Review: Ash by Malinda Lo

Title: Ash

Book #: 1, and only

Author: Malinda Lo

Pages: 264

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company.

Tags: Fairy, Fantasy

Recommended to: Cinderella Lovers

Rating: .6

"Cinderella, with a twist."

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change.

Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Taschima:

Once upon a time...

In the little town of Rook Hill, where fairies are feared and traditions are followed, lives the most ordinary girl you will ever meet. Her name is Aisling. She wakes up, and she lives her life. Until her mother dies. Ash feels like her world has been ripped apart, but she doesn't know what's coming yet. His father, after a few months after her mother dies, re-marries to Lady Isobel, and brings her home along with 2 stepsisters. But then her father dies and leaves her with a world of debt, and she is bound to serve her step family, forever.

Malinda Lo knows how to deliver a good TWIST, and I put twist in caps because it is Cinderella with a twist, so don't expect mouses talking and birds singing in tune.

The writing was very elegant. It really gives you the impression of a fairy tale being told. Which is good for those who like fairy tales.

Character wise, I think we could have gone a little farther with them. They were, alright. I don't have a favorite character, and I didn't connect with any of them either. I guess I like the Hunter, but again we could have known more about her, more about all of them really.

Also I wish I got to see more of the fairy world. There were a lot of stories, but I wanted something more solid.

Sometimes I found the relationship between Ash and the Fairy confusing, cause, as I'm sure we all know by now, Ash ends up with the Hunter, and well, when she was with the fairy there was so much heat that at times I was like where the rumors true? But that plays well cause it keeps you off track.

And finally, whole book wise, I thought it was too slow at times. It started getting interesting at the second part of the book. Then again this may not be my area of expertise, but this is how I feel.

Shine or not shine, it was a very good twist of the story. I'm sure if Cinderella were to hear this story she would be all over it, devouring it bit by bit. Hehe Cinderella in a gory picture, wow.

Random thing: Aisling, like Melissa Marr's girl. It was kind of weird cause when I started this book I just had finished Fragile Eternity so, but I really like that name.