Snow Like Ashes: Review

Synopsis:

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.

***

Somebody needs to make this book a bestseller because it's one of the best books I've read in a good time. Everything is just so good: the eight kingdoms, Meira, plot... It's very entertaining and enjoyable to say at the very least.

For some reason I find the four Season kingdoms and the four Rhythm kingdoms very fascinating. I guess it's partly because it reminds me so much of The Iron Fey (though I know Snow Like Ashes - apparently - has nothing to do with Fey. I have a hard time accepting it because The Iron Fey has branded in my head for quite some time.), which is one of my favorite series of all time. But the one thing that is truly awesome is that it's surprisingly normal and modern-world like (especially with the Rhythm kingdoms), despite its supernatural-ness and magic (I mean, Season kingdoms has nothing to do with normalcy in the real world, right?), which is very comforting to me. It still stays true to the fantasy element, though. So it's a really captivating world. 

Personally I think Meira is awesome and badass. She never puts up with anyone's shit without a good reason, which is a nice trait that rarely exist in other YA books. I can visually picture her as a badass heroine with chakram in her hands. I've played with them once before and it's very hard to use it (at least to me). It's a weird reason to like her but whatever. She's not insecure. I guess that's understandable because she doesn't have all the world to be insecure. That doesn't make her any less likable, though.

Side note: I guess I finally realize why there's a chakram-like thing on the cover.

It's a 432-paged book so I guess it's a medium-sized book (because, come on, CoHF consists of >700 pages, not to mention Harry Potter books and A Game of Thrones). But damn if the book isn't an adventure ride. A shit ton - yes, this is the expression I'm using -  of stuff happened in merely 432 pages. Not all are considered as action-packed (though there are a lot of that), but still mind-blowing (or wrenching, because I'm exhausted after finishing it in one sitting) in some way. Kind of hard not to appreciate it.

Snow Like Ashes is a mesmerizing first book in a series and I'm very excited and curious about the next book.

Rating: 8.5/10