Ash Princess (ash Princess Trilogy, #1)

Ash Princess is the first book in Laura Sebastian's fantasy trilogy.

When Theodosia is six years old, the militaristic Kalovaxians invade her island nation of Astrea and murder her mother, Queen Eirene. The Theyn, the Kaiser's most powerful warrior, killed the queen during the invasion. Over the following decade, Theodosia is held captive in her own palace under Kaiser Corbinian, stripped of her name and forced to adopt the identity of "Lady Thora." She survives by following one rule: Do not anger the Kaiser. Three guards called Shadows watch her through holes in her walls at all times. The Kalovaxians have enslaved the remaining Astreans, sending tens of thousands into sacred gem mines where prolonged exposure to magic drives most miners to madness and death. These Spiritgems, magical gems that grant elemental powers, were once earned by devout Guardians blessed by the gods but are now worn as jewelry by Kalovaxian elites. Theodosia's only companion is Crescentia, the Theyn's daughter and her childhood friend.

When the Kaiser drags a brutalized prisoner before the court, Theodosia recognizes him as Ampelio, the last surviving Guardian, her mother's protector, and almost certainly her biological father. Ampelio addresses her by her true name and title before the entire court. The Kaiser forces Theodosia to interrogate Ampelio in the Astrean language, and she uses the exchange to glean information about remaining rebels. When the Kaiser sentences Ampelio to death, he forces Theodosia to carry out the execution herself. Ampelio's final words urge her: "You will live. You will fight" (30). Theodosia plunges the sword into his back.

The killing shatters Theodosia's passivity. At a banquet that evening, the Kaiser forces her to wear a dress exposing her scarred back and a crumbling ash crown, branding her the "Ash Princess." She recognizes a slave boy as Blaise, her childhood friend, who whispers for her to meet him after drugging her Shadows to sleep. Through hidden tunnels, Theodosia reaches Blaise and learns that of Astrea's original 100,000 people, only about 20,000 survive, half trapped in the mines. Blaise offers to smuggle her out, but Theodosia refuses, arguing that her position near the Kaiser lets her gather intelligence. Blaise agrees to a one-month deadline.

Theodosia begins spying immediately. She visits the harbor and catalogs Prince Søren's warships, noting the fleet is far too large for its stated purpose. Søren is the Kaiser's son, recently returned from military training. His second-in-command, Erik, inadvertently reveals the fleet's true destination: the Vecturia Islands. Theodosia recruits Elpis, a young Astrean slave, as a messenger. Meanwhile, Blaise and two fellow Guardians, Artemisia and Heron, kill and replace Theodosia's three Shadows, becoming her covert advisors. Theodosia steals Spiritgems from Crescentia's jewelry to restore their powers.

Blaise observes that Søren is attracted to Theodosia, and she begins a calculated seduction. She confides in Søren about the Kaiser's plan to force her into an abusive marriage, prompting Søren to appeal to Kaiserin Anke, his mother. The Kaiserin intervenes but then summons Theodosia privately, revealing she sees through the manipulation and warning that the Kaiser intends to take Theodosia as his next wife.

Theodosia and her allies formulate a larger plan: She will turn Søren publicly against his father, then kill Søren and frame a guard for the murder, triggering a Kalovaxian civil war while the Astreans escape. Blaise gives her Encatrio, a lethal Astrean poison derived from the Fire Mine, to use on the Theyn and Crescentia. Theodosia agonizes over poisoning Crescentia, and her feelings grow more complicated as she shares a kiss with Blaise and grows closer to Søren during a romantic midnight sail.

The Kaiserin is found dead after falling from a palace window. Theodosia and Crescentia see the Kaiser's silhouette above the body but say nothing. When Theodosia suggests reforming the treatment of Astrean slaves, Crescentia dismisses the idea as treason. Soon after, Crescentia intercepts one of Søren's love letters and confronts Theodosia, having deduced the seduction and the stolen gems. She offers silence in exchange for Theodosia ending things with Søren and revealing her accomplices, as Crescentia wants to marry Søren herself. Theodosia lies, claiming her allies have fled. The encounter reveals Crescentia's love has always been conditional: the affection of an owner for a favored possession. This realization hardens Theodosia's resolve.

Søren returns from Vecturia having lost more than half his men; the Vecturians, warned by Dragonsbane—a notorious Astrean pirate and Artemisia's mother—at Theodosia's request, were prepared. The Kaiser punishes Theodosia with brutal lashes. Erik reveals what berserkers are: enslaved Astreans driven mad by the mines, then sent into battle with a Spiritgem that triggers a devastating magical explosion. Søren used hundreds of berserkers in Vecturia on his father's orders. This revelation extinguishes Theodosia's remaining feelings for Søren. She finalizes the plan: Elpis will poison the Theyn and Crescentia's wine, Theodosia will provoke Søren into publicly confronting the Kaiser, and then she will lure Søren to his boat and kill him.

At the banquet, the Kaiser openly gropes Theodosia while taunting Søren. Søren snaps and publicly denounces his father. Later, Theodosia leads Søren through the tunnels toward his boat. She presses her dagger to his back, but when he accepts death calmly, she cannot bring herself to kill him. As they reach the shore, guards surround them. Theodosia is arrested for the Theyn's murder and the attempted murder of Crescentia, who survived the Encatrio after drinking only a sip, though the poison has disfigured her.

At trial, Theodosia confesses to the Theyn's murder and publicly accuses the Kaiser of killing the Kaiserin. To coerce further information, the Kaiser forces Encatrio to Elpis's lips. Rather than be used as leverage, Elpis drinks the entire remaining vial, choosing a quick death. Theodosia is sentenced to execution at sunrise. In the dungeon, Crescentia visits, transformed and consumed by hatred, vowing to burn Astrea when she becomes Kaiserin. After Crescentia leaves, Theodosia notices the iron bars Crescentia gripped are scalding hot, suggesting the poison has given Crescentia fire powers. Blaise reaches Theodosia through the tunnels. She instructs him to hide on Søren's boat, anticipating a rescue attempt they can exploit.

Søren arrives with keys from guards he has killed. Theodosia frees three imprisoned Guardians who hold off pursuers while she and Søren swim to his boat. There, Blaise, Artemisia, and Heron emerge to subdue and bind Søren. The ship outruns the Kaiser's fleet.

They reach the pirate ship the Smoke, where Theodosia meets its captain, Dragonsbane: a woman with her dead mother's face. Dragonsbane is Theodosia's aunt Kallistrade, Queen Eirene's twin sister, who left court before Theodosia was born. Dragonsbane challenges Theodosia's authority, but Theodosia stands firm, insisting Søren be kept alive as a political prisoner. In a moment of consciousness, the drugged Søren asks if any of her feelings were real. She admits, "There was something real" (424). He also warns her that Blaise shows symptoms of mine madness. Theodosia announces her plan to regroup and liberate the Astrean mines.

In the epilogue, Theodosia reflects that the last person to call her "Ash Princess" was Crescentia, the friend she orphaned. She acknowledges they will meet again as enemies. She was a princess made of ashes with nothing left to burn, and now it is time for a queen to rise.