Goodreads Summary: 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.
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.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Review:
I enjoyed so much of this book but I can't help but feel that it was just missing a little something that could've made it amazing. Before I pick it apart in detail, I want to quickly say that this book wasn't overly unique or original but it had a really well-developed world, an interesting premise, complex characters and really lovely writing (seriously, this has some really great quotable lines in it!), so I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It's a really solid high fantasy novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, I just think it had a little more room to grow to make it even better. Since it is only the first in the series, perhaps we will see this happen in future books.
CONTINUE READING FOR SPOILER-Y CONTENT!
CONTINUE READING FOR SPOILER-Y CONTENT!
To start the ball rolling, let's talk about the setting. This world has Rhythm kingdoms (which are similar to a world we know, where they experience all the seasons) and there is also the four Season kingdom that only experience one season. I thought this was really cool! I know many people have said that it resembles Game of Thrones too much, but I didn't find this at all while reading it. It obviously has it's similarities but I think it distances itself enough away from that story and builds itself independently really well. I felt like I had a really solid grip of the world very early in the book, without feeling the story drag with exposition. Also, I just really want to live in the Winter kingdom. It sounds beautiful.
The characters in this novel are beautifully complex as well, with seemingly genuine and intricate relationships with each other. It briefly touches upon the affect of war within many different people and present how different people struggle with desperation and hope. Meira, our main character, is a strong, kickass leading heroine, but not without flaws that she is willing to admit to. She has a lot of moments of being unsure in herself but also has a clear idea of what she wants to be. Objectively, I think she is fantastic. I love that she doesn't care much for feminine things but doesn't feel the need to disregard it's appeal to others. I really dislike female characters who are "strong", but only through presenting masculine traits and dismissing femininity. Despite this, I did find her hard to connect to. I was enjoying reading from her perspective but I didn't feel that emotional involvement for much of the book. She does quite nicely develop through the story and I did feel it start to form as the story progressed but even by the end, I still wasn't 100% in. I think this, in particular, has a lot to do with why I found the novel, as a whole, lacking.
Oh, and then there was a love triangle. *deep sigh* Can we please stop these? I will say, I did find both her potential love interests likeable, but I just wished Raasch hadn't found the need to include a love triangle. In saying that, I'm going to say I'm glad we got a love interest that wasn't Mathers. He's a very likeable character but I never felt any particular spark between him and Meira. Obviously, there's a really great foundation for their relation but I just found there to be so much more romantic tension between her and Theron. Probably because we get to see it begin whereas with Mathers/Meira, we are introduced them with their already developed feelings. As it stands right now, I wouldn't really mind who she ends up with. They both treat her well (thank god, I hate when one guy is absolute garbage but the protag just ~can't help loving them~) so it's fine. I'll still be bitter for awhile that there's a love triangle at all.
Also, can we talk about for a quick second that I thought (for probably 0.5 seconds) that Raasch was going to pull a Cassandra Clare and make Mathers and Meira related?? When she was revealing Meira's true heritage and that she was Hannah's daughter, I had a moment of panic that that was going to mean Mathers was her brother. Wow, am I glad she quickly clarified that wasn't the case! I don't need to read another lot of agonisingly awkward situations regarding something like that happening.
As for the story as a whole, I said before that it isn't the most original story there is. It has a lot of elements that you'll find in other fantasy texts but I don't think in anyway does this make this a bad novel. I think it nicely weaves in familiar elements with a fresh enough spin that it's a lot of fun. My biggest concern for the story is where it goes from the end of this book. The climax felt very much like a final resolution, where the deal with Angra surviving seems like it was only done in order to leave something to continue the story with. Of course, there's exploring the Winter court, Meira trying to root herself into her new royal role and the dreaded love triangle to deal with but I just feel like this story could've been possibly concluded with the one edition. Who knows, though? I might be pleasantly surprised with what Raasch turns out for the second instalment so I will hold my judgement.
So, what did you all think about Snow Like Ashes? Let me know in the comments your opinions and what your favourite bits of it were?
Until next time!
- Jess, xxx
As for the story as a whole, I said before that it isn't the most original story there is. It has a lot of elements that you'll find in other fantasy texts but I don't think in anyway does this make this a bad novel. I think it nicely weaves in familiar elements with a fresh enough spin that it's a lot of fun. My biggest concern for the story is where it goes from the end of this book. The climax felt very much like a final resolution, where the deal with Angra surviving seems like it was only done in order to leave something to continue the story with. Of course, there's exploring the Winter court, Meira trying to root herself into her new royal role and the dreaded love triangle to deal with but I just feel like this story could've been possibly concluded with the one edition. Who knows, though? I might be pleasantly surprised with what Raasch turns out for the second instalment so I will hold my judgement.
So, what did you all think about Snow Like Ashes? Let me know in the comments your opinions and what your favourite bits of it were?
Until next time!
- Jess, xxx
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