(Snow Like Ashes #3)
Publication
Date: September 20, 2016
Hardcover, 496 pages, Balzer + Bray
Genres:
YA, Fantasy
Angra is alive, his Decay is
spreading—and no one is safe.
Meira will do anything to save her
world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately
needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious
Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true
solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season
Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the
very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.
Mather will do anything to save his
queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell
her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom
unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and
protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.
Ceridwen will do anything to save
her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a
prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking
truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true
love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.
As Angra unleashes the Decay on the
world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria
together…or lose everything.
My Review
It’s been two years, but I finally finished Sara Raasch’s
Snow Like Ashes trilogy, and big surprise here, but I very much enjoyed it.
Going in, I didn’t really remember some of the smaller plot
points and details, since it had been a year since I finished book two, but I
was able to catch up and re-immerse myself in the world about 50 pages in. So,
those first 50 pages were a little hard to trek through, but once I got past
them, I was going through chapters fairly quickly.
One thing I love about Sara’s writing is how her action
scenes play out. They’re very realistic, even with magic thrown in. It’s not
just a young teenager leading the battle by herself. Instead, Meira, our main
character, has adults around her who know what to do, how to plan wars, etc.
Meira focuses on her area of expertise—magic and individual fighting. Of
course, she gives her opinions, but she also takes advice. I was so happy with
how the battles and fighting strategies played out simply because of elements
like this.
As for the characters, they definitely matured since books
one and two. Meira has a heartfelt personal journey, Ceridwen learns to live
and love, and Mather just plain ol’ grew on me. I was totally a Team Theron
girl in Snow Like Ashes, but Mather
managed to thaw my cold heart. (See what I did there. *wink *)
The only kind of
negative thing I need to mention is that this book is long. When I was reading,
I did, at some parts, feel the book could have been a little shorter. However, I
can’t exactly pinpoint where things should be cut, because all of the scenes I’m
remembering all seem important. It’s just a big book, so be prepared going in.
All in all, if you’re a fan of Thrones of Glass, Game of
Thrones, Falling Kingdoms, or Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’ll love
this YA fantasy trilogy. It has seasonal magic, cute boys, bada$$ ladies, and
great action scenes.
*Note: I purchased
a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
This is a series that I do want to read someday. I am so glad that you were able to get back into the story and enjoy this one.
ReplyDeleteMe too. ;)
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