I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, the cover was a big factor in requesting this book. I'm a sucker for a good cover. The premise itself was intriguing because I love me some revenge. However, the more I got into the book, the more I realized it was more of a slow burn plot than an action packed plot.

Think Sansa Stark from GoT interacting with Cersei/Joffrey and trying to navigate a Lannister run kingdom while trying to stay alive. Rather than a 'grab a sword and fight' type of MC, we get a rather meek willed MC who is all about surviving, at least at the beginning. Once Thora/Theo/Theodosia has to kill one of the last remaining Guardians of Astrea and she comes face to face with a rebel/old friend, she finally wakes up out of her fog of 'just survive somehow' and decides to finally fight back against the Kaiser who invaded her homeland, killed her mother, enslaved her people, and tortured her for the last decade.

This is a slow burn story full of planning. I didn't really expect a whole lot of action from the premise, but there's very little until you get to the very end. A good majority of the book is spent plotting, planning, and scheming. Thora/Theo/Theodosia isn't a fighter, she's a survivor, and this book isn't about her grabbing a sword and jumping into the war, but sneaking around behind the backs of her captors and plotting to take back her country.

For me, this is a different type of fantasy novel that I haven't really enjoyed too much before. In my opinion, I felt like the plot was a little lackluster at times and droned on too much in Thora/Theo/Theodosia's thoughts/memories/anxieties and the lack of actionable scenes made it not quite as engaging. It's a good book with good characters and Laura did a good job of really immersing us in the world of Kalovaxia vs. Astrea, but it could have definitely used a little more meat to the story action wise.

One of the things that really irked me about the story was the constant switching between names for our MC. Among the Kalovaxian's, she's known as Thora because, well, the Kaiser is an abusive prick who brain washed her into only answering to her 'new' name and being a 'good girl'. Among the Astrean's, she's known as Theo (to her friends) or Theodosia. With each name, our MC associates a part of herself. Captive, meek willed Thora. Just another girl Theo. Queen Theodosia. I understood the reasoning behind this, but it still irked me all the same. It felt as if I was seeing things from three POV's instead of one main character.

The Kaiser is definitely up there with one of my favorite villains. He is a rank BASTARD. There is not one redeeming quality about this monster of a man. He's evil to the core of his bones and I found myself loathing him more and more every time he showed up on the page. Think Cersei Lannister if she were a man, but without the love for her children. The things he did to not only our MC but other characters as well were horrendous. You will hate this man and the author does a good job of making sure you continue to hate this man.

As with all YA novels, we've got a love triangle. Soren, our Prinz of Kalovaxia. (No, that is not a typo. They're referred to as prinz or prinzessin of Kalovacia. It's annoying. It's an unnecessary change in spelling that really has no significance, imo, and served no purpose other than to be distracting.) Anyways, Soren is the son of the Kaiser who's been gone to train for the last so many years, doesn't like court, is more comfortable on his boat than in court, and gets along with his men better than anyone else. Basically, he's the antithesis of the Kaiser. He's the male version of 'I'm not like those other girls' and obviously immediately takes an interest in Thora/Theo/Theodosia and is appalled by her treatment by the Kaiser.

The other contender for Thora/Theo/Theodosia is Blaise, her old childhood chum who's leading the rebel cause, which is really the only defining characteristic this dude has going for him other than his incredible magical power (oh yeah, this fantasy world has *magic* but it's not really talked about a whole lot compared to the scheming). There's seemingly no personality to this character. He mistrusts Thora/Theo/Theodosia at first (to the point where he wants her to kill her friend to prove her loyalty), purposely surprises her during a public party and therefore endangers her in the guise of protecting her, and all but forces her into kissing him because 'he shouldn't be your first kiss', referring to Soren. Thinking back on it, I really didn't like Blaise. He's a one-dimensional, boring male lead. I found myself wanting Thora/Theo/Theodosia to get with Soren more because they had far more chemistry and despite him being the prinz (ugh!) of her sworn enemy, he was kind, compassionate, funny, and devote in keeping his word to Thora/Theo/Theodosia.

Cress, the daughter of the lead general for the Kaiser and the dude who sliced Thora/Theo/Theodisa's mothers neck, is our MC's only 'friend'. For the majority of the book, their friendship is a matter of inner turmoil for our MC. Cress is the only person among all the Kalovaxian's (until Soren) that has ever shown our MC any minute detail of kindness. They are 'heart's sisters' which is this fantasy worlds version of BFF. The rebels want the MC to kill Cress and her father, first to prove that she's loyal to the cause, and then later just because they're the enemy. You'll like Cress. She's kind, she's sweet, she's funny....and then she's not. She starts to see Thora/Theo/Theodosia as the 'enemy' for Soren's affection (eye roll) and, of course, turns into a mean girl at one point towards the MC. She later apologizes, but the facade has been shattered and once our MC pleads for help in an attempt to convince herself that Cress is worthy of being saved, Cress shows her true colors and Thora/Theo/Theodosia realizes that she's just a 'pet' for Cress rather than a true 'heart's sister'. This realization was one of my favorite parts of the book that I really enjoyed. I thought it was well done, and the play out of our MC's relatio0nship with Cress is a goooood part of the book.

The ending was my favorite part. All of the planning, plotting, and sneakity sneakiness of the whole book comes to fruition. Thora/Theo/Theodosia FINALLY gets to proclaim she's got a backbone, stands up to the Kaiser, and gives him two giant middle fingers to the sky. I could have SCREAMED from joy because 1) Finally some action and 2) The execution of this confrontation was just amazing. The whole ending was jam packed with action, revelations, emotion, and subterfuge come to fruition that I was chomping at the bit for each new page and when it ended, I was left wanting because we'd finally gotten to the really good, juicy bits and then....nothing. The book is a slow burn build up for a series, I know this, but I was so ready to read more.

Oh, there's a big revealing twist at the end (obviously /sarcasm). It comes out of left field with no breadcrumbs of hints throughout earlier in the book. It felt...weird. I mean, it was shocking because holy crap, you didn't see it coming at all, but it just felt...unnecessary. For me, it felt as if the author tossed that in there as a way to shock the reader enough into wanting to buy the next book to find out more. I will happily read the next book simply to see how the revolution against the Kaiser plays out. I didn't need a big twist/reveal at the end to want me to read more. Rather than an interesting twist, it felt more like a cheap trick.

Long review short (ha, not likely), the book is really good if you're into sneakity sneaky subterfuge, slow burn plots, and a LOT of inner monologing by the narrator who is more of a planner rather than a fighter. Excellent villain, good world building, decent characters. Not too bad for a first book in what I'm assuming will be a series.

4 stars for Ash Princess.

Overall, I found Ash Princess pretty enjoyable. I can't say that this will win any awards for originality but it was fast-paced and kept you engaged. I finished the book in a short 3 hours.

Theo is a captive (albeit beautiful) princess of the Kalovaxian. Forced to bear witness to her mother's execution at a young age, she has been paraded around Astrea crowned in an ash tiara. Symbolic of the charred remains of a once great empire. She is kept under surveillance by shadow assassins and whipped for any indiscretion the Astreans commit against the Kaiser. The Kaiser is your typical disgusting tyrant with a power complex. In contrast, his offspring, Prince Soren is compassionate and caring. So of course love blooms.

Theo for most of her existence has been terrified to step out of line but one final Astrean execution tips her from cautious to beyond caring. She joins a group of rebels to remove the Kaiser from power. Including one childhood friend who becomes a romantic interest so I wasn't really all that surprised when a love triangle formed. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, especially when it's two men fighting over one woman, but this triangle was subtle. Sebastian didn't make the plot entirely about her feelings and her choice. So while this is a classic trope of YA fantasy, it was done well.

The book lost a star from me in the world building. Astrean magic originates from gems that stand for the four elements - fire, water, air and earth. Certain Astreans are born with the ability to access one of these elements but due to the invasion we don't really get to see that magic performed. Although our ash prinzessen is a descendent from a line of strong fire weavers, she never harnesses it in the book. I would also love more information on all of Astrea's neighbors. Sebastian alludes to a few countries and islands but it's hard to gauge how large the world actually is.

On the topic of of prinz and prinzessen, I know a few reviewers have been put out of by this. I will admit that I found it a little odd that the author chose to use the German translation when the Astrean language sounds closer to a romance language (pala vinta, roej vinta, etc.) however, it didn't bother me all that much. Once I knew it wasn't misspelled, I got over it.

Four stars for Ash Princess, I look forward to Lady Smoke!

I love the fantasy genre and as someone who has read their fair share you can’t help but notice the pattern that plays out in each of them: a country in ruins taken over by the cruelest of enemies, a young woman who becomes the unlikely face of the rebellion, a bad of misfits to help her complete the necessary transformation from porcelain to steel, and a prince.

This book checks all those boxes and I loved it.

With this sort of formula in place it’s really comes down to the details, backstory and overall personalities of the main players to really make it stand out among the rest and that’s where this book shines. The villains are cruel and twisted in a way that I personally haven’t read before and made out heroine’s journey all the more important because the stakes where so high and the punishments for her own acts of rebellion no matter how small were evenly matched among those she’s never met.

She is not only the face of the rebellion when it matters and when her people need someone to give the speeches before battle or to bring forth courage in those who have abandoned all hope, but she is also the face when things outside of her control go wrong before the fire that’s needed to make her rise from the ashes has a single spark and all at the hand of her captives who take pleasure in reminding her of the cost of even the idea of freedom.

My only real critique is the love triangle thing - can we please do away with that trope?

I look forward to seeing the beats of magic that were sprinkled through as well and given how this book ended I’m certain we’ll be getting just that, also thank the heavens we have a kickass pirate who will remain nameless for spoilers sake, I truly can’t wait to read more about that as well as see how Theodosia handles the next part of her journey.

**thank you to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I liked that this book was smart and dealing with trying to take back a kingdom. I did love the romance in the book. This did feel like other books I have read before but I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. I found the story enjoyable and how much the guilt she felt but how much she wanted to try her powers but she didn't understand it yet.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start out by saying the cover is stunning. The colors are so striking that I was immediately drawn to the book.

The plot is unique: a princess of an empire, Thora, that was taken over by another empire is being held captive as a reminder of what happened. When her last hope of being rescued disappears, Thora secretly works with the rebel forces to escape and take back get kingdom.

There are a lot of tropes in this book. The one that really hurt to read was the love triangle. It felt forced, and I honestly didn't like either of the men involved. I found myself not caring who Thora wound up with. There is also the "pretend to love the bad guy to betray him, but really fall in love with him" trope that was frustrating.

The writing overall was good, but the tropes made the book predictable and I wish that there were fewer. I would read the next book to see what happened, but this book felt too familiar.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley
My rating is: 3.5
I really enjoyed this book because I couldn't always tell where the story was going. The main character has a story arc that feels familiar, yet every now and then the author threw in a curveball, it was those curves that kept me interested in continuing the story. I would encourage others to read this book (especially girls who maybe feel insecure in their own self-worth) because I think there's a bit of Ash Princess in us all.

I received a copy of Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book by Laura Sebastian that I have read, but I was quickly hooked by the world she created.

What first caught my attention was that the summary was intriguing and promised an interesting read. Happily, this book did not disappoint. The novel itself was fast paced with a fresh/different plot than the normal YA fare (also more complex than the norm for YA). The protagonist, Princess Theodosia, was incredibly well-written, and even though her character was fragile/beaten down at the start due to her circumstances, seeing her regain herself through the pages made her all the more likeable and able to empathize with.

I would definitely recommend Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian to any reader, and for myself, I look forward to reading future novels by Ms. Sebastian.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡ The beginning pulls you right in with the slaying of the Fire Queen, Theo's mother, and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Ash Princess isn't a happily ever after type of book. Which I LOVE because so many books are opposite of this. There are moments of happiness, but there was more reality to what the hardships of imprisonment and court life, would look like. There were no hero's in this book, instead victims, I loved the realness of the book!
This was my first book by this author,  I absolutely enjoyed every second of it.  It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 4 star rating!

The Ash Princess weaves a tale that most of us YA fans are accustomed to. Main character loses kingdom, main character wants kingdom back, and then has to figure out how to do that, while trying not to fall in love. While there were parts of the story I didn't care for, I still found myself reading to see where this book left us.
Starting off, my biggest annoyance with this story is that the plot repeats itself consistently. The main character, Theo, seemed to have the same monologues that got old to read after a little bit. It seemed wordy, and it made the book more boring than necessary.
Adding to that sense of repetition is the setting. We barely get a glimpse of the world outside the castle walls, forcing the characters into similar rooms and environments constantly. It, at times, felt suffocating.
Let's talk about these characters. I enjoyed most of them. BUT, the author didn't make it very easy to get to know them. Like the setting, we barely get to see the supporting characters in this story.
Theo was switching back and forth too much as well, from wanting to be the hero everyone needed to wanting to quit and just hide in the shadows.
I did enjoy the love triangle, the love theme didn't rule the book, but it was enjoyable. Hoping the future books will be stronger.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is a stunning debut novel full of lush description and heart wrenching moments. The opening pulls you right in with the slaying of the Fire Queen, Theo's mother, and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Ash Princess isn't a happily ever after type of book. It's far different from that. There are moments, glimpses of happiness, but while this is a fantasy realm, there was more reality to what the hardships of imprisonment and court life, would, I imagine, look like. There were no hero's in this book, but victims ... I felt they were all victims (except for the Kaiser) dealing with circumstances that guided some of their judgement, that had circumstances been different, I feel relationships would have turned out differently ... Soren, Cress, Theo ... why, why, why!?!?!?! I just wanted to cry for all of them!

In particular, I think of Theo's only friend, Cress, and the betrayal and the gut wrenching revelation of how and why Cress's father saved Theo. I truly hated Theo in that moment, but then I remembered what war and death probably does to someone .... it twists them and turns them into something that has little if no humanity left. And then I hated the circumstances, rather than the people. They were all victims. All. Of. Them.

Ash Princess wasn't something I could put down. I had to find out more about Theo, Soren, the Kaiser, Cress ... all these people and how their lives intertwined. The author does an incredible job of describing and showing the reader the full extent of the Kaiser's cruelty. I think about what he did to his own wife .... it was hard to read and hard to put down at the same time. That level of un-comfortableness I believe is the mark of a good writer .... it made me feel horrible and enlightened at the same time.

If there was one thing that I prayed to see happen ... I loved reading about the Guardians and the stones and the gods and the powers, and I understand the author made it clear that the Queen's didn't use the stones ... but I wanted so badly to see Theo erupt in flames in the Kaiser's court and burn the damn place to the ground, or something. I get it, that Ash Princess was more about using brains than fists to accomplish winning a war, and I absolutely appreciated that, I guess I wanted to see just how these gems/stones worked, or that Theo has the blood of a fire God, or something, so what does that mean? I guess that's what a sequel is for. I just wanted to see a little power come out in her. OR maybe it was that I wanted the Kaiser to pay horribly for everything that he'd done. I'm hoping that's something we get to see in the sequel. Still, a beautiful novel that I absolutely loved!!!! I can't wait for the rest of the story!

I’ve been wobbling between a 3 and a four for this one. I was so happy to be able to read it early and got through it pretty fast over the weekend but there were just a few things that were..missing?..in my opinion.

Overall though, it was a solid start to a trilogy. There was good world building, and decent set of main characters. One thing that surprised me in a good way was how dark some parts were. I feel like in a lot of YA fantasy books that have a lot of the same tropes, even if there is war and rebellion, we don’t see much of that death or darkness in a way that really affects us (or me at least). This book on the other hand had some pretty intense scenes with our MC, Theo, being whipped, treated like the scum of the earth, and a Kaiser (king figure) who was a monster. I didn’t exactly like reading about it but it definitely left a lasting impact on me! Another thing that caught my interest was the ending with Theo’s best friend, Cress. *Something* ends up happening to her and let me just say there will be a clash between the two in the upcoming books.

Few things I didn’t like: wishy washy sort of love triangle and honestly Theo at some points. There was something about her character that I just didn’t connect with but I have hope that that could change after how the ending went. Fingers crossed!

Definitely would still recommend to those interested in the kind of YA Fantasy that has been coming out lately! Huge thangs to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an eARC!

** spoiler alert ** Wow what an intense ride. I really enjoyed how the stones bestowed powers to the Astrean’s who prayed in the mines. I’m sad about Blaise though, five years in the mines and causing that earthquake in the beginning. I’m totally team Theo and Søren. I’m hoping they get HEA! This debut author is going to be on my to read immediately list. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
*I was given this ebook copy from Netgalley for review.

I loved this book. It is intricate and brutal and gorgeous. Filled with complex characters who were constantly surprising me.

Cinderella is probably my favorite fairytale and this was one of the most elaborate reimaginings I have ever read.

I highly recommend this book, especially for fans of Sarah J Maas.
Cannot wait for the next one.

I received this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 stars out 5
This book seemed to follow a lot of YA tropes like I worried it would, however there were some elements that made the book still interesting to read.

However it does follow the arc of the most hated trope of how the heroine does nothing for a long time, but then finally she decides to join the cause and become a prominent leader and though the trope is overdone it was well executed in this novel.

All bashing aside I still did really enjoy this book and I was sucked into the plot.
There was a love triangle and there is nothing more than I hate in book because 9 times out 10 they are poorly executed but this one wasn’t bad. I actually didn’t think it was too bad and it added to the story and I still don’t know which of the two she will choose, however the instalove in this book was a bit laggy.

Sidenote: So in this book they call princes and princesses prinz and prinzessin. Like I understand that they’re trying to be unique, but it’s very unnecessary and doesn’t really add to the book. To me the prinz reads as a cringe bad typo not like a cool alternate title for prince.

All in all I enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the journey to continue. I was sucked in from the start and can’t wait to read the next installment (if there is one).

Just by the title, I was intrigued. I saw a lot of hype for this on Twitter and decided to investigate on Goodreads. The synopsis does not do the book justice in terms of the real plot of the story. I saw some people were a little worried about the cliché trope of using someone and then falling in love with that person. Let me tell you, that is not what happens in Ash Princess.
From the very beginning you immediately feel for the one called Thora or her real name Theodosia. She watched her mother be murdered in front of her eyes at the age of 6. Then, for the next 10 years she was imprisoned in her own home now run by the Kaiser. A ruthless man who murdered more than 100,00 of Theodosia's own people. To further belittle and torture Theodosia, The Kaiser would whip the girl every time there was even a hint of a rebellion. The name Theodosia was physically beat from her mind leaving only Lady Thora, the Ash Princess in her wake.
For me Theo reminded me a lot of Aelin in Heir of Fire and it made me fall in love with her even more. Every step of her journey she was unsure of everything. She was talked down to by the people who tortured her, not trusted by her own people while at the same time didn't know who to trust herself. Her internal struggle with her feelings for Cress, Soren, and her people made me empathetic to her. She wasn't Lady Thora but she wasn't Queen Theodosia either. And to everyone she came across, she had to be one of those people.
Throughout Ash Princess you see Theodosia's struggle with wanting to be the great Queen that her mother was. She didn't want to be complacent in the Kaiser's war, but she also didn't think she could lead the Astrean people properly either. She understood why her people didn't and wouldn't trust her as much as her mother.
Theodosia's character development throughout all of Ash Princess was by far my one of the best parts about the story. In the beginning, she was seen as someone who was very meek and didn't want to start any trouble for fear of abuse. However, after she is forced to kill someone before her eyes, she has a change of heart. She is no longer content to just sit by and watch the Kaiser rule terribly. At the start of her change of character, she also begins to form different relationships with the other people surrounding her.
This was a wonderful book and I will be sure to support its release and hope to meet Laura Sebastian! Can't wait for book 2!!!

The first few chapters reminded me a lot of The Tearling series. I even found myself imagining the castle as laid out in The Tearling's depictions. However, as the story went on, I found the similarities ended there. Theodosia found herself much quicker than Queen Kelsie in The Tearling. Theodosia was also more likable, albeit less tough without any magical powers.

While the idea of the spirit gems was interesting, I did find the concept not as developed as I would have liked. It seemed information was only presented conveniently, like the mine madness and the poison subsequently giving Crescentia second-hand powers. I'm still interested to see how the spirit gems pertain to the entire story and to Theodosia's plans.

I look forward to the second installment!

I enjoyed this book immensely. I like how the female protagonist plays the game by being cunning and patient. I like characters and the story keeps you enthralled.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure I would when I first started reading it, but after a few chapters it really had me engrossed. I would definitely recommend this book to all my students.