What happened in Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - Recaptains

The basics

Title: Ash Princess

Author: Laura Sebastian

Series: Ash Princess #1

1. Ash Princess (2018)
2. Lady Smoke (2019)
3. Ember Queen (2020)

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Goodreads Summary:

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Here is a spoiler summary of what happened in Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian to help refresh your memory before you read the sequel. If you need help remembering what happened in Ash Princess then you’re in the right place.

What happened in Ash Princess?

• Theodosia Eirene Houzzara – or Theo, for ease – is the rightful queen of Astrea. Astrea was taken over about a decade ago by the Kalovaxian Kaiser, who is now living in the palace and keeping Theo prisoner.
• Theo’s mother, the queen, was murdered right in front of her by the Theyn, who is the Kaiser’s right hand man. The Theyn’s daughter, Cress, is Theo’s sort-of-friend.
• Thora has been kept in the palace for all these years and tortured every time there’s a sniff of rebellion. She is forced to go by the name Thora, and isn’t allowed to speak her native language.
• At the beginning of the book, the leader of the Astrean rebels is captured by the Kaiser. The leader’s name is Ampelio, and Theo recalls that this guy might be her biological father. He was certainly best friends with the queen anyway.
• Theo is forced to kill Ampelio, and she tries to do so swiftly.
• Prinz Soren, the Kaiser’s only son, recently returned to the palace. He follows Theo out of the room and tries to comfort her a bit, but she vomits all over him and runs back to her room.
• Theo is followed by three guards, called her Shadows. They tend to keep their distance but she’s not allowed to go anywhere alone. The Shadows can see into her bedroom to make sure she doesn’t try to escape or take her own life.
• There’s a dinner that evening. Theo is made to wear a crown made of ash, which the Kaiser thinks will humiliate her. Theo sits next to Soren, who tries to ensure she’s alright after the goings on that morning.
• A servant keeps bumping into Theo, which she is quite annoyed by until she realises it’s her childhood friend, Blaise. She didn’t realise he was still alive. Blaise tells her to meet him that night. Another servant is causing a scene while this is going on so the royals are distracted.
• Theo sneaks out of her room when she realises the guards have been drugged. She uses a tunnel that she knows about from when she was younger. She finds Blaise, who tries to get her to escape the palace with him, but she refuses. Theo is determined to stay and spy on the Kaiser, and she thinks she can take out the royals before she leaves.
• Theo plans to kill Soren after becoming close to him, as well as possibly killing Cress and her father, the Theyn as well.
• Cress thinks she’s going to marry Soren because their parents are close. Theo is able to convince Cress to visit Soren on his boat at the docks, so that Theo can gather intel and also start to catch Soren’s eye.
• Cress and Theo step onto the boat but Cress quickly becomes ill. Soren takes her to sit unders a tree while Theo is given a tour of the boat. Theo speaks to Erik and understands that Soren and his crew are preparing for a battle.
• Cress heads back to the palace, leaving Theo and her Shadows behind. Cress’s servant, Elpis, walks back with Theo. Theo is able to speak to Elpis in their native language, and Elpis is determined to help her queen. Elpis agrees to get a message to Blaise on behalf of Theo.
• Soren invites Theo for lunch but she turns him down.
• Soren then invites Cress and Erik on a double date with him and Theo, which is awkward. Cress and Erik go for a walk while Soren and Theo talk. Cress gets more and more jealous of Theo, and even makes Theo wear an awful outfit.
• Theo is able to use the opportunity to steal some gems though.
• Theo learns from Cress that the Kaiser wants Theo to marry a horrible man who is known for killing his wives. Theo mentions this to Soren at the lunch.
• Blaise and two other rebels kill the Shadows and take their places. The other rebels are called Art and Heron.
• Soren speaks to his mother, the Kaiserin, about the Kaiser’s marriage plans for Theo. The Kaiserin asks to speak to Theo, and warns her that she should just be content with surviving. The Kaiserin arranges for another girl to marry the horrible wife-killer in place of Theo.
• The Kaiserin tells Theo how the Kaiser killed his own family to take the crown. He is ruthless.
• Theo gives Blaise and the others some gems so they’re able to use their powers. They gained powers from the mines, where they were kept for many years. Blaise has a massive scar on his face from his time there.
• We learn that Art’s mother is the infamous pirate, Dragonsbane. Dragonsbane probably can’t be trusted, according to Blaise.
• Blaise and Theo kiss.
• Soren sneaks into Theo’s room through a secret passage. Soren takes her on an adventure date on his little boat. They talk about Theo’s background a bit and the Astrean language. They kiss.
• Blaise gets Theo a dagger so she can feel safer. He also gives her some poison for her to use on Soren, Cress, and the Theyn.
• Theo tries to distance herself from Cress because she feels guilty for planning to kill her friend.
• Soren goes off on his boat mission, but he and Theo exchange letters the whole time.
• There’s a masquerade ball. The Kaiser is super creepy towards Theo, because now it seems like he wants her to marry him.
• Cress and Theo talk a bit. Theo tries to get Cress onside but Cress refuses to commit treason and begs Theo to stop talking. In the middle of their heated discussion, the Kaiser kills his wife by pushing her out of the window.
• Cress tells Theo that she knows she stole the gems, and that she has been sending letters to Soren and basically courting him.
• The Kaiser once again hints that he wants to marry Theo and Blaise destroys his chair so that he falls to the floor.
• Elpis gives Theo a flower for the Astrean festival. Theo gives one to each of her Shadows.
• Theo asks Elpis to poison Cress and the Theyn for her. She promises to make sure her and her family can escape.
• Soren shows back up. The mission went horribly wrong because somehow the Vecturians that they were trying to attack were expecting them and able to fight back. And then somehow Dragonsbane came up behind them and fought them too. This was obviously all Theo’s doing. Theo is punished by the Kaiser, even though he doesn’t know she was behind the plot.
• Erik accuses Theo of being the one to blab. She tells him she has already been punished for this because the nobles’ kids died in the attack and the Kaiser was angry. Erik reveals that the beserkers that everyone has been talking about are Astraean slaves from the mines who have gone mine-mad. The Kaiser sends them in before his own men attack.
• There’s another banquet. Theo is forced to sit next to the Kaiser in the Kaiserin’s throne. Soren is very angry about this and has a go at his father in front of the nobles. The party ends much earlier than planned.
• Soren and Theo sneak out through the tunnels together. Theo tries to kill him with her dagger but isn’t able to because Soren is quite nice, really. He’s even chill about this murder attempt. He wants her to get on his boat and escape.
• Unfortunately the Kaiser’s men come across them. They have found the Theyn dead and a very ill Cress. They have captured Elpis and know she poisoned them. They take Soren and Theo to the throne room.
• Elpis is slowly given the poison, but she chugs it to end her own life sooner. The witness to the crime is killed, which isn’t very nice.
• Theo is put in a cell. Cress comes to see her. She’s unwell, and her skin is super hot and she heats up the bars. Cress is very upset with Theo, as expected.
• Blaise shows up and tries to break Theo out but she refuses and they come up with a different plan.
• Soren then shows up because Theo is very popular. He breaks her out, along with some prisoners who are loyal to Theo. The prisoners offer to provide a distraction while Theo and Soren escape through the tunnels.
• The two of them escape towards Soren’s boat. The Shadows are there waiting, though, and they capture Soren and drug him. Theo set him up.
• Blaise tries to give Theo a sleeping aid but she swaps cups with him and sends him to sleep instead. It’s funny to me that she drugs both of her love interests.
• Soren wakes up a little and tells Theo that Blaise is clearly mine-mad. His skin is super hot as well.
• The following morning they reach Dragonsbane’s ship. It turns out that Dragonsbane is Theo’s mother’s identical twin.

That’s what happened in Ash Princess! Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!