Chains

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. Book 1 of the Seeds of America series. 2008. 316p. ISBN 9781416905851. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In the midst of the American Revolutionary War, Isabel and her young sister Ruth are owned by an old woman who in her will promised to free them. Except that the old lady's nephew and her lawyer conspired and the will disappeared. Isabel and Ruth were sold to a couple of New York City tories, the Locktons. Mr. Lockton is in league with the Mayor of New York to facilitate the return of British forces, while Mrs. Lockton is violent and abusive towards her slaves. Isabel suffers many a beating at the hands of her malicious mistress, but as long as she can protect Ruth, she's willing to put with the abuses.

Isabel is introduced to Curzon, another young slave about her age, who is on the side of the American patriots. Curzon asks Isabel to spy on her owners and report any actionable intelligence. Isabel does not want to be a spy, but when Mrs. Lockton sells Ruth, Isabel finally realizes that no one but her will have her back. Will Isabel joining the patriots and help them build a case against Mr. and Mrs. Lockton help her rescue her sister Ruth?

In an era where loyalty, much like slaves, can be bought and sold, Isabel's bondage depends on an entire system preventing her escape. Through sheer force of will, Isabel demonstrates that though others stole her agency, she fought long and hard to take it back. Fans of historical novels will find this plunge into a turbulent period of American history intriguing, and will cheer Isabel as she fights for her freedom.

Ember Queen

Sebastian, Laura. Ember Queen. Book 3 of the Ash Princess series. 2020. 465p. ISBN 9781524767143. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In Lady Smoke, Princess Theodosia assembled a fleet of ships to carry her ragtag army back to Astrea to wage war against the Kaiserin, her former friend and the daughter of the Kaiser's own Thain. Having assassinated the Kaiser and seized power, the Kaiserin is ready to exploit a newfound magical power Theodosia unwittingly delivered her when she was attempting to kill her instead. With Prince Soren held hostage by the Kaiserin and untold number of troops blocking their path, Theodosia and her friends will need to devise an unorthodox plan to turn the tide of war and restore her to her rightful throne.

Whatever has affected the Kaiserin also affected Theodosia, however, and she's able to control fire in a way that stoke hope in her people's heart. Poorly armed, yet led by inspired commanders, soldiers who have nothing to lose begin a series of marches getting them ever closer to the palace, with the ultimate infiltration and destruction of the Kaiserin their goal.

But as armies assemble, and as hearts collide, Theodosia will be faced with a difficult choice. Save the one she loves, or save her kingdom from a terrible fate under the continuing rule of the Kaiserin. Can Theodosia defeat cruelty and evil to restore faith and peace to Astrea?

Lady Smoke

Sebastian, Laura. Lady Smoke. Book 2 of the Ash Princess Trilogy. 2019. 512p. ISBN 9781524767105. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Following her escape in Ash Princess, Theodosia must stay one step ahead of the Kaiser and his assassins, who will stop at nothing to bring her back and torture her again. Accompanied by Prinz Soren and those that call themselves her shadows, Theo and Dragonbane the pirate queen, who is in fact her mother's twin sister, head to Stacrivero, the most prosperous nation, in order to find a husband and an army with which to regain her throne. 

As rich and powerful nobles parade in front of her, Theo is not convinced this is the way to solve her problems. She is falling more and more for Soren, while she still has feelings for X, a youthful friend and one of Astrea's guardians. Furthermore, while the nobility of Stacrivero lives in luxury, thousands of refugees from the Kalovaxians' wars populate camps on the outskirts of the capital and live in misery. As she and her friends search for solutions, an archduke is murdered, and Soren is arrested on the suspicion that he was involved. With an assassin in their mists, Theo must exert extreme caution in who she trust.

With none of the nobles an acceptable partner for her, Theo stalls for time. The arrival of Erik, Soren's half-brother and heir to a ruined kingdom, changes her calculations. If Theo was able to free the Astrean slaves currently working in the Kaiser's mines, if she was able to free the refugees languishing here without a future, and if she was able to get Erik's soldiers, as meager as they are, it might be enough to defeat the Kaiser.

As this unlikely coalition of forces sails to Astrea, this will be a battle of which only one will emerge victorious!

The story concludes in Ember Queen.

Ash Princess

Sebastian, Laura. Ash Princess. Book 1 of the Ash Princess trilogy. 2018. 432p. ISBN 9781524767068. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

The Kalovaxians are conquerors in nature. They invade a territory, eliminate its ruling class, seize its inhabitants as slaves, and drain the land from resources. When what's left is unable to sustain them, they move on to their next conquest. At six, princess Theodosia of the island of Astrea witnessed her land being subjugated, her queen mother executed in front of her eyes, and her people enslaved and sent to the magical mines underneath the temples that made the renown of Astrea. Theodosia, for her part, was given by the Kaiser, leader of the Kalovaxians, to the Thain, his second-in-command and the man who slit the throat of Theodosia's mother.

Now raised as Thora, Theodosia becomes friends with the Thain's daughter, Cress. Unfortunately, Thora is punished for every little mistake her or her people make. A rebellion? Thora gets lashes on her back. She lives in constant fear she will be violently attacked. Her every move are supervised by three shadows, who watch her around the clock, even when she is alone in her room. For all appearances, Thora is broken. Insultingly dubbed the Ash Princess by the Kaiser, to mock her mother's title of Fire Queen, Theodosia bids her time, hoping against all hope she will be able to escape her tormentor. 

Ten years have passed, but Theodosia still lives in fear. Forced to kill her mother's guardian and the man she suspects was her father, Theodosia realizes there will be no rescue. She must engineer her own. The arrival of Prinz Soren only complicates matters, while Blade, a childhood friend, smuggles himself in the palace and, with two others, remove the shadows, taking their places. Now armed with allies, Theodosia must tread very carefully to forment a revolution that will overthrow the Kaiser and end his rule forever.

Similar to the dystopian themes in Red Queen, this fantasy story features awesome world building but characters continously make poor decisions, even with the bad hands they are dealt. Fans of the fantastic will nonetheless appreciate this love triangle story and will cheer as Theodosia attempt to escape the violent circumstances her queendom has been thrown in by the Kalovaxian invasion. The adventure continues in Lady Smoke.