Ash by Malinda Lo

Rating: 4.4/5.0

Re-Read? Definitely. Like a fairy tale, this is a book that can be read many times over.
Recommend? I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Cinderella and anyone who is a fan of Faeries-- Anyone who has an open mind.

Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Pages: 272

Synopsis:

Cinderella retold

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

My Thoughts:

In this stunning version of Cinderella, Ash was truly a creative retelling of a story that everyone thought they were familiar with. With many small twists and surprises, Ash revealed itself to be an enchanting love story that was so much more then just a retold fairy tale.

Ash not only was beautifully written, but the intrigue that it held with the twist being Ash falls in love with a Huntress and not a Prince, kept me reading. Watching her fall in love and their relationship bud was something charming, yet at the same time private. The pace was set very evenly, which worked really well with the story.

I would have to say my favorite character was Sidhean and I would have liked to see a bit more of him. I also think it would have been interesting to get to know Clara, the youngest stepsister. She was the person that surprised me the most. I had her coined as heartless and petty, like her mother and elder sister, but she showed a side to herself that completely separated her from the rest of her family. She was cruel at points, but there is more to her then meets the eye.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about Ash, were all the fairy tales told throughout the book. They were all quite interesting and I am glad they were included. It gave a lot of presence to the book, that it would have otherwise been missing. It gave the setting a history-- a past that wasn't always pleasant. This made the setting real for me.

Ash was a charming read and a well crafted story that leaves the reader satisfied. Ash hits bookstores September 1st, so keep and eye out for it!

Details:

Cover: 5.0
Plot: 4.0
Characters: 4.5
Writing: 4.0