Skip to main content

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
Meira and a small band of fighters from the kingdom of Winter are the only survivors of an attack by the Spring kingdom. Each ruler of a kingdom has an item that allows them to use magic to improve things in their kingdom, and lead their people. King Angra of Spring killed  Queen Hannah of Winter, and destroyed her magical locket. King Mather is the new king of Winter, but he's 16 and on the run with the handful of survivors, so General William leads them with his expertise for now. They are trying to find an ally that will help restore them to their kingdom.

 Category
YA

 Why I chose this book
Found it on sale on Amazon, where it was recommended

 My personal opinion (the review)
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy magic in stories, and I like a good fight every now and then. My wife, on the other hand, would probably not like this book because there's too much fighting and not enough love story. But I will definitely be buying the next book in the series. Well done!

 Warnings
Language: None
Violence: Frequent, mildly graphic
"Adult" situations: Just romantic feelings and one kiss
Death: Frequent, and of major characters

 Movie rating equivalent
PG, maybe PG-13

 Protagonist description
Meira is a skilled warrior, but feels underappreciated because she's young and William holds her back from fighting, to protect her

 Point of view of story
First, focused on Meira

 Book length
Medium-long

 Story flow
Excellent

 Grammar and spelling issues
None

 Character connection (no spoilers)
I'd like to learn more about Hannah, William, and William's wife
For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Assuming integral

 Series review as a whole
Good so far
If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Start from the beginning- Snow Like Ashes

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matched By Ally Condie

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (Amazon) Category: YA dystopian Why I chose this book: Recommended based on other things I have read, it's been on my list for a while My personal opinion (the review): Of the many popular dystopian/futur
Post a Comment
Read more

Slave, Warrior, Queen by Morgan Rice

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Ceres is a young woman (17) living in an oppressive Empire, with an equally oppressive mother. She has ties to a rebellion, and stronger ties to her brothers. She is basically thrown around her world constantly- enslaved, imprisoned, set loose, etc. Each time, she puts herself in the best position to cause the most damage to whatever she hates most. Category : YA fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book : Recommended on the library website My personal opinion : It's complicated. I loved the action, the pace, the unknown special power, the strong female lead character, the general story line. But I disliked the coincidence (see Emma Coats, rule #19, link below)- Ceres got out of trouble so many times. Mostly by fighting, but a couple times by coincidence. I disliked that the "Queen" phase never came, before the end of the book. Maybe that's part of the series, but the next book doesn't mention that in its title. I disliked tha
Post a Comment
Read more

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

By
Brief synopsis Clary and Jace continue their Shadowhunter path, chasing after demons and one "bad guy" in particular. They're attracted to each other deeply, and they're also siblings. Eww. With the help of werewolves and vampires, the good guys fight a bunch of demons led by a madman. Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book My daughter wanted to read the series, so I decided to give the next book a try. My personal opinion  (the review) I'm very disappointed. The characters are caricatures- complete personifications of one particular trait, each. The plot is predictable (the good guys will win, in the end). Jace and Clary are basically invincible. The only thing the story has going for it is the cliffhangers. Throughout the book, it felt like the story was constantly begging, "wait, don't put me down- there's another surprise coming!" I don't recommend this book at all. Warnings Language: A couple f-words at the beginning, less
Post a Comment
Read more