My rating: 4/5 stars
Snow Like Ashes gave me the biggest scare of my reading life EVER (okay, not really, I love to exaggerate). You see, I was very excited to read it because everywhere I looked, people were raving about how awesome and wonderful and exciting this book was. To be honest, I’m not a difficult reader to please and even less when a book has all of my favorite elements: Princes, romance, magic and awesome world-building. So it was probably a sure thing that I would end up liking it too, if not loving it.
And I DID. I ended up liking it A LOT, but I had trouble getting into the story during the first half. My problem was that I wasn’t feeling the characters, and to me, that’s what matters the most. I was frustrated at myself because I wasn’t paying enough attention to the world-building that it deserved because I was just too damn focused on trying to click with Meira, Mather and Sir.
Fortunately, the second half came was what finally sealed the deal for me. That EPIC battle scene that happens before Meira is taken to THAT place, is when I truly got into the story and I felt EVERYTHING. I knew then that I cared for the characters. That they stopped being two-dimensional and practically popped out of the pages. They all impressed me, but Meira even more than the rest.
So now I love Meira. I love her strength, loyalty and selflessness towards her people. I liked that, despite not knowing who she really was or where she truly belonged, she continued fighting for what she believed in. I know she had a few moments of weakness in which she only had thoughts for herself, but considering her situation – where other people were not letting her have a say about her life – I can say that I understand and she had a right to think about herself.
The world-building is, hands down, the best aspect about this book (and I know many will back me up on this!). I loved how complex it is, how the world is divided into eight kingdoms, four that go through every season and four that represent each season (and named after them too). How creative! The magic and the conduits was also something fascinating to read about.
And the romance? Oh, I’m Team Theron all the way! Mather is a great guy and I do like him, but Theron’s personality won me over because he always listened to Meira and he wasn’t afraid to speak up or ACT.
All in all, despite my bumpy journey into Snow Like Ashes, I’m glad that I ended up enjoying the story after all. Now I’m looking forward to read Ice Like Fire and explore more of this fantastical world!
Yessss Team Theron all the way! *high fives* I just love that he respects Meira and encourages her so much~ We need Ice Like Fire <3
Right? 😀 Really liked him. Plus, he risked a LOT for Meira. Keeper, I tell ya! 😉
I really like this book, so I am super glad you enjoyed it!
I really, really loved this book. I actually had it on my Kindle for months before finally reading it. I knew I wanted to read it, but I was scared of the hype too. I do agree that it took me a bit to get into it. For me, there were just so many details in the world building part to keep track of and yeah, I wasn't connecting with the characters as much. But man, it ended up being so amazing.
I loved the romance and world building in this one too! It was such a great read and I'm so happy it lived up to the hype.