*4.5 stars*

I'm so glad this turned out to be as amazing as I imagined it to be! I'm super excited to dive into Fantasy books such as Snow Like Ashes and hope that they'll live up to all the hype. This book definitely deserves it and didn't disappoint.

"Even the strongest blizzard starts with a single snowflake."

At first I was a little confused ... the world itself was amazingly built and described but the fact that it's divided into 8 different kingdoms - 4 Seasons and 4 Rhythms - was a bit much in the beginning. I struggled to differ which are the good and "bad" ones but once I was really into it, it got a whole lot better. You'll slowly get to know the world Meira and her friends live in and find yourself wanting to be there as well.

Onto the characters now! Meira is such a strong and badass female heroine and I'm sure some others could definitely learn from her. The things she said made me laugh out loud a few times, for me that's very, very important in a character ... I love me some great humor and Meira definitely has it. Besides being funny she's actually also smart and determined - some other traits I value a lot - I could go on and on about her ALL DAY LONG. She's truly amazing and I loved her loads!

"Fear is a seed that, once planted, never stops growing."

As of the boys ... well, there's Mather, the king of Winter, and Prince Theron of Cordell. Mather is like Meira's "childhood" friend - they've known each other since they were babies and grew up together ... and since they're the only "young" ones left, of course they share a deep bond. There's this ... attraction but neither acted on it because of their huge difference(s) - Mather is the future king of Winter, while Meira is "just" an orphaned soldier-girl. It's difficult and while I kind of shipped these two in the beginning, I fell in love with Theron as soon as he appeared! He's been nothing but sweet and understanding when it comes to Meira but also to the people of his kingdom. Caring, loving, protective ... he's everything and so much more - I adored him for that! He never made her do something she didn't want, always supported her and fought beside her, instead of for her. I HAVE SO MANY FEELS FOR HIM! ♥

"Someday we will be more than words in the dark."

All the characters were amazing. There's Sir, to name just one. Difficult relationship with Meira but I loved their interactions a lot. He's a hardened soldier, not really able to show his emotions as well as other people do but ... he still has them. Those rare moments when he can't hold them in, make everything so much more important. I loved him a lot. The other Winterians we got to know throughout the book and loads of other minor characters were as important and made this whole world even more magical. I felt for and with them - felt hopeless and defeated but got a sudden surge of hope after fighting back one more time. This book gave me ALL THE FEELS.

I'm really surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this book! It's beautifully written, has brilliant characters in it, is set in a world that I can't help but be fascinated by and has some twists that I didn't expect. I'm looking forward to reading the second book as soon as possible - seriously, I CAN'T WAIT. I don't even want to let go of those great characters but ugh ... it'll have to wait a little while. Now please, everyone who hasn't read it yet should DEFINITELY - and without any doubt - check it out. It's worth it! ;)

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