In a medieval land where science and logic have begun to overtake faith and enchantment, Aisling still believes in fairies, having been fed a steady diet of supernatural tales by her beloved mother since she was a tot. But now her mother is dead and her father soon follows—but not before marrying a cold noblewoman who finds fairies to be superstitious nonsense. After her father’s death, Aisling or Ash as she is called, is demoted to a servant in her stepmother’s household, where she begins to dream of escape. She visits her mother’s grave, willing the fairies to take her, only to be turned down again and again by the fairy lord Sidhean. Then one day, Ash notices and is noticed by the King’s Huntress, a mysterious woman named Kaisa. Despite the difference in their stations, they soon become friends and suddenly Ash regains her will to live. But now she needs a favor in order to get closer to Kaisa, a favor only Sidhean can grant. The fairy agrees to give Ash what she wants, in exchange for her vow that she will become his “when the time is right.†Ash recklessly agrees, but soon regrets her choice when she realizes that she no longer wishes to leave her world for the cold, bright world of Fairie. Is it too late to change her mind? Is she brave enough to break her promise? Told in an understated, traditional tone, this upgraded and updated Cinderella story will take you by surprise when the love triangle of girl, fairy and huntress takes an unexpected turn. Newbie author Malinda Lo gives this oft-told tale a modern spit and polish, the results of which landed her as a finalist for the American Library Association’s William C. Morris YA Debut Award. And Lo’s in pretty hot company, check out the rest of the nominees (including Nina LaCour) here.
This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long long time. I keep recommending it to everyone I know!
I really WANTED to like Ash; but, it just wasn’t that compelling to me. The connection between Ash and Sidhean was way more interesting and compelling than her relationship with Kaisa. I just didn’t feel the sparks between Ash and Kaisa and I really wanted to. I was ready to get swept away by their love story and the conflict of her pact with Sidhean. I do look forward to Malinda Lo’s next book though. I just read Nina LaCour’s book and it blew me away; it’s just a beautifully written story.
omg i love love loved this book. one of the best books i read last year. i’ve given it to all my friends. thanks for featuring in on your blog
This looks like an interesting spin off on the overplayed Cinderella story. It’s now been officially added to my list of books to read in the near future. 🙂
Just finished Ash and loved it, I liked the slowness of her feelings for Kaisa and I think Ash knew she was entranced by Sidhean and because of her unhappiness she wanted to be sucked into his fairy world. It had to be a better life than her nasty stepmother Isobel’s taunts and greed! I think it was Kaisa’s self assurance that helped Ash over time become the strong female she knew she wanted to be, and the realization that she wanted to stay in her world and not escape to the fairy world. If you look on Goodreads now, I am not liking the new cover!
This book was amazingg!!! kind of made me sad because now i just miss my ex. But i definally recommend this book to the young LGBT community & just any teen that loves to read it is a great book full of mystery i litterly couldnt put the book down. I loved iT.