Reviews

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

jlockart's review

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5.0

I loved the ending, so many twists and turn really help you get into the story

uruseibaka's review against another edition

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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
Spoiler(you know, the one about Meira being THE ACTUAL QUEEN OF WINTER)
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).

sgregg715's review

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3.0

I'd give this 3.5 stars. It was fairly predictable, yet kept me entertained throughout.

tishywishy's review

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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

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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

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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

hanniejar101's review against another edition

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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

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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.

annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition

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4.0

Er zijn van die boeken die al heel lang op je verlanglijstje staan en daar om de ene of de andere reden eigenlijk nooit vanaf komen. Andere boeken trekken je aandacht, de boekenkast is al zo vol en zo ken ik nog wel duizend andere excuses. Maar via een boekenswap kwam dit boek alsnog op mijn pad en wat ben ik blij dat ik meteen de hele boxset gekregen heb!

Dit is een YA zoals een YA hoort te zijn. Het bevat daardoor aardig wat clichés, waardoor het boek niet bepaald onvoorspelbaar is, maar ik heb me daar eigenlijk geen moment aan gestoord. Want de clichés waren goed uitgewerkt en in een vermakelijk en gelaagd jasje gegoten dat helemaal werkte.

Naast dat het boek in een heerlijk toegankelijk taalgebruik geschreven is, kent het boek een heel fijn tempo. Er is een prima afwisseling tussen actie en emotie en het boek valt eigenlijk nergens helemaal echt stil. Vanaf het begin tot aan het einde is het een bruisende waterval die je meesleurt en niet meer loslaat tot je het verfrissende warme meer aan het einde hebt bereikt.

Ook de personages, zij het niet altijd even gelaagd en gecompliceerd uitgewerkt, zijn leuk. Het is makkelijk om een bepaalde band met ze te voelen en nog makkelijker om mezelf met hen te identificeren. Ook de onderlinge banden en vriendschappen zijn goed neergezet en hoewel er zeker wel een amoureus plot in zit, is dit absoluut niet overheersend en al helemaal niet waar het hele boek om draait.

Voeg ten slotte nog een goed plot met een sterke mythologie toe en je hebt een boek dat heel veel lezers ongetwijfeld wel zal kunnen bekoren. Mij in elk geval wel! Ik heb al zin in het volgende deel! (Maar dat moet nog even wachten ;-))

brendalovesbooks's review

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4.0

I really liked this one a lot. I liked the world building, the main character was annoying at times, but overall she was someone I could root for. I'll definitely continue on with the series.