Ash - Malinda Lo - Review

Book: Ash
Author: Malinda Lo
Publisher: Hodder
ISBN: 9780340988374
Rating: B-

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, re-reading 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

Ash... I really did like this book. It’s an original retelling of Cinderella with a twist. Not only does Ash have a fairy (godfather who wants to marry her) but {SPOILER ALERT} SHE IS A LESBIAN!!! Gasp.

_{The plot starts off very traditional, following the story line but towards part two it veers of path. Basically there is supposedly this non-existent world of the fairies and Ash manages to find it in the woods where she befriends a fairy called Sidhean. Pronunciation: sh-EE-n. Anyway she takes every opportunity she has to see him but as she spends her time in the woods she meets at the royal Huntress, her she forms a friendship a bit to close. Eventually Ash is torn between the two worlds – both forbidden.}

_{At the end Ash is supposedly to realise a moral but in my opinion she found a loophole to the payment she owed Sidhean. The prince wasn’t really in the story. To be honest there was hardly any men in the story, which was very self, centred on the females although I think the book was trying to show that women have just as much authority and importance as men.}

_{I mean I did like the book... how often do you come across a lesbian fairy tale, right? I mean I didn’t even know the author was a bio until I read her bio on GD.}

_{The plot was I think carefully planned but went off track. I like how it was split into two parts, but they were optional as I don’t think they were necessary.}

                _{Favourite character: I’m really not sure on this one but if I had to pick it would probably be Kaisia (the huntress who Ash falls in love with). She is just... really really AWESOME. So yeah, I think four and a half stars for this one.}