Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

     Recently I read & LOVED Ice Like Fire​ by Sara Raasch. It is an epic adventure story that reminds me of Wheel of Time, Graceling & Throne of Glass. Pretty much some of my favorite fantasy books all thrown together! 
     In the book's world, Primoria, there are 8 kingdoms, 4 Season kingdoms (Autumn, Winter, Spring & Summer) & 4 Rhythm kingdoms (Cordell, Ventralli, Yakim, & Paisly). The Rhythm kingdoms don't like the Season kingdoms & vice versa. Each kingdom has a royal conduit that allows their heir to use magic to help their kingdom, only their kingdom & ONLY in their kingdom. However the conduits are very particular as to the gender of the heir that uses them. For example, if you have a male-blooded conduit but only female heirs, the conduit is pretty much useless until a male heir comes along.
     Spring ends up attacking Winter, breaks their conduit & kills their queen. The Winterian people are enslaved to Spring, except for a small group of refugees who go on the run for the next 16 years. Among them is an orphaned girl, Meira. She grows up along side the only living Winterian heir, Prince Mather (whom she has had a crush on for most of her life, but knows she's too lowly for) & a handful of other escapees. They spend their years hunting down the 2 pieces of their conduit. Spring keeps it in 2 pieces, 1 piece hidden & the other constantly moving around the continent. If they can find the pieces of their conduit they can begin the long journey of repairing their kingdom & freeing their people from slavery. 

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Okay now that I've given you a preliminary summary of the plot for this book let's get down to business!

      Meira ends up being captured in an attempt to capture the first half of the conduit, where she comes face to face with the enemy. Just when hopes seems lost, Meira not only escapes evil's clutches but she nabs 1/2 of Winter's conduit. Unfortunately she is followed back to her camp, making the Winter refugees have to run. As they are leaving camp Mather confesses to her his feelings for her. But he too knows the impossibility of the two being together. So with the newfound hope for their kingdom, they decide they have no other choice but to turn to another kingdom for an alliance.
     The closest kingdom is one they almost made an alliance with 16 years ago, right after the initial attack on Winter. It happens to be the Rhythm kingdom, Cordell. Unfortunately the only way they will make the alliance with the Winterians is through a union... between Meira & the Cordellian prince, Theron. To which Mather, as the voice of Winter, agrees. But neither Meira or Theron want to be used as pawns by their leaders & through their frustration of their situations they grow closer together, & become resigned to their fate.
     However Cordell is known for making the best of every opportunity, & soon after the deal is struck, the King makes a deal with Spring & decides to hand the Winterians over. Meria finds this out just before Spring attacks Cordell. While fighting along side her people, Meira is captured & taken to Spring's capital, where she is put in one of the slave camps. Finally she has a chance to live with the other Winterians that fell to Spring 16 years ago, many of whom still hold out hope that their prince will save them one day. Shortly after coming to the slave camp, Meira is joined by Theron who in an attempt to force his father to come to Miera's aid, gave himself up to Spring. & it does the trick! Cordell marches on Spring.
     While Meira faces off with the Spring heir, an evil man named Angra, she discovers his magic doesn't just effect Spring citizens (which defies the very laws of magic) & that he harness a much darker magic called the Decay. (The Decay is the result of people using magic for the wrong reasons & is purely evil.) But Meira also discovers that she has magic... through a series of visions throughout the book from the dead Winterian queen, Meira pieces together that it isn't Mather who is the Winter heir but herself. With the help of Cordell & Meira's newfound magic, Spring is overthrown, Angra is killed & the Winter slaves are freed. 
     Sounds like a happily ever after ending right? I thought so... if it weren't for the fact that Angra was killed TOO easily. & technically the way he "died" was by the smashing of his conduit, at which point he just vanished. Miera was skeptical about his death & not going to lie, but so was I. 
     This book like many lately has a love triangle between Mather/Meira & Theron/Meira. I have a favorite but this is a review not a gooey crush rant... if you want that go to my other book pages. I'm pretty sure I covered the character crushing on both of them haha. 
     This was a great book that I loved! After reading it I immediately went & bought the sequel, Ice Like Fire!