Published February 5th 2019 by Delacorte Press
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.
“A darkly enchanting page-turner you won’t be able to put down.” –-Bustle on Ash Princess, Book 1 in the Ash Princess series
“I died the Queen of Peace, and peace died with me,” she says after a moment. “But you are the Queen of Flame and Fury, Theodosia, and you will set their world on fire.”
― Laura Sebastian, Lady Smoke
My Review
I adored the first book in this series, so I could not wait to jump right into this one!
Theo is on the run from the Kaiser and attempting to build her army. She has to rely heavily on her aunt’s help even though she still does not completely trust her. Even though she is away, she cannot forget the misery she has endured and will fight with all her might to free her people from that same misery.
Theo grows so much as a character and she really comes into herself. She is not afraid to stand up to her aunt and become a leader to her friends/army. Her friends are her true confidants and she entrusts them with her life. There are times that she catches herself giving orders that she thinks are “kaiserinesque” but quickly rights herself and tries to be fair to all people. Her relationship with Prinz Soren escalates while she is also trying to sort out her relationship with Blaise. Theo still thinks of Cress often and tries to remember that they once were actually friends.
The ending was powerful and a great build up for the next and final book in the series which I will start on straight away!
“I hear congratulations are in order, Father, on your nuptials,” he says with a grim smile before turning his attention to Cress. “And you, Lady Crescentia, have my deepest condolences.”
― Laura Sebastian, Lady Smoke
Have you read this series?
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