Snow Like Ashes

So I picked this up as I was in the mood for some quick, exciting YA fantasy and it did not disappoint!

We follow Meira who has been brought up amongst a very small group of soldiers/refugees from a kingdom which, along with their magic, was wiped out during a war 16 years ago. The group discover a way to possibly get their magic back and Meira decides she wants to complete this task and make her mark so the story goes from there.

One of the things which really work in this book are the characters - Raasch writes insanely likeable characters and you are immediately connected to them and root for them throughout. I love Meira as a main characters, I like her strength and determination, and I also like that she did need to learn and grow and move past her insecurities as the story progressed. She wasn't just “plain Jane” one minute then a superstar the next, there was genuine growth. I also appreciated that her insecurities were about her place in the world and how she could impact the lives of those around her, rather than about image, physical appearance or men!

The setting and history of the kingdoms was enjoyable and I can already see (or I'm hoping!) that the books will build on the politics between the kingdoms, which is a theme I really like in fantasy books. Half of the kingdoms are based on the seasons, so of course I got major ACOTAR vibes from this but that is a good thing as I really love the ACOTAR series!

All in all a solid fantasy series which I'm very excited to continue with!