Welcome to my stop on the Lady Smoke book tour! Thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for organizing the tour and allowing me to participate as a tour host!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2)
Author: Laura Sebastian
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 512
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.
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REVIEW
ARC provided by the publisher.
Lady Smoke is the sequel to Ash Princess, which was one of my favorite debuts that I read last year. The first book captured my attention very early on, and the sequel was one of my most anticipated for the year. I’m extremely pleased with the events of Lady Smoke and thought it was an excellent and exciting sequel!
It was so easy to fall back into this world. The fact that I read the entire thing in one day really says a lot about how engaging the story and characters were. I was completely engrossed by the book. Theo continues to be a well-rounded protagonist. Her character is so well-written and I really enjoy the fact that her point of view is written in first person, as it makes it so much easier to connect with her. She’s a realistic, complex heroine not without flaws, and capable of making mistakes. She struggles between putting the needs of her country, Astrea, ahead of her own personal wants, but matures and grows as the story evolves. It was also great to see character development not just in our main character, but in the supporting characters as well. We learn a lot more about Theo’s friends and the people she’s chosen to surround herself with throughout the book.
In Ash Princess, there was a very blatant love triangle and as I’ve said before, it was one that I actually did not mind, as I think Laura Sebastian handled it extremely well. The romance is actually less prominent in Lady Smoke, with a greater focus on the plot and action, but it’s not missing completely. Enemies to lovers is my personal brand, so it’s obvious which side I favor. The love triangle is not quite through yet, however it seemed to me like it was beginning to resolve itself. One of Theo’s relationships had much more development and growth, compared to her relationship with the other character which remained in stasis throughout the book.
Lady Smoke was full of forward-moving action, a little bit of mystery, and plenty of character development to make this a great sequel capable of captivating readers. Fans of the first book are going to love this, and if you haven’t read Ash Princess yet, I highly recommend adding it to your TBR!
★ ★ ★ ★
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Sebastian was born and raised in South Florida (the Redlands and Key Largo) and has always loved telling stories–many apologies to her little brother who often got in trouble because of them. No copies of her first book, a Cinderella retelling about angels circa 2nd grade, remain. Thankfully.
After getting her BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design, she moved to New York City thinking that she would stay for a couple of years before going somewhere better suited for a small-town, sun-loving girl. Five years later, she’s still here and madly in love with it.
When Laura isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, baking cookies or cupcakes, buying more clothes than her overstuffed closet can fit, or forcing her lazy dog Neville to take a walk.
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GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Three (3) winners will receive a finished copy of Lady Smoke. US only.
FOLLOW THE TOUR
Week One:
January 1 | To Be Read
January 2 | A Dream Within A Dream
January 3 | Here’s to Happy Endings
January 4 | Random Bookish Banter
Week Two:
January 7 | Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews
January 8 | Jrsbookreviews
January 9 | Omg Books and More Books
January 10 | Fiction Fare
January 11 | Du Livre
Week Three:
January 14 | Loie Dunn
January 15 | A Court of Coffee and Books
January 16 | Paws and Paperbacks
January 17 | A Gingerly Review
January 18 | Lifestyle of Me
Week Four:
January 21 | Paper Reader
January 22 | Adventures and Reading
January 23 | Popthebutterfly Reads
January 24 | Adventures Thru Wonderland
January 25 | YA Books Central
Week Five:
January 28 | Confessions of a YA Reader
January 29 | Colorimetry
January 30 | Smada’s Book Smack
January 31 | Kat’s Books
Title: The Waking Forest
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Joanna was born in Montréal and is an avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be found reading, traveling, or riding horses.
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