Riot Grrrl Reads

Snow Like Ashes
By Sara Raasch

Source: Library, paperback
Published: 14th October 2014, Balzer + Bray
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

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 first thing that struck me about this book was the cover (I think it’s beautiful, and I really love all the detail), so when I looked into what it was actually about, I thought I might give it a go! I’m a fan of YA fantasy, so I went in not knowing much, apart from that everyone seems to love it! Thankfully, I really enjoyed it, even though I did find it to have a few flaws.

What I Liked

• The writing: I really enjoyed the writing style. I found it easy to get into, and never too complicated. It was quite simple, which I think worked really well for the book, because we could focus more on the plot and world building. I’m sometimes a little worried that I’ll find new fantasy series too hard to get into, but that was never the case with this book - this was down to the writing!

• The pacing: I have to say, this is one of the best paced books I’ve ever read. I was never bored, yet never confused because things were moving too quickly. It was paced with such skill, which made the book so much better. I think pacing is one of the most important things in a book, so I’m glad it was done so well!

• The action and adventure: There were lots of action scenes in this book which I really enjoyed. It was a really exciting adventure story, and I liked following everything that was happening. I found myself really caught up in what was happening, and I liked being so invested in the story!

What I Didn't Like

• The romance: What even was the romance?! It was weird, cringe worthy, and just messy. There was a completely unnecessary love triangle-type thing going on, which I really didn’t enjoy. It wasn’t too overbearing, which was fortunate for me, but I didn’t love the protagonist, Meira, with any of the love interests, so I’m hoping it will be sorted out in the rest of the series.

• The characters: I didn’t like Meira. She got off to a bad start for me, as she made a really stupid and selfish decision which put others in danger. She was brave, heroic, and strong in places, but overall I didn’t enjoy reading about her. It was also a bit of case of “the chosen one”, which didn’t bode well. She didn’t make the book feel original at all, because she was quite typical for the genre.

• The cliches: This book is a prime example of a typical YA fantasy. It literally has everything you’d expect from the genre: a love triangle, a divided world, the protagonist is the chosen one who can save the day, and a touch of magic. I was skeptical of how it ticked every box for boring YA fantasy, and sadly, it stayed the same throughout the entire book, and didn’t get any more unique.