Ash Princess review: An intriguing start to a new YA series

Here’s my Ash Princess review to share what’s great and why to read

If you’re looking for a new YA book series to start, you may have come across Laura Sebastian’s Ash Princess. I know it can be difficult to determine if a new series is worth starting. Here’s my Ash Princess review to share what works, what doesn’t, and why you need to read.

Like any book, it’s not perfect. I don’t expect a book to be perfect. There’s always something that one reader will enjoy that other readers don’t. It’s the beauty of anything classed as art. But that doesn’t mean flaws make a book unenjoyable.

Ash Princess is certainly an intriguing start to a new YA series. Three books in the series have been released, although I’ve not read them all yet. I’m not even sure if Ember Queen is going to be the last one. Here’s my Ash Princess review to see if it’s a series for you to start.

A brief explanation of Ash Princess

Let’s just start with a look at what Ash Princess is about. The title is taken from the name young Theo is given when she’s forced to become “Lady Thora.” When she’s just aged six, her kingdom is taken over and her mother (the queen) is killed. Theo becomes the “princess of ashes,” and she has to routinely wear an ash crown to remind herself and everyone of that.

After 10 years, Theo realizes that it’s time to rebel. It’s time to fight against the Kalovaxians who took her country. And it’s definitely time to save her people. The question is whether she can go through with various parts of her plan.

This is where we get into my Ash Princess review.

You’ve read a version of this story before

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The flaw is that the work isn’t entirely original. You’ve read a version of this before. The main character is one who needs to find the power within herself to stop being a passive part in someone else’s life. She needs to take charge and save her people from the tyrant who has taken over her country.

Along the way, she needs to lie to people she’s considered friends for some time. She has to take steps to remove threats, but she questions whether she’s able to do that.

Thora is a weak and passive young woman. Theo is a strong queen in the making. Both are within the same body, and that woman needs to decide which one she’s going to be.

Along the way, she does have allies. Those allies question her loyalty but they also want the same thing that she does.

Twists and turns along the way

While the story itself isn’t original, the way it’s told is. After all, nobody can come up with the exact same story unless it’s directly copied—and that’s not coming up with a story, is it?

There are twists and turns throughout Ash Princess that make the story intriguing. You’re always looking for signs as to whether Theo will choose to be Thora. There’s the question of whether she’ll be caught before she can even put her plan into motion.

Along the way, there are characters you’ll meet that you know will come up at a later part in the story—and in the subsequent books. One of the flaws in the story is that it’s told from Theo’s point of view. We don’t get to know more about the characters than Theo’s opinion of them.

However, it leaves a lot to the imagination and makes you wonder about the events that are going on around her. In a way, this leaves a lot to explore in later stories and certainly makes you question the side the characters are on.

It doesn’t quite end the way you’d think

I’m not going to spoil the ending. All I will say is that the story doesn’t end quite the way you think it’s going to. There are events that happen that leave you with questions that the subsequent books will likely offer answers to.

There are some storylines that you can predict. I’ll tell you that Cress’s storyline is one of the most predictable. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be twists at a later point. Nor does it mean that the story is boring. You’re constantly looking for how the storylines develop.

The first book will leave you with enough intrigue and questions to move onto the sequel, Lady Smoke. That’s the point that I’m at now, and I’ll bring the review for that as soon as I’ve finished reading.

Ash Princess review: The grade

As a YA book, I’ll give this book 4 stars. While not perfect, it offers enough twists and intrigue to develop into something greater with the rest of the series.

Overall, it’s a smooth read. This is one of those books that flows well and you can easily picture the descriptions. Sebastian captures Theo’s heart and emotions beautifully from start to finish, bringing us the details of what she sees, what she remembers, and what she’s heard. We get a sense of this world around her, leaving us to wonder more about the other countries, the Kalovaxians as a whole, and the story that’s to come.

Young girls will certainly get a kick from reading Theo’s story. It’s one of those that proves sometimes playing along with someone’s game is necessary for a bigger purpose. It’s not a weakness but a strength.

What did you think of Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian? What are you reading right now? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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