Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Book 2) Kindle Edition

I loved Ash Princess so much I was almost afraid to read this sequel in case it was disappointing or, as happens with so many other series, the author ruins the characters and relationships forged in the first book. But this lived up to my hopes in every way! Theodosia becomes a true queen, with all the powers and burdens that brings. Theo's relationships with Blaise, Artemesia, and Heron grows and deepens, as does her relationship with Prince Soren.Theodosia and her companions (three Astrean Guardians with the powers of Air, Water and Earth + Soren the Crown Prince of the Kalovaxians who also happens to be Theo's love interest) join with the pirate Dragonsbane (Theo's aunt). Dragonsbane takes them to Sta'Crivero, rich neighboring kingdom whose corrupt elderly king is only interested in how he can use her situation for profit. A sea of suitors compete for Theo's hand in marriage (and 1/2 her kingdom) while Theo fights against accepting a forced marriage for political reasons. Each of them struggle with the demons of their past and what they must now do now to regain Astrea. As the group navigates a sea of viperous suitors and tries to aid the starving Astrean refugees in Sta'Crivero, brilliant writing conveys their internal fears that they will become what they loathed in their ruthless parents. Does the end ever justify the mean? Or is empathy just a weakness that must be set aside for the greater good? There are twists and turns that had me cheering with excitement one minute and then shocked and despairing the next, but it is a ride worth taking. We see Erik and his mother Hoa again, and new surprising details of their identity is revealed. Crescentia is back and her transformation makes her into an intriguing and frightening enemy. Soren's political and military genius is put to use as tries to makes restitution for his past and show his love and loyalty to Theo. I loved watching their relationship blossom in this book. Theo finds new allies and moves closer to retaking Astrea.I can't wait for the conclusion to this series!

Good read, forward-thinking without it being overwhelming, but falls short of the 5 star potential that I think it has. I'm writing this review before book 3 is released, so I've only read books 1 and 2. This one is slower than the first but I think that's due to world-building and answering questions from the first book. Left off right where book one ended. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it didn't grab me quite as well as the first and the plot was slow to start but it was still a good read. The writing is beautiful and the characters seemed to evolve more for the most part but maybe not quite to their full potential or were a bit contradictory, but who am I? Certainly not a literary author. Overall I enjoyed the series but it's not quite a 5 star in my opinion. Would recommend for girls and young women ages 16+ due to amount of violenc and some mild references to rape/sexual abuse. Contains mild swearing but it was pretty scarce (in case anyone is triggered or doesn't like the occasional, but rare, cursing). The 2 books are very forward thinking and feminist without it being overwhelming, aside from what is discussed below in the spoilers, which is refreshing.*******SPOILERS BELOW******You've been warned!I found that both books were written beautifully but were quite repetitive when it came to past events in the series.Yes, we know the Kaiser overthrew her land.Yes, we know the Theyn killed her mother the queen, by the Kaiser's order of course.Yes, we know she witnessed it.Yes, we know she was forced to kill Ampelio (possibly her father), by the Kaiser's order again.Yes, we know Dragonsbane and Art have a strained relationship.Yes, we know she betrayed Cress and will never be forgiven.Yes, Cress now has a freakish gift that haunts nightmaresYes, queens don't marryYes, we know Theo doesn't want to forgive Prinz Soren for captaining the raid on Vecturia, though again by the Kaiser's ordersetc.I felt like I was watching episode recaps not reading books, and that bothered me. Maybe more than it should but it did. Also there is the stereotypical love triangle and she can't seem to make up her mind on which boy she wants to pursue but doesn't really seem to see it as a triangle, more like she is going to get both and kisses/proclaims her love to each, back and forth, with no real thought to who she actually "loves." This leads me to believe that Blaise will die and she ends up with the Prinz because there doesn't seem to be much of an arguement going on in her head, especially in the second book. With a book so forward thinking and trying to empower women, it doesn't make sense to me why this triangle is the way it is. It doesn't feel like "I'm an independent woman and the choice is mine," more like "emotional teenage girl can't decide."The first book had really good plot other than that and kept me up at night reading until I finished and I believe I overall enjoyed the storyThe second one I trudged through the first few chapters but once they were on their way to meet the king and suitors, things really picked up the pace. I did not guess the suitor murder culprit initially but started to get an idea of who it was right before it was revealed.

This is the second book of the Ash Princess and every bit as enthralling as the first. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. Great characters and full of suspense, danger, happiness and sadness. Can't wait until I read the third book to see how it all turns out. Highly recommend. Brilliant author. Hope Laura Sebastian writes lots more books in this genre.

I loved. loved. loved. the first book in this series. So much that I ignored my Kindle Unlimited subscription to buy this. The characters develop further and there are lots of unexpected twists and turns. I have to admit the first one grabbed me a little bit more; but this was still a really enjoyable read; one of the better ones in this genre that I have read in a while. In fact, I enjoyed it enough to buy the third book in the trilogy; which I am currently working my way through at a rapid pace. I'm going to be a little sad when its all over because I haven't seen any other books from that author. Hope she writes more soon.

I love these books! However my only issue is that there may be a touch to much descriptive writing. Thoughts of characters we don’t really need to know, that kind of thing. The story line however is well crafted and enthralling! I can’t wait to read the third!

There are many queen books out but this one shows good character development with a twist I didn’t see coming.

No segundo capítulo da série, a autora parte exatamente do final do primeiro livro. Vemos Theo, Blaise, Soren e Artemisia no navio de Dragonsbane com destino à Sta’Crivero, onde, aparentemente, vão se encontrar com um aliado. Enquanto Soren é feito prisioneiro no navio, Theo é obrigada a lidar com o arrependimento e a culpa por tê-lo enganado e tentado matar sua antiga amiga Cress, e, ainda, chegar a um entendimento com sua tia perdida, quando descobre que o potencial aliado que ela contatou, na verdade, está promovendo um leilão por sua mão em casamento, pois, somente prometendo em troca as riquezas de Astrea, será possível conseguir o exército que necessita para retomar seu lar.O enredo começa a ficar mais interessante quando eles chegam finalmente ao reino rico e opulento de Eristo e Theo vai conhecendo seus pretendentes aos poucos. Em uma recém liberdade que acaba se demonstrando falsa, a princesa se vê novamente obrigada a vestir a capa de uma personagem fresca, volúvel e inocente para escolher o menos pior entre os nobres convocados e ter uma real chance de derrotar os Kalovaxianos. Mas, após descobrir o estado deplorável do campo de refugiados de astreanos mantido no país e desvendar o mistério por detrás das mortes que começam a ocorrer no Palácio, ela cria um plano de última hora arriscado que leva todos de volta à Astrea a um encontro que modifica a perspectiva da guerra que ainda será travada.É uma história que mostra ao leitor o amadurecimento de Theo, pois ela percebe que, mesmo após tantos anos de horrores vividos sob o jugo do Kaiser, serão ainda necessários muitos sacrifícios para que possa realmente salvar o resto de seu povo e ainda apresenta algumas surpresas, principalmente, no que tange à mudança do inimigo a ser enfrentado.Também achei interessante como a autora explora e desenvolve melhor o triângulo amoroso, sem, contudo, defini-lo. Apesar de ele ser um pouco clichê, já que ela fica entre o amigo de infância e o príncipe “inimigo”, é possível perceber que a personagem tem sentimentos genuínos pelos dois e, na verdade, ainda não descobriu por quem realmente sente o amor romântico, sendo possível que ela fique com qualquer um dos dois, no final, ou, talvez, nenhum deles.A única coisa que deixou a desejar foi a batalha do fim do livro, que é o ápice do enredo, mas foi retratada de forma breve. No mais, é uma boa continuação que envolve o leitor aos poucos e o deixa curioso para ler o último capítulo da trilogia!