The first book of my May reading challenge was Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian. I adore the cover and the raised details on the physical copy.
Somehow, it felt like a lot happened, while not a lot happened as well. Quite a bit of the book was Theo’s inner monologues and thoughts on what was going on, plus background information that occurred after the Conquering, which led her to her current position in the Kalovaxian court. The inner workings of Theo’s mind didn’t weigh down the story too much, but I wish there was more action on her end, especially with how many characters kept saying she was cunning and sharp. A few more actions to show, instead of telling us she was cunning, would have helped a lot.
I liked the fantasy, magical aspect of Spritigems, and the idea of Guardians training with a specific type of gem. I loved the contrast between Theo’s Astrean culture against the Kaiser’s Kalovaxian culture. While the first chapter, chapter and half, had a lot of info-dumping, the rest of the background was weaved nicely in with events that unfurled through the book. There’s a lot of dark, grim aspects in this book, so it may not be for everyone, but I’m a sucker for darker fantasy books.
One of my biggest concerns was I was more interested in the side-characters, Crescentia, Artemisia, Soren, Erik, and Dragonsbane, than Theo. I loved how Crescentia was portrayed and Artemisia became one of my favorites the further the story went. I hope we get to explore them more in the subsequent books.
Overall, 4/5 daggers
My next book is Scarlet by Marissa Meyer!
Kaylen Azalea Grimm 