Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

The first book in the New York Times bestselling series "made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" (Bustle), Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

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.

“We are not defined by the things we do in order to survive. We do not apologize for them,” she says quietly, eyes never leaving mine. “Maybe they have broken you, but you are a sharper weapon because of it. And it is time to strike.”

This book has two of my favorite things in it: politics and magic.

First and foremost this is book is all politics and Theo trying to survive in the court of the man who had her mother killed and took over her kingdom. The Kaiser invaded her world and completely upturned it. But Theo has survived for 10 long years and is slowly biding her time waiting to strike back. I loved reading Theo's inner dialogue and she pieced together plans and schemes to free herself and those she cares about. I also loved how she had to weigh her position in the court with helping her people.

This book is dark and gory. Theo has to endure the worst at the hands of the Kaiser. Whether it is verbal abuse and name calling or beatings to punish her after something her people have done. Or being forced to watch as her people are tortured and killed. There is a lot of violence and bloodshed in this book. Theo's people have become slaves in this new world and she is merely a slave dressed up at court.

The magic in this book is minimal only slightly explored in this first book, but I really want to learn more about the gems and controlling the elements with them. This book is definitely an introduction to the story. It sets up the rebellion and Theo's stake for the throne but it leaves so much more to be answered.

I cannot wait for Lady Smoke and see where Theo's story takes her next. I really hope we get to learn more about the magic system and more importantly there is more politics and manipulating

I enjoyed the prose but I felt there was an over dependence on tropes. I also wasn't fond of the way race was handled in this novel. It felt very stereotyped.

This book is one of my most anticipated releases in 2018 and I was very excited when I received this ARC from Netgalley.
I am very conflicted about my feelings after finishing the book. Theo/Thora is a captive princess who is mentally and physically abused by the Kaiser after capturing her kingdom and killing her mother. She tries to survive in the palace by suppressing her memories and trying to be obedient until she is forced to kill one of her own. This kind of situation should make Theo a very compelling character which she is for the most part, but not always. She doesn't trust easily but sometimes, she also wants to trust and believe in her friend Cress and the Prinz Soren. She wants to question her faith but is also scared of its outcome. But towards the end, it looked like she is finally ready to accept her role as the Queen of her people and I do look forward to reading what she will do next.
I think the problem with this book is that the world building is not done enough. We don't get to know how Theo's kingdom was captured so easily despite having magic wielders or how the magical system even works. I hope this part is covered better in the sequel. There are also not any interesting side characters to root for. Cress is probably the only one I find intriguing enough because she seems capable of both compassion and cunning and the story sets her up for a very interesting arc in the next book. Prince Soren seemed kind initially but he also seems a little naive. Blaise and the other rebels didn't leave any Impression neither did the Kaiser, who is just plain evil. The love triangle also feels forced and totally unnecessary.
Overall, I can say that the book was enjoyable enough that I want to read what happens next but I also hope that the sequel delivers more because this one did fall a little short of my expectations.

The beginning was boring, the middle was ok and the ending dragged. It's a little step to book two, I'm curious to see if I'll like that one more than this one.

It's an easy read though. Finished it within three hours.