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bluberrybooks's review
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I liked the storywriting of this book. It was beautiful written and I liked the sorry. I just think it fell flat to me but it wasn't a bad read I enjoyed it. It was solid!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
booksandbesitos's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
libt11's review
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
laranjadosalgarves's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I lovely short book for lovers of fairy tales, with a focus on grief and lgbt themes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
btorsi's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
such an odd book. it's pretty much sapphic YA royalty, so i knew it was a crime i hadn't read it yet. the writing is like that of a fable; there is such an odd amount of distance from the reader to the protagonist, but it still felt overflowing with heart. it was such a fast and enjoyable read. i didn't expect to love it as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Confinement and Death of parent
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I have owned this book for so long and never read it. I don't know what was stopping me, but I decided this month was the time! I really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling! I loved the different elements of fairy that were brought into it and Sapphic Cinderella? Yes, yes please. Even though this was a retelling, it wasn't predictable. I loved the ending and how everything turned out. I loved what Ash learned from her mother and I adore the Huntress!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
shybookstagramer's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I really wanted to like this story. I liked the idea of it but I don’t think the execution worked for me. I found it very slow and kind of dull for my liking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Confinement
animal death is a stag being hunted and killedmorgiei's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Religious bigotry
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Here the Wood was a secret place, and she knew she was trespassing. But she went on, because she could not go back.”
TITLE—Ash
AUTHOR—Malinda Lo
PUBLISHED—2009
GENRE—YA fantasy; fairytale retelling
SETTING—a fantasy kingdom
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—the Fae (Sidhe/faerie folk), ff romance, classic queer lit
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—I wish the villains could have had a bit more depth, cliche villains are my number one bugaboo about YA fantasy...
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—the Fae!
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“When Ash came out, in 2009, there were no books like it in YA. There were very few books about lesbian teenagers being published (less than 1 percent), barely any with fantastical elements, and none set in high fantasy worlds with a lesbian protagonist.” — from Holly Black’s Introduction to the tenth anniversary edition
Cinderella has always been my least favorite fairy tale. I didn’t read the original one, which is much more pleasantly dark than the horrifying disney version, or see the interpretation of the tale in Into the Woods, which I loved, or realize Ever After was a Cinderella retelling (even though they make it kind of obvious in the film it just never really clicked in my brain 😂), until I was much older, so for the longest time it was just very triggering for me: this idea of a girl who was horribly abused by people who were supposed to be her family and were supposed to love her and her only out was magic and a rich prince who just happened to fall in love with her for literally no reason at all, it just terrified me and made me a little angry too. 😅😅
So this is why when Lo’s books came out in 2009, in spite of the fact it was one of the first FF fairy tale YA fantasy retellings ever, I gave it a pass, and then kept giving it a pass for twelve years... 😅 BUT I’ve read it now and yes. LOVED it. Loved loved loved the Fae fairy godfather and all the folklore and greenwitch elements! The second half of the book felt a little slow as it was mostly the MC’s rumination about her situation and internal character development and for YA fantasy I prefer for there to be a bit more action because the writing style doesn’t carry the story enough for me, but I am glad that I finally read a pioneering classic of queer lit!
“It may not be your dream, Stepsister, but do not scoff at those who do dream of it.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // death of parent/s, grief, abuse
Further Reading—
- Cinderella is Dead, by Kalynn Bayron
- Dark and Deepest Red, by Anna-Marie McLemore
- The Sisters Grimm, by Menna van Praag
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Death of parent