Lady Smoke Book Review

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian

From Goodreads: 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.

First up, thanks to Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’m sorry I’m posting this after the release date, but I am going to be much better at posting on the blog from here on out [I have about 30 things queued up to go, seriously].

I was lucky enough last year to get a copy of Ash Princess before it hit the shelves, and to take part in the blog tour for it. Overall, I thought it was a pretty cool book, but I also didn’t really think much about it in the aftermath. Unlike some of the other books I read around the same time, I wasn’t dying for the next book in the series, but I knew I enjoyed it enough to pick it up.

Fortunately, I managed to swipe an ARC of Lady Smoke too, and I will be honest and say the series went from being a pretty solid series to amazing. This is exactly the kind of book that I love to just devour in one or two intense sittings. A lot of it is political intrigue stuff, rather than too much action, so if you like faster paced books it might not be your thing, but I was honestly living for the trickery and plot twists in this book.

It also felt like there was a lot at stake. I knew this was always the case, even back in book one where Theo was just trying to survive in a palace full of snakes and conquerors. But this was a whole other ball park. It is possible to guess at some of the twists and turns, but there were lots that I didn’t see coming and they just blew me away.

Regarding the characters, I feel like Lady Smoke gives us a brilliant insight into Theo and her state of mind. She’s been through an awful lot, and it was interesting to be inside her head and see how her thoughts turned into actions on the page. She’s not necessarily the strongest or most physically kick-ass of heroines, but she is whip-smart and will definitely figure out a way to talk someone into doing the butt kicking. She’s honestly just a brilliant character, and I loved every second of her voice. I thought it really resonated off the page, and she felt like a real person I cared about. There were definitely some moments when she was in a sticky situation and I almost threw the book across the room in sheer frustration. I am currently, as many of you are, going through those awful GoT stresses, where you’re wondering if your favourite character will survive, and I will honestly say that reading this felt a little like that. I loved Lady Smoke but wow, it was stressful to read.

And yes, there are some seriously amazing twists at the end of the book that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I forgot how much I enjoyed Ash Princess, but this was a sharp reminder. And I will be adding the next book to my TBR pile as soon as it is released.

Overall, I’m giving Lady Smoke a 9/10 stars. I think the plot was fabulous, and the characters are growing on me so I will be excited to see how the story progresses as the series continues. It feels like the writing is improving, which is impressive since the first book was already so so good.

Has anyone else read this book already or plans to? What do you all think of it? Let me know in the comment section down below ❤