Early Review – Ash and Bramble by Sarah Prineas (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 15, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0062337948
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley through NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Prior to reading this book I had read both the Winterling series and the Magic Thief series by Prineas and loved them both. As you can imagine I was thrilled to see another book coming out by Prineas and doubly thrilled that it was a sort of fairy tale retelling. This story was well done and engaging and is a blend of a number of fairy tales.
Pin doesn’t know how she came to be in the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that now she is a Seamstress assigned to sew all hours of the day for the Godmother and before….well she can’t remember before. Then one day her routine changes and she is asked to be a foot model for the Shoemaker a young boy named Shoe. This change in routine starts Pin thinking about escape. She decides to enlist Shoe’s help and make an attempt to escape the Godmother’s fortress and find out what is Outside.
Pin isn’t free for long before she is recaptured, her memory is erased, and she is forced into a new life. However, Shoe has not forgotten and Shoe will not give up his quest to find Pin. However neither Pin or Shoe know that truth…that the Godmother might not be the true enemy after all.
This story is a blend of a number of fairy tales. You have the castle surrounded by briars with the sleepy docile servants in it (Sleeping Beauty), you have the story Pin is thrust into after her recapture (Cinderella), and a spattering of others like The Shoemaker and the Elves. However, the book isn’t really about any one fairy tale. It is more about the power of Story itself.
I really enjoyed Pin and Shoe as characters and how their roles change throughout the story. Initially Pin is the one seeking escape and Shoe follows her. Then Shoe finds Pin and he is the one driving rebellion while she follows. They end up having a very equal partnership and they each bring out the best parts of each other (just how a relationship should be).
There is some mystery, lots of action, and of course a lot of Story. I thought the book was well paced and easy to engage in and read through it very quickly.
Overall this was an interesting fairy tale retelling that is more about the concept of a story than the fairy tales themselves. I enjoyed the story and the mystery as well as the action throughout. The characters were interesting and engaging and the book was well paced. I would recommend to those who enjoy fairy tale retellings and are interested in adding a bit of a twist to your typical fairy tale retelling.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
