Aaron reviewed Ash by Malinda Lo
Review of 'Ash' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A really entertaining read, let down by being cut way too short.
The differences with the classic Cinderella were fun, and the pacing was really good.
Ash is a really likeable character, but the two main characters, Sidhean and Kaisa are much less developed. Kaisa could have been a guy and it would have had zero effect on the story. Apart from the pronouns there is nothing about her that is described as feminine. That might have been the whole point, but the world they live in is male dominated, and most women are expected to find good husbands and settle down. There is no examination of the role of the Huntress and why it is an exception. (I hope, however, that a lot of this is covered in the prequel [b:Huntress|9415946|Huntress|Malinda Lo|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KNROR-lEL.SL75.jpg|13022195])
Sidhean is slightly more characterised, but again, while his motives are clear, his emotional drive …
A really entertaining read, let down by being cut way too short.
The differences with the classic Cinderella were fun, and the pacing was really good.
Ash is a really likeable character, but the two main characters, Sidhean and Kaisa are much less developed. Kaisa could have been a guy and it would have had zero effect on the story. Apart from the pronouns there is nothing about her that is described as feminine. That might have been the whole point, but the world they live in is male dominated, and most women are expected to find good husbands and settle down. There is no examination of the role of the Huntress and why it is an exception. (I hope, however, that a lot of this is covered in the prequel [b:Huntress|9415946|Huntress|Malinda Lo|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KNROR-lEL.SL75.jpg|13022195])
Sidhean is slightly more characterised, but again, while his motives are clear, his emotional drive is never explored. There is a conflict within him, but not enough time is spent examining his character to really grasp what he is grappling with.
The problem seems to be because the whole book is chained to Ash's point of view, and Ash is predominately concerned with her own dilemmas. This is a real problem at the end of the book, and makes Ash's final decision seem arbitrary.
So, overall, I really enjoyed most of the book, I was just let down by the sudden and empty ending.