Ash and Bramble by Sarah Prineas Review

This is a spoiler free review!

Ash and Bramble

Written by Sarah Prineas

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Retelling

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: September 15, 2015

Pages: 464

Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

A prince.

A ball.

A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.

The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.

But it is not the true Story.

A dark fortress.

A past forgotten.

A life of servitude.

No one has ever broken free of the Godmother’s terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems to be freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.

Review:

I have wanted to read this book since I first saw it on the shelf at Barnes and Noble. Then when it came into the library, I was ecstatic and I quickly placed a hold on it. The book ended up to be a lot different than I had originally thought. What if the villain wasn't a Witch or Stepmother but instead was the Godmother who "made all her dreams come true" This book is a lot more twisted than the original Cinderella story that you all know and love. So prepare yourself before you pick up this one.

COVER

This has got to be one of my favorite covers of the year. The cover is so beautiful. It shows a princess running away with her slippers both on. It also shows the thorns coming which is a perfect fit for this one.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world building was fantastic. We got to see exactly what the world was like and how the characters acted within it. We also got to see the terror and brutality of the world which was a unique and interesting aspect. 

Then there are the characters.

PIN

Pin was an interesting character. At first, I thought she was going to be weak but she turned out to be smart and strong, quickly outsmarting others and getting away from trouble. She is unwilling to depend on anyone else to save herself or get herself out of the troubles she gets into. She creates her own ending where she is not tied down to anyone and she is the ultimate hero.

SHOE

Shoe was sweet and we also got chapters in his point of view which was kind of nice. He was a strong character as well but was so bent on wanting to save Pin that he seemed flat when he wasn't with her which was a disappointment.

CORNELIUS

Cornelius didn't seem that smart but he was. He was the prince and was in the typical prince role from wanting the princess to wanting to protect her.

PLOT

The plot was the best part. It was full of twists that you could never see coming no matter how much you tried. Everything surprised me. So many unique things and revelations.

ROMANCE

The romance was where I had another little problem. I felt like the romance between Pin and Shoe developed rather suddenly. But then it changed into something more three dimensional and intense that made it seem sweet and more real than it had in the beginning. The love triangle part of it also didn't seem to really exist. Sure, there was a third person but he never really seemed to capture Pin's undivided attention.

WRITING

The writing was great. I love Sarah Prineas' writing and I have already read another series by her which I adored.

Final Thoughts:

I had a few problems with this book but otherwise it was a twisted retelling of Cinderella that was really amazing and I recommend to fairytale lovers everywhere.

Quotes from the Book:

“Silver, dimpled, as a thimble should be, with tiny roses amid brambles engraved along the base.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns