I really liked how it was
presented. Because it’s a fairly short book, the warning and editor’s note at
the beginning helped to get into the story quickly. I also liked the idea that
it’s a transcribed version of cassette tapes. It brings depth to the story that
it probably wouldn’t have achieved as just a story. Also, I’ve always been a
fan of books that know they’re books.
I did think the pacing was a
little strange. The plot seemed to switch between slow and sudden events, but
that could just be my reaction. The characters also didn’t have a lot of
development, but the novel was mostly driven by the plot, so this makes sense. However,
the small amount of development that there was very well written and felt very
natural, which is a plus.
Overall,
I think it’s focused more at people around their mid-teens. I felt a bit too
old for it, but still found it enjoyable. It was a bit creepy at times, in a Stepford Wives kind of way, so it might
not be something you want to read before bed.
Apparently we’re doing blog posts again. Nice post from 2 weeks ago by Maddie. Sorry about the
lateness here. In any case, I’ll start off with saying something exciting about
Ash by Malinda Lo.
THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER!
Okay, since you’re going to take me with a grain of salt anyway,
I’ll elaborate. Calling this The Best Book Ever is maybe a little bit of an
exaggeration, because of course there are lots of books out there that I like
equally well, for different reasons. But I liked this book so much I felt like it was the best book ever
after I finished reading it.
You might watch this video wherin Libba Bray and Maureen
Johnson (some other YA authors who this post isn’t about, but they’re cool)
discuss the way teens talk about books they like versus adults. (Or you can slide the video timer to 5:44 where the "Libba on Writing for Teens" section starts to see the part I'm talking about.)
Teens tend to
exaggerate; adults tend to give calmly explained (“constipated”) opinions about
the book. What I am trying to say is, I felt the way about this book the way I
did about books I was excited about as a teen.
I actually heard of this book a few years ago but didn’t
want to read it until a bunch of librarians recommended it at the Colorado Teen
Lit Con in Spring 2012. (I know. Youtube videos from 2008. References to
conferences from six months ago. I’m so timely.) It was on a list of recommendations
at a panel called The Changing Face of Queer Lit: Moving Beyond the Coming Out Novel led by Shanna Shadoan. There were a few other cool books on her list that
I would also like to read, (although I was admittedly late to the panel, snuck in the back, and
didn’t get to hear the whole list) but none that looked like they’d fit my
personal taste as well as this one (fairy tale).
Anyway, before I got to hear this summary and recommendation,
basically all I knew about this book was that it was a YA Cinderella retelling,
and I really didn’t think I needed to read yet another one. Since it’s a trend
going around anyway, it’s the type of genre that people will read and promote
even if it’s not anything special. (But not librarians. They know how to find
good stuff.) Ash was quite good, and Malinda Lo is a very skilled writer. I’ve
not read a fairytale I liked this much in a long time. Even when I thought I had
an idea of where the story was going and noted the typical motifs as they
popped up, (sometimes in disguised forms) I genuinely couldn’t figure out how
Ash was going to get her Cinderella ending until it actually happened. In the
meantime, I enjoyed the lore and fantastic elements of Ash’s world. Because the
writing is precise, lush, and at once visual and emotional, it didn’t matter if
the plot started out slow, because it was a very rewarding experience overall.
It makes me want to read it again and/or discuss it with someone. In general, I’d
definitely recommend it. But if you know you’re one of those people who really
doesn’t like books with slow plots, regardless of beautiful writing, you might
want to wait on this book until you feel like you’re ready for it.
Another strength of this book I should mention, which is
part of why it won me over, is that even though this book is primary a fantasy
and a love story, and a fantasy, there are also themes of loss, sadness, and
difficulty that really brought the fairy tale down to a relatable, human level.
Even though it’s quite sad at times, it’s ultimately uplifting, and always very
genuine. This is why having a slow plot works: it wouldn’t be fair to readers
to see Ash work through all of her problems quickly and without difficulty. Anyway,
I quite enjoyed it, I want to read it again, and THERE IS A COMPANION NOVEL
called Huntress that I would really like to read. I’d recommend this book for
teens or adults, especially if you like fairy tales and/or enjoy the power of different
interpretations.
