set up and world building that needs to go into the first book. I think the next book in the trilogy, Lady Smoke, will really be telling and make-or-break the series.

Dynamic Fantasy!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian.
A six-year-old Theodosia watches her mother as her life is taken from her. Her mother tells Theodosia that she’s the only hope for their people. The story jumps ahead ten years. Theodosia is a prisoner in the palace with the man who killed her mother, the Kaiser’s second in command- the Theyn. The Kaiser and the Theyn keep her with their own children in the palace, except she receives frequent whippings to remind her of their cruelty and her kingdom’s weakness. The Kaiser also gave her new names, Thora and Ash Princess. The Kaiser summons her to kill a rebel. This man used to be her guardian and he’s also her father. He pleads with her as his queen. He tells her to remember her rightful place as a princess and now a queen. He also tells her to kill him and she fulfills his request knowing that the guards will drag out his death but she will make it quick. The Prinze escorts her to her room and she vomits because of the trauma she’s just been through. Her maid helps her get undressed and puts ointment on her whip marks. Hoa, the maid, can’t speak because her mouth has been sewn shut. The stitches are cut every few days to allow Hoa to eat, then her mouth is sewn back up! There are no words to describe how horrible and deplorable that is. Thora is bolstering herself up to do what both her mother and father asked of her, to be their queen and she knows it’s up to her now because there’s no one left to rescue her. She discovers that a childhood friend is in the palace, Blaise, and he gives her hope once again. Blaise and two other rebels take the place of Thora’s private guards and together they plot the death of the Kaiser, the Prinz, the Theyn and his daughter. Pressure and learning more about the violent crimes towards her people make Thora determined to be the queen she was meant to be. 5 stars for this dynamic fantasy full of strong, interesting characters!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat when reading it. I was never sure what was going to happen next and when I thought I knew it turned out to be not what ended up happening. I am really looking forward to the next book of the series to see where the characters go.

Ash Princess is a book that left me with mixed feelings the entire time that I was reading it. This book featured a character and a story that was morally gray and I constantly found myself questioning the actions of almost everyone in this book. I found myself saying things like "While I understand the reasoning for this decision, is it something that I would do?" And I guess the the underlying theme is that war makes everything complicated and morally gray.

I was also unsure about the romance aspect. It went back and forth so many times that I almost had whiplash. In all honesty, I think I could have done without the romance in the book and would have liked more world building instead. There were many questions left unanswered, and I would have liked to see a better foundation in this aspect.

With that being said, I did find the character development to be very strong. Often times, characters are traced in a one way linear path, whereas Theo was constantly conflicted and often going back and forth in her thinking. I truly enjoyed this style of writing because it felt more realistic and relatable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the sequel.

I was given an Advanced Review Copy of this book from the publisher, and in no way did that affect my review.

When Theodosia was six, her mother, the queen of Australia, was killed in front of her. Since then, her people have been enslaved and she has lived under the cruel rule of the Kaiser. Desperate to save her people, Theo teams up with her old friend, Blaze to bring down the Kaiser and his right-hand man, the Thane. Will she succeed? Narrator, Saskia Maarleveld's unique, distinguishable voice bring to life the characters of the story with ease. Her smooth pacing and engaging narrative style draw the reader into the story. Action-packed and engaging, the plot is well developed and draws the reader into the story. The main characters are complex and easy to relate to. Fantasy elements are blended well into the story. Although the supporting cast is a little under developed, fans of Hunger Games, The Selection, and dark fantasy with some romance will enjoy reading this book.

After finally getting around to this book, I'm impressed by how much I liked it. I'd put it off because I wasn't sure about love triangles, but this was incredible. I'm really excited for Lady Smoke now, and absolutely going to recommend this to people.

Wow, way to end/start a new year! So, there were things I didn't care for in this book, but overall I loved more things than not! I'll admit, it did have a lot of tropes, and even as a fan of most of them, I wasn't as surprised or excited about some twists as I'd have liked because I've read enough similar YA to have guessed a lot of the 'surprises'. So...why the high rating? Even when I was pretty sure I knew what was going on, or how things would play out, there was always a hint of doubt, some question that I needed answered, and while I guessed somethings, there were others that pleasantly surprised me.

One of the biggest things readers would likely notice, or two really, is that the main characters are pretty standard in YA. I've seen The Winner's Curse and An Ember in the Ashes, and I can completely agree...yet I love both series and there's enough about this one to make it interesting on it's own. Many of the main characters have suffered abuse, and even torture, at some point which is a big trigger for many readers. The other major thing that I can see causing readers to avoid reading is the 'love-triangle' in this one. I'll admit, I normally don't mind love triangles, but this one didn't impress me until later in the book. While I never really changed my mind on who I want her with, both characters are important (for now) to Theo's story, and once we had a bit of backstory, it made more sense why she's so close to both characters.

I really enjoyed this story as a whole, and look forward to more in this series, but it did have it's faults. Namely the pacing is uneven, speeding up and slowing down without rhyme or reason. Another is that some of the characters are somewhat underdeveloped. That said, both things can be fixed if the author keeps them in mind while writing future books, so there is still potential for a great series.

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I received [book: Ash Princess|32505753] through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Delacorte Press.
4 Stars
I was surprised by how much I liked this brutal story! Went waaay darker than I was expecting The cover screams Red Queen which I didn't really enjoy, and we've seen the premise of the outcast princess fighting for her throne a thousand times. What sets this one apart, however, is the main character of Theo. She was fully developed and actually had the ruthlessness to make the plot feel authentic. She's been through A LOT, but so have many YA fantasy protagonists. What makes her unique is that I actually care and am rooting for her because she feels so human and flawed and desperate. And the power differential in her relationship with her "friend" Cress was super interesting.

My one criticism: Since Theo is so well-developed, it highlights the under-development of the other characters, particularly her love-interests. Hopefully, we'll see more of them as characters in book 2?

There is a love triangle in this one and I surprisingly don't hate it. (Totally team Blaise) Overall, Ash Princess was a dark, gripping read, and I'm curious to see where this story goes in Lady Smoke.

Really enjoyed this novel and anyone who likes Victoria Aveyard will also love it! Although the characters lack a bit of depth I found it still appealing and a fast read. It is a must-have on your shelf and something I have recommended to many friends.