Laura Sebastian

"With Astrea under the rule of a new leader, Theo returns to fight for her land and her people. But her enemies are more powerful than ever before and, if she is to win once and for all, she must risk everything and everyone if she is to reclaim her throne"--

Ember Queen

SMOKE CLEARSAND FLAMES DIE,BUT ONE BURNING EMBERCAN IGNITE A REVOLUTION.The thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Ash Princess trilogy.Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo's blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers.Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way.With more at stake than ever, Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart's sister.Praise for Ash Princess and Lady Smoke'A smart, feminist twist on a traditional tale of a fallen heroine.' VIRGINIA BOECKER, author of the Witch Hunter series'A dark and spellbinding epic.' SARA HOLLAND, New York Times bestselling author of Everless

Ash Princess #3

I don’t know how I can live with out more of these books. Ahhhhh! Im obsessed!!! Theo’s character development is truly unbelievable. Queen fr 🙌🏼🤭❤️

Paige D

‘This throne is mine, and mine alon, and I am no longer afraid of it.’

This is my last straw. I love him so much. He loves Theo so much. I can’tttttt!!!! He finishes the war, after everything she’s done to him and he’s done to her, he decided to stay with her. I can’t with this man❤️❤️

“I meant what I said before,” I tell him. “Your penance has been served threefold, Soren. You are free to go or do whatever you like now.” 

“And if I choose to stay with you?” he asks quietly. 

When I tell you, I SOBBED. Full on balled my ever-loving eyes out. Blaise my bby, how are you DYING and still tell Theo to live on. True bestie right there! 🙌🏼 Rip Blaise, you will forever be missed. 😭😭

“I’ll see you in the After one day, Theo. Don’t let it be for a long time yet.”

“Yana Crebesti.” Help me. I don’t think I’m breathing. This line. Ahhhhhh!!! It’s crazy how much I love this line. I love how they say it to each other so much and gain so much trust with each other!!!! 

“Yana Crebesti,” I whisper before twining my arms around his neck and pulling him down into another kiss. 

Stop. This is heartbreaking. Oh my goodness. I swear Theo and Soren have come so far together. I love their relationship so much ahhhh! 

..’push his shirt off his shoulders and look down at his bare chest, marked with scars and ugly words that will never heal completely. Seeing them breaks my heart, but I remind myself that they also mean that he survived. I remind myself that in some ways, they match mine.’

I’m in love with this man. He is the sweetest soul ever. I swearrr!!! He really wants to prove that he has changed and he is NOT the man his father was. Yes. 

‘Soren looks down at his lap, a smile tugging at his lips that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you,” he says. “But I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel like I’ve made up for the hurt I’ve caused. I intend to keep trying until I do.” 

Ahhhhh!! This really shows Theo’s character development and her being more confident around Cress. Because Cress deserves what she gets and this proves that Theo is actually a Queen. 🙌🏼

‘I shake my head. “No. This is the part where you make peace with your gods and pray that they dhow you mercy. Because I won’t.”

Kaitlyn Grace

Chiara Tallir

The Ash Princess is dead. Long live the Queen. Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade, made to wear a crown of ash. But there was fire in her blood and she escaped, gathering a misfit army of rebels behind her. Now they have a new and terrifying enemy – the Kaiserin. Possessed of magic no one understands, she is determined to burn down anything and anyone in her way. As the Kaiserin's power grows stronger and her beloved Prinz Søren is taken hostage, Theo is forced to make a terrible choice – will she overcome her heart to liberate her enslaved people and finally reclaim her rightful place as Queen? Ember Queen is the explosive final part of Laura Sebastian's New York Times bestselling Ash Princess trilogy.

I tried so hard to force myself to finish it but i just couldn't. I'd rather chew concrete than force myself to finish it.

sophie

Good ending. Super sad but also triumphant as well! 

Brianna Hickey 

While the book was amazing, the ending was well deserved but also low key predictable, this series though will always be one of my favorites

Kayla 

While the book was amazing, the ending was well deserved but also low key predictable, this series though will always be one of my favorites



Anne-Sylvie Homassel

La conclusion de la trilogie best-seller de Laura Sebastian. Prisonnière de l'usurpateur de son trône pendant des années, Theodosia a repris sa liberté, ne renonçant à aucune concession, aucun sacrifice. Pendant des années, on lui a imposé une couronne de cendres, mais c'est bien le feu qui coule dans ses veines, le feu de sa mère, le feu d'Astrée. Aujourd'hui libre, à la tête d'une armée de hors-la-loi, Theodosia n'a qu'une idée en tête : libérer son peuple et reprendre la place qui lui revient de droit. Pour cela, elle devra affronter la nouvelle Kaiserin, et son pouvoir mystérieux. La nouvelle Kaiserin, celle qui a un jour été sa propre soeur... À partir de 13 ans

Ash Princess - tome 3

Beatriz Aguiar

Very good story. The characters aren't black and white which I enjoy. I had hoped this would be a 5 star book but the ending was wanting. I ended too abruptly and was quite obvious in my opinion. Still, an incredibly enjoyable read

fizzy

this book was the best out of the series. i cried twice - the best way to ensure it was a good book

Menna Khaled

I LITERALLY CAN NOT STRESS HOW MENTALLY HEALTHY THIS SERIES IS , IT DEVELOPED SO PSYCHOLOGICALLY WELL THAT I HONESTLY WAS NEVER ANNOYED ABOUT A DECISION, A CONVERSATION. EVEN THE LOVE TRIANGLE WAS WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT WAS NEVER ANNOYING AND ENDED SO IN SUCH A MENTALLY HEALTHY MANNER THAT I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS NOT A HIT 

I am so full filled and happy as a reader because i read this trilogy. It’s now one of my favorites of all time. 

I must applaud laura Sabastein , the author, for writing such 3D characters, the dimension each character had added so much to the plot and to the book.

Plot wise this book is so cliché in the YA fantasy world ( a country is invaded long ago and now a revolution is happening and rights are being restored ) 
However what sets this trilogy above all others is the fact that even tho it’s written in the pov of one character , the supposedly secondary characters ( i call them supposedly cuz to me this book had around 6-7 main characters, non were secondary by any means ) were written so well and each of them had a healthy character development throughout the series. 

You can’t hate the villains because they aren’t completely evil and monstrous , no they are written as characters as humans with weaknesses and acts of goodness along with their evilness 

Every character that we lost in this book was given a death that’s honorable and respectful, it respected their journey in life , their hopes , believes and dreams. 
They totally died for a cause , no matter what that cause was , they died in mental peace with themselves ( including the villains) 


It literally is better writing wise than all the trending book hits including the hunger games , Divergent, The maze runner and shatter me 


THIS BOOK NEEDS MORE PUBLICITY

Livia

Kinda hoping more important characters die but alas, we don't always get what we want.

That aside, I'm glad the stupid love triangle is resolved. Still bitter that the ending ends like that because I want to see their plans in motion and not just something said.

lindy strauss

★★ ½

I really enjoyed the first two books but this honestly felt like a duology that was pushed into a trilogy. Or a trilogy that recycled a LOT. 

I liked the characters a lot and thought that one character in particular had a very satisfying arc (albeit sad) to his story. 

My biggest gripe is just that we see the same plot as the first two books. The same people being kidnapped. Saving them. Fighting them. This magic being unearthed. This person sacrificing them selves dramatically and coming close to death. 

I usually finish books in one day but this was literally a struggle for me to get through. Also, the one thing I was looking forward to was the romance between the two main love interests and it was nothing! No big reunion, and a pretty boring end as well.

Jessika Rucker

Freaking flip flack. I love this book!! I cried, I screamed, I curled up in a bawl and rocked back and forth. This was so good!!

Elaine

This was not what I expected. The ending came too quick, and I didn't feel much...A shame as I love the characters in this series and really enjoyed the first 2 books. 

Ella Wicks

This book really made me feel whole with this series. Theo and Artmesia’s relationship was the highlight of this book for me! I wish there was more Soren/ Theo parts!! Cress’s character was AMAZING and i loved her as the villain!!!! She was a unique character that was a villain but still had that innocent little girl vibe within her character

Reina de fuego

Anabel Romero 

Love it, just as good as the other two books. I cried.

This was an incredible end to a great series! I'm going to miss Theodosia and her story!

The Ash Princess is dead. Long live the Queen. Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade, made to wear a crown of ash. But there was fire in her blood and she escaped, gathering a misfit army of rebels behind her. Now they have a new and terrifying enemy - the Kaiserin. Possessed of magic no one understands, she is determined to burn down anything and anyone in her way. As the Kaiserin's power grows stronger and her beloved Prinz Søren is taken hostage, Theo is forced to make a terrible choice - will she overcome her heart to liberate her enslaved people and finally reclaim her rightful place as Queen? Ember Queen is the explosive final part of Laura Sebastian's New York Times bestselling Ash Princess trilogy.

Julia

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought my own copy and received one from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Ember Queen 

Author: Laura Sebastian

Book Series: Ash Princess

Diversity: m/m relationship, f/f relationship, asexual main character

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 512

Recommended Age: 16+ (Rape mention, Gore, Violence, and One Sex scene)

Synopsis: The thrilling conclusion to the series that began with the instant New York Times bestseller “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” (Bustle), Ember Queen is an epic fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers. 

Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic no one understands, the Kaiserin is determined to burn down anyone and everything in her way. 

The Kaiserin’s strange power is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren as her hostage, there is more at stake than ever. Theo must learn to embrace her own power if she has any hope of standing against the girl she once called her heart’s sister.

Review: I really enjoyed the ending to this trilogy! It was well developed, well built, and the book kept me on edge the entire time. I'm happy with Theo's development and I'm satisfied with the ending.

The only issue I had was that the very end scene was a bit chaotic. I had to reread it twice to understand it.

Verdict: I love this series!

Deborah Kerr

What a lackluster ending to a series that started with a bang that devolved into an underwhelming sigh.

Laura Sebastian is a gifted story-teller and master plotter. But not a single thing in this book surprised me or intrigued me or made me feel like she was doing something different. I AM HERE FOR THE FEMINISM but that cannot be the only thing you've got going for you. Every single event that occurred was guessable from approximately 30 pages out and at certain points I was more interested in Cress' side of the story than Theo's.

I understand that YA writers are now walking a narrow line in constructing strong female characters who are leaders who aren't Mary Sues. I get it. I empathize. But Theo did nothing of note in the whole book. She "led" her people... cool. But like... is there anything else she's going to do in this epic battle or is it just going to be Heron healing the fuck out of everyone, Artemisia drowning Kalovaxian guards, and Blaise earthquaking the shit out of everything? Oh, that is what it's going to be... unsurprising but disappointing.

There is nothing bad about this series. But is pretty tepid and in a world full of millions of books I don't know if it was worth my time. If I had known how this series was going to end, I would not have picked it up.

Corrie White 

** spoiler alert **
           This was my least favourite installment in the series, which is unfortunate given that it's the finale. I had a hard time reconciling this book with the other two and it felt quite formulaic as compared to the other two as they were more unique in plot.

I really struggled with the love interests in this book. I think Laura could have done something unique here and made this weird love triangle a polygamous relationship. I feel like although Blaise's death has been foreshadowed since the first book, it would have been interesting to keep them both alive and with Theo. It's almost as if she killed him off solely to keep the Søren and Theo romance alive. And don't get me wrong, as that's who I wanted to be together but omg where was their relationship this entire book?

I also had issues plot wise with the repetitious formulaic mine scenes as well as the deus ex machina dream sequences. While I thought them interesting, I feel like they were a bit overused at the end and were underutilized as a way of having a unique plot twist happen or something interesting. There were no plot twists or excitement this entire book. The other problem I had was with the Velastra. Definitely a shoehorned in plot device for the sake of it. I know Søren had to get back to Theo somehow but this was a very odd way to go about it.

The other huge problem I had was in regards to the anticlimactic ending with Cress and the fact that at the end of the book Theo chooses to practically enslave the Kalovaxians. Essentially showing that she is no better than they are. I feel like this was the worst way to end a book about trying to liberate your country from slavery and create a better world but alas.

I still found this an enjoyable read and had fun reading these characters. I do wish there was more time at the end to talk to Art and Erik and Heron as their plots were not really satisfied at the end. What happened with Erik and Heron? Art and Maile? Kinda disappointing.

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 


Just like that... Ash Princess is over. I'M A PUDDLE OF EMOTIONS. In a rare turn of events, this trilogy ended in a way that left me feeling 100% satisfied. Ember Queen was exactly what I wanted, needed, it to be and the perfect way to blow off some steam in an otherwise crappy week. This whole series has been an enthralling and utterly enchanting surprise. And, fun fact: Ember Queen is its best installment. 

Laura Sebastian, I bow down to you. From the complexities of the central story-arches, to the many dynamics, right to the world building and character development, this series is nothing but strong and fiery. Ember Queen is all about reclaiming what is yours and embracing your destiny--and every little moment in it is so, so, so, sparkling. I. AM. OBSESSED.

Something about this fantasy is highly entrancing. It compelled me from the start. In heartbreak and in strength, Ash Princess has truly been a journey--reading this trilogy felt like a breeze and this compelling feeling was just as strong within the pages of Ember Queen. Much like with the rest of the series, readers can prepare themselves for an abundance of emotion; the action, the romance, the heartbreak, the prose, build-up and the resolution.

Theo's adventures, her hardships and her strides, the battles and the love, the hard and easier choices in life, continue to burn brightly in Ember Queen. Again, I'm so in awe over the development of this world, and these characters. Laura Sebastian creates the perfect pacing and balances the plotlines with a suspenseful sort of ease.

Looking back on Ash Princess and Lady Smoke, it's important to note the amount of growth that has come to the trilogy. The way that it all ties together and builds on intensity? *Chefs kiss* Ultimately, Ember Queen solidifies what I've known since finishing Ash Princess: Theo is resilient, completely badass and absolutely one of my favourite fictional characters of all time.

Ember Queen is the novel we've, the fans, been waiting for and it's kind of everything one could want. It left me feeling deeply satisfied and the experience is a little bittersweet because, again, it's like saying goodbye to a good friend. Every page of this story is crafted in such a compelling, entertaining way.

Laura Sebastian is at her finest with Ember Queen, tying up the series with ease. Pair this book with a cozy blanket and a warm beverage. Clear your afternoon--this novel demands your full attention. If you haven't read the Ash Princess trilogy, there is no better time than now to binge read all three books and fall in love with this world.

Ember Queen

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