Review: Snow Like Ashes

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, Winter's future king—she would do anything to help Winter 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—only to find 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.

I wasn't blown away by this story. It had a great setup, don't get me wrong; a story that takes place after the big battle, and the protagonists have lost. The effort it takes just to even maintain enough hope to move forward, and then feature a character who doesn't even have the memories of what was lost to motivate her. What is she willing to do for a place she never even knew? I was totally on board.

And there were parts that didn't disappoint. The first few fight scenes, and then the rest of the chakram fighting later on was pretty cool. And I loved most of all the struggle that Meira felt when the subject of marriage came up. We've never really had a story told from the bride-to-be, focusing on how much agency she doesn't have, and what she's meant to do in that situation. I thought that was the strongest part of the story, emotionally.

But I didn't really like Sara's writing style. There was a lot of overly intricate descriptions of things, and it felt like Meira was reflecting on the grand scheme every time she looked at something new. I also didn't think the worldbuilding was that up to snuff. It wasn't that I hated it, but that I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other.

And then with the ending, I thought the bow it got wrapped up in was a bit too shiny. Sure, there's drama to come, things unresolved, but the main goal, some of these characters' entire purposes, was resolved in just 400 pages. I dunno, the whole thing just seemed a bit meh to me.

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Review: An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An Ember in the Ashes is like a punch to the gut, in the way that only a good book can be. With stellar worldbuilding that doesn't overpower you, actual visible character development, and a compelling plot that takes preexisting mythology and makes it new, this book is one of the only ones I'll allow to be compared to Game of Thrones in any capacity. 

One of the problems I notice in YA in particular, specifically with epic fantasy, is that authors make the mistake of sugarcoating the circumstances. They'll tell you the world is cruel and difficult, but never actually give representation to those hardships, or at least will somehow allow the protagonists to be spared from such a fate. This is not the case here. Before the first third of the book is through, you have the main protagonist lose her entire family, be whipped, slapped, sexually harassed, and branded. This isn't to say that I enjoyed Laia's pain; she is a precious cinnamon roll, and her pain is my pain.

Laia is a character some people may term as "weak" or "cowardly," but I disagree. Or if I'm wrong, I'll at least say that Sabaa Tahir managed to create a character that has those typically negative traits, but still create a compelling and sympathetic heroine. I was rooting for her the entire time, and I was so glad to see her development, both regarding her issues of self and her sense of strength. 

I loved Elias as well. The poor thing only knew six years of happiness, and yet he still fights every day to hold on to the humanity his mother and his government is trying to strip from him. Even his best friend doesn't think he's entirely right in opposing the status quo (which was why I never fully liked Helene; i can recognize if you have genuine loyalty in something because you believe it to be the right thing, but her dismissal of slaves' humanity/worth as human beings kind of dashed any hope of me caring about Helene's happiness). 

The romance is probably the only (or one of the few) cases of "insta-love" that is handled well and is believable. Both of them know that attraction doesn't mean they can necessarily be together, and that there's far more going on than them liking each other. It reminded me of The Winner's Curse, in that sense. I cannot wait to see the next installment. If it's anything like I hope (as Sarah J Maas has spoiled me to expect everywhere else), we'll get bigger glimpses of the world, the pair's relationship (or lack of one) will get tested, and fabulous adventures will ensue. And hopefully the Commandant will die, because COME ON.

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Dark Triumph

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dark Triumph is the second installment in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. This story picks up a little bit before Grave Mercy ended, and is told from the perspective of Sybella, the dark and secretive priestess of Saint Mortain. Sybella resides undercover in the household of D'Albret himself, as she uncovers his secrets and eagerly awaits the day she is commissioned to kill him. As the story unfolds, she becomes unlikely allies with the Beast of Waroch, and soon learns that in order to be Death's true daughter, she must first learn to heal herself from within.

I love love loved Dark Triumph! Honestly, my only complaints could be that there wasn't more of it, and that perhaps the cover model didn't look like my image of Sybella. If those are the only problems here, then you've got a good book in your hands.

I was so glad to get into Sybella's story. While I felt that Ismae's story was very important in setting up, not only the convent and the mythology of the Nine Saints, but also of the world of 15th-century Brittany and the court intrigue. I also felt that, while Ismae's characterization was incredibly strong and a great read, Sybella's left a deeper impression on me. Indeed, I sometimes found myself forgetting Ismae's name, though that might have just been because it wasn't used as often on the page.

Sybella was an inredibly strong woman. I was glad that she wasn't simply the angry girl who lashes out at the world because of her dark past. Instead, she was someone trying to heal and endure that darkness which still surrounded her, as well as her conflict of faith, which was not seen with Ismae--which is to be expected, as these two women are night and day to each other. I empathized with her fear of letting herself be vulnerable with others.

I also loved the romance between her and Beast. I loved Beast from the moment I first met him in Grave Mercy, and I was so glad that his character stayed strong as he was more closely observed. I felt like the romance between them formed more naturally and believably than Ismae and Duval's--I love them together, but it felt a bit as though it happened purely for the purpose of there being romance in the story. Beast and Sybella formed themselves around each other, and became better versions of themselves for it.

I can't wait to read Mortal Heart, whenever it comes out. I'm interested to see where Annith will end up, and if there will be any romance between someone new or someone we've already met.

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Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grave Mercy is about a girl named Ismae, who's had a hard life in fifteenth-century Brittany. At fourteen, she is adopted into the convent of Saint Mortain, otherwise known as the God of Death. It's there that she learns the skills to be an assassin, in order to serve her god and country. Once she finishes her training, her debut mission takes her all the way up to the seat of Brittany's power, where she learns that court intrigue is far more deadly than idle gossip, and entire kingdoms hang in the balance. This is the first in the His Fair Assassin trilogy.

I was so glad to finally sit down and take in Grave Mercy. I was a little confused by the presence of a fictional country (I think) in the real world, but Robin LaFevers' world building skill ensured that I didn't get lost. I loved the mythology, especially since polytheism had all but does out in Europe by this time. The fact that they were drawn parallel to the devotion given to saints in Catholicism made my analyzing academic heart go all aflutter.

But enough about practicalities. Ismae was a fantastically wrought character, dynamic and complicated. She has assassin's confidence, yet is self conscious about her body. She also knows how strong she is, and refuses to let the male dictated society she has to work with cast her aside. As Duval says, she is in a "class of her own."

I loved Duval's devotion to his sister and family, even with its complexities. His sense of honor drew me in, and the romantic in me loved his and Ismae's relationship. LaFevers took courtly love, a trope nearly a thousand years old, and breathed life and originality into it.

Her characters were amazingly written, from the housemaids to Beast and De Lornay. I can't wait to read Sybella's story next.

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