In this case the appropriation is the wealthy conquerors wearing the gems of power that have a certain ‘religious’ (inverted commas because the word ‘religion’ comes with a lot of real-world – and western- connotations that don’t necessarily apply here) significance as symbols of wealth and extravagance, ignoring the rituals and responsibility associated with them. Laura Sebastian, to my knowledge, is a white author so I don’t want to read too much into the idea of appropriation, but I think it was a good example of how fantasy books can deal with real-world issues. I thought the way that this book toyed with the idea of conquest and appropriation was interesting. There is a bit of a love triangle which made me a little sad since that’s one of the few tropes that does feel overplayed to me but overall this is an enjoyable plot even with the romance. Personally, I don’t mind them, I think that they are tropes for a reason, but you should make up your own mind. With that in mind, if you’re on the fence about this title I would consider how you feel about these things.

It has pretty much all the tropes that are associated with this genre. This is a very classic YA novel in many ways. Starting off with the most obvious observation. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.įor ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.įor ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace.

On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. But reviewing one book through the lens of another is never hugely helpful so what we’re going to do is to recognise the similarity and then move on and review this book in its own right! While this is a more historical book as opposed to Red Queen which leans more towards science fiction at times, it’s hard not to see people rushing in to fill the gap in the market that will be left post War Storm. I don’t think you can ignore the cover’s similarity to those of the Red Queen series. This is one of those YA books that I have a feeling everyone will be talking about (for better or worse). Hello humans! Another hugely anticipated read takes centre stage today as I am reviewing Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian.

Ash princess goodreads