The Throne of Ash: A thrilling Tudor-esque fantasy with all the deceit, politics and Courtly romance of the Tudor era

by Lissy Porter

A thrilling Tudor-esque fantasy with all the deceit, politics and Courtly romance of the Tudor era.

A Queen. A Princess. And a Consort who must be chosen to ensure the future of the Throne of Ash.The Queen's Face masks all—even the woman who wears it. None may see her without it, not even her Consort responsible for ensuring she brings forth a healthy daughter to succeed her. If he fails, being cast aside is the most favourable of outcomes.

When Queen Cecily unknowingly determines on her sister's lover as her Consort, ambition, jealousy, and the demands of courtly etiquette threaten the stability of the Throne of Ash.

Princess Bess knows only too well her responsibilities towards her sister, the queen, but when one of the powerful noble families attempts to ensnare both sisters with one lover, there can only ever be one winner.

The Throne of Ash is a Tudor-esque fantasy in which women rule, and men are kept in the background, of little use, aside from when a Consort must be chosen. Then, court intrigues, and politics come to the fore in a deadly game of politics and etiquette that sets sister against sister.

The Throne of Ash has never been more on fire.

Reader Reviews
'This historical romantasy pulled me in and I was on Elizabeth’s side the whole way.’ Advanced Reviewer

''This is a wonderful reimagining of life if ruled by women.' Advanced Reviewer

'Porter crafts a court ruled by rigid etiquette and ruthless manoeuvring, where every decision carries weight. The dynamic between Cecily and Bess is particularly intriguing, as sisterly duty clashes with personal desires.' Netgalley Reviewer

‘The Throne of Ash by Lissy Porter is an exciting Tudor-inspired fantasy filled with intrigue, political maneuvering, and courtly romance. The world-building is rich, and the atmosphere captures the tension of the Tudor era.’ Netgalley Reviewer

'Prepare yourself for intrigue, for fascinating looks into the female society, and for toxic gender roles to be flipped around.' Netgalley Reviewer

'Very well written fantasy novel set in a world ruled by women where men are only used for procreation.' Advanced Reviewer


Meet the authorLissy Porter is a pseudonym for an author who usually writes in a very different genre.

Genres: Fantasy, Medieval, Historical Romance

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2025

About the author

Lissy Porter is a pseudonym for an author who usually writes in a very different genre.

Sign up for Lissy's subscriber newsletter to receive a free copy of The Dragon of Unison via Bookfunnel. Thank you.
https://BookHip.com/XLJRBWL

Reviews

[Berrin Nur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. I never thought I would read about a kingom that is ruled by females but here we are.

Overall, I think its almost 3.5 going to 4 but because of getting too repetitive with words, and the girl being too dumb, I will give this book a 3.45 so I an round it down.
Thank you to Netgalley & the Author for an arc of this book for my review.

- I knew she would get back with him when she said: " I’ll have Harry back. No matter how embarrassing. No matter how mortifying. He’s my lover, and when the queen has finished with him, I’ll take him far from here, and we’ll live in obscurity, forgetting every single coupling he’s forced to endure with Queen Cecily." and then said she wont take her back. There were too many chapters where she says she is deep in her thoughts but we barely get to hear any of them.
- She kept saying "No one will see it, no one but me. "
"They wouldnt know it but i know my sister i would know and understand" in the first half, which almost led me dnf the book, along with the repetitiveness of some words like "bedecked". We hear her saying that like 20 times in 5 chapters or something. If this book was her debut, I would say she can improve but this is her like 5th book so I think she still yet has to improve her writing.
But aside from that, I definitely loved and enjoyed reading a book where females are superior and males are worth very little.
SPOILERS!
What I dont understand is why she doesnt think about NOT being intimate UNTIL the queen actually gave birth. It's stupid of her. And also why she doesnt think about her own baby growing in her belly after the Queen died. Like girl, you promised your sister you wont have successor so that Queen Cecily's daughter will rule. You had to fix that problem even before killing Harry. Talk to your mother, father or even Lady Mary.
There was also not really tension between love interests because she kept going back and forth between Harry & Charles. She had to make a choice, had 50% percent chance but picked the wrong one, Harry.
Overall, I think its almost 3.5 going to 4 but because of getting too repetitive with words, and the girl being too dumb, I will give this book a 3.45 so I an round it down.
Thank you to Netgalley & the Author for an arc of this book for my review.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Thank you to the author for this copy.
I’m not usually a fan of romantasy type of books. I read them occasionally.
But this was very intriguing with its nod to Henry VIII’s Tudor England.
We learn a lot of the culture here: it’s clothes, food, mannerisms.
The story is told from the queen’s sister, Elizabeth’s, POV. She has a secret lover of a minor noble house and she loves to paint.
The twist in this telling of the times is that women are victorious over men, and they rule for centuries. Men are in the background and only needed for reproducing children. This is a wonderful reimagining of life if ruled by women.
The first part of the book introduces us to this female society and how it works. We get acquainted with many noble houses and the commodity each controls. The plot really takes off when Queen Cecily chooses a Consort to be her lover until she conceives a child, and then he is relegated to obscurity. However, she chooses Harry, from a minor House of Fish and Elizabeth’s lover. As time goes on, more questions arise and life is in turmoil for the queen and her sister.
So the later part of the story becomes a mystery. Will Elizabeth ever be with Harry again? How ambitious is Lady Alice and how far will she go to be elevated in society? Then there are shocking outcomes in the end. How will Elizabeth manage going forward?
This historical romantasy pulled me in and I was on Elizabeth’s side the whole way.
P.S. reading the Author’s Notes really helps to understand the premise of the story

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read and a twist on Henry VIII if women were the rulers and men had to deliver to their Queen female offspring. I loved the tete de tete between the throne and Lady Alice the best! The problem I had with the book was too much narrative and not enough dialogue. It was more like reading a journal. Still it was a fun read and is the first in a series. I give this a solid 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Erica (BooksAndNebulas) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Lissy Porter and NetGalley for the early preview of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Title: The Throne of Ash
Author: Lissy Porter
Format: e-book

Review:
Although this book started slow, with heavy detail on a specific event and the clothing worn to said event, I am invested in this story and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in this trilogy. I was very intrigued by a kingdom ruled by females where males are, in a sense, second class. This is a great spin of society as we have seen in through the ages, and a spin to King Henry VIII’s obsession with a male heir.

This story is told from the point of view of sister of the newly crowned Queen. Princess Elizabeth has had a secret lover from a less noble house and is obligated to maintain court etiquette when Queen Cecily selects him as her Consort.

This book was not “easy to read” and, for me, required some time to digest what was being said. I struggled connecting with characters deeply, as they don’t have much depth. But I do feel that the plot is interesting and becomes quicker paced within the last 50 pages.

[Kamilė | cobwebshelves · Rating 1 out of 5]

"the men aren't great thinkers or scholars. they're not great painters, or wits or anything at all. they think only of how to garb themselves and who has the most garnets in their ears, or bedecking their codpieces, when dressed, and when not dressed? well, the rumours make even me blush. the men are all fluff and nonsense."

tw: graphic description of childbirth gone wrong

firstly, thanks to NetGalley for the arc and the NetGalley app's text-to-speech feature because turning it into a quasi-audiobook was the only way i could slog through "The Throne of Ash". i hate that i keep coming across interesting-concept-terrible-execution books, but this one was truly barely readable and i only finished it because i picked up the arc.

it was bad from page 1, i just didn't grasp that early on how bad it would end up being. it was the repetitions, at first. every line had to repeat the phrase "the Throne of Ash". if it wasn't the throne of ash, it was the Kingdom of Ash, or the tower of ash, of the Queen of Ash. descriptions were so repetitive that i kept losing track of where i was on the page, hence, swapping to TTS.

i mean the grammar was appalling. i know what i have is an unfinished version—far from an edited product, as it would seem from the author's bluesky—but this requires such extensive editing that 1. i doubt it'd be ready for the may release day 2. it'd be cut short by a good 100-150 pages, and i'm not being generous. i couldn't pick every example, so here's a select handful of egregious errors, contrivances, and inconsistencies:

CHAPTER 1
"One of Lady Alice's daughter's sits in the Privy Council, advising the queen on matters of state" -> a small typo, and yet an omen of what's to come.

CHAPTER 4
"I'm deemed an adult at sixteen years old, if the queen's heir." -> unfinished sentences like this litter the book, and again, perhaps they'll be found and fixed before the official release but there's too many of them.

CHAPTER 11
"I assure you, he'll be keen to bore you with all the details. I warn you, he can be very boring." / "Will you arrange another Consort arrangement for him?" -> likewise, sentences like this, where it feels like the author had two options to choose from and forgot to delete one, or where repetitive words were used seemingly with intention to find a synonym later.

CHAPTER 13
"Almost immediately, I feel my focus narrow to Harry, the charcoal in my hand and the actions of my hand." -> again, unnatural repetition of a word in the same sentence.
"I've never seen my mother embroider in all my years of knowing her." -> so... your whole life? i get the intention is that she has not seen her mother to her memory but it's such an strange phrasing to choose.

CHAPTER 14
"I'm sure my father will inform me if I thinks I should." -> self-explanatory.

CHAPTER 16
"Then that's will be done." -> again, self-explanatory.

CHAPTER 17
"Outside, the servants have taken advantage of the cooler morning air to arrange the picnic so it's all prepared when I stroll outside <...>" -> again, the repetition. it goes overlooked in so many instances it has me wondering whether the author may have used generative AI for editing and tweaking.

CHAPTER 19
"The house of Salt have been untruthful when presenting your chosen Consort to you. Your Consort, it's believed, isn't even a birth member of the House of Salt, but rather a changeling brought into the House for this very purpose. Lady Alice's sister did not give birth to a child who lived. Instead, your Consort was brought into the cradle and passed off as one of her own." -> I've flagged this one as a spoiler as it pertains to a key plotline. With all the silly names of different noble houses, one thing is made clear—Harry is the Consort sent forward by the House of Fish, not Salt, making it an egregious plot error. I have no idea how something like this went overlooked.

CHAPTER 20
"She was tasked with teaching the queen and I about the birds and the bees." -> well this one puts the author's claim about "putting her historian hat on" to a proper test. this story is supposed to be a soft of fantasy-esque version of the Tudor world. we can reference Henry VIII as the sort of most recognizable king of the Tudor era, so he would've reigned in the first half of the 16th century. we can take Elizabeth I, who reigned the latter half. in either case, considering the phrase "the birds and the bees" was, to our knowledge, likely mentioned around the mid 17-th century at the earliest, and even removing it from its historical context completely, it feels like such an anachronism.

CHAPTER 25
"I hold it tightly, surmising this has somehow come from Harry. How it's made its way into Lady Mary's hands, I don't know. I grip it tightly, considering simply tipping it into the waves around the barge, but I don't. Instead, I hold it tightly, and only open my hand when I'm once more in my apartments, and my women, no longer sombre. have returned to gossiping." -> nope, i did not take excerpts from three different parts of the chapter, she really grips this tiny piece of paper THREE TIMES at once. oh my god i know an arc is not a finalized book but these things can be caught early on.

CHAPTER 28
"This child is huge,' she complains, rubbing her back. 'It's all very inconvenient,' she complains, before bidding me goodnight." -> surely there's a better verb than 'complains', twice.

CHAPTER 31
"Yesterday, the echoes would have been unending, reaching to the farthest reaches <...>" -> at this point just no comment.
"I'm more terrified than they can ever now." -> and another one of those sweet types we got used to around the way to end this journey.

this book also suffers greatly from issues of pacing. the first half, the plot barely moves and doesn't pick up its pace until maybe around chapter 20ish, when we're suddenly speedrunning Cecily's pregnancy. the ending basically catches you off-guard, as you go from barely covering a single day to skipping several months ahead.

next, let's move on to misandry and patriarchy.

see, i do like the idea of a world ruled by women. put it in a monarchist setting and there's a lot of sand to play with, and Porter certainly tries to play but there are too many inconsistencies. the rules of primogeniture seem to not be set in stone or codified definitively, given that a third child is selected as an heir based on a prophecy. the world-building issues were described really well by a different review digging into the strange system of houses based on their trade and how the different merchant paths overlap in a manner that would eliminate other houses. there's not much on other states or kingdoms, bar one, which is apparently ruled by men, so the matriarchal system of the kingdom of ash (try to imagine reading every other sentence with that mouthful interjecting) does not appear to be widely spread.

the thing is, this book wants to present a spin on the Tudor world, and the author does reference henry viii in her note, but i expected this book to a world ruled in misandry. as it turns out, that's not the case. despite trying to position this world as ruled by women, the men are still at the forefront of the story in ways that seemed to break what little worldbuilding we got. the exception is made to the dead queen's only living son. sure, that line can be drawn. but then also a boy who happened to be born the same day has privileges too? Elizabeth talks about how men are no more than breeding bulls brought out only for consorting, but even then, the way some men got privileges over others did not seem to follow any pattern or particular favours offered by a monarch. neither Henry nor Charles having court privileges made sense. Harry's temporary rise into favour was better explained for obvious reasons. even then, with Elizabeth's point of view and reverie with which she speaks of the men, it centres them in her story. it ceases being a tale of two sisters whole relationship deteriorates due to Cecily's imminent rise to power, it becomes a story of "which male lover should i take?" for Elizabeth.

another tie-in with the roles of women vs. men is the background roles. are the royal guards women or men? i could not say. the servants are apparently women, but i don't recall any servant being named as a man. what about the broader kingdom? sure, Elizabeth is second in line for the throne, she is probably disconnected from the common folk, but do they adhere to the same matriarchal structure? are men just as out of favour there? how do people live in contrast to the lavish feasts and fancy fabrics of the monarchy? is it a time of peace, a crisis? is the kingdom prosperous or suffering from famine? we head barely that, for instance, the house of fish (ugh) provides salted fish for everyone in winter and the house of seacoal (uuuuugh) keeps the people warm, but how many people? how big is this kingdom exactly? what is the social divide, do the peasants threaten to revolt? maybe something of this nature will come up in the sequels, i won't care enough to read them.

the core issue of "the throne of ash" is it doesn't know if it wants to be young adult or adult fiction. it's too tame for the latter—despite what you might expect from the courting setting at the very beginning, it shies from being overtly sexual, while the protagonist and her sister are around 16-18 years old. but it's also too brutal at times to be the former.

with that in mind, let's talk about chapter 30.

i wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the novel—and indeed the trilogy—was envisioned precisely around this scene, given its detailedness, gratuity and length. for all intents and purposes, for a book that's so heavily about consorts and heirs and lovers, it's pretty sexless throughout, with a few vague mentions of Cecily's or Elizabeth's relations with harry during their respective relationships. so, reaching chapter 30, it felt a lot like this George R. R. Martin quote:

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off."

dancing around Cecily's procreation and enjoyment of sex behind closed doors is a stark contrast to the bloody, gruesome birthing bed. porter goes into very explicit detail of the bleeding, the cutting, the dying, it was all a little bit "House of the Dragon" s1e1 to me. i won't get into the physics of two babies being overlooked in the womb, that felt too bonkers even with the overall quality of the book, but the way in which Cecily's birth and death are described felt... too gratuitous far what is, at the end of the day, a very ya-sounding book with quite young main characters.

there's so much to pick apart, so much to say, so many ways that this has gone wrong yet wouldn't have, if Porter had a very patient editor. She's mentioned this was a project she's been working on for years and I comment that, but frankly, she's not a very attentive writer. If anything she just gives an impression of a pretty lazy one. The handful of detailed descriptions of food or clothing do have some thought put into them. If only the rest of the plot had been cared for as much.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 / 5

With its Tudor-inspired setting and a world where women hold power while men are little more than political tools, The Throne of Ash has a fascinating premise. The story centers on Queen Cecily, bound by tradition to wear the Queen’s Face mask and choose a Consort to produce an heir. When she unknowingly selects her sister’s lover, ambition and jealousy ignite a dangerous game of politics and betrayal.

The novel’s strongest point is its worldbuilding. Porter crafts a court ruled by rigid etiquette and ruthless maneuvering, where every decision carries weight. The dynamic between Cecily and Bess is particularly intriguing, as sisterly duty clashes with personal desires. The idea of men being sidelined in the political sphere is a refreshing reversal, adding an interesting layer to the court intrigue.

Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t quite live up to the concept. The writing feels clunky at times, making it harder to get lost in the story. The beginning is especially slow, weighed down by exposition and excessive detail before the real conflict gains momentum. While the stakes eventually become clear, it takes too long to get there.

That said, if you’re patient and enjoy slow-burn political intrigue, The Throne of Ash does have rewarding moments. The shifting power dynamics and betrayals keep things engaging once the story picks up. It’s not without its flaws, but for fans of courtly drama with a unique power structure, it might still be worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Margian Ghadimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un trono governato da maschere, una regina che non può mai essere davvero vista, e due sorelle divise dal potere, dalla lealtà e da un solo Consorte.

The Throne of Ash ha un’idea affascinante: una società matriarcale dove le donne muovono davvero i fili, e l’apparenza non è solo facciata, ma regola assoluta. L’atmosfera è raffinata, tesa, costruita con attenzione a ogni gesto, a ogni silenzio.

Eppure, per gran parte del romanzo ho avuto la sensazione di rimanere in attesa. I personaggi si muovono lentamente, spesso trattenuti, come se qualcosa dovesse succedere da un momento all’altro, ma non accadesse mai davvero. Non è noia—è sospensione. Una scelta stilistica precisa, che però non mi ha completamente convinta.

È solo nell’ultima parte che la tensione si scioglie. I conflitti si rivelano, le scelte diventano drastiche, e finalmente si respira quell’urgenza che avevo desiderato sin dall’inizio.

The Throne of Ash è un romanzo elegante, strutturato, e consapevole del suo linguaggio. Ma richiede pazienza. E una certa predisposizione ad ascoltare le cose non dette, più che quelle mostrate.

Grazie a NetGalley per l'opportunità di leggere questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta.

[Lysten_and_read · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I can't do anything. He's been Chosen. He's her Consort. Not mine."

The Queen must choose her consort amongst the sea of men in front of her to give her the highest chances of conceiving a girl. To end up choosing the man her sister was almost promised too and the Queens choice of consort is to not be challenged, even by her sister Elizabeth. Asking her parents and those who know to keep it a secret. What will Elizabeth do?

The entirety of the book is from Elizabeths point of view and the first few chapters are a lot of world building and info dumping, explaining each house, each man, and so on. Gender norms are reversed making the females the "superior gender" in this instance and the men are in the background, only needed to provide and help conceive children.

This book was really interesting, though there is a lot of narrative and little dialogue which made it harder for me to read on continue. I wish we got the other characters POV's especially from the Queen and possibly even Harry's when he was selected to be her Consort. This would've made it a little easier to read as it did drag at times.

Thank you Netgalley & Publishers for the Arc.

[Giorgia Catalano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I was very intrigued at the beginning, waited for something to happen throughout the whole middle, and felt entertained again the last 30 pages. I really like the concept of a matriarchy and seeing how even this society has negative outcomes like patriarchy but hell, yeah sister, let’s have a kingdom rolled by women! Was there too much focus on clothes? Was there an emphasis on confusing and seemingly unimportant politics? Was there an overuse of the word “lover?” Was there too much politics with very little story? Yes. I feel like I learned something, but don’t feel compelled to learn more. I very much liked this time period but I wish there was more character development and dialogue. Overall, a decent read though it feels like a long prologue rather than a full first novel of a trilogy. This was the first book I read on NetGalley and I’m very grateful to read something new!

[Julie Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Bess has a lover but when he is chosen by the Queen to be her Consort, Bess’ life is turned upside down. Cecily, Queen of Ash wears white face make up so people only see the Queen and not the woman behind the throne. Bess is heartbroken but as the Queen’s sister and heir there is nothing she can do.

Very well written fantasy novel set in a world ruled by women where men are only used for procreation. Good characters in the royal court drama. Only a daughter will be acceptable and this could affect the future life of the Consort and Bess. Court life will become complicated and can only be fully resolved one the Queen gives birth.

[Maddie Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for this book!

I am a big fan of the Tudor era and I thought it was really interesting to see a take on it where it's a matriarchy. The social and political systems of the world were definitely some of the stronger points of the story, even if I did struggle with so many minor characters that I occasionally forgot who was who.

While the worldbuilding was great, I did find the plot of the story to be incredibly slow, and the stakes weren't too obvious to me until about halfway through. I also found the characters to be shallow and a bit one-dimensional, even the main character. She seems to fall very quickly for men and there was no depth or reason given to her relationship with Harry, we're just constantly told that she loves him.

The end was very fast-paced considering the rest of the story, and honestly was a bit confusing to follow at times. I'm not too sure if this is a standalone because it ended on an odd note, but otherwise it was an interesting concept but I think could have been executed better.

[Mary Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Elizabeth, the heir of the House of Ash, dreams of a life far removed from her current existence. She is deeply in love with Harry from the House of Fish and envisions a simpler, happier life with him and the children they hope to have in the future. The terms of their future together have already been discussed and are almost agreed upon.

However, everything changes when Harry unexpectedly appears at Choosing Day, presented by Lady Alice, the matriarch of the House of Fish. To Elizabeth’s dismay, her sister, the Queen, selects Harry to become her Consort.

With her dreams shattered and her heart broken, Elizabeth must put on a brave front and continue as if everything is normal. Yet, as Harry remains increasingly present in her life, it becomes challenging to maintain this façade.

Will she be able to remain a loyal sister to the Queen, or will her heart ultimately override her reason?

In her enchanting novel, “The Throne of Ash,” Lissy Porter presents a captivating Tudor-escapist fantasy that intricately weaves together elements of history and imagination. The narrative draws striking parallels between the real-life Tudor dynasty, known for its political intrigue and opulent court life, and the fictional House of Ash, a realm marked by its own power struggles and rich heritage. With vivid descriptions and well-crafted characters, Porter invites readers to immerse themselves in a world where the grandeur of Tudor England meets the complexities of her own creation, resulting in a tale that is both alluring and richly layered.

In a society where women hold positions of deep respect and admiration, men’s roles have become narrowly defined, primarily centred around their capacity for reproduction. In this world, women wield power and influence, shaping culture and making decisions, while men find themselves relegated to the sidelines, their worth measured solely by their ability to contribute to procreation. This stark division creates a complex dynamic, reducing men’s significance to a biological function and raising questions about identity, purpose, and the very fabric of relationships in this unconventional society. There are exceptions to this rule, such as the Queen's father, Edmund, who holds a unique position in court, although he does not possess any real power. The only time men gather in large numbers is during the “Choosing Day”, where they are present solely for procreative purposes. It is up to the Queen to choose whom she shares her bed with, but this is only until she becomes pregnant; a baby girl is the desired outcome, while boys are simply set aside.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Princess Elizabeth, affectionately known as Bess, the younger sister of Queen Cecily. Bess is an exceptionally relatable and charming heroine, brimming with warmth and earnestness, whose hopes and dreams often languish in the shadow of her sister's regal duties. As the heir, she yearns for a simpler existence—a life spent alongside the man she loves, and capturing the world around her through the delicate strokes of her paintbrush. However, Bess’s world spirals into chaos when Lady Alice introduces Harry, to the Queen on the fateful Choosing Day. The moment the Queen selects Harry, a devastating silence blankets Bess's heart, shattering her dreams into a million fragments. In that instant, the life she envisioned—filled with love, artistry, and fulfilment—slips through her fingers like grains of sand. Bess is a deeply emotional character, her heart laid bare for all to see, creating an immediate connection with the reader. Her profound longing and vulnerability invite us into her world, making us unwaveringly invested in her fate, her desires, and her ultimate quest for happiness amidst the turmoil that envelops her.

Queen Cecily spends the majority of the narrative adorned in the Queen's Face, a symbol of her unwavering authority. This mask allows her to embody an image of poise and iron self-control, yet it does little to ease the burdens of her reign. The court is alive with intrigue, and Lady Alice, with her newfound influence, schemes to usurp even more power, casting a shadow over Cecily's rule. There are fleeting moments throughout the story when she is without the mask, revealing glimpses of the real Cecily—a woman grappling with the weight of her duties and her own desires. In these rare instances, the reader witnesses the vulnerability that lies beneath her composed exterior. In the opulent, yet often perilous, realm of court politics, she tirelessly works to create a stable kingdom. With each strategic decision and diplomatic endeavour, she remains resolute in her commitment to her noble legacy.

The novel features several supporting characters that add depth to the story. Lady Mary, Princess Elizabeth’s chief lady-in-waiting, understands Bess's heart better than anyone else. Lady Grace, the Queen Mother, does her best to support her daughters, although she sometimes comes across as cold. Edmund, the Queen Mother’s consort and the father of Cecily and Bess, is depicted as a dignified and loving father. Harry, Queen Cecily's consort and former lover of Bess, is a conflicted character who never aspired to be honoured with such a position. He finds himself trapped in the political scheming of Lady Alice. Lady Alice is portrayed as cold, calculating, and power-hungry.

The setting is meticulously established, and the royal court is rich with tradition and simmering with political intrigue. At its heart lies the imposing Throne of Ash, a monumental symbol of authority. The captivating visage of the Queen, highlighted by an ethereal white complexion and striking red lips, presents an expressionless facade that epitomises authority and regality. This iconic appearance serves as both a symbol of power and an artistic statement. However, the lead-based paint employed to achieve this vivid colouration poses significant risks to the skin. The irony lies in the beauty's duality—while it commands admiration and reverence, it simultaneously harbours a perilous secret that can inflict harm. The Palace of Ash itself stands as a grand testament to an age-old legacy, its majestic halls echoing with whispers of power and ambition. The royal gardens flourish with flora, their beauty a stark contrast to the underlying tensions that prevail within the palace walls. The Basilica of Ash, with its towering spires and sacred ambience, draws the reader's imagination, while the Queen's Hall showcases elegance, but also power. In a quieter corner lies Elizabeth's art studio, a haven of creativity and dreams. The Throne of Ash, while a beacon of permanence and tradition, also radiates an unsettling aura, stirring a sense of disquiet that lingers just beneath the surface—an enigma that the reader uncovers only later in the narrative. This richly detailed setting not only highlights the intricate power dynamics at play but also shapes the characters’ actions and aspirations.

Colour serves as a vibrant thread woven throughout this story, manifesting both in luxurious fabrics and in the artistry of paint on canvas. The nobles are draped in elaborate garments that swirl with opulence and the symbols of their noble Houses, but it is the royal family's hues of purple, black, white, red, and yellow that dance through the air, each colour steeped in its own significance, enhancing the atmosphere with a kaleidoscope of emotion and meaning. The shimmering elegance and profound symbolism of the colours chosen to adorn oneself not only indicate the House to which each faction belongs but also reflect their inherent power and influence. In the grand court, those Houses that stand at a distance from the royal circle don garments that are considerably less elaborate and draped in muted tones. In this realm, colour isn't merely decorative; it is a powerful statement that echoes the hierarchy and relationships between the ruling and the ruled.

If you have a passion for historical fantasy fiction, then "The Throne of Ash" by Lissy Porter is an exceptional novel that you won't want to miss. This captivating story weaves together intricate historical elements with rich fantasy lore, inviting readers into a vivid world filled with political intrigue, complex characters, and breathtaking settings. This book comes highly recommeneded.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
Yarde Book Reviews & Book Promotion

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at 26%. The premise of this book sounded very interesting to me. I loved the idea of putting a feminist spin on the world of Henry VIII, with an element of both historical fiction and fantasy, the politics that play into choosing a consort and the responsibility of duty for the crown vs. self. I was very excited to delve into this world, but unfortunately I had a hard time getting into the story. There a quite a few elements I enjoyed, but ultimately had to put it down.

Characters:
So the story is told from first POV of Princess Elizabeth, the queen's sister. I loved the idea of the story being told by both an insider and an outsider of the Queen's court as it adds another layer to the book, providing an inside look at this world that is based on a facade. However, I had a hard time connecting to the character. In 6 chapters we still only know a handful of things about her and even less about there other characters. There are breadcrumbs there that can be explored such as her relationship with her father, her stance at court, the freedoms she has that others do not, her painting hobby and how that plays into all this.

World Building
As a fantasy reader, I understand that sometimes quite a bit of a book may be devoted to world building and a Tudor inspired fantasy had so much potential in my mind. I think my expectations of this were perhaps higher, but I was looking for a world rich with colors, textures, visual descriptions. Quite a bit of time is spent on describing the different Houses at court and the male figures they are presenting as potential consorts, but other than the color yellow and a few sparse descriptions of the emblems of each house I found the world hard to imagine.

Themes
Again there is so much here to explore and really built upon that the potential for this to be an amazing book is there.
Loved the flip of this feminist world ruled by women.
loved the politics and pressure of aligning with the right house, what this means for the crown and what this means for the houses
loved the conflict of having to choose btw crown and state vs. self and how this affects the characters themselves

Honestly the themes is where this book shines and there's so much there to build upon.

Writing
So the story is told in 1st person omniscient point of view, which can definitely work. However, the sentences themselves I found unnecessarily wordy without being very descriptive. Ex. "Her waist is cinched in so tightly, my hands, covered in gloves but roughed by time with brushes and canvas, could encircle it." Too many ideas but really the visual is just the same. Quite often I found details missing. Things are described as being the 'finest materials" but there's no visual concrete adjectives or examples to portray these in the reader's mind (Ex. Silks the color of bright rose petals from the (whatever area/region of the kingdom she is describing). I feel because of this I had a hard time really getting a sense of the world the author was trying to portray and unfortunately because of this had a hard time really being engaged in the story.

Additionally, the same words or ideas are quite repetitive in each chapter. The words "codpiece" and the color "yellow" are repeated so often it that is became distracting for me personally, while the reasoning for the prevalence of the color yellow is not brought up or explained until Chapter 6. The words 'Throne of Ash" or "Court of Ash" are repeated so many times it honestly took me out of the story and the ability to enjoy it.

Overall, I was really intrigued by the premise of this book, the political stakes and feminist take on this Tudor style world, but felt the execution lacking in regards to character development, world building and ultimately the writing. I would have loved to see more details in the description of this world, a lot more insight on the characters themselves and a lot more action to move the plot along.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Daniela M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher, and Author for providing me this ARC.

The Throne of Ash by Lissy Porter is a historical fiction inspired by King Henry VIII’s obsession to obtain a male heir, but with a gender bent twist. Here, a matriarchal society is in charge and revered, while men take on the expectations to provide a female heir for the throne. The novel is told through the perspective of the second sister to the Queen who watches her sister chose the man that she loves as the male consort to father her daughters. This causes jealousy amongst the sisters.

Unlike the history of the Tudor era, there is no true marriage for this world, and rather the use of men is watered down to only providing an heir for the crown. Though the mothers of the men are constantly in the background using their sons to elevate their homes, the men themselves are nothing but set dressing, and there is no depth to the male characters. This contradicts the actual women during this time. Both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Bolyn were some of the most intriguing people in the Tudor era, beyond the scheming of their fathers, so I was really disappointed that the men were not given any personality themselves.

The prose of this novel was also difficult to get through. Written in first person present, the sentences are choppy, all tell with no show, and dumps of repetitive exposition with little dialogue to forward the plot. Lines like “Queen’s Face” is heavily repeated to describe a ‘Poker Face’. The author fails at using any other terms like stoic, aloof, unreadable, etc. We also have repetitive lines where we are told something, and then repeated the same sentiment, only with different phrasing. Here is a list of a few of these instances:

“It’s a rare sight to see my sister’s hair. It’s a rare sight to see any woman’s hair. It signifies their virginity. The prize of being my sister’s first Consort is a rich one indeed.”

“It is unusual for an initial failure to be given another chance with the same Consort arrangement. It’s not entirely unheard of, but very unusual.”

“No one person, aside from the queen, makes the decisions within our kingdom. No one person but the queen is entirely in control of every aspect of the court of the Throne of Ash. She sits upon the Throne.”

“It’s as though I have donned the Queen’s Face. It’s as though I must be the one to hold aloft from revealing any emotion.”

“Here in the court of the Throne of Ash, women know how to prevent unwanted children. Here, in the court of the Throne of Ash, its imperative they do so.”

“I’ve allowed Lady Mary to apply some pale white powder to my face, and some brighter red colour to my lips. It will, I hope detract from the redness of my eyes and the blotchiness of my skin from all my tears. It will also mask me. I’ll wear my own version of the Queen’s face.”

Beyond this, the story seems lacking of depth, and the characters seem shallow. There is no intuitive thought, and the characters are having the plot happen to them, rather than their actions driving the plot. The choppiness of sentences took me out of the story, and the MFC’s whiney narrative made me dislike her, and not want to root for her. This story could have done better with a clear goal in mind, deeper world building, and a few more rounds of editing.

[Patricia Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to say thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Throne of Ash is a captivating fantasy novel that immerses readers in a world full of power struggles, complex characters, and political intrigue. The book centers around a heroine who must navigate the ruthless dynamics of court life and her duty in order to support “The Queen.”

Strengths:
1. World-building: Porter excels at creating a vivid and intricate world. The setting is lush that enriches the narrative and allows the reader to immerse themselves. The author’s attention to detail helps establish a sense of place, making the world feel lived-in and authentic.

2. Character Development: The protagonist is one of the novel’s strongest aspects. She’s layered, morally complex, and relatable. Her internal struggles, as well as her growth throughout the story, make for a compelling journey. She is central to the narrative, adding emotional depth to the to this Tudoresque drama.

3. Themes: The book delves into themes of power, sacrifice, loyalty, and identity. The protagonist's journey is one of self-discovery, where she grapples with her personal beliefs and the harsh demands of the throne. It’s a story about what one is willing to sacrifice in order to protect power and the ones she loves.

Weaknesses:

1. Pacing Issues: The beginning can feel slow as the author builds the world for the reader. The initial setup takes time to unfold, and the plot takes a while to gather momentum. For readers who prefer fast-moving stories, this could be a bit of a turn-off.

2. Overly Descriptive: At times, the writing can feel overly descriptive, which can bog down the pace, especially when the focus shifts from action to setting or background details. This might test the patience of some readers who prefer a more streamlined narrative. The author also repeats phrases multiple times which for me was pretty frustrating.

3. Predictability: While the book does feature some unexpected twists, the overall trajectory of the plot may feel familiar to fans of political fantasy. The struggle for the throne, with all its machinations, is a well-trodden path, and at times, the book doesn’t stray too far from genre conventions.

Overall:

Throne of Ash is an engaging and immersive read for fans of court intrigue and fantasy. It’s a book full of twists, betrayals, and complex characters. While it might not be groundbreaking in terms of plot, the depth of the world-building and the emotional depth of the protagonist make it an enjoyable read. If you enjoy stories about royal courts and struggles for power are central themes, this novel will likely resonate with you.

[Vii · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was dragging a bit, it felt mostly like a set up for books 2 and 3. It picked up in the second half, but most of the politics happened in the first half, which made them feel juvenile and clumsy. It was pointed out in the book that one of the characters trying to manipulate things was a bit politically inept, but they were the main example of political maneuvering, so it left a lot to be desired.

The matriarchal society was interesting. Harry is barely in the book and yet it revolves around him. The main character is obsessed with him, her every action, her every thought leads back to him and her desire for his body. She constantly thinks of him and claims to love him, but society is so sexist that she doesn’t even see him as anything other than an object of desire. I don’t think we ever really learn anything about Harry as a person, his true desires, likes, or dislikes, even when he claims to love her and wants to be with her, it is uncertain if it is true since Elizabeth is a bit unreliable.

Elizabeth is an unlikeable protagonist and I'm mostly sure this was her villain origin story. Aside from claiming to love Harry but not moving a finger to help, understand, or support him, it is also clear she despises her sister despite claiming to adore her or have mixed feelings.

Since we first see them the morning the queen unknowingly picks her lover as a consort, we don’t see their relationship as sisters before that or any of the love that she claims. She becomes bitter and angry at her sister for taking her man away, despite it not being her fault, and continues to blame her and hate her for it to the very end. Not once did it feel as if she loved her sister or anyone at all. And even at the end, she only becomes more hateful. She only seems to care about the horrible things that happened as far as how they affect her and her plans for the future.

The ending did get me interested in the rest of the series if there is a timeskip. It left a good setup for a succession war.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lissy Porter, and BooksGoSocial for providing a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

[East of Reality · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author either hates commas, throwing them around haphazardly, or loves them so much so they have to share them with every sentence. Some of the phrasings come across clumsy and forced as the author put style over story, especially in the early chapters. There are small errors, such as the wrong their/they’re, the wrong your/you’re, aunt’s/aunts, and I was so annoyed by the awkward style and repetitive writing — so many next, so many contentments, so many blues and yellows, the word recalled used four times on one page (and I haven’t even made it to chapter three!) — that I began paying less attention to the story and more to the mechanics of the world. And that’s not a good thing. Before chapter two began I was so disconnected from this story.

The houses are … silly. The noble House of Fish, or Pottery, the noble house of Cloth? The matriarchy bit is fine; using men as breeding stock, fine. But it feels more like vibes and less like world building and every sentence I struggle to read makes me less interested in reading the next one. The houses, such as the House of Lemon, for example, are noble families that hold monopolies. And that’s … fine. This one noble house has a monopoly on each and every lemon coming in and being sold in the kingdom, but why call it the House of Lemon? That’s the part that bothers me.

And how goes the House of Pottery or Sugar or Wine manage these monopolies when there is a House of Trade? Or can the House of Trade only trade things that aren’t sugar, salt, fish and lemons? How does this work?

The writing is overly explanatory and stiff and the author tries too hard with the style and it comes across inorganic and fake. The constant use of commas is distracting, the world building is clumsy, I got to chapter three — when the House of Trade showed up — and realized how angry this book was making me. Honestly, this is poorly put together, poorly thought out, and not well written. A solid and utter pass from me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Oli (oliverreadsbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review Updated: 05/06/2025

🌒 Title: The Throne of Ash
🖋 Author: Lissy Porter
⭐ Rating: ★★
📚 Genre: Fantasy / Court Intrigue / Matriarchal Politics
📖 Format: eARC via NetGalley
📅 Finished Read: 29 April 2025

---

✦ 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing the eARC. I went into The Throne of Ash buoyed by its matriarchal premise—a Tudor‑inspired world where women hold the reins of power, court politics swirl in golden whispers, and sisterhood is tested by the collision of love and duty. The concept felt fresh, but I found myself drifting before the story truly took flight.

In the first half, ritual descriptions (from the Queen’s painted visage to every stitch of ceremonial garments) and lengthy internal monologues crowded out any real momentum. While I appreciate rich detail, there were stretches where I genuinely wondered when the plot—let alone the intrigue—would kick in. When the final act finally delivered tension, I was relieved, though it felt almost too late to salvage my engagement.

---

✦ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠:
Porter excels at crafting an aesthetic: noble Houses with monopolies on lemons or salt, a society governed by elaborate rituals, and a faceless Queen whose mask symbolizes emotional distance. These details are vivid and imaginative, but at times felt more decorative than functional. I wanted to delve deeper into the mechanics of this matriarchal system—how power really shifts between Houses, how the economy functions beyond ceremonial pageantry, or the deeper history behind the Queen’s rule.

That said, the masked Queen as a symbol of emotional repression is a strong image, and moments when Porter hints at cracks beneath the veneer are compelling. I just wished the underlying politics felt as fleshed‑out as the surface aesthetics.

---

✦ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 & 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠:
The story opens slowly, lingering over court rituals, Bess’s thoughts on her gilded captivity, and every ornate detail of palace life. This deliberate pacing might appeal to readers who crave atmospheric depth, but I found myself checking how many pages remained before anything truly slipped into motion.

Once Bess’s forbidden love for Consort Harry and her fraught relationship with Queen Cecily take center stage, the narrative picks up—yet not quickly enough to offset earlier tedium. The romance felt more told than earned: we’re told Bess adores Harry, but we rarely see them forge that connection on the page. Likewise, the sisterly bond with Cecily comes across as simmering bitterness without ever bubbling into nuanced complexity.

The final 10% (where conspiracies surface and loyalties fracture) injects genuine stakes, and I was grateful for the surge of tension. Still, because it arrives so late, the ending’s power is somewhat muted by the slog that precedes it.

---

✦ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:

- Princess Bess: As narrator, her voice alternates between poetic reverence for ritual and abrupt emotional flatness. I struggled to root for her because her obsession with Harry isn’t convincingly built—one moment she’s pining, the next she’s sulking, and all I hear is “I love him” without seeing why. Her ambivalence toward her sister‑queen also lacks depth; it feels like bitterness for bitterness’s sake.
- Consort Harry: Nearly faceless in his own right. He drifts in and out of Bess’s monologues, more a symbol of forbidden longing than a fully formed person. I wanted to understand his motivations—why he chose to bind himself to a matriarchal throne, how he truly feels about the power struggles around him—but he remains a cipher until the final chapters.
- Queen Cecily: The masked ruler with a cold exterior and an unspoken past. Her relationship with Bess should be the novel’s emotional core, yet it never transcends superficial resentment. We catch glimpses of genuine sisterly love or political calculation, but Porter rarely allows either to develop fully.
- Supporting Nobles: A handful of ministers and rival House figures hint at deeper court conspiracies—some even drop hints of betrayal that could have fueled a richer political plot. Unfortunately, they flit in and out, leaving me wanting far more context on who they are and why their loyalty matters.

---

✦ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
The Throne of Ash brims with promise—a matriarchal twist on Tudor intrigue, lush court ceremonies, and a masked queen who wields her authority with an air of mystery. While the worldbuilding dazzles in snapshots, the politics and character arcs never fully coalesce. The pacing is sluggish until the closing act, and key emotional beats are told rather than shown, leaving faces painted in vivid colors but sketched in half‑measures.

If you crave slow‑burn court drama and don’t mind trading momentum for layers of ceremony, there’s plenty to admire here. But if you need a deeper emotional core and a politics that feels more than surface decoration, you may find yourself as disengaged as I was—until that late‑arriving spark. I’m curious enough to give the sequel a shot, hoping the next installment turns these intriguing threads into fully realized tapestries.

(Cross‑posted on Fable and Goodreads and StoryGraph and NetGalley)

[Erin Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Throne of Ash by Lissy Porter was a book I grabbed based on the summary and I have to say, while it's not noted as a series, I'm wondering if there will be a second book to this one as the way it ended, it could absolutely continue.

Our fmc is Bess, the princess and heir to the Throne of Ash. In the world the Porter has developed, women are in charge and valued and men are seen as nothing more than tools for breeding. Because of this, the book opens on the Queen (Bess's sister Cecily) going through the ceremony of choosing her consort. What is unexpected to Bess is that the man she has chosen for herself, and her future away from court, has been brought to court by his aunt as a possible consort for the Queen and the only person in her family who doesn't know about him is the Queen. Because of that, Cecily ends up choosing him and things start to twist and turn from here.

I initially felt bad for Bess. I couldn't tell if she and her sister had a good or bad relationship so wondered if she would have said something to Cecily would she have released Harry or would she truly have held it over her head as Bess thought? Her decision to never have him going forward and the fact that that changes very quickly is what makes my feelings for Bess change. I feel like she never actually tried to move on despite the fact that she said she was going to...and Harry was having sex with her sister...and often.

Outside of that bit of the story, there is a lot of court politics and intrigue in this one. That is what the purpose was behind bringing Harry to court as a consort in the first place as his aunt wanted to gain more power and when he was chosen as the consort, she used it as a way to gain influence. Unfortunately for her, it created more problems for her as she tried to do take too much. In the end, everything backfires on her and she pays a pretty big price which is the beginning of the end for the entire House they belong to.

Ultimately, the Queen finds herself with child and Bess sees this as her opportunity to plan her escape for the future with a new heir on the way. The question is what will happen with Harry. I won't say much more here as I don't want to give anything away but there are quite a few twists that happen that mean not everything goes as planned. And as I mentioned, the way Porter ended this book, it could easily jump into a book two to see what happens next for the characters and this kingdom.

If you're looking for a fantasy romance that has a bit of a historical feel to it, consider picking this one up. I found it to be well written and while the characters were somewhat questionable, I found myself turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next for everyone.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ceridwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a great deal of this book I was remarkably bored. The beginning was tedious and made the story so hard to get into. I didn't understand why we were giving this opening scene such intense detail and play by play. The choreography of the entire story felt overdone. I don't need to know every twitch of someone's brow or when they sat down or stepped back during dinner. This scene felt like it should have been much shorter. Now having gotten to the end, I understand as setting the scene of the story in much needed depth. but it really almost had me setting this book aside at the 15% mark.
There were many times I wondered where exactly this was going. It didn't feel as though Elizabeth had very high stakes at all. This made the tension fall very flat. She was so invested in her lover but we had no reason to care about him. We had never seen them together or known what their love was like. While I did enjoy the overall voice and cantor of the narration it did feel overly descriptive. By this I mean that the narrator had little faith in the reader to read between the lines and so many things were said plainly and left little, if anything up to interpretation. I do wonder if that is purposeful - it lulls the reader into a false sense of security. The ending is a visceral surprise, one only barely hinted at throughout the story.
Ultimately this ending swayed my overall opinion on the book and despite my earlier complaints about tension and pacing, grammatical errors that usually put me off of an author, I will be continuing to read this series and look forward to more works from Lissy Porter

[Jenna Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A unique premise with royal intrigue, but could use more polish

The Throne of Ash by Lissy Porter presents a refreshingly unique concept: a matriarchal kingdom where women rule and men exist mostly in the background—except when a Consort must be chosen. This Tudor-inspired fantasy was an intriguing take on gendered power dynamics, with court politics, ambition, and betrayal at its core. I really appreciated the world building and the historical undertones woven into the story—it felt fresh and engaging.

That said, I found the narrative to be very exposition-heavy, with not nearly enough dialogue to balance things out or develop the characters more dynamically. The lack of conversational moments made the pacing feel slower, and I struggled to connect emotionally with the characters because of it. Additionally, the book contained quite a few spelling and grammar issues—more than I usually overlook—which disrupted the reading flow and pulled me out of the story.

I also finished the book feeling unsure of the intended audience. Some elements felt very YA, while others leaned more toward adult romantasy, and the blend didn’t quite land for me. There were pieces of the plot I was still unclear on by the end, and I wish the story had been given a bit more time in development and editing.

All of that aside, the concept itself was compelling, and I’d love to see where Lissy Porter goes next as an author. With more refinement, this could easily be a standout read. I’m definitely keeping my eye out for her future works!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Vic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued when I first read the description of The Throne of Ash. The concept of an alt reality similar to that of Tudor England, but where it's a matriarchal society made me super eager to read. However I was disapointed. The story concept is brilliant and I would of loved to learn more about the diffrent houses and lands but unfortunately the delivery was lacking.

Elizabeth is the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Ash and her elder sister Cecily is the queen looking for her first consort. The man Cecily chooses happens to be the secret lover of Elizabeth due to the maschinations of his family. We discover all of this in the first few chapters and apart from the end that I won't go in to, there isn't much intrigue or action to drive the story forward.

There is a lot of narrative and very little dialogue which at times made it a very frustrating read. Our main characters especially Princess Elizabeth feels very 1 dimensional, even though the whole book is from her perspective. It feels like half the book has been cut out in the middle but I felt the ending lacked the emotional punch that was intended because we didn't really know the characters.

Overall the story itself has a great concept and the world felt rich and had depth to it that makes you want to know more. But that's exactly why it's slightly disappointing because your let down by not being able to connect to the characters and empathise with what they are going through because you don't fully get to know them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc

[Bookshortie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of three people. Queen Cecily of the House of Ash, her sister Princess Elizabeth (Bess) and the Queen's Consort Harry whose lives become intertwined forever.

I was drawn to this book because it was described as a Tudor-esque fantasy. As someone who has a keen interest in the Tudors this book was immediately added to my list.

I really enjoyed the story and the writing style. The story took the Tudors and gave them a new and fresh twist transporting me to a world ruled by women. The storyline was brilliant, different and filled with politics and treachery. I've never come across a story like this before which makes it even more memorable.

Princess Bess narrates the story and she is the spare heir to her sister Queen Cecily until Cecily has a daughter of her own who will become the next heir. What I found fascinating about this new world is that it's women that are in charge and it’s the females that carry on the dynasty and family line. All the characters in the book apart from a handful were all women and it really showed how much power they yielded.

Bess was an interesting character. She essentially lives in her sister’s shadow until she is no longer needed. Her life isn’t her own and she is constantly on standby. Then the man that Bess loves and has chosen to spend her life with is presented to her sister as a Consort. This wasn’t the plan and then he is chosen by Cecily to be her Consort. I felt so sad for Bess because she had no control over her life. She had this little glimmer of happiness with Harry but then that’s taken away from her and she can’t vocalise how she feels. Despite this she continues with her duty to her sister and continues like nothing has happened. It showed her strength of character. On the outside she presents a picture of calm, strength and elegance but inside she's upset, sad and inconsolable. Things become complicated when rumours start to spread about the new Consort and his origins which took the story in a new direction.

In addition the themes of politics and alliances were explored. There were several Houses in the story and although there were a lot of characters it was easy to follow who was who because there was a very detailed list of characters at the start of the book. What was clear was that all of the Houses wanted to be in Cecily’s favour and they would do anything to get into her good books even if that meant lying, cheating and discrediting the other Houses.

A brilliant read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Queen who must choose a Consort to give her the best chance at having a daughter - the only heir worth having in this world where gender roles are reversed. A Princess who at the very beginning of the book sees the future she envisaged for herself abruptly wrenched from her grasp.

This story has a great premise, and I appreciated the thoroughness of the world building at the beginning in terms of the descriptions of the noble houses. I would have liked to see some further background provided to Princess Elizabeth and Harry’s relationship, as she continually goes on about being in love, and they had also slept together in secret. I think this would have helped with the character development as well, giving us more insight into what drives Princess Elizabeth.

At times the writing felt slightly repetitive, however given the book is from Elizabeth’s POV that is to be expected, and I didn’t find myself overly bothered by it.

Overall I felt the world building was done well, and the political intrigue of the Court of Ash kept me interested. The feminist take on a Tudor Court was compelling and I give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I look forward to the future books in the series.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC of Throne of Ash in exchange for my honest review.

[taylor takeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The synopsis of this book was intriguing to me. When I first read it, I was immediately drawn in to the world and the story, I wanted to know more. Overall, I enjoyed this book but it was not my favorite. I enjoyed the switching of the gender roles throughout the story, where normally women are cast aside in favor of men, it was the exact opposite here. The idea of a “forbidden” love triangle between a queen, her sister, and a consort was exciting and intriguing to me, but it didn’t pan out the way I imagined.

Again, I enjoyed the book, however I think it could have been further developed in multiple aspects. I wish there was also more history explanation. I am glad for the thorough explanation of the court hierarchy and the descriptions of the clothes and castle, however, I wish we had more lore explanation and depth given to the characters. There were scenes that seemed a bit repetitive over the course of the book due to the same conversations/arguments being had.

If you are interested in Tudor inspired stories, this would be right up your alley. I will most likely not continue in the series, but enjoyed the time I spent with the Throne of

[Books_n_all_that_jazz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I'm glad I managed to finish this book. There were times where I almost did not. I take no pleasure at all in leaving a less than positive review but I also endeavour to be honest.

The positives are that the characters were well fleshed out, individual personalities. The premise of the book was so promising. I love the time in history. I love the idea of women totally in power after men screwed it up. The court politics were excellent. You really got a feel for the day to day restrictions of those in power and all they endured for their duty.

However. The writing was very repetitive. Not much really happened for the majority of the book. The setting was very limited. There were so many characters called Lady something of house something with different animals or sigils, plus all of their relatives who were often, not that relevant and all very similar. The male bashing really was up there and often. It was fairly predictable. Have I mentioned how repetitive it was?

As I said, I'm glad I read it to the end. It picked up the pace and so much happened. I kinda guessed where it was going, regardless, it added some excitement. I did feel for the characters and their inner turmoil but overall it was an awful lot of detail over not a lot of story.

[Jenny Orswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

2.5/5 stars

The novel's premise was intriguing and had a lot of promise. I loved the idea of a gender-swapped Tudor-esque court; however, it ended up falling flat.

I really liked the intrigue and relationships between characters, especially between Princess Elizabeth and her sister. However, I feel like many of the characters had wasted potential. We had the potential for a strong villain, but too much happened off-page to be satisfying. Additionally, the main character had so much potential to grow but ended up a flat, 2D character continuously pining after a flat, 2D love interest.

My two major issues were the writing and the character development. The language was clunky and flowery, which disrupted the flow of reading. The worst for me, which continuously took me out of the story, was the frequent repetition of the phrases “The Throne of Ash” and “The court of the Throne of Ash”.

Overall, I enjoyed the world-building and political intrigue of the court in this book but was left wanting in terms of the characters and a higher-stakes climax/conflict.

[Bzz Kolla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eCopy to review

When I first opened The Throne of Ash, I was drawn into its lush, Tudor-inspired fantasy world filled with ambition, jealousy, and political intrigue. Following Queen Cecily and Princess Bess as they navigate the deadly game of choosing a Consort to secure their dynasty’s future, I felt immersed in the high stakes of court life, where every gesture hides an agenda.

Queen Cecily is captivating yet complex—powerful, yet vulnerable to the pressures of ruling and securing her realm. Her younger sister, Bess, provides a vivid foil, brimming with her own aspirations and loyalty. Their interactions felt authentic and raw, reminding me how familial love can be both a shield and a dagger.

The political maneuvering was gripping. I found myself emotionally invested in the characters’ schemes and alliances. One standout moment was the intense banquet scene, where the tension between Cecily and a power-hungry rival had me gripping the pages, desperate to know the outcome.

The rich setting and compelling central characters make for an intense story of family rivalry

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the world we currently live in, women ruling seems far from possible, as all is being shut down, but we can read and live in such a world through this book. However, all is not solved or even made easier by having this hierarchy , where men are second class, and there are many faults and problems that arise.
I found this book exciting and very intriguing, as it brought to life a world very much the opposite of now. It is a tudor-esque style of living and there are many things that have that same harsh standard of feeling and living. The world is very much detailed and brought to life by the author and it is very easy to picture yourself there, it you would want to.
The characters are very well created and are given wonderland levels of detail, in the personalities and traits. They are completely manifested for us, so you can feel as though you are truly getting to know them. As well as knowing them, you also get a very real feel for the pains and issues that are hurting them.Overall, lovely

[Jackiesreadingcorner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Tudor court—particularly Henry VIII, who famously blamed his wives for failing to give him a male heir—this novel flips that historical narrative on its head. We now know it’s the father who determines a child’s sex, and I can’t help but wonder how Henry would have reacted to that knowledge.

In this matriarchal realm, it is women who rule. Men have one main purpose: to impregnate women. Queen Cecily must choose a consort, not to father a son, but a daughter—the one who will carry on the royal bloodline. The world-building is intricate, with detailed customs, class structures, and even fashion described with care.

The story is told from the perspective of Elizabeth, the Queen’s sister. Elizabeth has fallen in love and struck a deal with a minor noble house—once her sister chooses a consort, the man she loves will be hers. But fate has other plans. The same man has been put forward as a potential consort for the Queen. Now Elizabeth must stand by and watch, hoping her sister will not choose the man she loves.

Of course, Queen Cecily unknowingly selects him. Elizabeth’s heartbreak is compounded by having to witness the ceremonial consummation of their union. Once Cecily is pregnant, the consort is sent to the tower reserved for such men. But trouble brews when a letter arrives accusing the consort—of the minor House of Fish—of being a changeling, not of noble blood. Scandal threatens to unravel everything.

As the Queen’s pregnancy progresses, investigations are launched. Without DNA testing, it’s hard to imagine how legitimacy could be proven in such a world, and that mystery lingers in the background.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth is locked in emotional turmoil—should she still want the man after he has been with her sister? Her indecision repeats a bit too often, becoming slightly tiresome. I found myself wishing for a twist that never came, but even so, I was gripped enough to read the book in a single sitting.

There are several intriguing narrative strands—Elizabeth’s romantic struggle, the legitimacy of the consort, and the social-climbing ambitions of Lady Alice from the House of Fish. The story delivers its share of surprises, and it’s definitely a unique take on royalty and gender roles.

If you’re drawn to fantasy worlds with strong female leads and political intrigue, and you’re curious to see a royal court turned upside down, this book might just be for you.