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(Not my photo)Snow like Ashes by Sara Raasch - Book ReviewSynopsis from...
(Not my photo)
Snow like Ashes by Sara Raasch - Book Review
Synopsis from GoodReads.com
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.Review:
Okay, to start off, I just want to congratulate Sara Raasch on the success of this book. It is very well deserved. This is an incredible novel. I could hardly put it down. I knew from the first few chapters that this book was something really special.
The world building in this book is astonishing, I really liked how there was subtle use of things from our world like how Winter’s capital was Jannuari and Spring’s was Abril. Sara’s description was so in depth yet it wasn’t boring. It really helps become more involved in the book and you feel like you are standing right there next to them.
I thought Meira’s personality really shone through in this book. Most books these days have the protagonist starting off a someone weak and then rising to be a warrior, I liked how Meira was already a warrior of sorts. The downside to this is that maybe the character’s personality doesn’t really have anywhere to go but this is certainly not what happens with Meira. She learns so many lessons, like at the beginning of the book she wanted to be recognised as a hero, to prove that she was strong enough to be a soldier of Winter and she also has this desperation to prove that she is loyal to Winter.
You can’t really write a book review about this book without mentioning the love triangle so here we go. The love triangle in this book definitely not as bad as everyone says it is. Everyone makes a big deal about how love triangles are over done within YA these days and a part of me agrees with that. Although, it only ever really bothers me if it becomes more prominent than the storyline. I should probably give you some background on the boys, Mather and Theron, *cough* hotties *cough*. Mather is basically Meira’s best friend. At the beginning of the book, Meira is in love with Mather yet she thinks they can never be together because she is just a normal girl, whereas he is the King of Winter. I think the love story between the two of them is kind of forced. DONT HATE ME! I just think that she only loves him because he is the only boy she has ever known. Of course she would be in love with him, he’s charming’ handsome and he’s a soldier. Now moving onto Theron. Theron, Theron, Theron, be still my beating heart. Theron is such a sweetheart! In the beginning, you kind of don’t know what side Theron is on. With his controlling father and the whole weight of his kingdom on his shoulders, you sort of think that he will be a bad character but oh my gosh. He was the complete opposite! He risked his kingdom to help Meira and her friends. He is just brilliant, so if I’m picking sides, I’m definitely on Theron’s.
I also really liked how the disaster had already happened in a way, usually the solution comes in the second book or at the end of the first one but this started off with the free Winterians trying to save their people, out of pride, honour and love. I thought this really gave the book authenticity and made it more relatable because they didn’t save the day immediately, it took sixteen years to even get close.
Another thing which really drew me to the book was that the warfare wasn’t guns and massive machine guns. It was proper old fashioned battle. It really gave the book so much more action because some books are like “and I shot him” but this was much more descriptive and it really brought me as a reader into the world.
To conclude my ramblings, I would really recommend this book to anyone. It is one of my favourite books and a gripping read. Please feel free to share your opinions but please no hate.
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