Ash
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4.4 • 200 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The haunting, romantic lesbian retelling of Cinderella and modern queer classic by award-winning author Malinda Lo--now with an introduction by Holly Black, a letter from the author, a Q&A, and more!
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. 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. Their friendship, as delicate as a new bloom, 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 and empowering, Ash beautifully unfolds the connections between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This debut, a retelling of Cinderella in which the heroine falls in love with a beautiful huntress rather than a prince, should establish Lo as a gifted storyteller. Aisling, aka Ash, is newly orphaned, her beloved mother dead and her father soon to follow. But not before he marries the woman who plays the part of Ash's wicked stepmother and provides her with equally unkind stepsisters. Only Ash's periodic trips into a fairy-filled wood at night and time spent with the beguiling huntress Kaisa who enthralls Ash more and more save her from her oppressive new existence. Lo's prose is beautiful, her descriptions lush; the novel's one flaw is that the third-person narrative keeps readers at arm's length. The dialogue is sparse, with Lo spending most of her time on narration, making it difficult to connect emotionally with Ash. This aside, Lo offers an important twist on a classic story that will appeal to a wide readership, especially those looking for a girl romance. Ages 15 up.
Customer Reviews
Pretty great
The way the author writes is very lovely. It's poetic. I just wish the book was longer. I felt that the theme of fairy tales throughout the book told by a few characters was alluding to the fact that maybe we were reading a unique fairy tale in the making. I was hoping the Huntress Kaisa and Ash would have a story of their own told through generations like the other stories in the book. I was really hoping Kaisa would have to rise to the occasion to save Ash in the land of the fairies or Ash tries to save her in a twist of events. Still I admire the fact that Ash felt that she needed to end her contract with the fairy prince on her own and that was a great idea but it was such a short conflict. I guess I feel like some of the characters weren't used to their full potential, I mean Kaisa was a great hunter, and Ash was strong willed and reckless it would have been great to see those traits put to the test by the Sidhean. It was still a good read, and I enjoyed it. The author did a great job making the reader feel like magic was extremely special in this world and I was always excited when something "magical" did happen.
Ash, excellent but could be more
I loved almost everything about this story. I love the twist on the classic fairy tale, how we see fairy society in a few glimpses. I love the fact that it was a lesbian romance, I thought it was well done. But I wanted more, the story ended too soon and wanted to see more of after happily ever after. But i suppose that's a good thing, to leave us wanting more. So well done, and five us more.
Ash is a great story
i love the story line and the way the author warps all the fairy tales into something new and exciting. the book keeps you entertained all the way to the end. You'll find yourself hoping that the characters can all have a happy ending escpecially ash.