City News
Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian
Review by Christina
Ash Princess follows the footsteps of Theodosia, a girl who was the heir of the throne of
Astrea, a conquered kingdom. The Kaiser who conquered her kingdom killed the rest of
her family and everyone she held dear, but they chose to keep her alive in order to use
her against her own people who are trapped in the mines and worked to death.
Whenever Astreans riot or rebellions occur, even if there is no way Theodosia could’ve
been involved, she is publicly whipped and tortured.
Now in the second book, Lady Smoke , Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has
taken back her rightful title, and she is determined to free her people from the Kaiser’s
oppression. Only now, she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.
I would rate Lady Smoke a 9/10. I actually liked the second book more than the first.
The romance elements took a backseat in the second book as Theodosia fights for an
army in order to free her people. The author also expands more on the worldbuilding
aspects of the story, introducing more kingdoms in-depth and exploring their different
cultures. The magic is also a bit more a part of the story as it starts to affect some of the
characters and their plans. There were also more actions in the second book now that
Theo has broken free from her chains.
My favorite part about this book is the number of plot twists Laura Sebastian threw at
her readers. As soon as I saw something finally good is about to happen, the author
slammed the hope in my face. I love making predictions about how the story plays out,
but I didn’t see what Sebastian had coming.
I also love how Sebastian spent more time developing the storylines of her side
characters. Blaise was the side character that tugged most at my heartstrings. Blaise,
Theodosia’s childhood friend, had been blessed by the earth god with extraordinary
strength. However, his strength had proven to be more like a curse than a blessing. He’s
brimming with so much power that he can’t control himself. At every sign of danger, I
think: is this how he dies? Is this when he breaks apart? It’s as if he’s a walking bomb,
filling my heart with suspense.
The only con I would point out about the Ash Princess trilogy is the use of common
character tropes. Like, oh it’s another one of those characters trying to take back their
throne! Personally, I enjoy reading about this type of character trope so it didn’t bother
me in the slightest. However, I can see others who prefer a more unique storyline.
I would recommend this book to those who love fantasy and romance coupled with
political scheming. Though the Ash Princess trilogy does not have the most original
plotline, the way Sebastian paces her story makes it an enjoyable read nonetheless.