Book Review: SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch

I can’t even wait to tell you all how much I loved this book, so here’s the synopsis really quick, from Amazon:

Game of Thrones meets Graceling in this striking fantasy tale of dark magic, dangerous politics, and discovering your true self.  Sara Raasch’s debut fantasy is a lightning-fast story of loyalty, love, and controlling one’s destiny.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. The Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been searching for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild their 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 half of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it herself—only to find herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics, and to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Alright, here we go. This will be full of fangirling and gushing and just…good things.

1. The main character.

I have only recently gotten into fantasy. A lot of the fantasy I attempt to read annoys me, because I hate how indecisive and whiny female main characters in a fantasy can be. Not with Meira. Meira gets whiny sometimes, but she always makes up for it by doing something totally awesome and selfless that I can TOTALLY forgive her. She spends a lot of her time thinking about how selfish she is throughout her life, but honestly, she is the most selfless heroine/main character I have ever encountered – and not even for a “fantasy” novel.

2. It was LONG.

For those of you who want to get through as many books as possible, you should probably skip this book. It is long (I finished it in two days though, that should tell you something). I saw someone on Goodreads warn that it was long, and that it could do without about 50 pages, but I would like to politely disagree. Every part of this book was necessary and relevant and engrossing, and it really is a treat. I probably could have read 100 more pages, but I understand the need for brevity and clarity. The only reason I am upset about the book at all is that I started the series now. I now have to wait forever to finish it.

3. There’s a love triangle. If you have ever read any of my blog posts, you know how I feel about love triangles.

Let me explain, though. This love triangle is not like any love triangle you or I have seen. Both dudes are equally matched, and you are as unsure about Meira about how to feel. But, this love triangle moves slowly, through the entire novel. There is no way you could forget about it, but there is also no way you will be annoyed by it. By the end, of course, since there will be AT LEAST two more books, there is no solution. But at the end, you STILL don’t know! There is no clear choice! I love this love triangle, and I never thought I would type those words…ever.

4. The world that was built is kind of confusing at first, but really awesome once you get the hang of it.

So, this world is split into Season kingdoms and Rhythm kingdoms, mostly. I don’t remember the Rhythm kingdoms, although I should, because they’re intensely important. However, you have four Season kingdoms (just like the four real seasons, get it?). Anyway, four Seasons. Each season is stuck in their perpetual season. Winter is in winter, Autumn in autumn, etc. And the people show the season from whence they came. THIS WAS SO COOL. I hate when synopses say “for fans of [insert popular series here]” but I really did see the Graceling and Game of Thrones influences here.

5. The magic rules are so, so different.

Okay, there is magic in this world, and there are always rules when it comes to magic. It is so different to see this. So, the leaders of each nation have a conduit which holds their magic. It can be either female or male wielded, depending on the blood line. There’s a catch, though. They can’t use their magic to like, have their royal letter opener float across the room. No, no. Each kingdom uses their magic for their own means, but in a different way. For example, during war, the leader can pour their power into their military to give them stamina and strength. They can also heal. It’s really cool. Just read it.

OVERALL: FIVE STARS!!! At first, I was very nervous about this book because, as I said, I am new to fantasy and I have been burned by fantasy before. BUT, I ended up eating this up in two days between grading essays and teaching lessons and being a busy bee in general. You need this book in your life, especially if you need a good fantasy to keep you enthralled for awhile. Take your time and savor it. I wish I had done that, because now it’s over and I am sad.

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Book Review: Half Bad by Sally Green

Hello, everyone! I know it has been a long time since I have done a book review. However, I am student teaching right now, so please forgive me; I am a busy, busy lady. However, now that my three week takeover is over, I have MUCH more time to read. Since it’s October, I’ve been reading very witchy books. I’ve had a few decent ones, but this book was the book that brought me out of my blogging slump so I could tell you all how much I love this book and how much I hate myself for starting this series too soon. We have to wait until March for the next one…MARCH!! WHY?!!!! Anyway, on with the review!

1. The world. The world. The world.

I have a hard time believing in alternate universes a lot of the time. Either they’re too outlandish, or they’re not built very well. If you’re going to build an alternate universe of modern day, you need to make sure the things you populate your world with are believable within the realm of that world. Half Bad did this beautifully. We’re used to witches and wizards attempting to emulate the almighty Harry, but this world does not. At all. It blends elements from our reality (cell phones, computers, guns etc.) with those of the witchy world (potions, powers, alternate ways of transportation, etc.). It’s perfect and beautiful and believable and I lost myself in it.

2. The characters were multi-dimensional.

In a lot of books I’ve read lately have clear cut characters: they are bad, or they are good. This book flips that on its head. Every character is good and bad. Every character makes you think a certain way about them, then something happens where you think that there may be some good in them, then it switches AGAIN. Reading this book and getting to know its characters is just like real life, where you never really know if a person is altogether good or bad. It is interesting to see that in a book.

3. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL.

This whole book is about Black Witches and White Witches. Nathan is our main man, and he is half Black, half White, or a Half Code. This book is about what happens when you are born into a certain type of stereotype. Nathan is judged from the second he is born because of who his father is. He is beaten, bullied, and tortured, even by members of his own family. It is truly heartbreaking. My students just learned about literary anti-heroes, and Nathan is the perfect example. He’s Black, but he’s also White, but he also doesn’t know who he really is. I loved him. He is an incredible character and I am astounded by how much I just loved him.

4. The villains. They’re not the villains, but they are the villains. It’s all really confusing.

The villains are the White witches. Yes, you heard me, and I did not give you any spoilers. The White witches, who are supposed to be good and kind and just, are horrible people – for the most part. There are few who redeem themselves on behalf of their “race,” but the same goes for the Black witches. Basically all I’m telling you is that you don’t know who to trust in this book – ever – and it makes for a really fun time. This book is long, and I blew through it in two days.

OVERALL RATING: FIVE STARS!!! I would give it like 11 stars on a scale of one to five, but I’m not trying to be excessive. Who am I kidding? ELEVEN STARS!!! I have said it before and I’ll say it again, this surprised me. I am really, really happy I spent the time on this, because it was worth it. So, when you get it, clear your weekend and finish it. You’ll be happy until you reach the end and yell obscenities because you have to WAIT UNTIL MARCH FOR THE NEXT BOOK TO RELEASE. MARCH.

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REVIEW: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

I received this book as an ARC at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Las Vegas (and it’s signed yay!). There is no synopsis on the back of the book, just praise for Lu’s other series: Legend (which I could also heap praise upon all day). So, here is my attempt on a synopsis. If you don’t like mine, you can look up the synopsis on Goodreads.
The Young Elites follows Adelina Amouteru through the fantasy world of Kenettra. It is years after a plague has passed. Those who survived the plague are usually marked by some physical flaw. They call these people malfettos. Adelina is a malfetto. This story follows her fleeing her home to end up in the clutches of The Young Elites, a group of young people with supernatural powers. There is a war being waged on the Elites as well as any malfetto within Kenettra. (I don’t know how to give you more without spoilers, so I’m going to leave it at this).

1. The main character is hard to like.
Adelina has a darkness swirling within her that has her toeing the line between good and evil. Throughout her narration, there is so much darkness, but also some good. She is a dark character with dark thoughts and a dark ability. She has a younger sister, Violetta, who she struggles to love. Adelina’s father was always cruel, but only to her. Violetta had a doting father who loved her and showed it. This darkness that lives within her father also lives within her, making it difficult for her to see anything good in anyone. She believes any kindness comes with strings attached – but is she wrong? She is amazing as a main character, because she is more like a real person than any YA heroine I’ve seen in awhile. She’s almost an anti-hero, and I always adore those.

2. The world building is fantastic! It is hard for me to get into fantasy, so this was amazing for me.
I don’t have problems with fantasy worlds in general. I have problems with fantasy worlds that don’t stay true to their own rules. Some fantasy worlds leave too much out or make their creatures or citizens transcend any rules set forth by the author when building their world. Since I fell in love with Marie Lu while reading her Legend series, I was hesitant about this since I know her as a dystopian story teller. But, she did it perfectly. Nothing was out of place and I was able to create this world in my own head.

3. There is no love triangle!
There are three main dudes in this book, and one of them is insanely evil. Two are close to Adelina. Those two close to her are super hunky, but there is only one that wins her. Rafaelle is a male prostitute within the court, but he is essential to the story and to Adelina’s training and success. Enzo is the leader of the Elites and he is super awesome. He’s difficult and stubborn when he needs to be, but he is also just a young man living in a scary, scary world. This was so refreshing for me, especially in a fantasy. As you know, I loathe love triangles in any literature, but especially YA because they are just too much and too overdone.

4. Marie Lu’s writing is so engrossing, it honestly made me forget where I was at some points.
As I said, I adored Lu’s Legend series. I was so engrossed in that, so I am so glad that her fantasy world was awesome. I knew she had it in her! Honestly, there were parts of this book that lagged. I was so unimpressed with Adelina about a third of the way through that I thought about mentally stabbing her. Then, she kind of redeemed herself to me. (I’m really trying not to give any spoilers, since this book has yet to be released). Just trust me on this: stick with it. Shit gets bananas and you will be so glad you did.

5. The ending ripped my heart out.
It is not often that I leak tears when I read books. However, this ending is so heart wrenching that it was just too much for my fragile emotions to handle at that moment. I finished this while I was at work, and it was just like the floodgates opened and I just couldn’t stop. It is not how you would expect anything to turn out (we’re not talking Allegiant style, but pretty close). The epilogue is so bad ass that I can’t even begin to describe it without telling you anything, so I’m just going to stop there.

6. This was social commentary on those who look different.
Even if it was unintentional, this book was a good social commentary on how our society values looks over everything. Adelina only has one eye because of the fever and her hair is silver. All of the Young Elites have physical deformities and they are hunted for them. Not all who are deformed have powers, but all who have powers are deformed (except for one). Our society is so caught up in looks and filters and angles and selfies that it is hard to imagine a world where almost half of the population walks around comfortable in their own skin with noticeable deformities. It is a glaring look at how our society fears what they do not know. Kenettra fears what they do not know, and they take steps to ensure they eliminate anyone who does not fit their standards of conformity. Sound like anyone else you know?

Overall: FOUR STARS!! I’m only taking a star away because of the bit of lagging (even though it was SO necessary for the story). I love Marie Lu, and she was so nice when I met her at her signing, so I am super glad I was able to read this and do this review for her. This book enters the world on October 7, 2014 so clicky clicky on the link to pre-order!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Young-Elites-Marie-Lu/dp/0399167838/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1405304742&sr=1-1