Review: Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2)

Title: Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2)
Author: Laura Sebastian
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that was “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” ( Bustle ), Lady Smoke is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people. 

The Kaiser murdered Theodosia’s mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo’s country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess–a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn’t realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage–Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser’s rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.

Review:

I loved this book!

It started exactly where Ash Princess ended. The characters discussed some things that happened as a refresher of the last book. It was easy to get right back into the story.

This story explored some of the other countries in the world. Theo and her group have to get some help gathering armies to invade Astrea. I loved seeing how different these other countries were from the Kalovaxians.

Theo is a great character. She grows a lot in this story. She was so sheltered that she doesn’t understand a lot of things in the world, but she doesn’t show her lack of knowledge. She is still able to control her people and grow as a queen.

The ending of this book was so thrilling! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

What to read next:

Have you read Lady Smoke? What did you think of it?