Smart and sassy heroine! A very fun read for lovers of YA fantasy!!

I had been slightly wary about asking for this title. There have been an overabundance of YA fantasy novels dealing with strong female heroines in made up words with a little bit of magic. Unfortunately, I have been disappointed with most of them. Luckily, this book has broken that streak.
Theo is a great heroine that is strong in many ways, but is weak as well. She has many faults, yet it is easy to rally behind her. Other characters are well written as well. Soren, Cress and Blaise all have detailed backstories and great images. Even the Kaiser is a wonderfully evil villain.
The story itself is fast paced and almost melodic. It is easy to follow yet you cannot be sure exactly where it is headed. There are some surprises and many twists and turns that keep a reader turning pages. There are some tough issues discussed in this book and some hard images to shake, yet they are dealt with in a way that makes them not off putting, but, in a strange way, enjoyable to read. I look forward to the next book in this series.

For some reason it took me a few weeks to begin reading this book but I'm so grateful that I did. Full of action, adventure and passion this was a great story and was very difficult to put it down once I started to read it. This is a story about a princess who must pretend to be something she's not in order to survive the harsh treatment that she is facing after her country has been overtaken and her mother brutally murdered in front of her. Trying to figure out who the trust and how to trust herself to be herself, the story was very exciting! I look forward to seeing what the next chapter brings for this fantastic female protagonist. Thank you to netgalleyfor an arc of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

ARC provided by netgalley.com

Ash Princess is about a princess named Theodosia (is someone a fan of Hamilton?) whose mother (the queen) is murdered and her country is conquered by another race of people. Theodosia is raised in the castle as a hostage and grows up alongside the children of her captors and mother's murderers. The book begins when she is in her teens and she becomes involved in a plot to overthrow the invader's rule.

This book is enjoyable enough. I found the middle of the book to be a bit slow but the last quarter picked up and held my attention more. The book did some things i appreciated: one was that the relationships Theodosia has are relatively complex, and the author conveys that pretty well. Two is that Theodosia's line of succession was completely matriarchal. Her paternal line is of no consequence and the identity of her father isn't even revealed to her. I thought it was neat to see a book that presented the idea of a queen who had total bodily autonomy and didn't share the throne or her offspring with a man. Overall the book was a pleasant and quick read.

Received an ARC form Net Galley....and now I don't know what to do with myself till book 2 comes out in 2019! No spoilers...but I do want to shake my book and ask it "how could you? are you ok? what is going on next?" I will be in reread mode until official release date when others can share my pain

** spoiler alert ** *Readers beware, light (or not so light) spoilers ahead*


Things I liked:

- Thora is a person of color protagonist and she actually does things in this book. She isn’t a mindless pawn (as so many YA heroines are), and has emotional complexity and agency in this book. You see her gather information, create plans, create new plans when things change, and struggle with the consequences of her actions, and I really appreciated that.
- The author managed to not shy away from the trauma and pain Theo experiences as she’s mentally and physically tortured throughout the book without making it seem too... overdone. None of the violence (psychological or physical) seems gratuitous, it was all there for a purpose and was written in such a way that someone as young as 13 could read it.
- The plot/friendship between Theo and Cress was perhaps the best part of the whole book. The most powerful scene of the whole book, for me, was when Theo realized that Cress had always, and would always, treat Theo like a privileged pet. A slave that one was kind too and treated almost as a ‘real’ person (aka a Kalovaxian) as long as they behaved as expected. It was an effective way to express the mindset of how the Kalovaxian’s dehumanize those around them in order to justify and uphold their place of privilege while oppressing others, and how those systems shape how everyone within them views the world and their place in it.

Things I didn’t like:
- The instalove/love triangle was just... middling. Nothing too special, and Soren’s instalove was ridiculous. They hung out for a total of what, 5 hours tops, and he’s suddenly so besotted that he betrays own people? I mean, I know we are in a fantasy book with magic but it just felt rushed to the point that it’s unreal-ness kept popping up in my mind and causing me to be thrown out of the world.

Overall, I liked this book and will likely read the other installments if my library has them, but I didn’t love it. However, I probably would have liked this book a whole lot more if I were the age of the target audience, also if I were a preteen/teen, and I would definitely recommend this to teen fantasy readers and would consider it for teens who like historical fiction that centers royalty but are seeking something different from what they usually read.

*I received an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ash Princess completely took me by surprise! I'd read the synopsis a while ago and had added it to my TBR pile, so when I was approved for the eARC I was over the moon!

I read so much YA fantasy that my tastes have definitely become sharper. I know what I like and I can usually tell whether I'm going to love a book from the first chapter. Finding a good YA fantasy is hard. Finding a good DEBUT YA fantasy? That's like hitting the jackpot! I can't say enough good things about Ash Princess!

I was wary about how the author would balance storytelling and worldbuilding when I started the book; next thing I knew I was halfway through the book, so well done! I appreciate that the protagonist was able to have a childhood sweetheart of sorts and not have it be an immediate "we were meant to be" plot point. Stockholm syndrome, PTSD ahoy will make this interesting for the next book.

A surprisingly heavy YA book. Be warned, there are several triggering concepts discussed throughout the book: mental abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, slavery, race, sexual assault, rape, etc. That said, I really enjoyed reading this (and will definitely look for the 2nd and 3rd books to the trilogy). The story is basic: standing up to those that seek to oppress you. While basic, the author manages to illustrate several YA tropes and make them interesting and new.

I was hesitant going into this book because it looks like Red Queen and has some common characteristics. Even as I started it, I resisted it. However, it lured me in and I can honestly say that is stands on its own as a strong story. It had a few slow parts, but the majority of the story was smooth and packed with tension. The story is well told, and I love that there are a million directions for the story to still go. Excited for the sequel! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC :)

3.5 stars for me.

I was incredibly unsure about this book at first. I am always extremely skeptical about pre-ordering books from debut authors. But, let me tell you, I'm extremely glad I was able to read it.

There were slow parts, of course. And a trope I'm usually not into but it really tended to take a backseat to the main plot, so that made me happy.

I absolutely adore Theo- the main character. She plays were part well and her inner monologue is great. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy :)

Exciting beginning to a new young adult fantasy series. The beginning was a little slow and because of the circumstances. Ash Princess refers to a young princess named Theodosua who is taken captive when her people are conquered, resulting in the murder of her beloved queen mother and enslavement of her people. Most of the book focus on how Theodosia copes in a pretty hopeless situation and if/how she can escape it or free the rest of her people. Throughout the story, she witnesses and experiences some pretty brutal things, which can sometimes be emotionally draining if you're on the sensitive side. Theodosia has to make some tough decisions in order to try to regain her freedom, not all of which I agreed with but somewhat understood. The characters are rounded out nicely and there's even a sort of love triangle aspect which keeps things interesting. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see how Theodosia handles the repurcussions of her choices and actions in Ash Princess.

This was a decent story. Had some original moments and some predictable ones I could see coming. The writing was good and the world believable. I enjoyed the inner conflicts of the characters the most. It was fairly fast paced and I will pick up the next in the series when it is released.

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, sexual harassment, mentions of rape, espionage, treason, and unexpected twists)

Pages: 432

Author Website

Amazon Link

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Delacorte Books! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: 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.

So going into this book I thought it would be your common damsel in distress book with a love triangle and the romance would overwhelm me to a point of turning off my Kindle. But holy cow was I wrong, well not about the love triangle but that’s for later in this review. This book was an unexpected favorite of mine. The characters were so well developed that even those who appeared “on-screen” for a short period of time had an impact on me. Theo’s struggles and triumphs felt amazingly real to me that I became one with her. I cried when she cried. I fist pumped when she succeed. I became heavily invested in all of these characters and I think any book that can make me feel this way is very special. I also have to praise the book on its world building. The world building was fantastically done and already we were heavily introduced to a handful of different continents in the first book. I could accurately picture the story and follow along with the actions as the story went on. Lastly I want to praise the book on its plot and pacing. While this book is not very action packed, it’s very intriguing and I love the slow build up and political side to this treasonous story.

While I loved the book, I do have to warn that this book is very violent and horrifying. The main character is tortured again and again and at times it makes the book very hard to read. But I think that’s what make this book special. It’s not afraid to “go there” and write down what would be the majority of people’s fears: seeing your mother’s throat slit, being made to stab someone you love in the back, gaining a friend to have them stab you in the back, being forced to go through torture again and again through the hands of people who killed everything you love… It’s horrific at times, but it’s completely real about the pain the main goes through.

Verdict: A book that keeps you on your toes and isn’t afraid to yank the rug out from underneath your feet. A must read for 2018.

I absolutely loved this book. I found myself reading slower and slower as I neared the end because I did not want to leave the story. Also, because I was rereading the text reveling in the complexities of the characters, their hidden agendas and secret plots, as well as in the richness of the setting. This book has the complexities of Game of Thrones but on a more PG level. I will be ordering this book for my library and will be recommending to students again and again. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I have added it to my list of books to purchase for our high school library. There were many levels to the main character (Thora or Theo). I couldn't help my heart break for her and the choices she has to make. Every time she was forced to put on the ash crown I rooted for her more and more. I can't wait to see what happens next!

You know how there are some books that you love and other books that no matter how hard you try, you just don't like. Well I didn't Ash Princess even after putting it down and coming back to it. This book wasn't for me. I just didn't like it.

I was very hesitant to even start this after seeing so many - some of my book friends included - putting this in their DNF pile. And I can honestly see why they made that choice. Because for literally the first 50% nothing happens and it's only very late into that near 50% mark that things do start to happen. Granted that didn't make it boring (at least not to me), while there were no action, revelations, or even twists in the first half, what we do get is a lot of backstory (that was very confusing at first, but it eventually smoothed out),planning, and plotting to get all the pieces in their respective places for an exciting, swoony, heartbreaking, fist-shaking, eyebrow raising, removing my earrings cause I'mma bout to fight somebody second half that put me solidly on the sequel train! Releasing April 24, 2018, the first half sets the stage, be sure to stay for the show!

Sad to say that this was a DNF (did not finish). I've had this ARC sitting on my kindle for a little bit and I really couldn't bring myself to finish it. I made it halfway through and felt like nothing really happened so far. It was going way too slow for my liking and it couldn't keep my attention. I agree with the other reviews that there were too many similarities to Red Queen. I loved Red Queen so I should’ve been into this, but I couldn’t. Maybe I can come back to it at a later time, but I can’t get into it right now.

Ash Princess has all of the necessary ingredients of a successful fantasy young adult novel: a princess trying to find herself; a princess trying to save her country, and a princess falling in love. But, happily, it diverts from a stereotypical plot and static characters. Theodosia grows, thankfully, into a monstrous queen, putting aside her feelings for the sake of her country. While she doubts herself time and time again, she is ultimately willing to lay her country over the desires of her heart. Yes, there's a typical love triangle, but it's not as pronounced as, let's say, Twilight or The Hunger Games. This one feels more real and tangible, rather than the stereotypical mixed-up, hormonal ragings and rantings of a teenage girl. Ash Princess is the grown-up young adult novel for strong girls!