Ember Queen: Laura Sebastian

We meet again!

Ello, Ello! Okay.. I know that was technically two greetings, give me a break eh? Here we go 

Brief Synopsis: Here we are at the conclusion of this epic and, in my opinion, underrated series. Theo comes out from the mines a changed woman, more in charge of her power than she was before. With the help of her Shadows, she works to really hone in on what she can do so that he can have an actual chance at defeating the Kaiserin, who was once her closest confidante. Soren was captured (honestly, this guy is pretty good at being a prisoner at this point..) and is in Cress’s ashy clutches, though Theo knows that an instant rescue attempt is what the Kalovaxians will be expecting.

Instead, she knows that Soren can bide his time. Soon, she realizes that she has an unexpected connection to the Kaiserin, which she can use to her advantage, especially since Cress believes her to be dead. Following what was believed as a huge betrayal but turned out to be something else, and with the combination of her tangled together army and her Shadows, Theo slowly works her way through the area, taking the water mine and meeting up with Cress, though the Kaiserin has no idea that it is actually Theo that she’s facing.. for now.

Unknowingly, Cress gives back one of the things that Theo wants the most: no, not Astrea, but Soren. She was going to trade Soren and Erik to King Etristo as Soren escaped their prison and is still considered a prisoner in the king’s eyes. Though they are back with their friends/family and safe, Soren and Erik both don’t come back as whole as they were before, with injuries that are awful and scarring and show just how mad the Kaiserin is truly becoming.

A discovery of a couple characters believed to long ago be out of the story brings new horrors in the form of a weapon that could turn everyone into puppets, which was exactly what Cress went to the mine in search of in the first place. All of this does not bode well for their time, which is running shorter and shorter before a grisly end is inevitable.

Taking the next mine does not work so well; after a stop at a manor home that results in one of the Kaiserin’s followers not only showing her where the opposing army is, but that Theo is indeed still alive, Cress is fed up and sends some more of her cronies to the air mine to set the whole damn thing on fire. She’s a bit extra. Theo and crew get there and do their best to combat the flames, and in the end of this particular battle, Theo and particularly Artemisia nearly do not make it out alive.

At this point, and after a very.. vivid dream, Theo is more than fed up and she is ready to finish this war and take her land back once and for all. The crew splits up and a plan is formed to sneak into the tunnels leading into the castle. Everything goes surprisingly well, too well, at first.. though Cress still has plenty up her ashy sleeves.

Leading Theo out onto a balcony outside of the throne room, Theo sees that the Kaiserin has corralled a great number of the Astrean slaves and plans to control a number of them with the aforementioned secret weapon. She even proves this by taking one of them and making them kill a number of their fellow slaves. Just when Theo truly believes that she has no choice, Heron and Blaise once again come to her rescue. Working together, Heron, Blaise and Theo all contain the threat… though one of them does not make it out of this particular scuffle alive.

With the battle ultimately over, damage is assessed and Theo finally takes her crown (not of ash) and her throne, though she does not know how to feel about it after what all was lost.

My rating: Ohhh. 9/10. This book was gut-wrenching, though it’s hard not to expect that the third novel in a series such as this to be.

Favorite Quote(s):

“When the world turns on its head and I’m not sure of anything, I’m sure of you. No matter where we are or who we fight against, I am always fighting for you.”

“The real madness would be in ignoring the truth when it demands to be acknowledged.”

Other books I have read by this author: This lovely series, which I highly recommend to fantasy fans, especially of books such as The Cruel Prince, Shadow and Bone or Throne of Glass.

Check out my Goodreads (Traci Bishop) to see what I’m currently reading and to see a good chunk of the books I have already read. My Instagram can be found on the home page and I will share whenever a new post is up as well!

Until next time <3