Ash

Reader: Meghan K
Age: 14
Title: Ash
Author: Malinda Lo
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: 10/??/09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: OMG, CINDERELLA'S A LESBIAN!! That's pretty much the twist of this twisted fairy tale, a retelling of Cinderella. I liked this book. It was never preachy, overbearing, or telling you what to think. The characters all seemed very flat, which seems to be a common problem in many teen fantasies. LEARN TO CHARACTERIZE, PEOPLE!!! Other than that, it was a pretty good book.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This book had a good story. Even though I knew how it would end, (with the main character, Ash and her True Love getting together) for the first half of the book, I wasn't certain who the True Love was going to be. There were three potential candidates, each one with their strengths and weaknesses. I applaud the author for not making the True Love painfully obvious from the second the character was introduced. In most fantasies, the author might as well mention that a character has "I'M THE LOVE INTEREST" tattooed on their foreheads, it's so blindingly obvious they are indeed, the love interest.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I liked this book, but I was a bit confused by parts of it. For instance, it's never made clear whether or not same-sex marriage is legal in the fantasy world. It's clear that such romances are socially acceptable, but it wasn't clear if they were legal, so to speak. I was also left wondering if the King's Huntress (a job position in the book) had to lesbian. I mean, if a straight woman applied, could she get the job, or would she be automatically disqualified? I think she'd probably get the job, but the only people ever mentioned as having that job were lesbian, so I was very confused.
Did the cover reflect the contents: This cover's not very good. It's basically a person in their underwear, lying fetal position in a field. If you did that in real life, those nice young men in their clean white coats would come to take you away, haha!
Age Range: 12-13, 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal