Snow Like Ashes By Sara Raasch

I received this galley in consideration for an honest review.

Snow Like Ashes By Sara RaaschSnow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Series: Snow Like Ashes #1
Published by Harper Collins on October 14, 2014
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads
three-half-stars

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.

 

There is something universally appealing about the story of a small group pf people fighting for a just, but seemingly impossible, cause.  While Meira is the center of the story, I also felt very connected to the other Winterians who are fighting to regain their kingdom.  The world of Snow Like Ashes is somewhat complicated. Each kingdom aligns with a season and each realm has its own magic, as well. However, I found that the world building did a good job of presenting information while avoiding the dreaded info dump.  Part of regaining Winter means regaining the key to its magic, which is the quest that Meira embarks upon and what sets off the most exciting parts of the action.  I found myself really rooting for Meira and the way her character is written, she seemed both sympathetic and relatable as a character.

Snow Like Ashes did a good job of building the world while keeping the action moving forward.  Meira is appealing as a heroine who is skilled and strong both physically and emotionally.  In a situation that seems to take away her agency, she manages to regain control on her own terms.  There is some romance, and while it enhanced the story, it did not overwhelm it.  There were some really excellent twists at the end, which I did not see coming at all.  I think that Snow Like Ashes was a very strong start to a series that I will be looking forward to reading and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for the Meira and the Winterians.

 

three-half-stars

About Sara Raasch

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures.

Kate


10 responses to “Snow Like Ashes By Sara Raasch

  1. Very glad to hear you loved this one enough for 4 birds, Kate. This is one of my much awaited debuts of the year and I’m glad to hear the book has plenty of world building without info dumping and that Meira is a strong main character and sympathetic.
    Great review Kate!

  2. great review. I am so excited to read this one. I am waiting for the audio to come out. I too love a group fighting for a just but impossible cuase. Sounds so awesome.

  3. I’m in the middle of reading this one right now! Not very far, but I’m really liking it. I love the whole idea of the different kingdoms w/eternal seasons. (Although I could never live in Winter, way too cold. Lol) Can’t wait to get to these crazy twists you speak of!

  4. Amber Elise

    I feel like info dumps are unavoidable in a lot of high fantasy/dystopian novels, I’m happy that Snow Like Ashes managed to bring you into the story without making you feel like you just sat through a history lesson.

    I’m so excited for this one! Thanks for the review Kate!!! <3

    Amber Elise @Du Livre

  5. World building always plays a big role in whether I’ll like a book or not. If it’s not done well and I can’t imagine it or there is too much info-dumping, I tend to not like the rest of the book, even if the plot is interesting. Glad to hear this was done right!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.