#snow like ashes

[fitz]

The quiet tragedy of finishing a brilliant book, only to discover it's just a literary black hole. No new readers. Zero discourse. Just me, screaming into the void about how good it is.

[bassiascoparia]

The Small Fandoms

Can we just get some love for the small fandoms? The tiny ones? The barely there ones, with people who've read the books, but can't find anyone else who has, even though there are people out there?

Ponniyan Selvan, The Dandelion Dynasty, The Inheritances Games, Jeeves, Snow Like Ashes, Raybearer, Enola Holmes, Sheena Meyer (LITERALLY NONEXISTENT) Murder Most Unladylike and others (add them in the comments)

[samwise-ember]

It's really exciting when you re-read a series you read first as a kid, find you love the author's work even more now as an adult and start reading her other books, AND THEN you find them on Tumblr and they're just coming back from a long hiatus.

Welcome back, @sararaasch. Re-reading the Snow Like Ashes trilogy was a delight and I am thoroughly enjoying Set Fire To The Gods and Stream Raiders right now as new reads!

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

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[purplink8]

Ooh~

[15krixa15]

Glittery snow on a leaf

[leahlandofbooks]

So, Ice Like Fire.....

After finishing Snow like Ashes and wanting to know more about what Mather was thinking after the whole Winter-is-free-I’m-not-really-king-or-an-orphan situation, I appreciated the Mather POVs in this second book.  And based on what I read; I was right.  This guy was going through it.  He’s really good at being aloof and flat as mentioned before but really this guy is an emo angst edge lord teen.  Appreciate it.  I was starting to like his POVs and what was going on in winter while Meira was away more than Meira's POVs and what she had going on.  Speaking of Meira ahem.  She continues to have an identity crisis here.  Going from an orphaned soldier peasant to the heir of a whole fallen kingdom is probably rough at such a young age.  And having all the adults push her to behave and think a certain way definitely did not help.  Meira didn’t want to be a queen, she wanted to be herself, which she describes as a warrior queen. Also, the secrets, all the little secrets that she was keeping from everyone but not everyone at the same time making everything that much more stressful.  Like why not tell those closest to you what’s really going on?  They want to help Winter succeed too.  But again, she's a teenager, she believes because she is queen, she must do everything by herself and play captain-save-the-world by not letting the chasm open. 

Mather and the Thaw

Now the whole chasm situation, a bit confusing right now.  Meira gets close to the chasm, gets yeeted and suddenly her magic is going haywire, and her Hannah thoughts disappear (no explanation on why). She’s finding these keys to open the chasm and every time she touches a key it unlocks a new memory/dream/clue to what her greater purpose is.  She doesn’t want to open the chasm by the way; she wants to find all the keys to get a leg up on Noam because she’s messing up her queenly decisions and borderline letting Noam take over Winter.  Meira wants to get rid of all magic because magic bad, so she has the epiphany to off herself by yeeting herself into the chasm.  Literally on page 454 she goes “Those keys held magic that bent specifically to me, because now I know that the only way to save everyone is to throw myself into the chasm-” Why, what, how did she get to this conclusion, clearly, I missed the answer in all the clues we were given.  I get that if the bloodlines of the conduits cease to exist then maybe the magic of that kingdom disappears forever? I’m unsure how the chasm, which is supposed to be full of magic, is supposed to erase all magic in this world.  If so, just throw all the conduits in there and lock it up.  Or maybe since this Decay is the biggest threat, just throw the Decay in there.  

Meira looking back on how she's low-key ruining everything

The way the Decay acts now, It’s like it’s own separate entity of darkness (duh).  Because why does both Angra (I knew he would come back) and Raelyn have Decay powers?  They can just split it up and share it? Why can’t conduit magic work like that too? Unless the pure version of the Decay is actually locked up in the Magic chasm and that's why the keys were a little too easy to find.  The first one being found was cool, not going to lie, but the second one!  Meira just happened to walk past a bookshelf and a glint of light at the right angle that revealed the Order of Lustrate symbol just happened to catch her attention.  And of course, the key is right there.  Like, all this time and no one saw that symbol?  I guess they saw it but didn’t think anything of it.  Even Meira thought finding the keys was too easy. I think it’s so easy because the keys want to be found, because the chasm wants to be opened because there is secretly healing world magic that will save the world that's been locked and imprisoned there by the Decay cult.  Or we’re throwing the Decay in there, either or.  

Miera basically being gifted the keys

Okay enough about the magic.  We have to talk about best boy.  Favorite boy, who was thrown to the wolves, dragged through a pit a mud with thorns and then thrown 100 times over into a pit of hellfire.  Best boy that deserves all the good in this world.  Ahem, that would be Theron.  First of all, Meira was friend zoning him so hard the entire book.  They would hug, kiss, hold each other, do couple things, all for Meira to constantly call him a ~friend~.  And then she’s constantly lying to him, then feeling guilty for constantly lying to her ~friend~.  And when Theron is acting all weird, especially when he tells Noam about the Magic Chasm, she sees her ~friend~ as a newfound threat but doesn’t talk to her ~friend~ or (anyone) about her concerns.  But then after some reflection she regrets that she didn’t see his change and that she let this happen to her ~friend~.  Like Meira girl, you knew something was off about Theron, you even had your little visions of what went down in Abril.  Meira should’ve pressed him more on the topic.  Why would a total dweeb like Theron suddenly want to become a political war-God.  *Heavy disappointing sigh*.  I hate Angra for messing with best boy and I hate that he had to go through that all alone.  Unlike Meira who chose to go through her troubles alone when she had a whole bunch of support but refused it. I really hope Theron returns to his former self in the third book.  #JusticeforTheron #FreeTheron   

nothing here, just me sad with the Theron fiasco

 I also hate how Meira just randomly decides Mather is the guy for her *cries*.  First of all, Mather and Meira were not talking after Winter was freed (months).  Mather was being an emo edgelord doing his very best to actively avoid her.  Then this entire book, they had 2 interactions.  One in the beginning and the other during all the chaos at the end.  How she came to this conclusion is beyond me.  Literally, as her ~friend~, Theron, is losing his mind in a jail cell chained to a wall, she’s hugging Mather and goes “He’ll keep my kingdom safe. He’ll keep our kingdom safe, and knowing that, makes me cling to him all the tighter.  He was a choice I should have made too”.  And then after a paragraph more the book ends. REEEEEEEE MEIRA.  The fact that Meira feels tingly for Mather because he wants to protect Winter *scoffs* Just say you want a nationalist boyfriend, Meira!  What about Theron? His goal was for the greater good *sobs*.  I guess on a positive note, I don’t dislike Mather as much as I did the first book.  I liked his POVs and him standing up to Cordell’s orders and creating the little Thaw army. He's earned my respect.  But still, I was team Theron.  

How Meira treated Theron

One aspect I really enjoyed about the book was the ventures into the different kingdoms.  Not a lot may have happened, but the world building was great, and I liked learning more about each kingdom and why and how they operate.  I also really like Ceridwen.  She’s pretty cool.  I like her and Meira's' relationship.  Ceri seems to inspire her because, to me at least, Ceri seems more like the warrior princess/queen Meira aspires to be.  Also, Garrigan! *sobs* And shout out to Nessa for being a real one and the only one to call Meira out on her B.S! She needs a promotion!  R.I.P Alysson

Visual representation of the last 40 pages

Still a lot of unanswered questions and WTF’s going on, I will be moving onto the last book :(

[keferon]

Snowbot/Monster hunter Shockwave: *probably smells like lavender or something* Yeah that's nice ^v^

Mecha/Spellbound Shockwave: *Stands three feets away with a spray bottle in hand* DO NOT TOUCH ME!!

Spellbound Shockwave would be so unbelievably sad if you were treating him like that.

How could you see him being like this and not want to give him a big warm hug?

[frstk]

Best Served Cold VS Best Served Hot

[stil-lindigo]

ashes to ashes.

a short comic about the day Ash was born.

Ash's story

Red and Wolf's story

notes:

--

all my other comics

store

[illegiblehandwriting1]

GUYS LEGEND'S WEARING PANTS REAL NOT CLICKBAIT

he's not happy about it, but his legs have been thoroughly covered :D

[take-it-on-the-run]

Me staring at my phone after snapping out of an hour long scroll session, just to realize it was all on a single blog:

(I now look like a serial killer)

[samwise-ember]

"Someday we will be more than words in the dark"

Snow Like Ashes

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[endys]

[leahlandofbooks]

Snow Like Ashes Ramble

I actually enjoyed this story, even though the big secret at the end was kind of predictable.  I mean why was Meira having those vivid and tangible dreams with Queen Hannah actually speaking directly to her? Clearly she is special. She is the chosen one. I do think it’s funny how other reviewers were complaining about how selfish and childish the main character was throughout the story.  It’s almost like that's the point, Meira is literally a 16 year-old child her brain needs 10 more years of development 🙄 And as a former 16 year old I think the way she behaved is pretty accurate, I thought she was alright.  

visual representation of Meira becoming magical

So the romance aspect.  I’ve only ever read books where there is only one love interest, where of course you already know who it is and you read into the growth of their relationship, cool. I thought that was gonna happen with Mather and it was until they had to flee to Cordell.  Then Theron shows up? And Meira maybe ends up having feelings for him?  Pacing wise, it was a little fast and maybe she was just feeling a little giddy about some attractive guy who was also close to her age (I hope) other than Mather. I don’t think this is going to last, it's probably a fluke even though I don't want it to be. Meira and Mather probably do end up together in the upcoming books because they were the original pair and thats how that works maybe? (I have no experience with the love triangle trope). The part where Meira holds Mathers hand and she’s thinking to herself how she feels nothing or how she looks at him and all she could see is some confused loser guy?  And the way she notices how Theron actually looks at her? IDK IDK I think I ended up liking Theron more than Mather, I’m rooting for him not gonna lie 🤷🏽‍♀️.  I’m also finding out that many people don’t like love triangles?  Can’t relate. I'm intrigued and I want more.  

Theron, Meira and Mather. Respectively

Also big FU to Noam for trying to sell them out to Angra, that was uncalled for and because of that he had his own kingdom hanging on by a thread. HIS OWN PEOPLES BLOOD IS ON HIS HANDS! Unnecessarily at that! And he had a temper tantrum in front of all of his soldiers, and his AMAZING son (Theron) had to step in and basically tell him to get a grip. In the middle of a war might I add, how embarrassing. Shame on him. Shame.

I also wish this book would change POV’s,  I appreciate Meiras' thoughts and all but when it was revealed that “Hey, uhm, actually you are not a peasant girl you are Hannah’s daughter.  And actually Mather is just some regular Winterian guy, and Oh! By the way Mather, Sir is your father, which you saw basically die in the Bathai battle. You’ve been demoted from king status and everything you’ve known is a lie!”  It’s necessary that I have Mathers' thoughts on all  this.  Like can you imagine? And at the end of the book he’s bowing to Meira calling her queen and all that nice stuff, but in reality (I know this is fantasy) was it really that easy for him? The correct answer is no. 

He did say he felt relieved to not have his fake king status anymore but what about Sir and Alysson, his parents that he thought were just random people his whole life, hello? Is their dynamic going to change? Did they have a big falling out when Sir revealed this information while Meira was a slave and they’re just pretending to keep it together for Meiras sake? I need to know where Mathers' mind is with all this because I think that's much harder to accept than Meiras' realization that she is Winter's conduit which makes her Queen. 

If Mather was just.. a tad more unhinged.. I think it would be cool if he turned into some villain.  Nothing too crazy.  Maybe he thinks he's still king and tries to overthrow Meira and reclaim the crown.  Or maybe they just split Winter up and Meira is on the East and Mather is on the West and there ends up being some Civil War somehow.  I know, very unlikely due to the power system, which confused me. I think only females can use the conduit or something.  But didn’t the Winterian slaves believe Mather was King before Meiras Magic came about?  I can’t remember that detail.  I just think it’s too sunshine and rainbows for Mather to appear so aloof about this information being dropped on him, especially after almost losing a war.  I know, Meira says that Mather is in fact good at hiding feelings and whatnot, but I think there's more going on and I really really want to know ( I want more drama) ♨_♨

Mather contemplating vengence in some corner (I think)

Moving on.  If Angra would’ve actually died, I think the story could've ended there.  There would be no need for book two and three, but the threat of Winter withering away again is still in the air (quite literally Angra just vanished into thin air, to where has he gone? 😫) I guess the story must go on.  Also Noam, that guy, yeah he’s bad.  With that being said I will be reading the second book ^.^