Snow Like Ashes

Words made me. They shifted over me from the moment I took breath; little black lines etched into my body as I wriggled and screamed and learned their meanings. Duty. Honour. Fate.

Snow Like Ashes is a dystopian fantasy set in a kingdom called Winter. Winter is one of eight kingdoms, and within each kingdom there is an object infused with magic. Many years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered, the citizens were enslaved and  their magical object disappeared. Their only hope of freedom comes down to eight slaves who escape. One of the slaves is the main character, Meira, a teenage girl who was orphaned as an infant. They go in search of Winter's magical object to free their people and rebuild their kingdom.

Raasch has produced a fantastic read  that is full of magic and danger. I found Meira inspiring in how she deals with the battles she encounters along her way. She discovers that her destiny is not, and never has been, her own. Raasch's description of the kingdoms down to the finest detail is magical, and she maintains the tension of the plot throughout the story.  The book was thrilling from beginning to end. Every time I thought I had pinned down what was going to happen, the story changed.

I'm about to read the sequel Ice Like Fire, and at the end of the year the third in the series, Frost Like Night will be published. I would thoroughly recommend this book to any teenager or adult who loves dystopian fantasy.