Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Snow Like Ashes

Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Snow Like Ashes #1
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Source: egalley received from publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 4 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My Review:

This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads for this fall and it did not disappoint. What an amazing and original fantasy world Sarah Raasch has created. See guys, this is what I love about fantasy. It’s all so different. The worlds are so wholly unique and I love escaping into them for a few hours.

The main character, Meira, was so fierce. She was a fighter and she did everything she could to fight for her country no matter what. Even if it meant breaking all the rules, even if no one wanted her to go fight. Meira was Meira and she did what she wanted. That didn’t mean it was always the right decision, but she learned from her mistakes along the way and grew into a fantastic warrior.

The world-building is pretty incredible. I loved learning about the different Season kingdoms along with the Rhythm kingdoms. There are four of each. Each of the four Season kingdoms is stuck in an eternal season, but not in a bad way. The people of each of these kingdoms love their respective season. Winter was destroyed by the evil King of Spring years ago. Almost all the people were either slaughtered or taken to Spring to become slaves in brutal work camps which were quite reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps. The whole storyline just broke my heart. I found myself tearing up several times for these poor oppressed people who got everything taken away from them. They have no home and are trying desperately to fight a war where they are completely outnumbered. But I admired the tenacity and resilience of the Winterians.

The love triangle. There is one that develops and I have to say that for me, there is a clear winner. I did like both guys, but one just stole my heart. I don’t want to say much more, but both are equally badass and super swoony. I think people will enjoy both of the guys and have a tough time making a choice.

The only bad thing I can say about this book was that at times the pacing seemed a bit slow to me. Now, this could be because I was in somewhat of a reading slump while reading which was completely unrelated to the book so take that with a grain of salt. But overall, this is an incredible new series set in a unique fantasy world with some kickass characters. You will smile, cry and cheer throughout the whole thing. The ending is tied up and hopeful, yet still open enough to make me crave the next book. Can’t wait for more from this series and from Ms. Raasch! 

Have you read this one yet? What did you think of Meira? What team are you on for the love triangle? Did you love this unique fantasy world as much as I did?