Review: Ash Princess

Ash Princess
by Laura Sebastian

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 24, 2018

Ever since her mother and country were taken from her at the age of six, Theodosia has lived as a captive in her own palace. Only kept alive to keep her people under control and nicknamed the Ash Princess after her murdered mother, the Fire Queen, she suffers from constant abuse and never-ending ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. But just when she thinks her grueling life could not get any worse, Theodosia is forced by the Kaiser to destroy her last chance at returning to the crown. But Theodosia is not as alone as she thinks, realizing that she still has one last person that she can rely on to help set her free: herself.

This book is definitely one of those that go above and beyond what is described in the summary. So many issues were touched upon in this book and so many aspects of my ideal book were featured in it, that I would not hesitate for a second to call this my new all-time favorite! For one, the author was able to cover issues that are not easily talked about in YA fantasy, like sexual harassment and racism. These issues are hard to discuss in YA because they are so big, and are instead often skimmed over or just written in a bad way. But by creating a peaceful nation of people quickly enslaved by a greedy king and his people, the author was able to discuss these topics successfully. Not only that, but Sebastian was able to integrate them into her plot in a beautiful and interesting way. The integration of these topics made the book feel that much more real--as these are topics often talked about today--connecting things that readers see in the news to this fantasy world.

The next aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was the plot itself. Far from the traditional story of a girl in need of help who then discovers super-powerful magic that was just buried deep inside of her (like what the summary might imply), Sebastian was able to utilize another power for the main character to wield: her mind. Though this might seem obvious for a character to use, in YA fantasy it is more common to see girls using hidden magic as their weapon, something the main character actually flat out refuses to do because of her religion. I loved that the author wrote Theodosia this way because it made her more relatable and also enhanced the plot. Instead of going through magical battle scenes, I instead read brilliantly thought out plots, tricks, and conversations where Theodosia's words and ability to act are her weapons. These types of scenes were common throughout the book, leaving me desperate to read more and creating sleepless nights of late night reading.

Another aspect of the plot that I really enjoyed was the way Sebastian was able to steer clear of YA book tropes. At several points of this book, I thought that she was about to fall into a trope (and ruin the book for me). But boy was I wrong. Every time that Sebastian was getting close to something that would be considered a book trope, she was able to beautifully move away from it, making ASH PRINCESS unique and that much more interesting because it was harder to predict.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Each one was able to follow their own path and each lead to their own unique plot points. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but this book was definitely one that you could not predict, a great trait for a book to have. No two characters were the same and each had their own beautifully constructed story line.

I would recommend this book for YA fantasy lovers looking for a new take on the genre. ASH PRINCESS was able to combine so many factors that make a great book. If you are interested in seeing modern day issues such as sexual harassment play out in a fantasy novel and actually done realistically to bring attention to the issue, this book is for you.