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When I have a writing deadline approaching, you'll probably find me in the kitchen. It's horrible, I know, but when I work with a deadline, I tend... Continue »
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Ash

by Malinda Lo

Ash Cover

ISBN13: 9780316040099
ISBN10: 0316040096
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

Review:

"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.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

Entrancing and romantic, "Ash" is a riveting and empowering retelling of the Cinderella story--a novel about choosing life and love over solitude and death.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:
anitaballerina, June 7, 2010 (view all comments by anitaballerina)
This was a very interesting retelling of the Cinderella story. I enjoyed it a lot. My only complaint is that I wish the cover synopsis was more clear that is lesbian love story. I have no problems with the content, I was surprised by the twist. Ash falls in love with a huntress instead of a prince.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend this story to many readers.
Lo created a vivid and dark world, but it was captivating and beautiful.
It's a very good beach read if your looking for something fast and fun.
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emmejo, January 10, 2010 (view all comments by emmejo)
After Ash's mother died her father remarried. After he died she stayed with and worked for her step-mother, who treats her as little more then a slave. After a wander deep into the woods she meets Sidhean, a fairy man. After they meet several times she believes that she may be falling in love, and it seems he might feel the same. But when she meets Kaisa, a fiery, beautiful huntress who secretly teaches Ash to ride, her heart feels like it is being ripped apart. How will she ever choose between the two of them?

This retelling of Cinderella was mediocre. Although the writing wasn't bad, it was rather bland and uninteresting. The characters were unoriginal. The plot was wobbly and unclear at points and felt rather loose, like there were many details that should have been filled in and sections that didn't lead anywhere that should have come out.

A fun 2-hour read when you are bored, but not a great book if you want something serious.
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Christy Valentine, September 15, 2009 (view all comments by Christy Valentine)
I don't usually have high hopes for either YA or fantasy fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised by Malinda Lo's debut novel. After reading her AfterEllen columns and the short previews for the book online though, I was very excited to read Ash.

Yes, it is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but the book feels less about reaching the fairy tale ending and more about Ash's emotional and physical journeys toward the one she loves. Her romantic interactions with both Sidhean the fairy and Kaisa the huntress are a joy to read, thanks to Lo's good ear for dialogue. The story may be set in a time long ago, but the speech feels honest in a contemporary way. Lo also has some fabulous descriptions. She uses beautiful language in a manner that makes her prose feel entirely cinematic. When she describes the way the trees bend to welcome Ash or the way Kaisa slices the skin of an apple, it's easy to picture the action and scenes in your head in what I would call an artistic manner. It feels less like simple prose and more like brushstrokes within the story.

Some plots and characters are not quite as developed as they could be, which is understandable, considering this is a first novel, but the joy of Ash and Kaisa's love- a love that feels truly earned, unlike that of most simplistic YA novels- and the beautiful descriptive language more than make up for the novel's shortcomings.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316040099
Author:
Lo, Malinda
Publisher:
Little, Brown Young Readers
Subject:
Lesbian
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Stepfamilies
Subject:
Lesbians
Subject:
Fantasy & Magic
Subject:
Fairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy
Subject:
Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title
Subject:
General-General
Copyright:
2009
Publication Date:
20090931
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
264
Dimensions:
8.30x5.60x1.10 in. .83 lbs.
Age Level:
13-17
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Related Aisles

Ash Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$11.95 In Stock
Product details 264 pages Little, Brown Young Readers - English 9780316040099 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "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.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis" by , Entrancing and romantic, "Ash" is a riveting and empowering retelling of the Cinderella story--a novel about choosing life and love over solitude and death.
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