This was a great finish to the Ash Princess trilogy. I loved the final scene between Theo and Cress, Theo showed much more compassion than Cress ever would have given her. I really liked the way that Theo and the group decided to deal with the people that had taken over Astrea nearly a decade ago, again they showed compassion but that decision also helped the other countries rebuild and will hopefully prevent future wars. ( )

After a year, I finally end this one! I got sick after so long and couldn't do anything else so I continued the last 7 hours of the audiobook. I don't know if I expected less or more, but I certainly did enjoy the plot and the characters.



Spoilers ahead




The thing is that at some point the victory seemed inevitable, since Cress was proven mind mad, however the how and when they where going to establish victory was unclear. So I wasn't worrying much about whether our characters were going to win or not. Blaise's death appeared inevitable too after everything that happened and it was very convenient for the love triangle to take its final form.

The story was built around the relationship of two childhood friends, "heart-sisters", Theodosia and Crescentia. It felt like besides the main and side romances (lgbtq which I loved, even if they don't make a longterm appearance) the focus was on the friendship to hostility to hatred for the two protagonists (the hero and the villain). Friendship was built on unstable ground, so it was never truly unconditional or limitless, but it was what helped both of them survive and grow. Cress was indeed kind to Thora when they were younger, if we consider how their people had been taught to behave to Astreans. The turn the story took was reasonable, Theodosia wouldn't go on living in a cage, and Crescentia was sure to get vengeful after what happened to her by her allegedly best friend. Cress wasn't truly a leading figure and she didn't have a big plan on how to govern. She was hurt and desperate. Every move she made was so that she could harm and cause all kinds of pain to Theo, her character cannot stand alone without the existence of her former friend. While Theodosia is surrounded by people that truly support her, Cress is heading for utter self destruction.
The way everything ended between them was sad and heartbreaking, but also it was the only way. One could never forgive the other for the actions they had taken.

I give this book 4 stars because I liked the adventure and I appreciated the characters, but the story seemed a bit predictable after some point. ( )

A solid conclusion to the Ash Princess trilogy. Theodosia and her band of friends and allies are on a determined warpath in this book, as they seek to take back the kingdom of Astrea. I appreciated several elements of this book which complete storylines and provide a satisfying conclusion. Overall, a good read, but definitely read the other two books first. ( )

**spoiler alert** This was a great wrap up to the trilogy. My one issue is that Soren and Theo didn't end up together. I was not a huge fan of the "Queen's don't have husbands" but they basically can still have a love interest. Either be with him or don't be with him!! (#TeamSoren) Overral, I liked the trilogy and will recommend it to anyone who wants a good fantasy read with no spice. ( )

1 star for the book and 1 star for me (cause I finished it).

I almost DNFed this book multiple times since it's so fucking BORING. The climax didn't feel like a climax. It's so blah, I didn't even care that a main character died.

( )