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harleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
This story had a very interesting start to it, but a not so interesting middle. For the most part the story seemed to wrap up nicely. While it left room for a sequel, reading this as a stand alone works just fine. I do find though that many of my questions still weren’t answered. So much was left unsaid. While I normally love retellings, this was not a favorite of mine. I will not be reading the companion novel.
cala_p's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the plot. This version of a Cinderella retell was so interesting and unique. At first it reminded me of Marissa Meyer's Cinder, but then as the plot unfolded, it was like BAM. wow so interesting. I enjoyed how the fairy godmother is not the good guy here.
I think what really bothered me was the characters and the romance. I can excuse Col and Pin/Pen's insta-love because of the Story spell and the fairy godmother's work, but Pin and Shoe. She saw him be beat, he used her as a foot model, and two days later attraction changed into love. She wanted to escape, he said no. Eventually he didn't want to leave her behind so he joined her. This is where the plot really kicked off, and he had to go save the woman he loves. It was just too...ugh. I can handle all the romance tropes (bad boy, triangle, etc) but never insta-love. It's too unrealistic for me.
If the star rating allowed me to give it a 3.5 I would. Since I can't, I chose 4 stars rather than 3 because I wasn't bored reading it-it held my interest-and I really liked the plot. I'd be interested in reading the next one. I just hope that the romance is more developed there.
I really enjoyed the plot. This version of a Cinderella retell was so interesting and unique. At first it reminded me of Marissa Meyer's Cinder, but then as the plot unfolded, it was like BAM. wow so interesting. I enjoyed how the fairy godmother is not the good guy here.
I think what really bothered me was the characters and the romance. I can excuse Col and Pin/Pen's insta-love because of the Story spell and the fairy godmother's work, but Pin and Shoe. She saw him be beat, he used her as a foot model, and two days later attraction changed into love. She wanted to escape, he said no. Eventually he didn't want to leave her behind so he joined her. This is where the plot really kicked off, and he had to go save the woman he loves. It was just too...ugh. I can handle all the romance tropes (bad boy, triangle, etc) but never insta-love. It's too unrealistic for me.
If the star rating allowed me to give it a 3.5 I would. Since I can't, I chose 4 stars rather than 3 because I wasn't bored reading it-it held my interest-and I really liked the plot. I'd be interested in reading the next one. I just hope that the romance is more developed there.
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
I made it further then I thought I would. I have several big issues with this one.
DNF @ 22%
DNF @ 22%
shelbyday's review against another edition
2.0
I had such high hopes. It had such great potential. Unfortunately, the development was slow and very convoluted. I'm angry at myself for finishing it. I just kept hoping it would get better. :(
talya_'s review against another edition
1.0
As soon as I finished the book, I made an audible sound of disgust that may or may not have attracted attention.
I didn't like it at all. I'm not a fan of fairy tale retellings, but at the same time, I don't mind them either. But this was just...ugh. It was better than others I've read (Cinder) but I didn't enjoy it. From the shallow writing to the insta-love to the boring characters, I disliked everything about it.
I didn't like it at all. I'm not a fan of fairy tale retellings, but at the same time, I don't mind them either. But this was just...ugh. It was better than others I've read (Cinder) but I didn't enjoy it. From the shallow writing to the insta-love to the boring characters, I disliked everything about it.
jeslyncat's review against another edition
2.0
I might up this rating later but right now I'm just exhausted of this book. It took me almost a full month to finish it. It was alright, pretty predictable, and I didn't love the ending.
rendermespeechless's review against another edition
I got to about a third into the book and I couldn't get into it. The world building felt lacking. The characters felt underdeveloped. It just was not a good retelling of a fairy tale
thecanadianbookworm's review against another edition
2.0
It was "meh" for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. I have a feeling I would have enjoyed it more as audiobook, because I often do when I find myself skimming it as written form.
whitneymouse's review against another edition
3.0
"Stories, I figured, offered people different endings--not death, but the possibility for happiness in the time that we have to live. That is why we like getting caught up in stories. They are bigger than we are. They help us understand the shape of our lives and the nature of our own endings."
I loved this quote. I find it to be true to my love affair of books. Books and stories do help us to understand our own lives in a more meaningful way.
I just wish I had loved this book as much as I loved this quote.
Ash & Bramble is by no means a bad book. However, it's also not a great book. It's a thoroughly decent Cinderella retelling, but in a world where books like Marissa Meyer's Cinder series exist, it's just not the best retelling you can read.
The story follows two narrators: Pin (or Pen) and Shoe (or Owen). Pin is a fiery, assertive, headstrong Cinderella stand-in. Shoe is a cautious shoemaker and the love interest. Both have been captured by the Godmother, who is the villain of this novel. They are both enjoyable as characters. However, the plot and the Godmother are where this book loses me.
We start with Pin being a slave to the Godmother, working in her fortress as a Seamstress. She has no memory of what her life was like before and doesn't understand how she ends up in the fortress. All she remembers is that a thimble she has in her apron is important and that she mustn't let anyone know she has it. She ends up being a foot model for Shoe and convinces him to escape with her. They do escape, but in the escape, she accidentally ends up allowing the Godmother to track her. Pin gives Shoe the thimble, urges him to continue without her, is caught and carted off to part two of the narrative. Shoe is "caught" by a Huntsmen gone rogue and is spared being killed.
After this happens, Pin wakes up as "Pen" and the Cinderella narrative is gone through. This section was full of ideas that could have been excellent, but somehow, seemed to just drag. For example, the stepsisters have hidden talents that they aren't allowed to express due to the narrative forced upon them by the Godmother. This was a clever way of humanizing the stepsisters and rounding them out as characters. They have aspirations. However, they don't really add to the plot. They just serve to show that Pen "doesn't belong" in their society for suggesting that they use their talents.
The Godmother becomes "Lady Faye" at this point (a clever name that I appreciated). She controls all the people of the city, but Pen can't figure out why. There's a scene where Pen escapes after her Stepmother starts abusing her that ends with her at Lady Faye's house. There, she meets a couple that are supposed to be an "example" to her of what happens when people resist going along with the story. This was a weird, unnecessary, empty threat of a scene. Basically, the woman, who I can only assume was one of the previous Cinderella stand-ins, has become a blank shell who plucks out her hair and begs for death. That's it. She later commits suicide and this is kind of glossed over. There isn't enough backstory on who this character is to make you feel more than a passing bit of remorse for her death.
The Cinderella plot continues as Shoe tries to rescue Pin, forcing the oh-so-stereotypical YA love triangle between him, Pin and the Prince. They end up escaping again, moving us on to part three of the story, in which there is SO much exposition and plot that it'd be easier to list it in bullet points.
-The threesome meet up with the rebels, or "storybreakers"
-They find out that the Godmother serves something called "Story", which forces her to find people to live out fairy tales over and over to make it stronger.
-Pen finds out she's the daughter of a witch who's an "antagonist" to Story
-They stage a take over of the Godmother's fortress and free her slaves
-Pen uses her magic thimble to restore everyone's "before".
-The boys get captured and dragged back to the city
-Pen goes to rescue them
-Pen realizes she loves Shoe and "breaks" story
-Pen takes the Godmother's memories
-The Godmother ends up as a kindly grandmother character who works for Shoe in his shop.
-Shoe and Pin are kind of a couple.
While I found this idea of the story needing to be played out over and over interesting, I felt I needed more explanation of some things and less of others. How exactly did the Godmother get swept up in this? Her role is barely touched on and not explained very well. Just she's the "antagonist" who serves story. I didn't need multiple explanations of what a "storybreaker" was. I understood the first time. Same with examples of what happens if the story isn't broken. It's reiterated multiple times that the "gears" of story (which isn't a physical thing, but rather some extrasensory feeling they all have of gears moving) will crush them if it isn't broken. I would've liked more of the Godmother's backstory. I would've liked for at least ONE character to have been able to explain who Pen's mother is and why a thimble was the weapon of choice. Pen's thimble becomes an ex machina weapon that she uses without any real understanding of it anytime they're in trouble.
There is a second book. I am planning to read it just to see if any of this gets explained. This series could be so much better. I just need Prineas to better decide what information the reader needs instead of hammering home things that really don't need more than one explanation.
I loved this quote. I find it to be true to my love affair of books. Books and stories do help us to understand our own lives in a more meaningful way.
I just wish I had loved this book as much as I loved this quote.
Ash & Bramble is by no means a bad book. However, it's also not a great book. It's a thoroughly decent Cinderella retelling, but in a world where books like Marissa Meyer's Cinder series exist, it's just not the best retelling you can read.
The story follows two narrators: Pin (or Pen) and Shoe (or Owen). Pin is a fiery, assertive, headstrong Cinderella stand-in. Shoe is a cautious shoemaker and the love interest. Both have been captured by the Godmother, who is the villain of this novel. They are both enjoyable as characters. However, the plot and the Godmother are where this book loses me.
We start with Pin being a slave to the Godmother, working in her fortress as a Seamstress. She has no memory of what her life was like before and doesn't understand how she ends up in the fortress. All she remembers is that a thimble she has in her apron is important and that she mustn't let anyone know she has it. She ends up being a foot model for Shoe and convinces him to escape with her. They do escape, but in the escape, she accidentally ends up allowing the Godmother to track her. Pin gives Shoe the thimble, urges him to continue without her, is caught and carted off to part two of the narrative. Shoe is "caught" by a Huntsmen gone rogue and is spared being killed.
After this happens, Pin wakes up as "Pen" and the Cinderella narrative is gone through. This section was full of ideas that could have been excellent, but somehow, seemed to just drag. For example, the stepsisters have hidden talents that they aren't allowed to express due to the narrative forced upon them by the Godmother. This was a clever way of humanizing the stepsisters and rounding them out as characters. They have aspirations. However, they don't really add to the plot. They just serve to show that Pen "doesn't belong" in their society for suggesting that they use their talents.
The Godmother becomes "Lady Faye" at this point (a clever name that I appreciated). She controls all the people of the city, but Pen can't figure out why. There's a scene where Pen escapes after her Stepmother starts abusing her that ends with her at Lady Faye's house. There, she meets a couple that are supposed to be an "example" to her of what happens when people resist going along with the story. This was a weird, unnecessary, empty threat of a scene. Basically, the woman, who I can only assume was one of the previous Cinderella stand-ins, has become a blank shell who plucks out her hair and begs for death. That's it. She later commits suicide and this is kind of glossed over. There isn't enough backstory on who this character is to make you feel more than a passing bit of remorse for her death.
The Cinderella plot continues as Shoe tries to rescue Pin, forcing the oh-so-stereotypical YA love triangle between him, Pin and the Prince. They end up escaping again, moving us on to part three of the story, in which there is SO much exposition and plot that it'd be easier to list it in bullet points.
-The threesome meet up with the rebels, or "storybreakers"
-They find out that the Godmother serves something called "Story", which forces her to find people to live out fairy tales over and over to make it stronger.
-Pen finds out she's the daughter of a witch who's an "antagonist" to Story
-They stage a take over of the Godmother's fortress and free her slaves
-Pen uses her magic thimble to restore everyone's "before".
-The boys get captured and dragged back to the city
-Pen goes to rescue them
-Pen realizes she loves Shoe and "breaks" story
-Pen takes the Godmother's memories
-The Godmother ends up as a kindly grandmother character who works for Shoe in his shop.
-Shoe and Pin are kind of a couple.
While I found this idea of the story needing to be played out over and over interesting, I felt I needed more explanation of some things and less of others. How exactly did the Godmother get swept up in this? Her role is barely touched on and not explained very well. Just she's the "antagonist" who serves story. I didn't need multiple explanations of what a "storybreaker" was. I understood the first time. Same with examples of what happens if the story isn't broken. It's reiterated multiple times that the "gears" of story (which isn't a physical thing, but rather some extrasensory feeling they all have of gears moving) will crush them if it isn't broken. I would've liked more of the Godmother's backstory. I would've liked for at least ONE character to have been able to explain who Pen's mother is and why a thimble was the weapon of choice. Pen's thimble becomes an ex machina weapon that she uses without any real understanding of it anytime they're in trouble.
There is a second book. I am planning to read it just to see if any of this gets explained. This series could be so much better. I just need Prineas to better decide what information the reader needs instead of hammering home things that really don't need more than one explanation.
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
3.0
* I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
Ash and Bramble was a unique take on the fairy tale world, that so many of us are familiar with. Its not the first retelling that I’ve read where there was a dark or sinister overtone, but this was certainly different. What really set this novel apart from others was the explanation that there was a driving force behind all this darkness, and that everyone was forced into their roles. It was quite horrifying, and I found myself cheering for the people who rebelled against the ‘story’ that was chosen for them.
Pin was a surprising character, because while she was quite intelligent and rebellious, she also was incredibly practical. She was graced with quite a bit of common sense, which never failed her throughout the book until the end when she chose to go against common sense. Also interesting was Shoe, the love interest. At first I was a little annoyed, it seemed like insta-love was going to be the driving force to this book, but it turned out to be a much longer period than was initially suggested. It also helped that Pin was all about making HER choice. She wasn’t going to allow a ‘Story’ to push her in any direction.
The tale is interwoven incredibly well, there were parts that fell a little flat and were pretty stilted in dialogue. However I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend for those who love fairytale retellings.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/01/ash-bramble-by-sarah-prineas-review.html*
Ash and Bramble was a unique take on the fairy tale world, that so many of us are familiar with. Its not the first retelling that I’ve read where there was a dark or sinister overtone, but this was certainly different. What really set this novel apart from others was the explanation that there was a driving force behind all this darkness, and that everyone was forced into their roles. It was quite horrifying, and I found myself cheering for the people who rebelled against the ‘story’ that was chosen for them.
Pin was a surprising character, because while she was quite intelligent and rebellious, she also was incredibly practical. She was graced with quite a bit of common sense, which never failed her throughout the book until the end when she chose to go against common sense. Also interesting was Shoe, the love interest. At first I was a little annoyed, it seemed like insta-love was going to be the driving force to this book, but it turned out to be a much longer period than was initially suggested. It also helped that Pin was all about making HER choice. She wasn’t going to allow a ‘Story’ to push her in any direction.
The tale is interwoven incredibly well, there were parts that fell a little flat and were pretty stilted in dialogue. However I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend for those who love fairytale retellings.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/01/ash-bramble-by-sarah-prineas-review.html*