The thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling series “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 … 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 anything from her mother, it’s 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.
Praise for the Ash Princess series
”A darkly enchanting page-turner you won’t be able to put down.” –-Bustle
“A dark and spellbinding epic. . . . Brace yourself, because Theodosia Houzzara–wounded, driven, and deadly–is going to carve out a place for herself in your heart.” –Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless
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I’m struggling with the star rating, leaning towards two stars, but when comparing it to the second book, Lady Smoke, it’s at least better than that.
My biggest issue is that after Ash princess, Theo’s character arc does not continue to grow. She is immature and carries an unjustified self-confidence. She is so firm about Astrea coming first no matter the cost, but anytime Cress or Blaise is the choice against Astrea, Theo is more than hesitant and often places her relationship with them over her country and people. She can’t seem to separate her childhood connection from either. Sorren is chopped liver though. She “desperately loves” him, but doesn’t even seem to blink at allowing him to be imprisoned or tortured. And he just takes it. Over and over.
Most of the phrasing is beautiful and passionate. I think Laura can string a perfect sentence together. Those perfect sentences strung together create a broken story. I’m disappointed in Theo’s lack of growth and maturity. It’s difficult to love a book when I’m disenchanted with the main character.
As I mentioned before, sometimes books can have disappointing endings BUT NOT THIS ONE. It was absolutely fantastic and brought all the feels. I honestly never expected any story would be able to shoot its way into my favourites list but this has. I’ve fallen completely in love with it and the characters.
Theo is a great heroine plagued with her own emotions but still shows resistance and strength. She recognises mistakes of her predecessors and wants to make sure those same mistakes aren’t made again when she takes the throne. Her supporting characters have become some of my favourites that I will continue to remember for a long time to come. Laura Sebastian does a great job of creating memorable characters.
The sacrifices made in this conclusion are some of the saddest I have ever read and it shows how loyal Theo’s friends are to her. That everything they said to her in book one was true. Everything they did was for Astrea. The only thing I didn’t like is we get this big build-up about a certain person magic and then we are let down as they NEVER use it.
I would definitely recommend this trilogy to everyone I know and it’s going to have to be put in my favourites with Throne of Glass and Graceling.
Ember Queen is the last book in The Ash Princess Trilogy by Laura Sebastian.
Theo was once a prisonner in her own palace knowed as the Ash Princess. Now free, she’s the rightful heir of the Astrean crown. With a little army of rebels she’s gonna need to free her enslaved people in the mines if she wants to take her country back and defeat the new Kaiserin. Cress is determined to destroyed everything and everyone that stands in her way and her strange power are getting stronger and stronger.
Theo, gonna need to learn to embrace and control her own power if she wants to rescue Prince Soren that was taken captive and if she wants to have a chance to take down the girl who a long time ago she call her heart sister.
I have really love this serie and is a bit sad to let go of all those characters.
I was really looking forward to this book as the first 2 were so good. I found this one very repetitive and slow. I was disappointed with the ending.
I’ve really enjoyed this trilogy. I’m sad to see all the wonderful characters go. For me the 2ns and 3rd book never quite compared to Princess of Ash. That first book was really really good. That being said, I have really loved watching all these characters grow and develop and come into their own. I was a bit let down by the anticlimactic and very predictable ending of this one. I felt the author did a great job of building up the anticipation and fear of what the final scenes between Cress and Theo would amount to and it just didn’t give that justice.
Thank you FFBC and Delacorte for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Ember Queen
By: Laura Sebastian
*REVIEW*
I actually started reading Ash Princess a few years ago but never finished it until recently. Of course, Lady Smoke followed in quick succession, and I was then fortunate to receive a gifted copy of Ember Queen. The stars aligned! As trilogies go, I’m always sad when they end, and this was no exception. I’ve come to know and love these characters, and I could easily read a fourth book. Ember Queen was an excellent end and wrapped things up satisfactorily for the most part. The story was well written and exciting and dramatic. I was not disappointed, and if you’ve loved this series, I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed either.
The progression of Theo’s character is nothing short of fantastic. From a timid, scared girl at the start of the first book to a strong, proud queen in the third. Though she may fight to retake her birthright — the crown her mother wore more than ten years ago — she always remembers the girl she was.
Theo’s relationship with those around her really blossoms in this book. Soren — a Kalovaxian prince who dedicates himself to absolving his sins in her name. Blaise — an old friend from childhood who holds more power than anyone should; a power that drives him to the edge over and over again. Artemesia — a sassy and strong Water Guardian who happens to be Theo’s cousin. Heron — the steady and steadfast Air Guardian with a heart bigger than anyone else… The cast of characters goes on and on, but at the core, these are Theo’s closest friends and trusted allies. The complexity of their relationship is outstanding.
The book wasn’t pulse-pounding or action-packed, but it definitely had its moments to shine bright. Is it worth the read? Absolutely, especially if you are already two books deep in the series. Was it a page-turner? Not nearly as much as the second book, Lady Smoke. But I still enjoyed the ride.
Perfect end to the series.
A satisfying ending.