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maddie_orart's review against another edition
4.0
Full review posted on Of Reading and Random Things
The thing with stories like this is we can always predict what will happen. I mean, yes the setting is different, the characters are different, the goals and objectives may be different, maybe there’s a plot twist or two we didn’t see coming, but we can always pick out similarities between one fantasy and another. That being said, does it mean I didn’t like Snow Like Ashes? No! I actually liked it a lot! I enjoyed reading it, I liked the characters and hated the ones I was supposed to hate, I was invested in the story and I wanted the good guys to win. I’m just saying, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.
While I really enjoyed Snow Like Ashes, I did find some things predictable. It wasn’t difficult to connect the dots after reading several chapters. There were some things that I don’t understand and some questions were left unanswered . Like why did Angra attack Winter in the first place? I think this was asked by someone in the book, but it wasn’t really answered. And why did Angra enslave all the Winterians in Spring and leave Winter uninhabited? It was mentioned in the book that Winter is a mining kingdom, so why not take advantage of that by making the Winterians get resources for Spring? Hopefully, in the next books I’ll finally know the answers. But other than that, I liked Snow Like Ashes a lot.
In the end, despite the minor issues I had, Snow Like Ashes was a good read, with a great story, likable characters, and highly imaginative worldbuilding. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next books!
The thing with stories like this is we can always predict what will happen. I mean, yes the setting is different, the characters are different, the goals and objectives may be different, maybe there’s a plot twist or two we didn’t see coming, but we can always pick out similarities between one fantasy and another. That being said, does it mean I didn’t like Snow Like Ashes? No! I actually liked it a lot! I enjoyed reading it, I liked the characters and hated the ones I was supposed to hate, I was invested in the story and I wanted the good guys to win. I’m just saying, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.
While I really enjoyed Snow Like Ashes, I did find some things predictable. It wasn’t difficult to connect the dots after reading several chapters. There were some things that I don’t understand and some questions were left unanswered . Like why did Angra attack Winter in the first place? I think this was asked by someone in the book, but it wasn’t really answered. And why did Angra enslave all the Winterians in Spring and leave Winter uninhabited? It was mentioned in the book that Winter is a mining kingdom, so why not take advantage of that by making the Winterians get resources for Spring? Hopefully, in the next books I’ll finally know the answers. But other than that, I liked Snow Like Ashes a lot.
In the end, despite the minor issues I had, Snow Like Ashes was a good read, with a great story, likable characters, and highly imaginative worldbuilding. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next books!
jlockart's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the ending, so many twists and turn really help you get into the story
uruseibaka's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
"Someday we will be more than words in the dark."
Most parts of the book were a drag for me, to be honest and that's why I decided to give this book a three-star rating half-way through reading it. But then the last few chapters happened and oh yes, did it get better.
I had a hunch about the biggest and most relevant plot twist of the book in the first few chapters but reading about it, seeing it come to life through the words written by Sara Raasch, I still had a giant smile plastered on my face. Because finally, finally, something good was happening. Something good enough happened for me to add a half star to the originally three-star rating I had in mind.
The first 25 chapters (maybe even more than that) felt soooo slow and some parts had little relevance to the story, in my opinion. Some scenes were written in such a way that they were emphasized although I saw little connection to the grand picture of it all. A few emotions and reactions also felt unnatural, where have you seen a boy huff so much like a bull or a girl snarl so much like an animal? Seriously?
Other than the occasionally tacky writing style and storyline, this book kept me interested enough to see how it would end and even enough to read the sequel. But now, I'm having second thoughts about that after reading some negative reviews. Oh no, this series has the second-book-gone-bad syndrome. Yikes.
I'd recommend reading this if you're looking for a new take on magic and how it affects a certain world (a fantasy-based one, at that).
"Someday we will be more than words in the dark."
Most parts of the book were a drag for me, to be honest and that's why I decided to give this book a three-star rating half-way through reading it. But then the last few chapters happened and oh yes, did it get better.
I had a hunch about the biggest and most relevant plot twist of the book in the first few chapters
Spoiler
(you know, the one about Meira being THE ACTUAL QUEEN OF WINTER)The first 25 chapters (maybe even more than that) felt soooo slow and some parts had little relevance to the story, in my opinion. Some scenes were written in such a way that they were emphasized although I saw little connection to the grand picture of it all. A few emotions and reactions also felt unnatural, where have you seen a boy huff so much like a bull or a girl snarl so much like an animal? Seriously?
Other than the occasionally tacky writing style and storyline, this book kept me interested enough to see how it would end and even enough to read the sequel. But now, I'm having second thoughts about that after reading some negative reviews. Oh no, this series has the second-book-gone-bad syndrome. Yikes.
I'd recommend reading this if you're looking for a new take on magic and how it affects a certain world (a fantasy-based one, at that).
sgregg715's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It was fairly predictable, yet kept me entertained throughout.
tishywishy's review against another edition
4.0
A bit slow in the beginning but half way through I was hooked. Interesting plot twists and a sharp mouthed sixteen year old female fighter definitely makes for an interesting story. Looking forward to the continuation.
nilla_beanie19's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I definitely connected more with the last 25% and that boosted my rating. I enjoyed the book for the most part. There was some things that annoyed me but I like the whole concept that the world is built on. Some of the plot twists I kind of saw coming other I didn’t see at all. I look forward to seeing where this trilogy goes from here.
lini002's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Snow Like Ashes is about Meira who is one of the few free surviving Winterians after their kingdom and magic was destroyed by an opposing kingdom. When word about half of the conduit to bring back their magic is heard she runs headfirst into a world of politics.
Nothing about this story is bad but it didn't fully grip me. It felt like it was trying to find its footing and wasn't sure what kind of story it wanted to be in actually. Meira is okay as an MC but I preferred the side characters over her. Probably not going to read more in this series but it was perfectly fine. 3/5
Nothing about this story is bad but it didn't fully grip me. It felt like it was trying to find its footing and wasn't sure what kind of story it wanted to be in actually. Meira is okay as an MC but I preferred the side characters over her. Probably not going to read more in this series but it was perfectly fine. 3/5
hanniejar101's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
It was pretty good. There were parts of this story that I didn't care for, but there were some good parts. It was super predictable, which was one thing I didn't like. But the rest of the story was interesting.