Ember Queen is
the final installation in the Ash Princess trilogy, where we follow Theodosia
and her journey towards reclaiming her country which was taken away from her
and her family. It is a conclusion of epic proportion that emphasises the
justice that should prevail. As this is the final book in the series, there will
be spoilers for previous books so if you have not read Ash Princess or Lady
Smoke and you do not want spoilers, maybe avoid reading until you catch up!
Or if you love spoilers, read along!
The synopsis:
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 and his court. But thought she wore a crown of ashes,
there was fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it
runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned
that a Queen never cowers. Now 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 everyone in her way. 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.
I came into this book with high expectations. I thoroughly
enjoyed the first two books in the series and with the (semi) cliff hanger at
the conclusion of Lady Smoke, was determined to see Theo finally rise to
power. This book ultimately builds up to the final hurrah where we see Theo and
her allies working towards their goal of regaining the power that was taken
from them years ago. This has been the focus for Theo since the beginning of
book one so to become so close to the goal in this book creates an air of
anticipation. The plot is well paced throughout as it builds gradually before
reaching the climax in the ‘final battle’ between Theo and the Kaiserin. While
many books rush to get to this point, Sebastian successfully builds the excitement
and anticipation as many other things are happening in the background. I loved
the inclusion of each of the leaders being immersed in each other’s dreams and
how while they thought they were safe during this ‘down time’, they eventually
discovered they were susceptible to injury.
Another aspect of the book which I really enjoyed and
think stood out from other fantasy books, was the magic system. While it has
been included in the other two books in the series, I feel like it really made
a huge impact in this final installation. The different powers and the impact
of characters, including Theo, going into the mines gave them powers beyond
their control. I thought it was great that they also freed all the prisoners in
the mines too as they could have just kept them there to work for them so that
Theo and co could have an even greater hold of power. I admired the way that
the characters came to terms with their powers and aimed to use them for the
greater good, especially Blaise. Throughout the series he struggled with his
strength but in this book, he finally sees how it can contribute in a positive
way. The friendship that builds throughout the series feels so authentic and it
is great to see that even though Theo and the others are so different, that
they can come together to fight for the greater good. Art was a personal favourite
of mine and it was wonderful to see her grow over the trilogy and reach her
potential despite several setbacks.
I feel like the conclusion of Ember Queen was what
the readers were hoping for but it was not without heart ache. It was certainly
an epic ending which gave justice to the storyline we have been working towards
since the beginning. Like all great fantasy books, it was not without some plot
twists which threw what we were expecting out the door. I was on the edge of my
seat and finished the second half of the book in one sitting as I couldn’t wait
to read what was going to happen next.
Overall, a wonderful fantasy series that
focuses on a strong female protagonist and her hoping to reach the justice that
she deserves for herself and her family.
I rated this book: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian is available to
purchase in Australian bookstores and other shops where books are sold from
today
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a
copy to review!
