Author: Laura Sebastian
Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult
Rating: 7.5/10
Lady Smoke is the second book in the Ash Princess trilogy. The Ash Princess has escaped the brutal grasp of the Kaiser and is finally free. Or is she? Carrying the burden of a broken kingdom, an usurped crown and the bedraggled remains of her countrymen on her shoulders, she ventures out to seek revenge. Desperation drives her to agree to auction herself off in marriage to the kingdom which would pay her the most, in the hopes of reclaiming her country.
I definitely lovec reading Lady Smoke more than Ash Princess. It enabled me to delve deeper into the mind of Theodosia, and I like how Theo steps up into her role in this book. As a whole, the cast of characters had to make a lot of difficult decisions. At times I was actually quite stumped as to how they would get out of the messes they had created for themselves! But with the characters working their way out of problems together, their diverse personalities really shined through–this was the highlight of the book for me. I could see that Laura Sebastian really took a lot of effort to craft characters with layers of depth and nuance.
“Hope is contagious. When you have enough it spreads naturally.”
The plot is a lot more detailed in Lady Smoke, with more twists and turns, so it was a far more enjoyable reading experience. The wedding auction subplot developed in an unexpected manner, and I liked it very much. With the vivid descriptions, it was not hard to sink into the story and lose track of time.
There were heavy moments in the story which were portrayed in a way which was emotional, but not too sappy. The world building was also nicely done, and it was interesting to really experience the various cultures of different countries. These elements really enabled me to witness Laura Sebastian’s writing craft, which I felt had matured in this book.
The only problem I have with the story is the romance. While I liked how that aspect took a turn for the better in this book and developed in a much more organic manner, I still couldn’t feel the chemistry. The love triangle still felt quite disjunct from the story, and I wish it had been developed in a more realistic manner.
“People will believe anything if it makes them think they have more control than they do in this world.”
Overall, the concept of doing what’s right for the greater good, even if it means sacrificing what you want, was quite well explored. I am pretty excited for the final book!
Reviewed by: S.R.Scribbles (1st Reading)
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