Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch

Series: Snow Like Ashes (bk. 3) Final Book

Genera(s): High Fantasy

Subjects: magic, seasons, winter, royalty, kingdoms, adventure, war, princes and princesses, king and queens, warriors, rebellions, slavery, orphans

Setting: The Kingdoms of Primoria

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, present tense: Meira, and 3rd person: Mather and Ceridwen

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 483 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer & Bray

Summary/ product description: “Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe.

Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.

Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.

As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything.”

My Review:  Frost Like Night is the final book in the Snow Like Ashes trilogy. If you have not read Snow Like Ashes, I recommend it to those who enjoyed Frozen, Game of Thrones and books like: Incarnate and The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Defiance by C.J. Redwine, The Young Elites by Marie Lu and the Red Queen by Victoria Avyard.

Meira is the queen and conduit of the Winter kingdom. She’s trying to find away to stop Angra, the evil ruler of Spring who use the magic of the Decay. Meira is brought to Paisley, the kingdom hidden in the mountains of the north. Rares and his wife offer to train Meira in using her magic. Meira soon discovers that the only way to defeat Angra might not end in a happy ending for. She might have to sacrifice everything to save her kingdom and the rest of Primoria from Angra and this war. With Mather by her side, she feels she can do anything.

Mather would do anything to save Meira from the fate she plans to accept. He really does want to spend his life with her and can’t imagine living without her. Ceridwen is now the monarch of Summer, but cannot use her kingdom conduit because it is male-blooded. She’s trying to save her own people and create new allies. She also wants a relationship with Jesse, but he must first break his relationship with Raelyn, his current wife who’s now under Angra’s influence.

This epic finale is filled with magic and adventure and even all the romance we were hoping for. I will say that I did not enjoy this book as much as the previous book. I’m not a fan of 3^rd person POV and I would have preferred only to have Meira 1^st person POV or have 1^st person perspective of Mather and Ceridwen. Also I was so busy with school, that it takes a long time to finish a book. I did enjoy this series overall and hope to find more unique fantasy series like this one. I’m very happen to see how this series has come so far and to a satisfying ending. I can’t wait to see what other stories Sara Raasch cooks up.

Cover Art Review: I love these cover so much! They are consistent and beautiful. The chakram with the seasons in it is so cool.

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

Series: Snow Like Ashes (bk. 2)

Genera(s): High Fantasy

Subjects: magic, seasons, winter, royalty, kingdoms, adventure, war, princes and princesses, king and queens, warriors, rebellions, slavery, orphans

Setting: The Kingdoms of Primoria

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, present tense: Meira, and 3^rd person: Mather

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 478 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer & Bray

Summary/ product description: “It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.”

My Review:  Ice Like Fire is the awesome sequel to Snow Like Ashes. Winter is now free from Spring’s rule, but new troubles are on the rise. Cordell’s king may be giving Winter aid, but Meira still feel like her kingdom is under their oppression. The Cordellian king wants to find the magic chasm, and when Meira’s Winterians do, she intends to prevent the magic from being released. Theron want everyone to have magic, and Meira disagrees. Theron and Meira’s relationship becomes strained and they set off on a quest throughout the kingdoms of Primoria to find the three keys that will open the chasm.

We finally get a glimpse at three other kingdoms in this book: Summer, Yakim and Ventralli. Each are unique and different. Summer is about pleasure and they have slavery and brothels. Yakim is about knowledge and they have universities and advanced technology. Ventralli loves art and beauty and is like Venice with its masks. I love that the world building of Primoria is so intricate and different from other fantasy novels I’ve read. I love the kingdoms based off the seasons and the rhythms. Sara has a Pinterest board for her series that really gives you the look and feel of the different kingdoms.

Meira is such a great character. She’s pretty down-to-Earth for a queen. She’d prefer pants to dresses. She’s like to use her Chakram to protect her kingdom. I feel sorry for Mather. Theron has Meira’s love, but I feel like Mather is meant for her. When I think of Meira and Mather I picture the Elsa-Jack Frost pairing. There’s not much romance in the story. It’s more about the adventure and the kingdoms, but I’m okay with that. I just want Mather and Meira to get together and kiss in the final book.

The ending was somewhat surprising. I kind of expected some of it, but I didn’t know where it was going. I just hope the finale if awesome. I wonder what the title will be. Frost Like (Flame? Sparks? Not sure). I really would love to read more fantasy like this. I recommend it to those who enjoyed Frozen, Game of Thrones and books like: Incarnate and The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Defiance by C.J. Redwine, The Young Elites by Marie Lu and the Red Queen by Victoria Avyard.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover so much! The Chakram and the seasons. It’s just so amazing.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Series: Snow Like Ashes (bk. 1)

Genera(s): High Fantasy

Subjects: magic, seasons, winter, royalty, kingdoms, adventure, war, princes and princesses, king and queens, warriors, rebellions, slavery, orphans

Setting: The Kingdoms of Primoria

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Meira

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 416 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Balzer & Bray

Summary/ product description: “A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.”

My Review:  This extremely unique and thoroughly entertaining fantasy novel is a must read. I did not wknow what to expect going into it, but I loved it! Meira is such a funny, relatable character. She know’s she’s not perfect, but she is pretty kickass with a chakram. Some people have compared her to Zena Warrior Princess (which I never saw). Meira seems like any teenage girl who wants some guy to love her and wants to do what she’s always dreamed of. (Her character voice/narration reminded me of Alina Starkov and Rose Hathaway) She wants to be a warrior and to know the kingdom that she came from. The king of Spring has destroyed that.

The world building was pretty amazing. Set in a world that is completely different from our own, it’s complex and simple at the same time. There’s a nice may inside the book drawn by the same person that did the map in Exquisite Captive. There are four Season Kingdoms, (west to east) Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Honestly, if I made this world I’d have the season arranged in a circle with a mountain power source in the center so that spring and summer where near each other instead of furthest away.

There are also four kingdoms that have normal rotating season, know as the Rhythmus. Spring has an evil ruler, which is funny because when you think of spring, it’s usually a happy time of year, but also usually rainy or stormy. Winter (the usual least favorite season because horrible driving conditions) has been taken over by spring and Winterians are in work camps. Each kingdom has a magical conduit (object with power in it) and winter’s was destroyed (a locket broken in half). There’s even more to this world and you’ll find out once you read the book.

There’s also something major that you find out in the book. About a character. I predicted this would happen from about page 100, maybe sooner. It started as a hunch, but when it come to YA books these plot twist hunches are always right for me. Obvious or un-obvious, it’s maybe foreshadowing by the author, possible clichés or my psychic-ish ability to predict what the author is going for (Like I did with Cinder, Shadow and Bone, and recently, Messenger of Fear). I was happy because it makes this book even more epic. I will not say what it is because I don’t want to spoil it but when you anticipate it make the book more exciting. 

Now it’s excited for book two (Prediction for sequel's title: Frost Like Fire, Ice Like Fire, Ice Like Flame). Anyways, it’s just about winter. It’s November and it snowed already, so this could be the perfect read for winter even when it’s not set in Winter. Fans of Shadow & Bone (Grisha Trilogy), The Young Elites by Marie Lu, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, and others fantasy YA books may enjoy this. Also Frozen and Once Upon a Time fans may like it because the wintery magic.

Cover Art Review: Love this cover. The Chakram made me this it was a Japanese fantasy, but it’s high fantasy like The Young Elites or Shadow & Bone. It’s metallic and really beautiful photos are used.