Happy Sunday! I’m back today with “Sundays in Bed With….” a meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme was originally hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
Today, I’m in bed with two YA fantasies. I’m buddy reading An Ember in the Ashes with Ali @ Ali’s Books, and I’m reading Lady Smoke with Leah @ Leah’s Books. Both are amazing reads, and I always love buddy reading with Ali and Leah. Leah and I also read Ash Princess (sooooo good!), and I’m thinking we’ll probably read Ember Queen too and finish the trilogy.
About the Books:
The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that was “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” ( Bustle ), Lady Smoke is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.
The Kaiser murdered Theodosia’s mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo’s country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess–a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn’t realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.
Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage–Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser’s rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.
To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.
Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Have you read either of these? What are you reading today? Comment below!
I loved Ember in the Ashes and it’s perfect for a buddy read. And I’m enjoying Lady Smoke so much!
Me too! Now on to Ember Queen. I have high hopes for this one. Such a fantastic series!
So exciting!
Still reading Kiss Her Once From Me I just don´t want it to end so I´m reading slowly 😛
I love that!!!!
Yay, so excited that you’re reading Ember!!! I totally need to read the last book but I’m scared!!! Lol
lol – I can see why. It’s pretty brutal already.
Yes, yes it is!! lol
Ash Princess has been on my TBR for forever now. I’m going to have to pick it up soon. Love doing buddy reads with you, Julie!!
Me too, Ali! 🙂 And I think you would like Ash Princess. It’s a little darker that I anticipated, but I’m loving it!!!