Ash Princess

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is burning with intrigue, battle, courage, and searing hot vengeance of a rising queen.  

The Queen you were meant to be. 

The Land you were meant to save. 

The Throne you were meant to claim. 

Theodosia was six when her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse if the invading kaiser and his court as the ridiculed ash princess. But when the kaiser denies her last hope of rescue, Theo vows revenge.  

Forced to make impossible choices and unable to trust even those who are on her side, Theo will have to decide how far she is willing to go to save her people and how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice to become queen.  

First in the nail-biting fantasy trilogy, full of daring, intrigue, and vengeance 

Review  

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is a fantasy, Fiction, romance, young adult, and dystopian book suitable for anybody between the ages of 14 and above. 

Ash Princess was one of my most anticipated reads the year: a princess seeking vengeance and leading an uprising was right up my alley! I love everything about this book, from the magic system, uprising, characters, and plot!  

The magic system – Unlike books which present certain characters to have magic, or magic playing into the side, or being part of a bigger scheme, Ash princess takes magic and Molds it into every page of the book. The main reason I loved this book to its core is the way the magic system has been presented to the reader. Lara Sebastian takes the classic power of the four elements and transforms them into something new and unexplored. If there is anything that leads me to buy a book, it’s the amount of thought given to the magic system and the intricacy with which the author has woven it into the story.  

Ash Princess not only gives me a deep insight into their world, but it also shows me how the powers are used, obtained, and consequences. I cannot emphasize the way Laura Sebastian presents the complexities of her magic system and I enjoyed reading the care with which it was written 

What I particularly admired was the fact that the author took 2 commonly used ideas of crystals and the four elements and made it her own. I would strongly throw this book at anyone with that fact alone.    

“We are not defined by the things we do in order to survive.” 

The Plot – The first thing fell in love with when I read the blurb. This book quite frankly has it all; a perfect mixture of royalty and rebels. The classic story everyone has heard- a princess who secretly supports her people, goes against her family, eventually overthrows the throne, and most likely has a secret affair with a peasant.  

This book takes the same concept and breaks all the rules. It shows the struggles, and the main character has been abused for years. Instead of showing the readers a strong girl capable and rebellious, Lara Sebastian shows us someone who is broken and on her knees. The first chapter left me bemused on why Theo wasn’t picking up a sword.  

This is honestly so well written, thought about and a wonder to read.  

“I was a princess made of ashes; there is nothing left of me to burn. 

Now it’s time for a queen to rise.” 

One of the best (and humorous) parts of this book is the dramatic phrasing. I would like to give a small mention to every encouraging phrase in this book. The characters are either trying to kill each other or comfort each other, and the way they do that is through dramatic phrasing. The elaborate speeches, monologues, and cries increase my love for this book tenfold. I am way it adds to the tense setting of the book, and the title itself gives the impression of a queen rising from the ‘Ash Princess’.  

“Is it better to have your life ended by someone who hates you or someone who loves you?” 

Theodosia Eirene Houzzara – Just her name itself would make me read the book. Theo is Broken and scarred when we are first introduced to her, she is a plain overthrown princess whose life is getting worst by the day. When I started the book, I didn’t like the weak princess before me and hated the idea of her being saved by her childhood friend. I had high expectations and was rightly disappointed. Later, I learned the author was building the tension, waiting for Theo to develop her courage on her own.   

“Maybe they have broken you, but you are a sharper weapon because of it. And it is time to strike.” 

Laura Sebastian takes the reader on a journey of self-development, some points it felt like she stretching the book, some chapters felt like they were too fast-paced and the overall plot was not as steadily paced as I would’ve wanted it to be. The chapters were not evenly paced and the book was just short of a steady flow.  

Romance – forbidden love, riddled with lies and betrayal; need I say more?? The majority of the book is Theo trying to make the prince fall for her and expectedly fall in love herself. This is truly one of the cutest romances I have read so far. Their love story goes against all rules and half of it is built on lies. It is realistic despite everything, and I can read it over a thousand times without getting tired. 

“Because I am not all right. I am a hurricane barely contained in skin.” 

The Characters – It is hard to narrow down characters in this book. Ash Princess doesn’t give me a depth of personality or unique quirks. Laura Sebastian, unfortunately, doesn’t explore the characters as individuals – it feels as though looking into one character at a time rips the story by its seams. Some people prefer the book to be more personal, but Ash princess is a plot-focused book that doesn’t let you explore individual characters and how they would react outside of the world and conflicts of their world. 

The Ash Princess cannot be enjoyed as an individual, its story is the best read when you have all 3 books. Book 1 ends in a cliff-hanger, with the readers holding a breath, so please please please have a copy of the second book before the end. The plot twists in this book go against the standard and I guarantee you’d wasn’t to read the next book as soon as possible! 

To conclude I would give Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian a 4.9 out of 5 for its daring, dashing, and smoldering storylines, burning with anticipation, and sparkling with vengeance. To me, it was lacking something to be considered a five-star and I sincerely hope the next few books in the series earn the gold stars they deserve.  

About the Author  

Laura Sebastian was born in Miami and writes books about strong girls who rise to the occasion in more than one way. She currently lives with her” extraordinarily fluffy” dog- Neville