Book Blurb:
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.
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My Review:
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Another-World, Heart-Wrenching, Romance, Royal-Court, Supernatural, Survival, Suspense, Teen--
Theo had to give up her real name as well as her kingdom and power ten years ago when her people were attacked and conquered by the evil Kaiser. Everyone she knows is dead and she is now a prisoner in her own home, being used as a tool to belittle her people and to suffer torture when an uprising occurs. A time comes though when she needs to decide when to make a stand and take back her life.
The story is narrated by Theo, the prisoner/pawn of the kingdom who has so many sides to her I was uncertain what was real. Side note, we meet her as she is about to kill a person from her past- her savior, guardian...parent- to please her abuser? Yeah, what an introduction. It was hard to really root for Theo, she was a master manipulator who at times seemed so clueless and at other so persistent and ruthless. I could not get a grasp on her which made me uncertain if I liked her or not. I was 100% interested to see what she would do next, and I was completely down for taking down the Kaiser, but I don't know if Theo was my favorite- but all the side characters were developed, layered and awesome.
And yes, there is a love triangle- Theo has to decide her true feelings between a boy from her past who wants to save her and the kingdom and the boy from her present who believes she is a damsel in distress- all the while she plots his death. To say it is complicated is putting it mildly- and neither guy has a promising future, just saying.
This was a very SLOW moving story, more about setting the tone and character development than any real action. This is the perfect description of political intrigue where everyone has their own machinations and spies see everything- trust no one and always be guarded. There was also a touch of magic and Gods that was hinted at but never really fully described in detail and I would really love if there was more about that to come, which would really make the book stand out as more unique. The last 10 chapters most certainly picked up the pace and that was where all the real action took place, but unfortunately a lot of the good stuff (aka murdery business) took place off the pages and just mentioned later.
My absolute favorite thing about the book (besides the gorgeous cover!) was the correlation between the title and the content of the book. I don't know if I have ever encountered a book that had such a perfect title that was so meaningful. Theo's mother was the Fire Queen, and Theo has now been demeaningly named "Ash Princess" and the crown she is forced to wear was such a cool imagery. That alone made the book relevant to me.
Overall this was an ok book which has potential to develop into something more to come. I will pick up the second book, Lady Smoke (love the names), in what I believe is a trilogy, and I just happened to spy at the second book on Goodreads and the cover is so incredibly gorgeous!See??
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