Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

No matter what happens, no matter who turns on me, no matter what pompous swine thinks he has power over me, I am still me. I will always be me

I saw this book way back and I remember not picking it up because it might be just another case of your usual YA where the world revolves around two teens in love or a love triangle etc. But after giving this a try, I know realized I was wrong.

Setting: set in a world where there are 8 Kingdoms; 4 of them called Seasons whose land as the name imply are in perpetual Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The other 4 are the Rhythms. Cordell, Ventralli , Paisly and Yakim who experience all four seasons (thus rhythm because they cycle through the normal rhythms of nature.)

Story: the story is told in Meira's point of view and orphan girl and soldier in training. Trying to prove her worth to Sir ( the man who's as close to a father as she has ever known) and trying to figure out her place in this mission to save their people, their home and their kingdom which she has no memory of .

Love Triangle: Yes. But not the usual "girl is in love with good/sensitive guy and bad/reckless/dangerous boy type".

Characters

Meira: Tough as nails but still a believable character who has insecurities and doubts. I love the part where she throws rocks at Sir and Mather out of anger and I like how Sarah Raasch doesn't focus or emphasize on looks, like how beautiful Meira is. The characters looks are described and there are mentions of beauty but it's the type where you choke on it because it's empahsized in every chapter.


Mather: Meira's childhood friend and "future king" of Winter. Mather is really good in hiding his emotions in a mask which frustrates Meira since she can't really be sure what Mather is thinking or feeling.


Sir: The man who raised and trained Mather and Meira. He hopes to raise Winter from destruction and free the Winterians who are now slaves. He almost never lets Meira go onto missions except for scouting for food, which frustrates Meira.


Prince Theron: Prince of Cordell one of the Rhythm kingdoms. He stands in the shadow of his father and would rather be a writer than a king. He often disagrees with his father on how to he treats the Winterians and his plans.


Angra: King of Spring. He destroyed Winter and enslaved its people except for 25 Winterians who escaped



Winter


Appearance:
white hair, pale skin, and striking blue eyes.



Spring


Appearance
blond hair, green eyes, and skin a few shades darker than Winterians.


Summer


Appearance:
Red Hair ,liquid brown eyes and tan skin


Autumn


Appearance:
hair hung in tendrils as dark as the night sky,coppery brown skin and dark colored eyes


P.S That's the closest pictures I could find to show how I imagine they would look like

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