Ash Princess is the perfect spring break read

With spring break coming up, you’ll have extra time to read and relax. Whether you’re going to be reading on the beach or on your couch, you should add Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian to your to-read list. Sebastian works as a babysitter in New York City, and Ash Princess is her first novel.

Ash Princess tells the story of Theodosia, the queen of a small nation called Astrea. She has been held captive by a nation of people called Kalovaxians, who have been occupying her country for 10 years. Thora, as she has been called since the invasion of Astrea, is frequently whipped when Astrean rebels try to rise against the Kalovaxians, and is used as a pawn to keep the rebels in place.

Thora endures such treatment for 10 years before reaching her breaking point when she is forced to kill one of her countrymen. She then decides it is time to turn against her captors, and fight to regain her throne.

Though the book had a slow start, the plot gets more interesting once Thora decides to rebel. It can be difficult at first to watch her be weak and submissive, but luckily this part of the book doesn’t last long.

Thora is also a very relatable character. Most people could identify with her struggles with bullying, as well as her internal struggles with growing up and discovering her talents.

Even though I am not a fantasy fan, this book really didn’t feel like a fantasy story. It read like a realistic fiction novel, with the only real aspect of fantasy included being magic. Since I rarely, if ever, pick up a fantasy novel, I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. In the future, I definitely plan on exploring this genre more due to how much I enjoyed Ash Princess.

At over 400 pages, the book certainly doesn’t seem like a fast, easy read. However, the plot is so captivating and easy to understand, those 400 fly by.

If you’re a fan of exciting, action-packed stories, this book is for you. There is a little romance, but not enough for non-romance lovers to feel uncomfortable. Even if you’re like me and don’t typically reach for books on the fantasy shelf, I would recommend going out of your comfort zone.

Another perk to reading Ash Princess? Should you end up loving the book as much as I did, its sequel Lady Smoke was just published. The third book in the trilogy, Ember Queen, is set to be released in 2020.

If you need a beach read, want to explore a new land, or just crave an escape from reality, I recommend Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian.