Thursday, December 3, 2009
"Ash" by Malinda Lo
The story of Cinderella has been retold hundreds of times, each with its own variation on the classic rags to riches story. My favorite version usually involves one of the step-sisters chopping off their toes to try to fit the magic slipper.
Ash has a fairly miserable existence. After her father's death, she is sent to live with her horrid stepmother and two spoiled brats for stepsisters. Forced to become a servant to them, her days are long and tiresome, and she dreams of escape.
But at least the house is nice. It's a grand estate set on the edge of the ancient Royal Woods. This is where Ash stumbles across the King's Huntress, Kaisa, and strikes up an unlikely friendship.
Ash spends most of her leisure time in the woods, and loves the tranquility and serene beauty. Some claim that a magical realm still persists in the depths of the woods. When she was little, Ash's mother read fairy tales to her, and some think her mother had a special connection to the fairy world
On one of her explorations, Ash meets Sidhean, her mystical fairy godfather. Sidhean provides Ash with enough magic to escape her stepfamily and attend the royal ball where the prince will choose his new bride.
Ash is torn between her friendship with Kaisa, her feelings towards the prince and finding her place in the universe, her reality or the fairy world.
A beautiful twist on a classic with a very surprising ending.
Labels:
cinderella,
fairy,
fairy tale,
fractured fairy tale,
hunting,
love,
stepfamily
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment