Cinderella retold
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.
Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
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Regina Marler
…somber and lovely…[Ash] features a beautiful orphan…a cruel, social-climbing stepmother and two sneering stepsisters. Lo gives us a vaguely medieval setting, royal hunts, grand balls and an unquestioned class hierarchy. Not until the introduction of Kaisa, the king's gorgeous young huntress, do we get a spin on tradition.
—The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
This debut, a retelling of Cinderella in which the heroine falls in love with a beautiful huntress rather than a prince, should establish Lo as a gifted storyteller. Aisling, aka Ash, is newly orphaned, her beloved mother dead and her father soon to follow. But not before he marries the woman who plays the part of Ash's wicked stepmother and provides her with equally unkind stepsisters. Only Ash's periodic trips into a fairy-filled wood at night and time spent with the beguiling huntress Kaisa—who enthralls Ash more and more—save her from her oppressive new existence. Lo's prose is beautiful, her descriptions lush; the novel's one flaw is that the third-person narrative keeps readers at arm's length. The dialogue is sparse, with Lo spending most of her time on narration, making it difficult to connect emotionally with Ash. This aside, Lo offers an important twist on a classic story that will appeal to a wide readership, especially those looking for a girl romance. Ages 15–up. (Sept.)
VOYA - Ann Welton
Ash has lost her mother. Shortly after her father remarries, he dies as well. Taken far away from her beloved childhood home and its magical woods, Ash becomes an indentured servant to Stepmother and two Stepsisters. Befriended by Kaisa, the King's Huntress, Ash is offered a chance to ride in the first great hunt of the season. She desperately wants to go, but in order to do so, she must first enter into an illicit bond with the Fairy, Sidhean. Unsure of what her full repayment might entail, Ash only knows she would risk anything to see Kaisa again. Part one of this Cinderella-with-a-twist remake displays all of the fine elements of a Donna Jo Napoli tale. In the second part, however, the story begins to degrade. Ash's life is followed from ages thirteen to eighteen, and yet there is nary a mention of any budding sexual preferences. It is therefore, a bit bizarre when Ash ultimately develops feelings for Kaisa. Also, the Huntress herself is fairly undefined; one feels at a loss to fully grasp her connection to Ash or even her physical details. More disturbingly, the male characters are either nondescript or negatively portrayed, which is somewhat off-putting and unnecessary (Father inexplicably dwindled away the family fortune; Prince is war-worn and bloodthirsty). Overall it is an admirable first effort, and unless there is an objection to same-sex romance (which is neither overplayed nor in-your-face), this book should appeal to teenage girls and fairy tale/fantasy fans. Reviewer: Ann Welton
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—Described as "Cinderella…with a twist," Ash is in many ways the familiar fairy tale about a girl's move from comfort to despair to true love (with a little help from fairies and magic). Standard Cinderella images set up the story: after losing her mother and later her father, Ash is treated as a servant in the home of an unkind stepmother and two unfriendly stepsisters. She has ties to the fairy world, attends the royal ball in an enchanted dress, catches the eye of the prince, and finds love by the end of the story. However, while structural similarities exist, ideologically Lo's beautiful and dark tale takes the story to a new place. It is not about Ash being found and saved by a charming prince; instead, it is about her courtship with Kaisa, the King's huntress, a relationship that burgeons over time and is based on more than just initial attraction. Despite Ash's grief, oppressive guardianship, and dangerous flirtation with the fairy Sidhean, who promises to steal her away from her sadness, the protagonist finds her own salvation and chooses to live and love in the real world and on her own terms. Ash will appeal to readers looking for GLBTQ titles, but fans of romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists will also embrace this fine debut novel.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA
Kirkus Reviews
An unexpected reimagining of the Cinderella tale, exquisite and pristine, unfolding deliberately. Aisling-Ash-knows the fairy stories and lore told her by her now-dead mother, but she does not know if she believes them. When her father dies and her stepmother and stepsisters move her away from the Wood to the City, she finds herself returning to her mother's grave, where she meets the fairy Sidhean. Ash barely notes her harsh treatment at the hands of her stepfamily, as she both longs for and fears her glimpses of Sidhean. He longs for her, too, in ways she is slow to understand. Ash also is slow to see Kaisa, the King's Huntress, as the source of her own desire. When she does, Ash turns to Sidhean to make it possible for her to spend time with Kaisa, despite the price Ash knows she will have to pay. Ash and Kaisa's dance at the King's Ball is a wild and gorgeous moment, no less so than the night Ash must spend in Sidhean's Wood. Beautiful language magically wrought; beautiful storytelling magically told. (Fantasy. 12 & up)
bestselling author of The Princess Diaries series Meg Cabot
"A rich and darkly moving tale I couldn't put down. Malinda Lo is an exciting and welcome new voice in YA."
bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments serie Cassandra Clare
" This lyrically retold Cinderella tale is not just a beautifully updated fable, but an ode to the transformative power of love."
author of Keeping You a Secret and National Book A Julie Anne Peters
"Cinderella, gorgeously reimagined, captivating and winsome. After you've fallen into the storytelling world of Malinda Lo, the truth of love will transcend the romantic ideal of fairy tales."
From the Publisher
"A rich and darkly moving tale I couldn't put down. Malinda Lo is an exciting and welcome new voice in YA."—Meg Cabot, bestselling author of The Princess Diaries series"Cinderella, gorgeously reimagined, captivating and winsome. After you've fallen into the storytelling world of Malinda Lo, the truth of love will transcend the romantic ideal of fairy tales."
—Julie Anne Peters, author of Keeping You a Secret and National Book Award Finalist Luna
" This lyrically retold Cinderella tale is not just a beautifully updated fable, but an ode to the transformative power of love."—Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments series
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