Ash
Readers rate it 3.5 (103 on Hardcover)
221 pages · Released Aug 11, 2009 · Hachette+ORM
Content report card
Ash parent’s guide: what’s inside
Substance use
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
Ash is a literary YA novel that reimagines Cinderella as a queer love story centered on a young woman's connection with a female huntress. While emotionally dark and dealing with grief, death, and manipulation, it contains minimal graphic content. The book's primary strength lies in its portrayal of a young woman finding agency and love, with LGBTQ+ themes fully integrated into the narrative rather than secondary. Best suited for older teens who appreciate character-driven fantasy and can engage with mature emotional themes.
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From the publisher
The haunting, romantic lesbian retelling of Cinderella and modern queer classic by award-winning author Malinda Lo— now with an introduction by Holly Black, a letter from the author, a Q&A, and more! In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy c... The haunting, romantic lesbian retelling of Cinderella and modern queer classic by award-winning author Malinda Lo— now with an introduction by Holly Black, a letter from the author, a Q&A, and more! In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Their friendship, as delicate as a new bloom, reawakens Ash's capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing and empowering, Ash beautifully unfolds the connections between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
Shelved under
- Young Adult Fiction
- Not Diverse Characters
- Character driven
- Strong Character Development
- Loveable Characters
- Unloveable Characters
- dark
- sad
- emotional
- Adventurous
- Fantasy
- Young Adult
Books in the Ash series
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ISBN 9780316071338 · Hachette+ORM