Ash

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, as they are said to do. 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. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it 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, 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.

from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...
This book was powerful. Lo created a richly detailed world out of what could have stayed a children's tale. I really enjoyed how the legends and myths added depth to the story. I could feel the tradition that steeped the country and the conflicts that change created. The characters were all so intense. They had very different personalities and qualities about them. Even though there were some characters that were slightly two dimensional, but their two dimensionality was intentional. Everyone else was so multifacted and interesting. I loved Ash's character; she really grew and developed over the course of the book. Both Sidhean and Kaisa were fascinating in their own ways, and really served to compliment each other. The plot was beautifully rendered, and kept me enraptured. This is a darkly entrancing novel about love, loss, and growing into who you are. It trancends the original story of Cinderella, and shouldn't be passed over because the lesbain content might offend some people. This can open your mind and show that hope and joy can be just around the corner from a dark place. A must read.