Review: Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

Title : Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1)

Author: Sara Raasch

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 416

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own. (More from Goodreads)

Since the sequel is coming out this month, I figured it would be a good time to review this book! This is the first book in a trilogy, the third of which is slated for release in 2016.

Mini Review: 1984 by George Orwell

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Genre: Adult, Classics, Dystopian
Publisher: Signet Classics
Pages: 328

The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of "negative utopia" -a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel's hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time. (More from Goodreads)

This book gets a mini review from me, nothing more. Partly due to the fact that it is a very well-known classic and trying to review and/or analyze it would be rather redundant when there are better material out there for that reason, but mostly because a lazy reviewer has to ease back into reviewing books after a seven-month hiatus. Okay, mostly because I'm lazy.

This is a good book. It's not an outstanding novel as novels go, but it is a good... document. Something heavier and more factual than novels, kind of like... An essay. Yes, it is an excellent essay. In fact, if you go to the Goodreads page, you can find one of the top reviewers saying almost exactly the same thing. It is clever and rather prophetic, and this is the reason why this book continues to be relevant many years after its inception.

Although this particular copy seems small and relatively unremarkable next to most of the books on my shelves, it is a highly daunting book and feels like a giant tome in the reading. Often times I had to take a break from the heavy, morose tones of the narration. When something does happen to the main character, it picks up speed- only to fall flat again after a few pages. I took my time with this book because- as almost all classics are to me- it requires a lot of patience.

Thus, a warning: Do not read this when you need a pick-me-up; when things in your life seem rather bleak. Or do, if you feel reading about a highly realistic dystopian novel with little action perks you up and makes your predicament feel like a trifle.

Of course, in the end, you feel rather enlightened. 

Your effort pays off.

Your patience is rewarded.

To what extent? That is entirely up to you.

This is the very definition of a classic book. I wish I had more time and patience for more of them.

~My Rating~

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★☆