Published by: Balzer + Bray, October 14th 2014
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Pages: 400
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss
A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.
The book and I got off to a rocky start. The place names made me feel really weird and uncomfortable. Oktuber made me want to curl into a ball and roll away from this book - but I'm glad I didn't because Snow Like Ashes is frickin awesome.
The world in this book, while having place names that made me feel iffy, is incredibly unique. I love the idea of basing different kingdoms on seasons, but my favourite land in this book was the one Rhythm we saw. (I hope we see more of these in the next books, especially the art-y Rhythym Theron spoke of.) The world is expansive and detailed, though the odd info dump did put me off.
The characters were hit or miss for me. I love Theron (my sweetheart) but I didn't feel anything for Meira until the last half of this book, when I really began to like and root for her. I could sort of stand Mather, but his anger and angst just infuriated me in moments. Sir, also, infuriated me. But I'll give one thing to Raasch - they're not bland, they all have their own personalities, and none of them are forgettable.
While I had quite a few problems with Snow Like Ashes, I did really enjoy it when it got going, despite the unwanted love triangle, the info dumps, and the slow beginning. The world and the characters, the action and the villain, more than made up for what I disliked. Had there been no love triangle, my rating would be a half star higher.
Characters ★★★★☆
Setting/world building ★★★★☆
Writing Style ★★★☆☆
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