Author: Malinda Lo
Title: Ash
Pages: 284
Duration: 5 hours and 59 minutes
Genre: Young Adult LGBT Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date published: September 1, 2009
Format: Whispersync
Source: Amazon
Synopsis:
Cinderella retold
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.
Review
I heard about this author a few years back, at a signing, and I decided I should give her books a go. It helped that this was on sale, so I picked it up with the audible version a couple months ago, and I whispersynced it during my trip to Detroit last week. I'm a fan of fairytale retellings, so I was excited about this one.
It was a bit surprising to find out that that the author was also the narrator. I mean, most of them just don't have the skills to narrate their own book. Sadly, this wasn't an exception. She wasn't bad, but it was dull. There was one moment when I was listening to it and my husband walked into the room, stayed a bit to listen to it (as he usually does to see if it's worth listening to while he's at work) and then gave me a disgusted look before walking out and saying that he'd fall asleep if he was forced to listen to any more of it.
...so I switched to the ebook version, and it was much better.
This was a much darker version of Cinderella, using the fae in lieu of the fairy godmother as an example. Also, there is supposed to be a sort of love triangle going on.
I loved the fantasy aspect of it, but the love story fell short. I wish there was a little... more to it. Anyway, I do not recommend the audio version but the story itself was pretty good.
It was a bit surprising to find out that that the author was also the narrator. I mean, most of them just don't have the skills to narrate their own book. Sadly, this wasn't an exception. She wasn't bad, but it was dull. There was one moment when I was listening to it and my husband walked into the room, stayed a bit to listen to it (as he usually does to see if it's worth listening to while he's at work) and then gave me a disgusted look before walking out and saying that he'd fall asleep if he was forced to listen to any more of it.
...so I switched to the ebook version, and it was much better.
This was a much darker version of Cinderella, using the fae in lieu of the fairy godmother as an example. Also, there is supposed to be a sort of love triangle going on.
I loved the fantasy aspect of it, but the love story fell short. I wish there was a little... more to it. Anyway, I do not recommend the audio version but the story itself was pretty good.
