Ash Princess

I picked this on up on the tables at Costco- you know- what the heck|! And happily, I really liked this novel. I'm a sucker for a princess who has to do some growing up to take back her country from an evil conqueror. Add a little bit of old (now handsome) friend who may help rescue her and a prince who is willing to go against his evil father and you have a recipe for a lovely few hours of reading. Thora watched her mother- the Queen of Astrea- being killed by the evil Kalovaxians. For some reason they keep her alive and give her the title of Ash Princess. The Kaiser likes to keep her around to receive the punishments when rebels try and interfere with his new country. Thora learns to be invisible as much as she can, but it is hard as she is watched every minute. Cress is her only friend, unfortunately, it was Cress's father who killed Thora's mother. So really, Thora has no one she can trust. Until Ampelio- her mother's former Guardian, is dragged into the throne room and she is forced to kill him. With his reappearance, she realizes the rebellion has arrived to save her. But as with all damsels in distress, it really is all about saving yourself. So with her old friend Blaise and his friends Heron and Artemisia, a plan is formed which involves killing her only friend and the Prinz who she may have accidentally fallen in love with. Terrible things happen while the plan is underway and blood is on everyone's hands by the last page. Not only that, but a new enemy has been made who may be more powerful than Thora can imagine. Stepping into her role as Queen will not be an easy one because nothing is ever black and white. I look forward to the continuation of this series in 2019- thanks Laura Sebastian. Summer is winding down so I better get on to the next book on the shelf. Happy reading my friends.