Title: Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) Author: Laura Sebastian Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Delacorte Books Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: April 24, 2018 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
Review:
This book was so good!
Theodosia is in a unique position in this story. She is living with the people who invaded her castle when she was a child and killed her mother. She is their prisoner, though she doesn’t always live like one. She is put on display, and is often beaten in front of an audience. Now it’s time for her to rise up and take her place as Queen.
I liked how Theo was positioned in this story in relation to the royals. In many contemporary fantasy novels, the main character is placed below the royal family, usually in a servant place. However, this one was different since Theo was more of a prisoner or hostage. I liked this twist.
The story got a little slow and repetitive in the middle. However, the last 100 pages were so fast paced, I could hardly put the book down. There were some twists at the end, which have made me so excited about the next book!
What to read next:
Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2) by Laura Sebastian
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard
Have you read Ash Princess? What did you think of it?
This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
I was invited by HCC Frenzy to the launch party for The Field Guide to the North American Teenager this week. It was at a Wanda’s Pie in the Sky in Kensington Market in Toronto. The night started out great when I got the closest parking spot to the store! I had to take a picture of it!
This is my piece of apple pie. The picture doesn’t look too good… but it tasted great! It had a sweet crumble on top, though the apples were quite tart.
The author, Ben Philippe, spoke a little about his book but first he introduced the pie. He pointed out the Key Lime pie, which featured in the story and is his favourite kind.
After the pie, we were able to get our books signed! Ben asked if we were Team Maddie or Team Aarti when we spoke to him. Maddie and Aarti are the two girls who the main character, Norris, likes and spends time with in the book. I’m Team Maddie.
Here’s my signed copy of the book!
This was a super fun event! Thank you so much to HCC Frenzy and Ben Philippe for the fun night!
Have you read the book? You can check out my review for it here.
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Bookish Wishes. However, I did this prompt last week by mistake and it was already posted by the time I realized it, so I will do last week’s prompt this week. I have chosen some ARCs that I’m excited to read this winter:
1. Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2) by Laura Sebastian
2. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
3. Romanov by Nadine Brandes
4. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
5. The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters
6. The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes
Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of New Year, New Books?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee’s space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her.
To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.
Title: Backlash Author: Sarah Darer Littman Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Scholastic Press Source: Borrowed from a friend Format: Paperback Release Date: April 28, 2015 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
He says: You’re an awful person. He says: What makes you think I would ever ask you out? He says: The world would be a better place without you in it.
Lara just got told off on Facebook.
She thought that Christian liked her, that he was finally going to ask her to his school’s homecoming dance. They’ve been talking online for weeks, so what’s with the sudden change? And where does he get off saying horrible things on her wall? Even worse–are they true?
It’s been a long time since Lara’s felt this bad, this depressed, this ugly. She’s worked really hard to become pretty and happy – and make new friends after what happened in middle school.
Bree used to be best friends with overweight, depressed Lara, but constantly listening to Lara’s issues got to be too much. Secretly, Bree’s glad Christian called Lara out. Lara’s not nearly as amazing as people think. But no one realized just how far Christian’s harsh comments would push Lara. Not even Bree.
As online life collides with real life, things spiral out of control, and not just for Lara. Because when the truth starts to come together, the backlash is even more devastating than anyone could have ever imagined
Review:
This story deals with the important topic of cyberbullying.
Lara attempts suicide after a boy she was chatting with online tells her to kill herself. She survives, but that incident spirals into problems for two different families. Ultimately, the bully gets in trouble for pushing Lara too far, but the story asks the question of who is really to blame for the whole situation.
Cyberbullying is a problem in today’s society. Things that are said online can really affect someone, and cause them permanent damage, just like how Lara attempted to take her own life. However, the bully can turn into the victim when they face the backlash of their actions. This story shows how bullying can spiral out of control and affect the bully’s family.
This is my unboxing of the October 2018 Owlcrate box!
I’m obsessed with bookish socks, so these are a great addition to my collection!
I love tea! This tea strainer is great because it is made of rubber, which makes it easy to clean out and it doesn’t leave a metallic or plastic taste in my tea.
This is a print with the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter. Of course it has books and Hedwig in it, because that is what I would see if I looked in it!
I love this cute pouch!
The first book in the box was Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa.
The second book in the box was Pride by Ibi Zoboi. This one has a special edition cover, which I love!
Here is my unboxing for the October 2018 Litjoy box!
This is a pillowcase, which is based on the movie Hocus Pocus!
I love this small purse, which has an owl and clock from the book included in the box.
These are great notecards. I needed some new cards, so these will work perfectly.
The book of the month is Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd. I loved this book when I read it, so I’m excited to have a copy of it!
I love the trading cards in the Litjoy boxes! These ones have the couples from the Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet and Wolf, Winter and Jacin, Cress and Carswell. The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favourite series so I love these cards!
Jill's Book Blog 