Ash Princess by Laura Sebastien (Ash Princess, #1)

About

She pretty much has four guys to choose from throughout the entire novel. Which is insane. Two of them make the clear love triangle, but there are a couple other boys hovering around as more potential love interests.

Despite that, I really enjoyed this novel. Overall it was clean, with a few trigger warnings to be aware of, but no excessive swearing or spice. The entire time I was trying to figure out what the plot twists would be, but my predictions weren’t completely right, which made it very intriguing. Some fantasy novels are super predictable, and others have plot twists coming out of left field that aren’t even logical; this one was a perfect middle ground where it wasn’t super predictable but still made sense.

Thoughts

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.

Content

Romance

Alcohol

Violence/gore

• A couple undetailed kisses

• A semi-detailed kiss

• Adult man leers at teenage girl throughout the story

• Implied that a girl was sleeping with a guard

• Whippings (described with a little detail)

• Underaged drinking

LGBTQ

• Gay side character

Other

• Man abuses his wives and then kills them (mentioned a few times throughout the story)