Lady Smoke (The Ash Princess Trilogy, 2)

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Up here, there are some crew members working, a skeleton crew to ensure that the Smoke doesn’t go off course or sink in the middle of the night, but they’re all too bleary-eyed and focused on their tasks to spare me more than a passing glance as I walk by. Blaise,” I say, touching his arm. The heat of his skin and the fact that he’s awake at this hour tugs at my mind, pulling it in still more directions, but I refuse to let them. Not now. Now, I just need my oldest friend. For ten years, the presence of others was a constant weight on my shoulders that suffocated me. I hungered for the day I could finally shrug it off and just be alone. Now, though, there is a part of me that misses the constant company. They would, at the very least, keep me from getting lost. For ten years, the presence of others was a constant weight on my shoulders that suffocated me. I hungered for the day I could finally shrug it off and just be alone. The bow of the ship isn’t as empty as I’d hoped it would be. There’s a lone figure standing at the railing near the front, shoulders hunched as he stares at the ocean below. Even before I’m close enough to make out any of his features, I know it’s Blaise. He’s the only person I’ve met who can slouch with such a frantic energy about him. Sometimes I worry I'm like him, too. He's left his mark on me, not just my body or my mind but my soul as well. Sometimes I worry he shaped me."

Hasta dónde llevará Theo el triángulo amoroso? Lo hace solo para aprovecharse de los dos, pero todos sabemos al final cuál será su elección y, por lo menos en eso, yo estaré de acuerdo con ella. Theo is badass as ever. She puts Astrea above everything and fights for her country. I love that abt her. Tho she did make me a bit mad abt her whole confusion abt Blaise and Soren, I forgive her. Because she has more important things to attend to. Uk like a WAR! The writing was good. There was a flow to the story and nothing seemed abrupt! There were many quotes I liked...But I forgot what they were! Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...

Also, I’ve just found that I sort of can’t take these characters all that seriously, because well, look, they are like what, 16? It just seems sort of ridiculous because these characters don’t feel sixteen and the things that they are doing, or how they act are not normal sixteen-year-old things. Sure, they’ve grown up early, and while I used to eat this stuff up constantly, I just find it difficult to believe now, simply due to the fact that they are so young doing things that would make most people tremble. I mean, these lads are going around burning people to ashes and leading an entire people in a war - as a si As someone who’s been reading YA for a long time, I’m so pleased to notice certain changes in the gender. For example the female protagonists have their own agenda now in a way they never did before. We get a lot more representation, a feminist message, less toxic relationships... As someone who appreciates all these changes, I loved this book for all these things. Theo became such a complex and rich character. I loved how grey she was in so many areas. Loved her journey into finding who she was and what kind of queen she would become. The romance between the MC and love interest fell flat. I have shipped them since Ash Princess, but here Søren’s character felt weak, too dependent on Theo. Though I did like how the other Astreans accepted him and forgave him in that one scene. Even though things got steamy that one night on the Wås I didn’t feel for their love for each other. And I get that Astrean queens don’t marry or whatnot, but when Søren’s all like “In whatever capacity I can have you, for however long you want me” it rubbed me the wrong way. That’s just how I felt, and wasn’t really convinced. Unfortunately the allure I felt towards his character in the previous two books diminished.

As these characters fled from the Kaiser who sought to imprison them, the geography of the land was further revealed to the reader. I loved learning more about this world and the unique politics that governed each realm. It seemed the Kaiser was not the only corrupt player and Theo and her crew must once again concern themselves with all the court niceties and underhand political scheming necessary to get their freedom returned to them.I accept your apology," I say coldly. "I hope you come to see that a woman can wield power beyond what's between her legs- for your daughter's sake if nothing else." True as that might be, I can’t make myself believe it. What’s more, I don’t want Blaise to know how Cress lingers in my thoughts, how guilty I feel over what I did to her. In Blaise’s mind, it is clear: Cress is the enemy. He wouldn’t understand my guilt, and he certainly wouldn’t understand the longing that has taken root in the pit of my stomach. He wouldn’t understand how much I miss her, even now. What’s more, I don’t want Blaise to know how Cress lingers in my thoughts, how guilty I feel over what I did to her. In Blaise’s mind, it is clear: Cress is the enemy. Søren comes to Sta’Crivero as Theo’s advisor. Erik arrives with Hoa, revealing themselves as Emperor and Princess of Goraki. The Theo the reader was introduced to in the previous series instalment is a very different being to the one that appeared here. Theo's original wishes were almost solely those of self-preservation. This was understandable. But the continued harsh treatment and exposure to the pain of both herself and her people slowly whittled away this softer exterior to reveal an inner-core of strength that disallowed either to become the playthings of another, ever again. No matter the cost. Her resolve has hardened and, with it, my love for her character is complete. We sit on the pavilion like we have a thousand times before, steaming porcelain mugs cradled in our hands to ward off the chill in the evening air. For a moment, it feels just like every time before, a comfortable silence hanging in the dark air around us. I’ve missed talking to her, but I’ve missed this, too—how we could sit together and not feel the need to fill the silence with meaningless small talk.