Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

I’ve read a long string of books one after the other lately so I needed a good fantasy book. Ash Princess was the book I needed. It was a great first book in the serious. Laura Sebastian did a great job of creating a world and letting you know how it worked. She introduced complex characters and showed you their personalities. All these things mixed in with a great Young Adult Fantasy. I have had my eye on this book for some time and decided to pick it up needing, as I said, a good fantasy. You can feel the fear and struggle with what is the right thing in every move Theodosa makes. In the beginning she just wants to live but when she is forced to do a horrible thing it changes everything. She struggles with who she has been taught to be and the Queen she is supposed to be for her people. Its such and great start to a story I can’t wait to finish. Now that I’ve read this one I’m dying for the next in the series Lady Smoke not out until next year. I don’t want to wait.

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Laura Sebastian was born and raised in South Florida (the Redlands and Key Largo) and has always loved telling stories–many apologies to her little brother who often got in trouble because of them. No copies of her first book, a Cinderella retelling about angels circa 2nd grade, remain. Thankfully.

After getting her BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design, she moved to New York City thinking that she would stay for a couple of years before going somewhere better suited for a small-town, sun-loving girl. Five years later, she’s still here and madly in love with it.

When Laura isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, baking cookies or cupcakes, buying more clothes than her overstuffed closet can fit, or forcing her lazy dog Neville to take a walk.

Her debut ASH PRINCESS, the start of a YA fantasy trilogy, will be out April  24th, 2018 from Delacorte (Random House).