A sensual and evocative re-telling of Cinderella.
In the world of fairies are an older race of people who walk the line between life and death, reality and magic. As orphaned Ash grows up, a servant in her stepmother's home, she begans to realise that her beloved mother, Elinor was very much in tune with these underworld folk, and that she herself has the power to see them too.
Against the sheer misery of her stepmother's cruelty, greed and ambition in preparing her two charmless daughters for presentation at court, and hopefully Royal or aristocratic marriage, Ash befriends one of these fairies - a mysterious, handsome man - who grants her wishes and restores hope to Ash's existence, even though she knows there will be a price to pay.
But most important of all, she also meets Kaisa, a huntress employed by the king, and it is Kaisa who truly awakens Ash's desires for both love and self-respect... Ash escapes a life with her grim and self-serving stepmother and finds her beloved one...
Ash is a fairy tale about possibility and recognizing the opportunities for change. From the deepest grief comes the chance for transformation.
Tash - 13nv
Amidst all the fairy-tale re-tellings in young adult literature today, Ash stands out as one of the most eerie and evocative to date. Ash is a young orphan girl, growing up as a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters whose connection to the faerie world she inherited from her mother. As the familiar tale begins to unfold, Ash meets Sidhean, a faerie prince who promises to transform her, and lead her to a better life, and Kaisa, a hunter for the king who questions and pushes her to make the best of her humble existence. While Ash borrows from the typical Cinderella story, at its heart it is an intelligent deconstruction of the stereotypical patterns, and Ash is allowed to grow naturally as a protagonist. Also commendable is the relationships with both Sidhean and Kaisa Lo has an excellent understanding of relationship dynamics and while the ending may be unconventional, it makes perfect sense and is a wonderful close to this highly unusual YA book.
Guest, 19/08/2014
