Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Review: Ash Princess (Ash Princess #1) by Laura Sebastian

Firstly, thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for this review copy <3


Date Read: April 5 - 14 2018
Date Released: April 24th 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating:

Synopsis:
"Princess. Prisoner. Orphan. Rebel.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's 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.

"Tense and imaginative. Ash Princess is a smart, feminist twist on a traditional tale of a fallen heroine, with plenty of court intrigue, love, and lies to sweeten the deal. Good luck putting this one down." Virginia Boecker, author of the Witch Hunter series."

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2018 is really setting the bar for debuts, I keep reading great book after great book and Ash Princess has joined my list of 2018 faves. Ash Princess was a chilling, dark take on your princess-takes-back-stolen-throne tale and I loved every moment of it.

Princess Theodosia watched her mother be murdered in front of her and she’s lived with her mother’s murderers for the last 10 years. She’s a prisoner in her home and literally had her identity physically whipped from her. Her spirit is basically broken but she still gets up each day with that tiny spark of hope left in her and faces her tormenters. Her strength lies not in her ability to fight (because she can’t) but in the way she strategises and plans. All her time in the palace watching has taught her people’s tells and she uses those to her advantage. Theo also understands the true meaning of being a ruler – her life is not her own, her life belongs to her people. And so she gets up everyday knowing her people are still out there and enslaved. I deeply admired the strength of her character, her bravery, political savvy and selflessness.

Theo’s best friend, Cress, was an interesting character to read about. The daughter of the man who murdered Theo’s mother, Cress is actually Theo’s closest friend in the palace. She’s all about looking pretty and pretending all the horrors her father and the man he serves aren’t happening. She doesn’t really have a choice and tries to combat the cruelties the Kaiser inflicts on Theo by protecting Theo from others and ensuring she gets nice things. I didn’t know what to make of her but I do think she’s smart – she knew she couldn’t win so she plays the game her way. Cress is smarter than she looks but at the end of the day she’s still kind of petty and all she wants is to be the next Kaiserin which is how she was brought up. I appreciated her attempts at kindness but at the end of the day I do think her upbringing and Kalovaxian background overshadowed the tyranny of her people.

There’s a love triangle and you can picture me wrinkling my nose because I’m not a fan of them. This one is ok and understandable but at the same time not entirely necessary. I mean I obviously have a ship WHICH I HOPE SAILS. Like ohmygoodness my ship better sail because I’ve had so many ships sink already but if it doesn’t then I just want Theo to be queen standing on her own two feet k thanks. I looove the guy I’ve got my money on because he doesn’t try to hide his feelings, he’s honest and upfront about them which gives me all kind of mushy feels ya know?

All of this plays out in the palace of Theo’s birthright, stolen from her by the tyrannical Kalovaxian Kaiser. The guy is a horrifying piece of work, ruling through fear and brutality. He’s disgusting and a very straightlaced villain which I’m hoping Sebastian expands on in the future stories – I’d like to know a bit more about how he became the way he is so his character has more dimension. The Theyn, Cress’s father and the Kaiser’s right-hand man definitely intrigued me though. He does as ordered but there are signs he doesn’t enjoy the blood like the Kaiser does. Then there’s the Kaiserin who seems to be not all here as well as the legendary Dragonsbane. All these characters play an important part in the unfolding of Theo’s plan as she manipulates people like pieces on a chess board.

I found the world Sebastian built to be quite intriguing. For now, the magic is very light touch but it definitely has potential. The fantasy world and the people seem to draw on our various cultures – the Kalovaxians are German inspired while the Astreans play homage to Grecian culture. I liked that Sebastian mixed the cultures a bit though, as the Kalovaxian titles are German-based but the culture had a lot of different Scandinavian/northern Europe touches whereas the Astreas were more Mediterranean. Major props to Sebastian for making the Astrean society a matriarchal one.

Sebastian has taken a seemingly common plot and made it her own. I loved the workings of Theo’s mind and the way everything unfolded. There’s a shipworthy romance, political strategizing, interesting characters and a world I can’t wait to see expanded upon. Theo might have been given the title Ash Princess to shame her, but with the power of her mind and belief in her people, she’s rising up and she’s going to set the world on fire.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Review: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Firstly, thanks to Wednesday Books for this review copy <3


Date Read: February 23 - 27 2018
Date Released: April 24th 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: E-galley via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating:

Synopsis:
"OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating."

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Sky in the Deep was a great light fantasy set in Scandinavia. I enjoyed every aspect of this book and it deserves all the hype it’s been getting.

I liked being in Eelyn’s mind. She’s a fierce and loyal warrior of the Aska clan with a very obvious fighter mentality. Her character was drawn out very well, I especially liked when she finds out about her brother and the struggle to love him but also feel betrayed spans nearly the whole book. It’s not an easy thing to get over and Eelyn is faced with a LOT of conflicting emotions throughout. Loyalty to her people, what she thinks is right and the unmistakable pull of the Riki family. Her internal battle is a long one and I like the way she manages to still hold to her beliefs while embracing new ones.

There’s a bit of romance in this but it’s super slow burn and I actually had no idea it was coming until like halfway through the book. It’s minimal and doesn’t take away from the story but the build up is perfect. Having not read the blurb prior to diving into this, I actually had no idea there was romance at all haha. Young keeps it lowkey but also angsty at the right times. I’m on board with this ship.

One of my favourite themes in Sky in the Deep was the familial aspect. Bonds to family and bonds to clan were explored deeply here as Eelyn struggled to come to terms with her brother fighting with the Riki. He’s fighting for the enemy but he’s still her brother. Does loving him mean she accepts him as Riki and does that in turn betray her family back home and the Aska? The Riki are not so different from the Aska in their way of life, and they too have loving families as Eelyn witnesses first hand. I loved the dynamic between Eelyn and her brother’s Riki family.

Young has put just the right amount of action and detail into this to make it a juicy fantasy but not too much that it should be stomach turning. There’s lots of axe throwing, sword slicing, guts spilling out as well as stitches (without anaesthesia back in those days mind you) and resetting bones right on the spot (this did kind of creep me out). These are people born to fight, male and female alike, a weapon put into their hand as soon as they can walk so it was fitting. I was curious about this ruthless clan and wish there had been more about their origins though.

That being said can we talk about the male and female equality in this book? It was great, both genders can fight, are EXPECTED to both contribute and both can take positions of leadership too. Hallelujah. Women who’ve had children can choose to take care of them but can also take up the blade again if they feel like it. I’m here for that.

The writing in this is great, it flows well in a sophisticated manner. You don’t realise how much you’ve read (and you’ll fly through this) because Young’s style is so effortless you take in the descriptions so quickly, the images easily conjured in the mind and you don’t want to stop.

Sky in the Deep is kind of one of those stories that you know how it ends. You kind of get the general idea of where it’s heading based on the blurb, but you’re there for the ride. Which is sublimely executed. It’s one helluva ride with lots to see and learn along the way. As they say, it’s all about the journey right?