24. lip 2014.

Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

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Book summary: 
Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.
Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.
As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?
         You may have heard of Rosamund's story called Cruel Beauty. If you have then you probably know that how people mostly describe that story is magical and with beautiful writing. With short-stories I'm always afraid that one part of that beautiful writing will disappear, but it seems to me that regardless of form Rosamund cannot write anyhow but beautifully.

          This story is set in the same universe as Cruel Beauty, but it can be read on its own. Though, I highly recommend you to read that one too. This story is actually a retelling of Cinderella, where our main character Maia is an orphan but living in a world where love is not what they describe in fairy tales. She is cursed and her mother is still protecting her even though dead. On the other hand we have Anax who is also disappointed in love, because he is often loved because of his title. What neither of them cannot influence is fate, which decides to brings them together. Now they are thrown into something bigger than them.

          Once again it was hard not to be captivated by this story. It has the basic elements of Cinderella, but this story is much darker and somehow more real. It's not all pink and fluffy but rather gray and hunting. It was really great to see how this story developed even though it's not too long. I really liked all the characters and somehow I feel like all of them played their role neatly.

          It was amazing to be captured in this world again and I hope I'll go back to it someday, but only thing I regret is the length of the story. I wish it was a full novel!

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

Broj komentara: 29:

  1. Glad to hear you enjoyed this one! I was really curious about it since I really liked Cruel Beauty. Guess I'll have it read it soon :)

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  2. Cruel Beauty was fantastic, so I want to read this one for sure! I love retellings, and I think it'll be fun to read one for Cinderella. I'm glad the writing is still beautiful, too. Do Ignifex or Nyx appear in the novella? :)

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  3. I haven't read Cruel Beauty; glad you liked this one!

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  4. Oh I should try this one. I'm listen to Cruel Beauty, but it's my first audiobook and it's way too long! SO I'm really long but I like it.

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    1. Stick with it, Melliane. I just finished the audiobook today and it is amazing!

      Terri M.
      Second Run Reviews

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  5. Yay! I enjoyed the world of Cruel Beauty, so I'm glad to see that this one was still of the same quality. :)

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  6. Yay! So glad you loved this. There really was a lot of story in such a short read. I loved it and wanted more. I hope this author can write quickly!

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  7. Oh, I have definitely heard of Cruel Brauty but being the lazy person that I am, I haven't read it yet. I get your doubts about short stories and it's very admirable when an author manages to entice readers with their writing in novellas just like they do in novels, so I'm happy that worked for you. Gray and hunting is definitely better than pink and fluffy, so I might consider reading this sometime. Awesome review, girl!

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

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    1. I need to get you to read it soon. Thanks, Sarika :)

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  8. I think one of the things actually holding me back from reading this is the fact it's set in the same universe as Cruel Beauty. .-. I do think I'll give it a go anyway sometime in the future because I get the feeling that the two sets of characters don't actually interact so I can leave with that.

    Glad that you liked this, Tanja! :)

    Fantastic review! :)

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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    1. They don't so you won't mind! ;) Thanks, Rashika :)

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  9. Glad you enjoyed this one! I really need to read Cruel Beauty!

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  10. I agree completely. I was utterly drawn into this tale and I love how Ignifex's role is worked into this as well, so it really was just so, so good. Lovely review!

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  11. Ooh Tanja I am SO thrilled to hear you enjoyed this because I adore Cruel Beauty and I love Rosamund's writing style and this world. I'm definitely going to get this one asap. Lovely review!

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  12. I'm going to the beach next week, and I'm listening to Cruel Beauty on the way. It's been on my TBR list since it came out, and when I got the free audio download a few weeks ago, I instantly knew how I was going to fit it in. I'm sure I'll be reading this one when I get back. Glad you liked it, Tanja!

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. I cannot wait to see what you think of it. Thanks, Jess :)

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  13. Cruel Beauty was a very good book. I have it on audio & can't wait to 're visit it as I am enjoying the summer.
    I am glad to know this book exists. I really like the cover.

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    1. I really hope you'll give this one a try. Thanks Bella :)

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  14. I just finished the Cruel Beauty novel today and will be downloading this shortly. I'm not ready to leave that beautiful, broken world yet.

    Terri M.
    <a href="http://secondrunreviews.com>Second Run Reviews</a>

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