Ash Princess

This book is one of my most anticipated releases in 2018 and I was very excited when I received this ARC from Netgalley.
I am very conflicted about my feelings after finishing the book. Theo/Thora is a captive princess who is mentally and physically abused by the Kaiser after capturing her kingdom and killing her mother. She tries to survive in the palace by suppressing her memories and trying to be obedient until she is forced to kill one of her own. This kind of situation should make Theo a very compelling character which she is for the most part, but not always. She doesn't trust easily but sometimes, she also wants to trust and believe in her friend Cress and the Prinz Soren. She wants to question her faith but is also scared of its outcome. But towards the end, it looked like she is finally ready to accept her role as the Queen of her people and I do look forward to reading what she will do next.
I think the problem with this book is that the world building is not done enough. We don't get to know how Theo's kingdom was captured so easily despite having magic wielders or how the magical system even works. I hope this part is covered better in the sequel. There are also not any interesting side characters to root for. Cress is probably the only one I find intriguing enough because she seems capable of both compassion and cunning and the story sets her up for a very interesting arc in the next book. Prince Soren seemed kind initially but he also seems a little naive. Blaise and the other rebels didn't leave any Impression neither did the Kaiser, who is just plain evil. The love triangle also feels forced and totally unnecessary.
Overall, I can say that the book was enjoyable enough that I want to read what happens next but I also hope that the sequel delivers more because this one did fall a little short of my expectations.