Her relationship with Sidhean is one fraught with possibility and danger, her attraction to him and his world something that is all hers in a world she has nothing to call her own. Her belief in Fairies is also a way to connect Ash to her mother and in ways what keeps her going after her death – perhaps her mother has been taken by the fairies and is not dead at all. It is no surprise to me that she would wish to live a Fairytale, living forever with beautiful, enchanting beings. From a very young age she knows nothing of being loved or cared for. From the description of the Woods or Ash’s daily life, the story is deeply authentic because it deals with touchy subjects never shying away from Real Life stuff.įor example, for most of the book Ash is a character who suppresses the grief and hope and is all anger and depression and how could she not? She is a victim of abuse. Starting with the prose: the book reads like a proper fairytale and it flows beautifully with an almost lyrical quality without ever becoming too much or so poetic as to detract from reality. It has so many wonderful things about it.
Our girl Ash now realises that perhaps the Fairy world is nowhere near as fascinating as real life can be but can she break her contract with Sidhean so that she can live happily ever after with Kaisa? She dances with the Prince who is looking for a bride but ends up having a great time with Kaisa who is turning out to be much more than a friend. One day whilst walking in the woods, Ash meets the King’s Huntress, Kaisa and they become friends, spending time together hunting and talking.Īnd then there comes the Ball and Ash wanted nothing more than to attend it – Sidhean grants her wish, for a price, which Ash accepts. Her only source of comfort comes from her mother’s Fairytales and from her friendship with the mysterious, seductive Fairy Sidhean who is everything she dreams of: perhaps soon he will take her and she will be part of the Fairy world. She becomes a servant at the beck and call of her stepfamily working from dusk till down from the age of 12 to the age of 18. Ash’s father leaves a great debt and her stepmother decides it is Ash’s duty to pay for it with her own work. Ash now has a new family, a stepmother and two stepsisters and her life is completely altered when her father dies and she is left alone with her stepfamily. And it certainly moves on for Ash’s father who soon remarries. When Ash’s mother dies, it is only natural that they respect her wish to be buried in the Wood and have gold dust scattered in her grave so that the Fairy Hunt would not come for her. In Ash’s world most people no longer believed in fairies and magic except for country folk like Ash’s mother who respected the old stories and read fairytales to her daughter. And what a story that was:Īsh lived in a small town with her mother and father. One day, she heard that there was a new tale out there, a retelling of Cinderella with a twist: in which the girl falls for another girl and ditches the prince altogether and Ana knew she had to read it. Once upon a time there was a girl named Ana and she loved Fairytales and Fairytale retellings. Then the positive reviews started pouring in and I just had to buy it. Then I read that the book was a lesbian retelling of Cinderella. Why did I read the book: I first saw the cover and fell in love with it (the UK version, although I love the US one as well). But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.Įntrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live.
Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. Summary: In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Publishing Date: September 1, 2009/ March 2010 Publisher: Little, Brown / Hodder Children’s books