Snow Like Ashes

Gr 7 Up— In classic fantasy style, Meira is a feisty orphan girl with aspirations of being a soldier for her icy province, Winter, which has been enslaved by a neighboring territory. Her weapon of choice: the chakram, or throwing circle. Meira partners with her childhood playmate, an heir to the throne, in a quest to locate the broken locket that holds the magic for their province. Meira has romantic feelings for this young man, so she is startled when it becomes apparent that she will be used as a pawn to forge a marriage alliance with another territory. As the story unfolds, the history of the provinces is revealed, magic explained, and all is not as it seems. Although the story is derivative of many before it, the plot and writing are superlative, and fans of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone (Holt, 2012) and the like will not be disappointed.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL