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4 stars! This review will contain no spoilers! But first can we talk about the gorgeousness that is this cover?! I mean, just look at it. It's one of my favorites!
Summary:
Kingdom of Ash and Briars is the debut novel for author Hannah West and will be released on August 30, 2016. This ARC was sent to me by Holiday House Publishing (thank you so much), however all opinions are my own!
This is a story about an orphaned maid named Bristal who was taken from her guardian and throw into the Water. The Water is a magical pond that produces new elicromancers, if they survive. Bristal not only survived the Water, but finds that she has a strong power that allows her to shape-shift and shift the shape of other beings and objects. There were only two living elicromancers left, now three with Bristal. Both Tamarice and Brack mentor her, but she soon finds out that they have very different views of how they should use their powers. When things between the three go wrong and kingdom relations start to crumble, Bristal has to use her powers to rally the kingdoms back together again as her and all her friends may soon be facing a supernatural war. This novel builds on homages to many well-known stories such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jane Austen's Emma, and Mulan! All of which combine to make this wonderful, standalone fantasy adventure.
I gave this book 3.75 stars, because though I flashed through the whole last 2/3 of the book, it was not without its flaws. I thought the magic system was created well and the imagery associated with the magic was so vivid. I like how elicromancers can all do some sort of basic magic like materializing and healing, but have an affinity for one specific special power. The allusions made to all the different Disney stories were highly apparent. The romance that went along the Mulan storyline was my absolute favorite! They were so freakin’ cute and I loved them, and they’re just GREAT! Now I was thrilled with how the plot unraveled, with the battle scenes and surprises that came along. I just wished it didn’t feel so rushed in some parts of the book. Also, the other romances in this book were very on the spot. And I don’t even mean insta-love, I mean literally at first sight. It’s kind of endearing when you read it because it’s so much like a true Disney movie (and their romances don’t really needed to be flushed out), but… It just made me laugh how quickly it all clicked. Altogether, I liked this book a lot, but I believe it could’ve done well with another hundred pages or so in order to drawn out some of the events that happened a little too quickly.
Plot:
Okay let me start with the good stuff:
The magic and the world. I've already talked about how much I liked reading through he parts where the elicromancers are using their magic because it's so vivid and so freakin' cool. You get to learn a lot about the world perceives elicromancers, how they came to be, and how they are able to harness their magic. The history that Bristal learns is really important, so pay attention.
The homages. You couldn't miss them and it's really intricate the way they all intertwine to make one big story. At first, I thought that this would become confusing and not mesh well, but I’m glad to be wrong. The only homage I didn't recognize was "Emma" and that's only because I've never read it, so I didn't know what to look for. My favorite of the ones I know was Mulan of course! Not only was it the most drawn out aspect of the book, but also the MOST SATISFYING because of the ending.
Oh the ending! The "before-the-battle" scenes and the big battle scene itself were so heart-wrenching, so intense, SO AMAZING. Even though some aspects of this book were rushed, I'm happy to say the ending was not. It was fully flushed out and left just the right amount of ends untied to keep you thinking about the characters even after the last page.
So here’s the stuff that irked me:
There were time gaps occasionally that weren’t outright mentioned and you had to sort of realize that weeks had passed or years had passed. I felt like these gaps could have been filled with some more character development and even some magical power development. Because of this I felt that the pacing of the book was a bit erratic in the beginning. Thankfully, after the first third-ish of the book, everything picked up in speed and I just couldn’t put it down after that.
I mentioned this above, how the other two romantic subplots happened so fast it was almost not quite believable until you remembered that they’re living through a fairytale. Of course in fairytales it’s love at first sight. I just laughed these parts off and continued on with the important stuff.
Lastly, you know how when truths are finally revealed after lies and it’s supposed to be a long and emotional ride back to happiness? I didn’t quite get enough of that making certain scenes a little anticlimactic.
Characters:
Bristal took a little while for me to warm up to, but I really liked her characters. I actually feel refreshed that I remained in only one POV for this entire book, hers. She has a really good head on her shoulders and while going through her thoughts, I was glad that she never made any extremely stupid decisions.
Brack was the love interest that I wanted to be a love interest, but really wasn’t. When you read the book, it’ll make a whole lot more sense. Either way, this guy was a really GOOD guy. You couldn’t ever mistake his intentions and I wish we saw a little more of him. And when his true form is finally revealed. Awgh, you’ll understand why I wish he was a love interest.
Tamarice I can’t say too much of. I can’t say much of her specific powers either because it’s way more thrilling for them to be revealed in the book. She can do some really awesome things, which makes her an even more dangerous opponent.
Anthony is the CUTEST. He’s so courageous and honorable and determined. I liked how his character really resembled everything you like about the princes in Disney movies.
The Realm Alliance (aka. Anthony’s crew) was such a family. It’s crazy of course how quickly Bristal became a part of their pack, but how she made them her home made you feel the friendship and the loss a whole lot more.
I also want to mention the kings a bit. I liked how they all had the most polar opposite personalities compared to each other. Thaddeus (King of Yorth) is my favorite. Here’s a tip, if you ever can’t keep the kingdoms straight, just keep referring to the end where there’s family trees.
Overall:
I had a few issues with some things in this book, but they definitely did not outweigh my enjoyment level reading KOAAB. It’s fun, fast, and adventurous. I think it’s a good beginners fantasy kind of book. I’ll definitely be willing to read more from Hannah West in the future.
P.S: I loved her choice in names for her characters. Unique, yet not too difficult to pronounce!
Thanks for reading! :)