Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Read July 30 – August 8 2015
YA Fantasy
416 pages
This book surprised me. I had seen a lot of people hauling it and saying things like “I’ve heard it’s so good” and “This sounds so great” but I only saw or heard reviews of people actually having read it a couple of times. Most of those reviews were positive and some were not, so I didn’t know what to expect coming into it.
Upon reading the first few chapters, I decided that I liked this book, that it was probably gonna get a three-star rating from me. The main reason for that rating instead of a higher one I think was the main character. I couldn’t stand her. She was immature and selfish and not at all relatable. From the beginning (and this is stated on the back of the book so it’s not a spoiler, promise) she was hung up over this Mather guy, but it really didn’t go into why she liked him. I know they’d been together since birth but from all her gooing over him, she didn’t say why she felt that way. So it felt a bit insta-lovey and it put me off. So at the beginning of the book, her character docked two stars off right away.
Though the world in which this book takes place made up for that. It was so interesting and I really liked the lore behind it as the story progressed. The different seasons and rhythms were really cool to read about – I like how each area had its own distinct feeling to it, more so than just saying “It’s always sunny here” or something like that. I feel the lands and their people embodied their seasons in more than just what the whether happened to be doing. It was really cool. So I kept reading despite Meira, the main character, making me groan in frustration every few pages. And then, one of the most amazing things ever happened:
Character development. Holy shit, it was amazing.
After finishing this book, I feel that Meira’s character went through one of the best character developments I’ve read. I’ve never had a character I didn’t like grow so quickly on me. By the end of the book, I didn’t just not dislike her any longer, but I really liked her. She realized what her character flaws were and actually made an effort to correct them. It. Was. Awesome. I became totally engrossed in her story and everything happening around her. The last 200 pages of this book flew by in a couple of hours.
And aside from the awesome character arc, the battle scenes in this book were written in a way that sucked me in. I really loved the detail that Raasch put into writing them and how she progressed the plot through instances of ‘What, no. WHAT, NOO’ that had me ending a chapter with the thought of ‘I’ll read one more’ over and over again. I couldn’t put this book down, man.
I know there’s a second book coming out soon, Ice like Fire, and I have a rough idea of what the plot is going to be, but I’m also afraid that a love triangle is gonna happen. It hasn’t been blatantly stated, but I feel it coming man and I’m afraid. Still totally gonna read the book, but afraid.
So over all, I quite enjoyed this book despite the iffy beginning, and I’m really excited to read the next one!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Embuhleeliest 