In the world of ASH, fairies are an older race of people who walk the line between life and death, reality and magic. As orphaned Ash grows up, a servant in her stepmother's home, she begans to realise that her beloved mother, Elinor, was very much in tune with these underworld folk, and that she herself has the power to see them too. Against the sheer misery of her stepmother's cruelty, greed and ambition in preparing her two charmless daughters for presentation at court, and hopefully royal or aristocratic marriage, Ash befriends one of these fairies - a mysterious, handsome man-who grants her wishes and restores hope to Ash's existence, even though she knows there will be a price to pay. But most important of all, she also meets Kaisa, a huntress employed by the king, and it is Kaisa who truly awakens Ash's desires for both love and self-respect... ASH is a fairy tale about possibility and recognizing the opportunities for change. From the deepest grief comes the chance for transformation.
Review
Deeply atmospheric ... the ending is bittersweet and just perfectly fresh and different ― My Favourite Books
An egaging and absorbing reworking of the Cinderella fairy tale ... lush and sensuous ... a fascinating novel for mature teens ― School Librarian
An evocative retelling of the classic Cinderella story that will thrill the reader ... an original, atmospheric exploration of the angst that comes with teenagers establishing their identity and discovering sensuality ― Books Quarterly (Waterstones)
This extremely good debut novel combines imaginative storytelling with skilled prose ― Carousel
This beautifully-written re-interpretation takes a different approach .... Full of magic and enchantment, this sensual and evocative novel is a sophisticated fairytale for older readers, in the tradition of Robin McKinley's Beauty ― Booktrust
A fascinating novel for mature teens. ― School Librarian
A book which will have teenagers entranced. ― Carousel
Beautifully written... this sensual and evocative novel is a sophisticated fairy-tale for older readers. ― Booktrust
With beautiful, lyrical writing and a main character whose strength and capacity for love fueled my hope, I look back on this book as the one that kept me going, kept me dedicated to imagining the love stories I wanted to tell. ― Tess Sharpe, author of Far From You, via Guardian Online
About the Author
Malinda Lo was born in China and moved to the United States as a child. She was the managing editor of AfterEllen.com, with over half a million readers each month. In 2006, she was awarded the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for Excellence in LGBT Media by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for her writing about gender, race and sexuality. She lives in Northern California with her partner and their dog.