Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes Series #1)

by Sara Raasch

Overview

A striking fantasy tale of dark magic, dangerous politics, and discovering your true self—perfect for fans of Game of Thrones, An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062286932
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Series:	Snow Like Ashes Series , #1
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	100,832
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.01(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, These Rebel Waves, and These Divided Shores. You can visit her online at www.sararaaschbooks.com and @seesarawrite on Twitter.

Editorial Reviews

A new society, a grand adventure, and a first romance, all rolled into one big fantasy epic.

Booklist

Snow Like Ashes is a thrilling story with unforgettable characters set in a stunning fantasy world that had me quickly turning pages. I want more!

Morgan Rhodes

09/08/2014
In Raasch’s debut, an epic fantasy, the realm of Primoria is divided into eight countries sustained by magic governed by human political and social arrangements, accessible only by physical talismans. While this structure doesn’t promise much subtlety, Raasch builds an enjoyable adventure-romance around it. Meira is one of eight free Winterians—inhabitants of the Winter realm who survived the sacking of their capital by neighboring Spring. Other survivors are interned in work camps, while Meira’s group lives as a rebel band, seeking the two halves of their magical talisman, which will enable Winterians to tap their rightful powers and regain their kingdom. Diplomacy is as crucial to this quest as spycraft and battles. Though Meira loves Mather, heir to the Winterian throne, he offers her in alliance to the crown prince of Cordell, for whom Meira also feels a reluctant warmth. But it is her own place in this endlessly shifting world that is most important to Meira, and it’s through her slow realizations and lightning insights that Raasch’s emerging talent makes its greatest appeal. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mackenzie Brady, New Leaf Literary + Media. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

A new society, a grand adventure, and a first romance, all rolled into one big fantasy epic.

Booklist

A new society, a grand adventure, and a first romance, all rolled into one big fantasy epic.” %COMM_CONTRIB%Booklist

07/01/2014
Gr 7 Up— In classic fantasy style, Meira is a feisty orphan girl with aspirations of being a soldier for her icy province, Winter, which has been enslaved by a neighboring territory. Her weapon of choice: the chakram, or throwing circle. Meira partners with her childhood playmate, an heir to the throne, in a quest to locate the broken locket that holds the magic for their province. Meira has romantic feelings for this young man, so she is startled when it becomes apparent that she will be used as a pawn to forge a marriage alliance with another territory. As the story unfolds, the history of the provinces is revealed, magic explained, and all is not as it seems. Although the story is derivative of many before it, the plot and writing are superlative, and fans of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone (Holt, 2012) and the like will not be disappointed.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

School Library Journal

2014-08-27
A carefully crafted fantasy grapples with intense issues. In Primoria, the world protagonist Meira inhabits, there are eight kingdoms: four Seasons, in a perpetual state of the season they're named for, and four Rhythms that cycle through all four. Meira is one of the remaining eight free Winterians: Sixteen years prior to the opening of the book, King Angra of Spring attacked Winter, slaying its queen, destroying its Royal Conduit (a locket used by a female ruler to magically aid her country) and enslaving the surviving Winterians. Attempting to reclaim half the locket, Meira is captured but almost instantly escapes due to quick thinking and her military training—a feat that Raasch makes surprisingly believable. Her complicated relationship with Mather, heir to the Winterian throne, is put on hold when Spring scouts follow her to camp and the refugees must flee to the Rhythm of Cordell—where Meira meets the instantly likable Prince Theron and discovers she's very much a pawn in a bigger game. The dramatic twist toward the end is impressive both in its believability and its unpredictability. Unfortunately, Raasch's world is racialized, and the heroic Winterians are pale and beautiful. While the villain is also fair-skinned, the choice to valorize whiteness is perhaps ill-considered given the fraught history of racial stereotyping in high fantasy.This heavy high fantasy manages moments of humor and beauty for a satisfying read. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews