Book Review // Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Hello again!

I am so sorry for posting so infrequently right now. Things have been a little hectic with going back to school and everything, so I am hoping to get back into the swing of things in the next couple weeks. I have been reading pretty often, however, and am a little backed up on writing posts, so expect a few more than usual over the next few days.

Also, Megan and I are discussing a new posting schedule - one that is less restricting and will allow for more posts on the blog. This is the tentative new schedule:

Top Ten Posts // Tuesdays by both Caelyn and Megan (prompted from The Broke and the Bookish)
Reviews // Whenever a book is finished and simultaneously posted on Goodreads
Features and Misc. // Again, whenever we feel like it.

In addition, I am really trying to get our social media up and running. Thank you to those of you who have followed us there despite the lack of posts! I have been building up a collection of photos and have an idea as to how to conduct the social media in my busy life. 

Whew. It feels good to have that all out there. 

Okay, now onto what this post is actually about. A book review!

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

"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 really, really liked this book...not quite a five star review, but really, really close. Now, this could have something to do with the fact that my brain was rather muddled as I decided to get sick on my FREE WEEKEND after working for pretty much 2 WEEKS STRAIGHT AT SCHOOL (yes, that includes an entire weekend).

No, no. No problem there.

I read this book (at least the beginning part of it) very fast, which could be another reason I didn't give it five stars. It was one of those things where my brain was slightly switched off and was kind of skimming for part of the time, which made me not super involved in the plot. But I still really liked it.

Things I Loved:

• All the twists and turns of the plot. There were totally some things that I did not see coming! The whole plot enthralled me, and there was pretty much something happening at all times, which I really liked. 
• The relationship between Mather and Meira. I love how flawed it is because I am really looking forward to seeing how it progresses. This might sound like a weird opinion...but I see a lot of potential growth there. 
• I really love that feeling in a book where something completely unexpected happens and your jaw just drops and you start saying, "No...did that really just happen?" out loud and get weird looks from the people around you. It is also one of those things where your adrenalin spikes and you feel like you need to go release all of your energy by talking yelling about it with someone who has already read it. Or not. This book had a lot of that, and it was so enthralling that, just...I don't even have the words. 
• The full on girl power and female strength (go Meira!). Meira shows us that girls, too, can change the world and make a difference.
• I also loved the uniqueness of the world. Each kingdom is so different and amazing that it is easy to tell them apart.
• The ending.
• There was a lot more that I loved, but I finished it about a week ago and not I cannot remember what else I wanted to say about it. Darn my school-stuffed brain. But there are a lot more positives. Just trust me on this one.

Things I Didn't Love As Much:

• Some of the characters annoyed me from time to time (namely: Sir), but I know, I know. There was a reason for it. But still!
• I was slightly confused at some parts about the layout of the land. The kingdoms also confused me for a little while, but it became clearer in my mind as I kept reading. 
• This is something really small and nitpicky, but as a writer, some of the names bugged me. Not so much those of people, but mainly those of places. I felt like they were jumbled from everywhere and did not have a flow to them (such as all Anglican names for one place, African names for another, etc.). But this is a really small detail that I really don't think a lot of people would notice. I apologize for pointing it out...

Overall, this book was very good and I highly recommend it. I just finished reading the sequel, so stay tuned for a review on Ice Like Fire tomorrow or the next day. 

The final thing I would like to point out is that you should visit our new and improved quotes page. Feel free to repost any of the social media quote photos (but only if you give credit to us). 

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