I got this as an ARC (advanced reading copy) through Amazon vine program. I love fairy tale retellings, and this book was a re-telling of Cinderella. I really loved this book; it was darker than the Disney version but happier and lighter than the Grimm's version.

If you know the story of Cinderella than you know the beginning of this book; except Cinderella's name is Ash and Ash can enter the fairy realm. There is no fairy godmother, but a darkly dangerous powerful fairy man named Sidhean. There is a prince but he is not the one Ash truly loves. The stepsisters and stepmother are cruel but not crazily so; at points you feel quite bad for them and their lot in life. We also cannot forget the beautiful and graceful King's Huntress, Kaisa.

I loved this book. The writing is beautiful and really creates wonderful images in my mind of the forest and surrounding landscape. I also loved Ash's character, she does nothing outstanding besides take risks and be herself and that is enough to redeem her in the end. In a way she is passive with a core of strength that is admirable.

Some people are describing this as a lesbian fairy tale. I suppose it is in a way, since the two characters that fall in love in the end are women, but I also think that is a pretty narrow label for this story. I think the story is more expansive than that and covers topics about finding out who you are, staying true to yourself in dire circumstances, and believing in magic of many types. I think adults and children alike will love this story. It is not written at an extremely high reading level and the intimate interactions between the characters never go beyond sweet kisses; so it is appropriate for a younger audience. It might even be a good book to introduce younger children to the concept of same sex relationships.

The book overall is very sweet and beautiful. I think anyone who loves their fairy tales will get into this book. I guess if you have an extreme objection to same sex relationships you may want to stay away; as I said though, that topic isn't really thrown in your face in this book...it is dealt with gently and sweetly. The book is more a love story and a story about finding ones self in the world.

I loved it and will definitely check out more of Malinda Lo's books in the future.

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I have to say I was a bit hesitant to read this book with all the references to the lesbian fiction on it and the author is very pro-active in that. With that said, it was a very pleasant book! I thought I would be uncomfortable in reading it but I wasn't. It is a retelling of Cinderella, and yes, much darker than the original Cinderella but I love it so much I am crossing my fingers that there is a sequel! Looking forward to more from this author.

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Before I even picked this book up, I wanted to like it. I heard some great things about it, the excerpt on the jacket was spare and beautiful, and I have a *thing* for huntresses, in general. Also, the cover is great.

I *did* like this book. The writing is neat, occasionally a little terse, but mostly just as spare and lovely as the jacket excerpt indicated. I loved the summer courtship between Ash and the huntress. And I loved the fairytales that were tucked into the story itself, a neat detail.

The main reason I didn't give this book five stars was because I had a huge problem with the world-building.

The world of this book seemed like a mish-mash of Regency England, generic-Irish-fantasy, and the occasional random Asian detail. There is a long and honored tradition of having a huntress lead the king's hunts. Ash's step-mother sells the country estate and they move to the townhouse in the city. Ash's stepsisters are desperate to marry wealthy men, lest they be condemned to a life of drudgery. The prince is decidedly Asian, but there is a profusion of Irish names.

I had no frame of reference for this kind of contradiction within a fantasy setting, and it was a nagging disorientation the entire time I was reading. But this was a purely personal objection.

In spite of my reservations regarding the world-building, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy/romance.

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This was a really cute story. Entertaining and sweet. I like the idea of a reworked fairy tale. The only thing bad that I have to say is that the ending was a bit weak. I understood what happened, kind of, but I would have liked it to be fleshed out a bit more. Something more solid would have been nice. Instead, it was a few pages and left me unsatisfied. I mean, the story felt done but not enough development at the end.

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ASH is one of those books that I read slowly, savoring each beautifully crafted line. Malinda's sensuous writing brings Ash's world and the characters within to blazing, ethereal life: you can fully tell that you are immersed in a fairy tale world, one that doesn't just satisfy, but leaves you wanting more.

I've often heard ASH described as a lesbian retelling of Cinderella. However, this book is so much more than that. As the story went along, and Ash suffered under her stepmother's rule, then triumphed in her own little ways of grasping happiness, I came to see the novel as a moving tribute to the triumph of human spirit and desire to live in the face of adversity. ASH is a story that anyone can relate to, a story that can get to anyone.

The closer I got to the ending, the slower I read, so badly did I not want the story to end. When the end inevitably came, I was devastated, so moved was I by Ash's development from scared and petulant girl to a young woman capable of living and loving again. What else can I say that would do this novel justice? It has a bit of everything for everyone: a magical world for fantasy lovers, incredible writing for aspiring authors, a moving love story for romantics, and a je ne sais pas that makes it stand out from other books. Enough of this now; read it and experience the magic of ASH and Malinda Lo for yourself.

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