Ash Princess Review

    Theodosia lost her mother and kingdom after the Kaiser invaded when she was six. He crowned her the Ash Princess so that everyone would know she is shamed and a prisoner. Ten years later, Theo is still a prisoner of her own home. Then things change. The Kaiser makes her do something unthinkable. She comes to the realization that she must do more than simply survive, and she can do just that with her mind. After ten torturous years watching  her kingdom and people fall apart, Theo is determined to win her war with the Kaiser- just not on the battlefield.

    Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:

    Perhaps my favorite part of this book is Theo herself (note how I say Theo, not one of her other names- you will understand if you end up reading). She is SO cunning and strategic. I love how she fights with her mind because she knows she cannot win in an actual physical battle. Her mind really is sharper than any sword as the book description says. She is such a strong protagonist that it is inspiring. For example, she experiences so many horrendous things, but she still puts her people before getting herself out of her situation.

    I love all of the other characters too regardless of whether or not I like their personalities- my love is for how well they are written and developed. The Kaiser is so evil, but I loved reading the scenes with him. All of Theo's friends are amazing, especially Artemisia. Her no BS attitude is great, and I love that she is mercilessly herself, even in the face of a queen. I have such mixed feelings on Soren, but I still love how he is written. I am looking the most forward to seeing more of Cress. Her story arc in this book was sad but fantastic, and I cannot wait to see what happens with her in the next book. There is a good amount of character development, especially on the part of Theodosia. I really appreciated that they were not stagnant and boring. The author also did a good job with their introductions, especially Dragonsbane. This character was built up throughout the book so much only to be introduced at the very end. My anticipation for this character in the next book is HIGH.

    The story is perfect for anyone who likes games of politics. For the most part, a lot of the book is one big political game. There is some physical action that was fun to read, but it is mostly a war of minds. I personally am always very intrigued by this and find it much more fascinating than an actual war. I feel like there is a more physical war coming at some point in the next two books, so I am looking forward to seeing Theo combine both mind and body in war if I am right.

    I feel like Ash Princess as both the title and just a term used to refer to Thora is very clever. Her mom was the Fire Queen. Her kingdom is now in ruins after the Kaiser took over. Ash is the ruins of fire. Therefore, she is the princess of her ruined kingdom that her mother used to rule. It was a clever way for the Kaiser to remind her of everything she lost and bring shame upon her in front of his nobles.

    I believe the world building was pretty good for both Astrea before and after the Kalovaxians invaded. It was easy to picture how everything worked, including the Spirit Gems. The Spirit Gems are extremely cool, and I love the entire story behind them and how they work.

    I think that what gave this book the edge into the fifth star was not only the politics, but the tragedy of it. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Theo grow into such a strong woman, but the author did such a great job depicting the broken girl she was in the beginning. I felt so terrible for her and wished I could actually help. It has to be a good book in order for me to feel like that. That was what made me love it in the first place. Then that love deepened as Theo found herself again and grew. I felt so proud of her!

    The cover design for this book is gorgeous! This is what caught my attention originally. I remember seeing it and thinking that I loved the cover. I then started seeing it all over bookish accounts on Instagram and Tiktok and remembered it because of the cover. I also really appreciated the two maps included in the beginning.

    Overall, this book was a great story of political warfare and a broken girl growing stronger than ever. I would definitely recommend giving it a try. Now, I am going to go start the second book because I am SO excited to see what happens next in general and more specifically with Cress and Dragonsbane.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Author: Laura Sebastian

Publisher: Ember (imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Penguin Random House)

# of Pages: 433 (436 with acknowledgments) 

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Series: Ash Princess (book 1)