Ash Princess Paperback – February 5, 2019

After reading 4-5 free books a week on Kindle Unlimited, I tried a sample of this and took the plunge for a $10+ book. WOW - you definitely get what you pay for! Ash Princess is the best dystopian/fantasy romance that I've read in a long time for several reason. Plot overview: A wealthy, magical, artistic island society was invaded 10 years ago by a seafaring warrior race that goes from nation to nation, invading, conquering, and enslaving weaker races. The main characters are teenagers on the verge of adulthood: the daughter of a murdered queen, the honorable son of a ruthless conqueror, scorned bastards, sheltered debutantes of the court, and a host of rebels and slaves who help them survive and conspire to take down a throne. This heroic new generation tries to navigate a violent world lost or won by the actions of their flawed parents.The characters are three dimensional, innovative, heroic, selfless, and flawed, yet there is something to admire even in the most vicious or petty of them. No one is entirely good or bad and their choices kept me constantly guessing and reevaluating my loyalties. The Ash Princess has grown up from the age of six in a court where any moment could spell her death and everyday brings a new punishment and humiliation. I was riveted trying to figure out her next move amongst the palace intrigue. Usually, I'm criticizing heroines for not being smart or strong enough, but not here. Every minute she was perched on the verge of disaster, playing chess with the lives of her servants, spies, friends and tormentors, trying to stay one step ahead. Far from perfect, she was perfectly written for a child who watched her mother get murdered and then was raised by the people who did it as a political hostage with the weight of her people's future on her shoulders but no one to teach her how to be a rebel queen. I fell in love with the heroic, handsome crown prince, a kind hearted boy and a military progeny who is tortured that he will become like his vicious tyrant of a father. He was honorable man in a court of lies who, as book goes on, struggles between retaining his own humanity when ordered to commit atrocities and being loyal to his own people.I appreciated that while there was violence and degradation (the heroine is whipped and beaten every time there is a rebellion) but there was no rape or molestation (of the main characters at least). The romance between the main characters is a sweet first love that takes on a desperate edge since the are both at the mercy of the prince's ruthless degenerate father and they each have deep loyalties to different races, one the conqueror and the other the enslaved. To love each other one of them must betray their own people. What choice will each make? I was kept guessing until the very last page.I read A LOT of books and mostly I find myself dissatisfied with the plot and character development (TSTL heroines, badly thought out plot lines, choices that seem contrived, etc.) but this left me speechless, literally speechless. Not once could I guess where the author might be going with the plot and several times I was shocked to hear more backstory on a character that completely changed how I (and the heroine) saw a character. I often reread chapters just because I knew that this was the first in a series and I didn't want it to end. When was the last time that happened for you with a book? Don't hesitate over the price. You won't regret it.

I found myself immediately drawn into the story as soon as I started listening to it. The audible version really does bring the story to life. I am in no way the target audience so take that for what it is. I do enjoy a good fantasy young adult or not. I will freely admit that if you look too deeply or think too much on the story cracks and show in terms of plot and world building. However the story is driven by the main character who we are put in the shoes of through the first person present tense perspective. In all honesty the character drew me in so much that it can pull you through the story if you don't think you deeply.As a hobby writer it is interesting to see an author tug at the heartstrings. I was going to title this review Laura Sebastian is a secret send ninja sponsor. Because I really did tear up at times been thinking about the main character and her family. The story is not shy away from harshness even though it is a clean story.If you're looking for more fantasy elements than this might not be the story for you. There is magic and it's expressed as being around in hinted but it's not necessarily fully seen. This is more of a romance and psychological story set in a fantasy setting. I do believe that the magic will come out more as The story goes along.Well I didn't get pulled out of the story much I did I see cliches popping up. You have the evil male-dominated bad guys taking over and destroying the peaceful female lead culture of the good guys. The antagonist s are evil for evil's sake taking destroying and conquering because they can without actually having a Homeland anymore which is also part of the reason why the story does break down a bit. There's also the predictable male none romantic interest gay character and it wasn't even surprising when it happened because it fit the cliche too perfectly not to be who he was. Still the character was well written and that part of a story was only a few lines and part of a tragic past.One of the surprising aspects of the story was the struggle and the character's faith in the gods. It reminds me in a way of Girl of Fire and Thorns that has faith-based magic whereas this story has a magic that is understood by people through faith in some portion. So the two are completely separate stories and series. It was just an aspect I hadn't foreseenThere's also the semi love triangle setup that is often seen in romance ya in adult. I do feel that this was a bit more realistic as the characters feelings are completely understandable and confusing as heck. The way the author portrayed her main character really brought her to life and has to be looking forward to the rest of the series. While I am going to take a couple days to read some quick action fantasy I look forward to jumping back into the story as I drive across the country at night. Stories like this make being a truck driver a bit easier.For parents who are wondering if this is going to be a good story for their children I will say it is clean and targeted at young adults and perhaps preteens. There is no sexually explicit material and very much runs along the lines of bushes and kisses. That is not to say that story could not become more.