Hardcover, 432 pagesExpected publication: October 14th 2014 by Balzer + Bray
ARC Provided by Publisher in Exchange for Honest Review
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.
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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. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, is coming out Fall 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures. She is represented by Charlotte Sheedy Literary.
I am going to be totally honest and admit that this is one of those books where I grabbed it to read just because the cover is just PHENOMENAL. The cover is full of mystery and vibrant colors and whoever created it..did an amazing job!!! and I am so glad that I grabbed this book because it was a really good book!!!
Snow Like Ashes is a YA High Fantasy novel that is full of action, surprise twists, and a love triangle to die for!!! All these things added together makes this book amazing and
"un-put-downable!!!"
The main character, Meira, was orphaned at a young age when war broke out and her kingdom which is called Winter was defeated by Spring. Only 25 people escaped the war and out of those...only 7 lived. Spring placed the ones that were caught into slavery and this is what sparks Miera's fury.
Meira spends her life training to be a warrior for Winter and will fight to get her people and her kingdom back. Meira has to return to Spring and get Winter's conduit that contains all the magic of Winter and can help to restore their lands. The conduit had been cut into two pieces and once they get them back they have to figure out what to do....because the conduit is female-blooded and the only heir to Winter is male.
Miera is a fierce warrior and all she is focused on is proving her worthiness and that she belongs in the army that will fight to regain Winter's kingdom.
"No matter what happens, no matter who turns on me, no matter what pompous swine thinks he has power over me, I am still me. I will always be me."
The love triangle involves the prince of Winter, Mather, and the prince of Cordell, Theron. Miera has known Mather her whole life so she has developed a bond with him and she truly does love him....but....then she meets Theron and Theron is a phenomenal character who falls in love with Meira immediately. He understands her and her need for revenge and to regain her kingdom.
"Even if I die here, I will die mattering, and that's what I've wanted all along, isnt it? and I will, just within mu own set parameters--I will matter in ways beyondmy comprehension of the word, because I will matter in whatever way my kingdom needs me most. That, I think, is a truer mark of belonging somewhere--being willing to do anything, everything, that needs to be done, regardless of what I want."
Miera is a head-strong, independent, and just basically a KICK-ASS heroine!!! Her journey to recover the conduit and build Winter back is just epic. This book is high-fantasy at its best!! The romance really made the story as well.
The only issue that I had with Snow & Ashes was that it was a little too detailed. I found myself having to re-read some sections just to try and understand the details better. There were so many kingdoms and at times I got them a little confused. This made me read the book a little slower than normal but I still loved it! and fans of High Fantasy are going to RUN to get this gorgeous book off the shelves!!!
**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**
**I want to say Thank You to Balzar & Bray/Harper Teen for the opportunity to review this book!!**
I will definitely agree with you and say the cover is beautiful <3 Also, this book was so long awaited I wanted to see what everyone would think of it! I can't wait to read it myself now, and have added it to my TBR.
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