“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 claiming 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.”
Review:
Another AMAZING book. I swear towards the end I was actually SWEATING with nerves and anxiousness for our dear Queen. Theo is one of the most interesting characters I’ve come across. She is wildly calculating, and after years of having to pretend that her captors were her friends, extremely manipulative. She has one goal in mind and even those who have been kind to her must come second to her mission. It is truly intriguing to see her manipulate not only her enemies but her friends as well. It is truly the moves of a queen looking to reclaim her throne. Even when discussing rebellion, she is strategic in ways you would not expect for someone her age and in my opinion has the calculating and decisive disposition of a Queen, without a doubt. And Cress is also surprisingly astute as well, there were moments that we glimpse her own control. The scene at the sun pavilion???? My mouth was gaping, I was in such disbelief. And it only gets better from there.
And the BOYS. I will say, I am usually not a fan of love triangles but this one I was really flip-flopping which ship I was on. Søren was the chivalrous knight in shining armor come to save the damsel in distress, and have the damsel save him a little in return. But he was so naive! Theo had him wrapped around her finger even after she VOMITED all over him when he’s first introduced!!!! It was pretty pathetic. But you couldn’t help but want him to be happy. He had his own life he wanted to escape too. But BLAISE!!!! The bad boy rebel from Theo’s past come to save her! At first, I was adamant that if he was a part of her past, he probably wasn’t gonna be a part of her future, romantically speaking. But I swear he suckered me. At times I wanted to deck him for being even slightly condescending towards our Theo, treating her like a naive Stockholm-syndrome-stricken child when she’s a GODDAMN QUEEN, who just is a fantastic actress (most of the time). WHERES HER OSCAR FOR HER SCENE AT THE SUN PAVILION CUS YA GIRL EARNED IT.
It didn’t end how I expected, but I guess that’s okay. This is the first book in a trilogy (I think? Maybe more?) and it’s the first step to a grander plan which I am ALL for. This book was a home run for me. It drew a lot of comparisons for me from the Throne of Glass series (my favorite series ever) so naturally this was up my alley, but it was its own magnificence. This was truly a great read, and I can’t wait to dive into the next book! Let me know your own thoughts and feels! What was your favorite scene, because clearly mine was the sun pavilion scene LOL.
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