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South African books to add to your reading list this festive season - part 1

Hiya book lovers With Christmas being just around the corner, I thought I’d highlight some South African reads that should go on your TBR pile. We have so many phenomenal SA authors that deserve to be celebrated , and because this list will be an extensive one, I am splitting this post and making it a series. I know it won’t be possible to include every single South African author, but I am going to try to  highlight books from every genre and make it as diverse as possible (so, with respect, please don’t ask me why so and so isn’t on the list – there’s more to come).  First up:  1. Sing Down the Stars by Nerine Dorman A book I recently received for review ( thanks you NB publishers ) and am super excited about diving into is Sing Down the Stars. I was first introduced to Nerine’s writing years ago, when I read one of her first books, What Sweet Music They Make (Would 100% still love to see more of that). Over the years, I ’ve come to know Nerine as well and she’s not ...

The Secret

Book review: Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Published in 2018 by Pan Macmillan

As part of the South African blog tour, a few instagram bloggers and myself have teamed up with Pan Macmillan to share our excitement for debut novelist Laura Sebastian's epic fantasy novel, Ash Princess - the first book in a trilogy.

"Is it better to have your life ended by someone who hates you or by someone who loves you?"

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The answer to this is a hard and difficult one for Theodosia, protagonist of Ash Princess, the debut novel by #LauraSebastian and the first book in a trilogy.

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It's also the one question that sparks her rebellion and forces her to channel years worth of pent up rage in a mission to destroy the Kaiser and his court, the very people who murdered her mother, overtook the throne of the Astrean people and forced Theo into a role of the token ash princess. 

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A world that was once filled with the brightly burning power of elemental magic and the blessings of the deities associated with fire,air, water and earth,  now lies in ruins, under the oppressive and brutal regime of The Kaiser and the Kalovaxian people. 

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Forced to endure being tortured for every sign of uprising or rebellion from her own people, Theo is at first too afraid to take action. 

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A prisoner in a guilded cage, she's kept alive as an example and to ensure forced loyalty amongst her people, simply trying to keep her head down - at least until the day she's forced to kill someone she loves, someone she hasn't seen for years but who she's always believed would rescue her. 

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When that hope dies, Theo vows to make The Kaiser pay...but in order for her to succeed, she'll be forced to decide just how far she'll need to go in order to free her people, reclaim their magic and take up her rightful place as Queen.
"Is it better to have your life ended by someone who hates you or by someone who loves you?" 👑 The answer to this is a hard and difficult one for Theodosia, protagonist of Ash Princess, the debut novel by #LauraSebastian and the first book in a trilogy. 👑 It's also the one question that sparks her rebellion and forces her to channel years worth of rage in a mission to destroy the Kaiser and his court, the very people who murdered her mother, overtook the throne of the Astrean people and forced Theo into a role of the token ash princess. 👑 A world that was once filled with the brightly burning power of elemental magic and the blessings of the deities associated with fire,air, water and earth,  now lies in ruins, under the oppressive and brutal regime of The Kaiser and the Kalovaxian people. 👑 A prisoner in a guilded cage, she's kept alive as an example, simply trying to keep her head down - at least until the day she's forced to kill someone she loves, someone she's always believed would rescue her. 👑 When that hope dies, Theo vows to make The Kaiser pay...but in order to suceed, she'll have to decide just how far she'll need to go in order to free her people, reclaim their magic and take up her rightful place as Queen. 👑 Ash Princess is an incredible debut novel. Filled with courtly intrigue and betrayal, we're introduced to a variety of characters who veer between being charming to being downright vicious to the core. This is a read that features plenty of unexpected twists and turns and has a romance whose twist ending will leave you with so many questions. 👑 I'm so excited to have teamed up with the lovely folk from @PanmacmillanSAkids for the #AshPrincess book blog tour. 👑 My full review will be up on my blog a little later today. 👑 #AshPrincess #LauraSebastian #PanMacmillanSA #AshPrincessblogtour #books #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booklover #yafiction #sareaders #bookbloggers #ilovereading #igreads #bookdragons #yalit #booknerd #litlover #yafantasy
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Ash Princess is an incredible debut novel. Filled with courtly intrigue and betrayal, we're introduced to a variety of characters who veer between being charming to being downright vicious to the core.

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Theo is an interesting and likeable character. Her character development alone makes for a pretty interesting read because here we have a young girl who starts off being too afraid to do anything, but who comes into her own by being empowered and driven by her rage to make a change.

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I feel like this book is actually a celebration of the anger of women and young girls and that Theo is leading a potential revolution because she believes in the freedom of her people and because she wants justice and vengeance. So here for her rage!

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I also really love how Laura Sebastian subverts the damsel in distress trope by giving Theo the power to use it as a weapon in order to gain the trust of The Kaiser's son, the dashing Prinz Soren. Make no mistake, she recognises that she used to be meek, but has quickly shrugged it off in the face of finding a new purpose.

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Ash Princess is a fun and epic debut novel and I'm so excited to have teamed up with the lovely folk from @PanmacmillanSAkids for the #AshPrincess book blog tour. Give this one a read - oh and be prepared for a romance that takes quite a twisted, but very interesting turn. 

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I can't wait for the next book!

Purchase a copy of Ash Princess from Raru.co.za


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