Review
Ashen
by H.L. Burke
Ashen is an incredibly original work, not quite like any story I’ve ever read before. The story world was fully developed and incredibly interesting to explore as a reader; not to mention the book’s central romance which served as a wonderful addition to the compelling story line. With a cast of interesting characters and an intriguing plot, Ashen was quite a difficult read to put down.
Unique and refreshingly original.
★★★★★
Elements
An inventive story with clever references to the classic Cinderella tale.
Thoughts
First Impression
I don’t know exactly what it is, but the cover of Ashen really missed the mark with me. I didn’t love the color scheme or font and, as a whole, I feel that the cover failed to capture the life of this story. There was so much magic and creativity within this book and I wish that the cover had been better able to represent the spirit of the work.
The Bad
Though the book summary sounded kind of interesting, it didn’t quite capture the uniqueness and complexity of this story. When I saw the words “a rugged YA Cinderella retelling set in a fantasy world with light steampunk elements” my reaction was just kind of, “huh?” I wasn’t exactly sure what “a rugged YA Cinderella retelling” would look like and to be honest it made me a little nervous to read this book. I was apprehensive, and a bit afraid, to see exactly how this story would play out based on the book’s description, but Ashen ended up being so much more than I expected.
I really did not anticipate liking this book as much as I did.
The Good
I’ve read a lot of versions of the Cinderella story. Like a lot a lot. I feel that by now I’ve seen just about every twist you could put on the story possible and retellings tend to feel more or less the same to me. So, it is safe to say that I was thoroughly surprised by Burke’s use of the Cinderella tale in a subtle way that managed to still create a thoroughly individual story. Though some elements of Ashen undeniably referenced the original tale, this wasn’t just another Cinderella story. It was so much more than that. The plot line was refreshingly unpredictable, and both the world and plot were distinct and unique. I was not expecting to see this level of world development and creation within Ashen, and the extra fantasy twists on the tale made this story a very compelling read.
The last word
Ashen is an imaginative and inventive tale with a thoroughly engrossing story world and a compelling plot.
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover…
Rating: ★★★★★
Age Group: YA
Recommendation: Yes
Related Cause:
Summary: You’ve never seen Cinderella quite like this.
Series:
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.