1. Ash, by Malinda Lo
Additional tags: a: lo malinda
I don't really have a goal of 50 books this year (I read fewer than a hundred books total last year), but I'm trying to read more books by authors of color and queer authors this year, so I thought I'd start with this one as a step in both directions.
Short version: A bit too brief and simple for my preference and not the most exciting setting, but beautifully written and fun enough that I'll read Lo's next book.
1. Malinda Lo's Ash has been widely described as a lesbian version of Cinderella, which it only sort of is. It does have a lesbian romance, and it definitely started from the Cinderella story, but it's a very loose interpretation of it.
Ash's father dies, leaving her with a nasty stepmother and two stepsisters (one nasty, one not-so-nasty). There is a fairy, Sidhean, who is definitely not a godmother, and a prince, who is very tangential to the story. And there is the King's Huntress, Kaisa, who is quite important. The book is largely a coming-of-age story about Ash figuring out who she is, and also about freeing herself from her stepmother and her grief over her mother to find what she wants in life. The other main theme is the difference between fairytales and reality, fairy love and human love.
Lo's writing is really gorgeous, and all of the characters (with a couple exceptions) are quite interesting, even ones who appear only briefly. Ash's relationship with Sidhean is very complex and layered, and her relationship with Kaisa feels very real. The world is mostly a standard vaguely-Euro-fantasy world, and it's more interesting than some and less than others (the most interesting part of it is the Wood). I think there's potential for it to become more interesting when explored further in future books (particularly the relationships between humans and fairies, and the role of the King's Huntress).
My biggest problem with the story was Ash herself; despite the book being written in limited third-person, Ash felt kind of like a cipher to me, like the narrative never really got into her emotions and head. She herself wasn't very memorable. The ending also felt a little rushed, and overall it felt like there was a lot more that could have been elaborated on (which I kind of like because of the spaces it leaves for interpretation, and I kind of don't because I wanted more) and some things that weren't quite addressed (like class issues).
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book a lot and there badly needs to be more queer-themed YA fantasy, so I'm really glad it got published. I am looking forward to Lo's future books.
I don't really have a goal of 50 books this year (I read fewer than a hundred books total last year), but I'm trying to read more books by authors of color and queer authors this year, so I thought I'd start with this one as a step in both directions.
Short version: A bit too brief and simple for my preference and not the most exciting setting, but beautifully written and fun enough that I'll read Lo's next book.
1. Malinda Lo's Ash has been widely described as a lesbian version of Cinderella, which it only sort of is. It does have a lesbian romance, and it definitely started from the Cinderella story, but it's a very loose interpretation of it.
Ash's father dies, leaving her with a nasty stepmother and two stepsisters (one nasty, one not-so-nasty). There is a fairy, Sidhean, who is definitely not a godmother, and a prince, who is very tangential to the story. And there is the King's Huntress, Kaisa, who is quite important. The book is largely a coming-of-age story about Ash figuring out who she is, and also about freeing herself from her stepmother and her grief over her mother to find what she wants in life. The other main theme is the difference between fairytales and reality, fairy love and human love.
Lo's writing is really gorgeous, and all of the characters (with a couple exceptions) are quite interesting, even ones who appear only briefly. Ash's relationship with Sidhean is very complex and layered, and her relationship with Kaisa feels very real. The world is mostly a standard vaguely-Euro-fantasy world, and it's more interesting than some and less than others (the most interesting part of it is the Wood). I think there's potential for it to become more interesting when explored further in future books (particularly the relationships between humans and fairies, and the role of the King's Huntress).
My biggest problem with the story was Ash herself; despite the book being written in limited third-person, Ash felt kind of like a cipher to me, like the narrative never really got into her emotions and head. She herself wasn't very memorable. The ending also felt a little rushed, and overall it felt like there was a lot more that could have been elaborated on (which I kind of like because of the spaces it leaves for interpretation, and I kind of don't because I wanted more) and some things that weren't quite addressed (like class issues).
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book a lot and there badly needs to be more queer-themed YA fantasy, so I'm really glad it got published. I am looking forward to Lo's future books.