Hello Readers,
Ash Princess is a darker book than the typical
YA fantasy. As a debut novel I would say Ash Princess is well written and
well-paced. Laura Sebastian does a amazing job of painting a picture of Theo’s (a.k.a. Theodosia, a.k.a Thora) world. Ash Princess sets the tone of the novel right from the first scene
brutally recounting Theodosia's memory of her mother's murder and that darkness
is embedded into Theo's life ever since. Theo is forced to live with her mother’s murder and her
kingdom is overtaken by The Kaiser. It is a fantastic book that drags you into
the story and keeps you there the whole way through the book. Having said that
I think Laura does a really great job of balancing the darkness of the
story. Ash Princess is a dark world it covers some heavy subjects (slavery,
murder, torture, etc) and nods at some others that happen off the page (rape). The stakes feel higher, Theo's problems seem larger, and her
risks greater.
Ash Princess is about 16 years old Theo who is the rightful ruler of Astrea or she would’ve been had
the Kaiser not invaded and brutally murdered thousands and Enslaving her people.
Theo's mother, the Queen, was murdered in front of her eyes when she was 6, the
country was conquered, the land was taken and resources pillaged. she’s then
humiliated and subjected to torture for 10 years under the “care” of the
conquerors. Theo has lived under the thumb of the Kaiser,
simply waiting for the day she either loses her life or escapes. They torture
her as they want her to completely forget who she is, and in mockery of her
heritage. Theo is known as the Ash Princess. Any acts that challenge the
Kaiser's rule results in Theo being cruelly punished.
Being Known as the quiet, obedient Lady Thora to
the Kalovaxians, shes kept in the palace by the cruel Kaiser as a reminder of
the Kalovaxian rule, Theo has put up with all this horror she's done nothing
but survive until one of her punishments reminds her of who she was meant to
be. Now she wants her revenge for herself, her mother, and her people. She soon
finds the backbone to resist and fight back. Theodosia is not alone, there are
others who will do anything to remove the violent oppression under which they
live. Even while plotting and acts of defiance Theo still remains a very good
character
Theo’s character development is really something.
Theo suffers from PTSD throughout the book at the start she is very broken but
focused on just keeping herself alive. Although Theo is a little indecisive at times, I like how tough and strong she is, even when she feels
she isn’t. Rebel leadership takes its toll on Theo, she experiences inner
turmoil as to the price and consequences of her actions and decisions. Theo quickly realises this can’t be it and She is still full of love and compassion
despite the atrocities she’s been subjected to. There has to be more and when
she finds out she has a few allies close by she starts to plot for a better
future. It is not surprising after the life she has led that she should
struggle, not to mention that she is young and facing a steep learning curve,
and there are expectations of her.
I think this is a good start to a trilogy and that
there are some great ideas within this book. Laura has done a fantastic job
with both the world and the characters, and this really showed throughout the
book. I was really impressed with the world building Laura has made a
conscious effort to research the world she created with almost everything
thought out even the intricate details and belief systems. There is a magic
system, based on elemental magic, and this added to the story but didn't
overpower it, and was also simple enough to understand without too much
explanation. Within the kingdom, there are powerful caves with magical gems,
although one has to earn the ability to use the gems. The Astrean belief system
revolves around gods with the powers of the earth, air, or water, and Astreans.
Astreans are loyal to their gods, although the question of why the gods have
abandoned them is brought up more than once. We were also given a complex
political system with a strong focus on slavery, as well as the racial divide,
with the Astreans and Kalovaxians being polar opposites in terms of their
descriptions
The ending does two things: it gives
readers a nice resolution to the story but also sets things up for the next
book in the series. I can’t wait!!
L x
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