Ash Princess is one of my favorite reads of 2018! This book was brutal, raw and emotional. It pulled me in from page one and loved the hellish ride it put me through.

What I loved about this YA book was the brutality to it, which is not normal for YA Fantasy books or at least the ones I read. What it did different is shows you the pain, torture one would endure at the hands of their captives. Theo has endured more torture, then she even realized.

Theo is the Queen to a land that has been conquered. She witnessed the merciless killing of her mother as a child and was forced to suffer years of abuse and torture. When we meet her, she is a broken girl, who walks through life numb. Her life may appear charmed and privilege but these are the chains she was put into. Forced to forgot her legacy she is nothing but a prop or a plaything to those around her.

However, Theo still has a spark of who she is and when she is forced to do the unthinkable, her brokenness fads way to a seed of rebellion. I loved the moral and complex character Theo is. She has been abused and tortured for so long, that she doesn't even realize what she has become. When Theo awakens the truth of her people and herself, she must grapples with the moral consequence of her decisions.

Theo wants to free her people and take her country back, but these require her to lie, cheat and kill those in her way. She is pulled in so many directions that she struggles with her path. Plus she has to reconcile her feelings for her captives. They may have been cruel to her, but she has developed relationships with these individuals (ether based on love or fear) and must figure out a way to destroy those that have already destroyed her.

Theo isn't alone on her quest. She has three allies. Three children who have suffered and lost as well. They have there own agenda and thirst for revenge and often fail to truly understand the Theo's struggle.

Theo is forced to strike the balance between being merciful and being ruthless. She doesn't want to lose the essence of her mother, but knows that her kingdom will only be won back through violent actions. While Theo makes her choices to still struggles with hurting those she has come to care for and being the Queen her people need her to be.

A thrilling and thought provoking novel that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

*************Netgally provided me an review ARC************

I know what you are thinking, trust me I do. Not another YA fantasy series about a girl that gets her throne taken away and must battle to win it back right?

And you would be right, this story is about that. But what if, instead of the heroine being kick butt because she can weld a sword or have some magical power, she is kick butt instead because she uses her head? Because she is smart and crafty and bids her time. What if, instead of going in swords blazing she plans and concocts and uses her smarts to get her out of trouble?

Not so much the same right?

This really was a fun take on something that has been done before while still giving it a breath of fresh air and a new feeling to the same old over used storyline. In fact, it didn't feel overused or overdone or same old same old at all. It felt fun and entertaining and oh so unbelievably hard to put down.

I didn't want to take a break from it. Once I picked it up and started, I was completely and utterly hooked. And the only thing I regret about reading it, is the fact that this was an ARC and now it means I have to wait even longer for the second book to be out. I wasn't ready for this to be over, I didn't want to say goodbye and more than anything, I already feel like I need to know what happens next.

I'm invested, I care, I'm a fan already.

The cover looks fabulous, and I was really excited to read this novel. I had very mixed feelings about it.

I am a sucker for Young Adult literature, and the story was intriguing. It had a great premise, and the introduction hooked me in. Unfortunately, the prince was more interesting than the our protagonist. I was much more drawn into to his story, and I sympathized with his plight much more that Theodosia. It was very hard for me to connect to her character.

The novel did keep me interested, and I will probably read the sequel. I would not advise my early middle school students to read this because of the graphic violence.

I really enjoyed Ash Princess, which read like a combination of Queen of the Tearling and Tamora Pierce. Theo is an extremely compelling heroine who leaves the reader rooting for her to take back her kingdom... by whatever means she deems necessary.

I received an ARC of Ash Princess through NetGalley.

Ash Princess tells the story of Theodosia, the princess of a country who was invaded and enslaved. She has been the pawn of the king, abused and tortured and led to live a life of complacency, a perfect little image of a captive princess. However, after executing her father and a Guardian of her culture, Theo decides that she can no longer lie in wait. With the help from a few other rebels, Theo forms a plan. When the prince returns--Prinz Soren with a cool slash through the "o"--Theo attempts to seduce him in order to fight for her freedom and the freedom of her people.

While ambitious, the writing of Ash Princess does not live up to its plot. It certainly has a ton of really great potential and some wonderful moments, it’s lacking overall in actual content and the writing is, uh, rough.

I also had a number of issues with the representation of these oppressed people. It's always hard when a white author tries to describe appropriation and constantly refers to people's skin as "dark" and "tawny". I'm exhausted of books with brown people who suffer at the hand of the white people, especially when it's a white author describing their plight.

There were a lot of really wonderful things about this book, too. The last 30% or so had me guessing, and it was riveting enough that I didn't want to put it down. If you can look past some of the shoddy writing and sludge through a <i>lot</i> of suffering, the book holds a surprising amount of good, too. I wasn't a huge fan of Theo, and I found her to be lacking in a lot of places, but she also has an incredible amount of potential to grow into a better character if the author allows her to.

This book is amazing. It's a refreshing take on the fantasy genre. I loved learning about the characters and connected with the main character, who was not a perfect "chosen one," but had scars (literally and figuratively) and suffered for her kingdom. She's cautious. She's cunning. She has survival instincts. And that's what it's going to take to bring down the tyrannical colonizers.

Entertaining and fun, but I feel like the story has been done before. I think fans of the Red Queen and An Ember In The Ashes will enjoy this read. Maybe teens not quite ready for the Game Of Thrones will too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story of a young captive queen, living in a palace that was once her own, forcing down her true nature and feelings, and watching her people be subjugated and exploited was riveting. It did contain many YA/Fantasy tropes, but I did not mind. The world-building was great, as was the character development and story. I found myself saying, "Just one more chapter," several times, and staying up much too late reading, but I had a very hard time putting down the book. I found the characters very interesting, even the ones I didn't like very much. The journey of Theo from quiet oppressed prisoner to vengeful queen was well-done, as was the development of Soren, Blaise, and even Cress (who kept me guessing throughout the whole story). The violence and viciousness of some of the abuse that Theo must sufffer might bother some, but I felt as though those aspects highlighted the cruelty of the world she lived in.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA/Fantasy, as long as one doesn't mind the predictable love-triangle, cruel rulers, and best friend who can't quite be trusted. Overall, I really liked this book and eagerly await the next part of Theo's story.

4 stars

Theodosia’s mother, the queen, was murdered before her eyes when her country was invaded. Now, she is trying to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser as the ridiculed “Ash Princess,” pretending to be naïve in order to stay alive.

When Theo’s last hope of rescue is killed by her own hand, she cannot keep quiet any longer and vows for revenge. She throws herself into a plot to spur a rebellion, which involves seducing and murdering the Prinz who she unhelpfully develops feelings with.

Meanwhile, her rebel allies challenge her friendship with the only person that has been kind to her, her heart’s sister Cress, and Theo must face more impossible choices to figure out who she can trust and what she’s willing to sacrifice to save her people from slavery.

I was a little hesitant going into this because I read a few reviews after requesting and found that some people weren’t too keen on it–that it was too dark and heavy.

But luckily, I didn’t end up getting that super depressing, dark vibe from the story. Maybe I read a later edit of the manuscript where parts were taken out, but there were only really two scenes where Theodosia is being abused physically, and only a couple more with emotional strain.

Despite the general not-super-depressive mood of the story, it is still a YA book I’d recommend for 14+ just because some of the scenes do get a little graphic (with whippings etc.) and also because the themes are darker than your normal YA fantasy.

But, there was nothing I disliked in this novel. There were parts I was a bit apathetic to, and others that I liked, but there was nothing that I was like “Ugh oh no!” about.

Like I said before, there are a lot of dark themes as Theodosia is a slave and she is under enormous pressure to play this game to pretend she is loyal to the Kaiser and also try to start the rebellion. Ash Princess manages to work with the topic of slavery tastefully, unlike some other novels. It doesn’t use any dark skinned aggressor tropes and didn’t come off as offensive to me.

The races aren’t super clear, but we do get to understand that there is a very diverse cast in Theo’s people, while the Kaiser & her oppressors are pale and fair-haired. There wasn’t really any diversity outside of racial, but I really appreciated the fact that Theo and her people were peaceful and didn’t contribute to that dark skinned aggressor trope.

The plot was interesting and one of my favorite parts of this novel was actually the editor’s note at the beginning. I know this wasn’t the author’s work, but I did find it to be very inspiring and helped me gain a lot of insight to the text, so if you read this, I do suggest you don’t skim over this.

But the story deals with a lot of courtly manipulations and spying and although it does use a lot of typical YA fantasy tropes, I think that the story had an extra level of depth because of how Sebastian tackled slavery and oppression and imperialism.

I did find that the story lagged in the middle while Theo is working a lot with doing reconnaissance which was one of Ash Princess‘ biggest downfalls as it made it drag while I was reading, but the end definitely sped up and got a lot more intense.

Theo is an average girl and this is honestly one of this book’s biggest wins. She’s not exceptional or “not your ordinary teenage girl.” She’s scared and fearful but she still tries to stand up and fight for her people, which I found to be inspiring.

I did find the romance to border on a love triangle between Theo and one of the rebels from her childhood and the Prinz, but it didn’t end up as bothersome to read or end up really interfering with the plot in unnecessary ways, besides adding an extra level of drama. I’m definitely excited to see where this is going to go in the next book.

I do think that this book isn’t for everyone and that it definitely could come off as dark and depressive and just not an enjoyable read, but I liked the message and think that this was an enjoyable and meaningful read, which is more than I could say for countless other fantasies. I would definitely recommend to fantasy lovers who are in the right mindset to tackle a book with a lot of darker themes in it, and I will definitely be reading book 2, Lady Smoke, when it comes out next year!

It’s a well written teen fantasy book. It does have the common teen fantasy cliches, but they’re enjoyable cliches. The love triangle is a fun read because you’re never quite sure how the Thora/Theodosia feels. The author did a good job on creating a new fantasy world with different countries, cultures, and conflicts.

That had a lot of the same elements as other dystopian princess YA novels, while also managing to stand apart.
A few scenes were especially dark, but not enough to be a deterrent for me. I'm hoping that the motivations of certain characters are explained further in the next book!

Interesting start to a YA fantasy series that explores disparity, doubt, and enslavement and what we're willing to do on behalf of our country. I liked that Theo had to use her brain and wits to fight back, instead of her fists. I'll be curious to see how the author develops the themes in the next book.

I do wish she'd veered away from the love triangle aspect. There's an interesting story to be found with either love interest but we're treading worn territory with this trope and I'm not just saying that because I hate love triangles. 

The story and the characters' actions didn't always make sense. I had a much better idea for what Theo could do to fight back against the Kaiser and I was flummoxed that she didn't really come to the same conclusion until basically the last minute. But there's enough good here that I really do want to see what will happen next.

Content warning: abuse and torture, sexual assault, racism.

First line: The last person who called me by my true name was my mother, with her dying breath.

Summary: At the age of six, Theodosia’s homeland was invaded and her mother, the queen, was killed before her eyes. She is raised in the household of her enemies and punished for any uprising or sign of revolt from her surviving people. But when her former friend reappears after ten years she begins to hope that she can retake her kingdom.

Highlights: Beautiful cover. The premise sounded great.

Lowlights: I did not like the names and repetition of them throughout the story. And the plot followed so many other stories that it did not feel fresh at all. I love these kinds of stories but I felt like I had read this one already.

FYI: Beautiful cover.

A deposed monarch enduring the cruelty of an insane “Kaiser” waiting for the right time to claim her rightful throne. Magic gemstones, slavery, love triangles, catty females, and plot twists combine to make this another sure winner for those who love “Red Queen” and “The Selection”. A fun, fast-paced read.

Received from NetGalley for my honest review
Completed 2/06/18
352 page ebook

I requested this from NG based on the blurb above, which you can see is absent of any kind of "romance" or "love" type words. Yay! A kickass female who doesn't fall into the first guy that comes along.

Sigh. Should have know. Are there any female writers out there who DON'T write romance? I'd love to hear about them. I'm so sick and tired of "I just met you but I love you". Blech!

But, despite the romance, and it wasn't the WHOLE plot, I did enjoy this book. I liked Theo as a character, most of the time. What she endured and kept strong through was pretty amazing. She played the meek, innocent, cowed princess very well but once she got the spark in her to do something, she really came alive.

I was surprised by one thing, which was good because it's hard to surprise me in books these days. I was intrigued by the story and it kept my interest, despite the romance parts, which were my least favorite of everything. I do intend to read more.

Recommended for those who like a kickass female, though it takes her a while to get that way, with liberal doses of "falling in love" mixed it.

Setting = A
Plot = B
Conflict = B
Characters = B
Theme = A

This is a YA fantasy, and I had high hopes for it when the cover caught my eye. However, it didn’t quite live up to its potential. While there are engaging parts, they are mixed with a bit too many scenes that stall the progress of the storyline, making it had to stay involved in the story. Theo is a well-developed, strong character, and I did like her. World building was a bit weak in parts. It would’ve been nice to have learned a bit more about the different cultures mentioned. This did contain some love triangles, which seems to be the unwritten requirement for YA books. Overall, it’s a bit cliched. The ending is good, if you can get through the middle. Readers should be aware of the fact that there is a fair amount of violence throughout the book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

I was lucky enough to get this granted as a wish. I was also super excited to get it. With that being said, I got about 20% into the book and I just could not read anymore. It was almost like the author was trying to hard to make it good. I've been reading this for over a month and I have no excitement to read this book. The main character, Theo was too dramatic and depressing. She made me wish that I could "jump off a cliff" just so I would not have to read anymore. I did not find it interesting enough to finish, or felt any kind of rush to get back to it. I hate giving unhappy reviews but this one was just awful. However, I must be in the minority because from what I have seen most of the reviews were very positive. I give it 3 stars, I did not love nor hate it.

This story had potential, but overall wasn't for me. I liked the main character just for being the main character, but other characters were a trial to read about, despite the story telling me they were trustworthy. The worldbuilding has no explanation to how things got to where they were and I wasn't having fun.

Due to my obligations as a committee member for YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Reader's selection list I am unable to review any titles until the official 2019 list is revealed

ASH PRINCESS begins a new epic fantasy series. It tells the story of a young girl who watched her mother the Queen murdered in front of her eyes and who has spent the previous ten years as a captive in her own palace. She has been beaten whenever the rebels did anything that displeased the Kaiser. She has been befriended by the daughter of the man who killed her mother but she lives in total fear. She has also been waiting to be rescued.

When she is forced to execute the last Guardian - her own father, she decides to stop waiting to be rescued and the take charge of her own future. Of course this isn't easy. She has no power and is under constant supervision of three guards. Her first change is necessarily internal. Her attitude has changed though her outward behavior hasn't.

When a childhood friend who spent years mining the jewels that the conquerors want and which Theo's people used to magnify their magical powers escapes and comes to the palace, Theo finally has some actual support for her rebellion. Still, the rebels are a small group facing overwhelming odds. A plot is formed that involves turning Crown Prince Soren against his father to destabilize the government. So Theo begins to romance him and halfway falls in love with Soren who has suffered his own abuses at his father's hands. Theo is torn between the ideals she learned as a child and the crueler lessons she has learned in ten years as the prisoner of an evil man unable to trust anyone around her.

This was an engaging story but most of the action was internal which won't catch the attention of those who want battles and sword fights. Readers who want a character who needs to survive and who has internal strength will enjoy this one.