more enjoyable than book 1

I enjoyed this way more than the torture in Ash Princess. Theo wasn't my favorite main character but her companions and their tales really took over this story in a perfect way.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A dark and gritty sequel with tons of potential

Lady Smoke picks up right where Ash Princess left off, with Theodosia having escaped the Kaiser and taken back her rightful title as the Queen of Astrea plus a hostage that may or not be the beautiful Prinz Soren. Lady Smoke was honestly a very good follow up to Ash Princess but it didn't wow me like I had anticipated unfortunately. There was just or two things that brought it down to 4 stars for me.

One thing I still absolutely love about this series is the epic world building. In Ash Princess we were mostly limited to seeing Theo being held prisoner by the Kaiser but in Lady Smoke we were able to see more of this bloody and brutal world. Lady Smoke starts off on a ship as Theo tries to put as much distance between herself and the Kaiser as possible. Joining forces with her Aunt, the formidable Dragonsbane, they come up with a plan to take back Astrea and defeat the Kaiser, only issue being they have no army to achieve this. According to Dragonsbane, the only way to secure an army is for Theo to essentially auction herself off to another Kingdom.

This is one of the gripes I have with this book. In Ash Princess we saw Theo go through so much pain, humiliation, and because of it all a lot of growth. She became this strong independent young woman who only wanted to make her mother proud and become the best Queen of Astrea she could be. This never required her to have a husband. In fact, it is even noted from Theo herself that there has NEVER been a Queen of Astrea that took a husband and like, why now? Why did three quarters of this book deal with Theo being auctioned off to the best suitor? Now with that being said, it was still incredibly interesting and entirely gripping to read. There was still mischief and mayhem plus some murders that turned into a 'who dun it' situation and I LOVED it. I'm just a little salty that most of this book was about Theo trying to find a husband 🙃

It's not really a spoiler that the main trope of these books is the love triangle, and while it is a little predictable it is still entirely entertaining. Blaise and Soren are complete opposites and I love that Theo has absolutely no idea what to do with either of them. They are both just giant cinnamon rolls ambling around while also trying to figure out their own feelings.

Most of the action in this sequel is towards the end, but man does it pack a punch. There was more than one time I actually gasped aloud as I was listening to the audiobook at work and I am sure my coworkers were concerned with what was happening to me. No big deal, just going through an emotional trauma over here. I think this sequel set things up very well for Ember Queen, the final book in this series. I am so excited to see how everything plays out!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

dull ride

I'll start with what I don't like.

the main character was still annoying and immature, either I'm overdosed on YA and getting tiered of teens acting dumb and being immature in their process of thinking. her flaws felt more annoying than a good build up for her growth which didn't really happen anyways.

the story: in all the hours of listening not many major plots happened, and good amount of time was wasted on little side "happennings" that didn't contribute but dragged the story. On top of that there were some plot holes (why and how questions) and the lack of weight behind characters (why are they the way they are).


I would compare this book to microwave dinner , in the end it's semi interesting but I would rather read something else.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

it's ok

I am a huge fan of the court of thorns and roses series . This series pales in comparison ........

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lady Smoke Book Review

After reading Ash Princess and falling in love with the story, I had to get my hands on the sequel! I pre-ordered Lady Smoke and got it in the mail the day it came out. I put all I had planned for that afternoon and dove right in. I got through about half of the novel that first night; I simply did not want to stop. This novel is an amazing continuation to Ash Princess.

This novel picks up after Theo's escaping the grasp of the Kaiser in the first novel. Theo now fights to gain alliances to take back her throne. Though, she finds herself in a tricky situation. To accomplish her goal, she must sacrifice much of the freedom she fought so hard to gain. She has to negotiate and find the best ally to help her take back her country. She goes through a long journey full of danger and adventure. I was annoyed for a long portion of this novel. In the first novel, I was so annoyed with the Kaiser. I hated him, which was the point of his character. I wanted Theo to kill him and could not wait for that grand finale. It did not end how I wanted, but it gave me hope for good things to come in Lady Smoke.

In Lady Smoke, I was so annoyed, in the same manner, with Dragonsbane. I mean, in a sense, her character is trying to help the naive Theo get the best alliance, but Dragonsbane just got on my nerves. I had hopes that she would be like a Professor Snape character: one readers hate/are annoyed with until the very end. That hope for the character kept me invested in her as a character. I wanted her to actually become likable.

Audible Review:

Maarleveld does an such an  excellent job narrating this second novel in the Ash Princess series! She effectively captivates the emotions of the characters and gives the listening experience a satisfactory feeling of being submerged in the story. However, just as the first novel, I did have to read at more than a 1.5 speed. 1.0 speed was too slow for me, and was quite dreadful to listen in that speed. At 1.25 speed, Maarleveld's narration is about the speed I read, so I enjoyed it at that speed more. However, I did want to get through it quicker so I listened to it at a faster listening speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator's reading speed. 

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I was distracted

To be perfectly fair, I was distracted while I listened to this story as I was very involved with another story that grabbed me (yes I read and listen to multiple books at a time). This rarely happens to me, as I can separate my many stories. So my overall impression was that, while very good, it wasn’t as good as the first book. It felt rushed in some parts, and easily victorious in other parts. The narrator was excellent though.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing sequel!

The book was enthralling throughout. The ending made me crave the next book. I'm astounded again by this wonderful author. I am transfixed by the narrators voice. Will listen to, again and again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Can’t wait for the next book

This is an awesome book! I couldn’t stop listening I can’t wait to see what happens next!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good

This book is pretty good. There are certain parts that are a little eh, but it is an overall good read.

amazing

the performance listening to this is outstanding!! this book keeps you going until the very end.