Laura Sebastian

A tale of love, revenge, power and betrayal, Lady Smoke is Laura Sebastian's epic fantasy sequel to the New York Times-bestselling Ash Princess. After escaping from imprisonment under the brutal Kaiser, Theodosia is on the run, plotting to take revenge and reclaim her rightful place as queen of the enslaved Astreans.

Ash Princess Trilogy #2

Lady Smoke

Aleeya Metro

 “There is no pleasing everyone without losing yourself," he says.

"Hope is contagious," she says. "When you have enough, it spreads naturally.”

Ahhhh!!! I love Hoa!! She is such a boss fr. She has always had total faith in Theo. She knew that Phiren was the perfect name for her, she knew one day, Theo would make a great queen. Here she is predicting the future. 🥲❤️ Love her!

Paige D

“I’m proud of you, my Phiren. You mate be just brave— and just foolish— enough to triumph.”

Hoa is a queen. Honestly. She is so right for saying that. The Kaiser has no power of her anymore, she’s not afraid of him. She is so much more than a doll for him to play with and she’s teaching Theo that. ❤️🙌🏼

‘Hoa is quiet for a moment. “Fear gives monsters power,” she says finally. “I’m not afraid of him; he does not get that power over me. Not anymore, my Phiren.”

This is literally Theo’s life story. She kept going, never gave up, even when most people would. 

..’I went through hell and survived to tell the tale.’

Again, this is so real for so many people. You can tell how much what the Kaiser did to Theo effected her. Past, present, and future. She will always live remembering back then. :(

…‘I’m more aware than ever of my scars, on full display, how harsh and barbaric they are amid all the Sta’Criveran beauty. I wish the dress had sleeves of some sort—some way to hide them, to how the story they spell on my skin…’

This one is so real for so many people. It really shows how much Theo’s past impacts her present and future. 

‘These people don’t care about me. They only care about what happened to me, like it’s some kind of sick story written to shock and horrify and entertain them.’ 

AHHHHH!!! I can’t tell you how much this quote has actually made me scream. I loved Soren and Theo together, so this really made me have hope they may end up getting back together!!! It shows how much Soren trusts and trusted Theo, even though he shouldn’t. I mean she did stab him in the back. 🤷🏻‍♀️ (almost literally). 

“Yama Crebesti, Theodosia,” he says. 

The words catch in my throat. I trust you. After everything I’ve done to him, everything we’ve don’t or each other, trust shouldn’t exist between us. But here he is, putting his faith in me. 

Ahhhh!! This is my favorite quote from Soren. It honestly just includes his feelings really well. 

“Friends, enemies, I don’t think it even matters anymore. The chains are just as heavy, no matter who holds the key, he says.”

Kaitlyn Grace

"After fleeing Astrea and regaining her freedom, Theo searches for new allies to help her reclaim her throne, although that comes at a steep price. And with her enemies closer than she thinks, Theo's fight to win back Astrea may prove not only impossible, but deadly"--

envee

this is one of those books where i actually feel bad for the antagonist.
in the first book, cress was actually one of my favourite characters since i usually finde quite a lot of sympathy for the kind, kinda dorky but lovably best friends of the protagonist (i actually kind of rooted for her and søren for a while tbh haha). and then when the whole tragedy with her happened i felt really sorry,, i mean - her best friend wanted to kill her (though i know theo did it for a specific reason that you can understand) but this just lead to her becoming this cruel character in this book. while i still have to read the 3rd book i just hope cress either gets a character development, a redemption or gets the ending she deserves, since she wasn't evil from the beginning. it's the circumstances that made her be that way.

sophie

There's not much to say... The plot of this book is great but i think it's a bit too slow for me. I liked this book enough to finish it but i don't think I'll re-read it. I just have such a love hate relationship with Theodosia. I still can't get over the fact that she confessed her love to both Søren and Blaise. Like girl, choose one. I think she's really brave but i hate the fact that she throws a pity party every other chapter. Also, fuck Søren, choose Blaise.

Second book was by far better ! The love she has for Blaise & Soren is just pure & in two different fashions. I can’t wait to see her rise & see how Cress plays into this next book. 

Brianna Hickey 

Beatriz Aguiar

Way better than the first book. I could see the purpose. Also, Theo was more sure of herself and ade for a better protagonist.

fizzy

The fact that I won't be able to get the third book in a timely manner is the worst thing possible, and don't even get me started on the ending.

Kayla 

Natasha Bree

Menna Khaled

Hey friends,
✒️Genre : This was a YA fantasy 
✒️ Story line : Queen Theodosia is on a journey to reclaim Astrea back from the Kaiser. Theodosia along with her shadows, the prinkiti and dragonspane’s help start on the first step in this journey and it’s to gain strategical aid from other Countries in the form of their army to help her reclaim her throne. What would Theodosia have to sacrifice to get such aid ? 
✒️ Trigger warning : *poisoning * murder * Rape ( mentioned once )
✒️ Discussion : * Again The Cover is so beautiful
 * like in book one i must say again that the title of the novel is magnificent and empowers it more. 
* The writing style like i said before is super light and smooth that you fly through the pages yet very sophisticated and greatly portrays the characters feelings without elongated paragraphs ... everything is just naturally felt. Not one Page was boring or unnecessary. 
*Great attention to the smallest of details, Literally everything said or done and sometimes a look is important in the decision making process. 
* All the characters are loveable including the villains, i admire how all the characters in this book are 3 dimensional , they aren't just good or bad ... it's not black or white .... it's grey ..... 
*All characters have matured and became more 3D , each have faults because they are human which is why I cannot agree or disagree with one character completely, every character is a complex formula that the more layers i peel the more I understand yet the more i get confused and indecisive about who to love and who to hate 
* Theodosia is very smart and strong feminine character, she hasn't been once annoying or revolting in any way... her thought process is logical and realistic. 
* The Love triangle is written so Impressively well that i don't know who she is supposed to be with and which one is trustworthy or which one i am rooting for in this relationship yet this indecisiveness i am in is not at all annoying me which really shows how good the writing of Laura Sebastian is. 
* The ending was such a cliff hanger , it left me in tears and in shock , all I could want right now is book 3 ASAP. 

✒️ Recommendations : YA fantasy, Magic , sort of Dystopian, Monarchy, strategies and war fans. 
✒️ Rating : 5 stars all the way to the moon and back
✒️ Audiobook : 5 stars as well, the narrator's voice did a great job at portraying the different characters and their feelings. I totally recommend listening to it.

Stay safe , Stay at home 🏡 #QuarantineRead

Livia

Thing I don't like:
-Istg Blaise is Mal 2.0 and he would legit let the world burn to save Theo (I mean it as a bad thing, because I hate Mal)
-Søren deserves better than being left hanging by Theo
-Theo is the most indecisive bitch because she can't even made up her mind about which boy she actually loved and just casually kiss them and throw the L word around like it's nothing. 
-The middle part of the book grates on my nerves because nothing happens and it's just the characters being stupid
-Theo wearing a freaking dress to warfare just so that she looks "queenly"
-Characters getting out of their characters to fit the story
-CRESS ISTG I WOULD BURN THE WORLD IF IT MEANS I COULD STAB YOU IN THE HEART. You're not even a good villain. You're just petty and thinks you know everything

Things I like:
-JUSTICE FOR SØREN BECAUSE HE'S GONE THROUGH THE MOST SHIT YET HE'S THE MOST REASONABLE AND AWESOME CHARACTER. THE GROWTH. YES. BOY YOU DESERVE BETTER.
-The last 30% of the book

Ella Wicks

I loved this book! This was one of my favorite series i’ve read. The character development, plot, twists and the overall message was amazing and I loved it!

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

Well, this book is about Theo's life after she can run away from the kaiser. Another country offers her the possibility to make an arrange marriage so that she can have an army to fight for her land. Is beautiful, I love the metaphor of this book, I love most of the characters.

Actually, I only see one big think that isn't that good in the book: the romance. I swear, if the romance did not exist, the love triangle and all of this, this would be much better. I actually like Søren, Blase and Theo, but I don't like how the love triangle (that is not actually a triangle, is just two guys in love for the same girl). This brings a childishness to Theo's personality that I think is unnecessary.

Other thing that I didn't liked is how things seems too convenient all the time. This book adds nothing to the last book almost, although the universe is awesome, almost nothing was a huge contribution to the trilogy. But things can make sense in the other book, so I won't judge.

Besides that, the book has a awesome universe, pretty metaphor, nice magic system (although things are not exactly explained yet) and the writing is really great! So, I liked this book, the only problem is that I'm not exactly the target audience for this book.

Ariel

Like Ash Princess before it, Lady Smoke exceeded my expectations. While this one took me longer to read than its predecessor, I read it with the same fervor, just waiting for each new page to begin so I could get more of Theo, Soren, Blaise and the rest of their band of rebels. If you like stories of hope and revenge, I think you’ll enjoy reading this series.

danielle bush

I'm so glad I finally decided to read this. Theo is definitely growing into a woman who can become the queen. She is having to make allies, and tough decisions. I cant wait to see what happens in the final book..

Jordan Heustis

I just love this series! Now that I’ve reread the first two books, I’m ready to start the third one!

Ash Princess 2

Julia

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from Rockstar Book Tours and the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, and abuse)

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 512

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that was "made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" ( Bustle ), Lady Smoke is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people. 

The Kaiser murdered Theodosia's mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo's country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess--a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn't realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage--Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser's rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.

Review: Holy shit what an amazing book this was! I loved how it was a sequel, but it didn’t really suffer from the issue that a lot of second books do (rehashing the same plot as the first book and incredibly slow moments as the book moves us into the third novel). The plot moved forward at a steady pace, the main character had to deal with new issues from the previous novel, and the writing was fantastic. I loved the twist at the end of the novel and the change in pace from how you would think the book would go. While the book series started off as a girl who needed being saved, in this book you will see the girl saving others, including one love interest.
My only issues are that the book did have a bit of an issue with the pacing waning on the slow side then skipping a few ahead. It was a bit weird at first but I quickly adjusted to it. I also want to say the book ends on a cliffhanger and I’m dying!

Verdict: Girl power!

Heather Solov

** spoiler alert **
           A bit of an abrupt ending, but man it's poetic :) excited for book 3! Still has me hanging on, just as the first book did.

J.N. van Soest

I absolutely love this serie. It is giving me everything that I want from it. 
The characters are all different from each other and are all very lovable. The storyline is really interesting, I could never put this book down. I had to start the last book in this serie right away. I highly recommend this serie to anybody who likes YA fantasy.

Corrie White 

This is a really good second installment to a surprising series for me. While I love YA fantasy, it can be hard for books to really stand out in a genre that draws a lot of inspiration from itself. For some reason this book feels unique to me; I feel like it tackles topics that very few other YA fantasy does, I like the idea for the magic system (though I do wish it was more fleshed out because it acts more like a plot device rather than its own... Thing), it has some really interesting morally grey characters. 

Of course I still have some reservations about this series that I think with a bit more editing would have made this series a 5*. It's primarily centred around Theo as a main character and the unnecessary love triangle. Why can't Blaise just be a close friend? His entire existence revolves around Theo and it really diminishes the potential his character has to be interesting. I wish Art could have plot outside her tumultuous relationship with her mom, and I wish Heron had plot outside of the fact that he is gay. I saw another review wish that this book wasnt in first person and I'm inclined to agree if only because I want to know more about the world and secondary characters. Imagine having perspective from Søren or Cress even. Could have allowed for a lot more plot than what we got in this book.

Because my biggest issue was pacing. While I still flew through this book, the time spent in Sta'Crivero was too long for what ended up actually happening, while the end was totally rushed and then boom it was done. It could have been 100 pages shorter in the middle and tacked onto the end. We only have brief mentions of surprise people returning and the battle that has been planned for two books now only takes up mere fractions of the novel. 

I will give credit that the writing has improved considerably though. I struggled through the first book due to the profound inner monolguing. I bet like only 20 pages of actual dialogue happened that entire book. This one is better. It's still a bit overwritten and inner exposition-y (another thing where multi POV would have helped) but at least I felt like people were actually talking in this one. 

Overall I still loved it. I rate primarily on how I feel about a book rather than breaking it down more statistically and this series is a surprising and refreshing read. I'm really excited to see how this series ends (once either my hold comes in or the third book arrives).

Angelique Cather

I really enjoyed the book. I liked the development of the characters and the world building.

Farah Khaled 

I absolutely loved this book! Finsihed it in 2 days. My only problem with the book was the love triangle. Theo was playing both Soren and Blaise and jumping between them. I generally just don't love triangles, but I just feel like I'm ready for Theo to just make her choice already.

Towards the end of the book is where it got very interesting. The revelations, the betrayals and the cliffhanger, is what really made me push this book from a 3.5 to 4 stars ⭐

Will definitely read the 3rd book asap!

Lady Smoke Ash Princess Trilogy #2

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