Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Fantasy with Gothic and Russian Flavor
Review: The Lord of Snow and Shadows is the first in a new fantasy series. Although there are many familiar fantasy elements in this novel (sword fights, magic casting, dragons), Sarah Ash manages to put a little twist into her world by injecting some gothic romance into the mix. Thus, on the one hand we have a young innocent painter as our protagonist, who quickly finds himself under the power of the family curse (he is becoming a creature he does not want to become) while on the other hand we have the young serving girl who eventually begins to walk the path of her own magical destiny.
Ash keeps the story moving quickly as she cuts quickly to each scene, describing where necessary to create her version of frozen Russia, but never letting the prose bog the story down. At the same time, she unveils the plots and politics of her world in a clear manner. Characters are developed over the course of the novel; Ash reveals new layers of personality as the story progresses (although sometimes these revelations tend to the melodramatic). There is also a nice balance of story and action. In one chapter characters may be exploring secret hallways and uncovering secret tomes within the mysterious castle and in the next, they are battling werewolf type beasts out in the frozen wasteland.
Overall, Lord of Snow and Shadows is a nice start to a potentially fine fantasy series. It seems to me a particularly well paced and engaging novel, one that has the potential to engage both younger and older readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Heavy on plot, Light on character development
Review: Gavril Andar is a talented painter who learns that he is really the heir to a kingdom in a mysterious northern realm known as Azkendir. Gavril's father is cruelly murdered and his men-at-arms come to fetch Gavril to take his rightful place as ruler. Kidnapped and made prisoner in the snowy, dreary Kastel, Gavril slowly learns the full truth of his inheritance. Meanwhile Gavril is a target. Eugene of Tielen wants to crown himself emperor and invading and subduing all of the lands of Rossiya (of which Azkhendir is one) is priority. And Eugene believes that the time is ripe to destroy Akzhendir while the untested and weak Gavril is too new to his rule to be a real threat. Treachery, evil spirits, magic, deceit, betrayal and revolution all meld together as Gavril is forced to embrace his fate. When I read the reviews of this book, I was excited because the praise seemed to point to a plot and characters that were different from standard issue fantasy fare and full of fresh ideas and surprises. This is certainly true....sort of. The book is largely set in a time and place that is reminiscent of Tsarist Russia (right down to having a character named Astasia and hungry commoners threatening revolt). The main character turns into a creature that is a weird amalgm of vampire and dragon and he is referred to as Drakhoul or Draghoan. There is magic and alchemy, but they are presented side by side with such "modern" technology as guns, cannon and a device that sounds kinda like an ornately ornamental walkie-talkie. Overall the book has a very old world eastern European vibe as opposed to the decidedly medieval era western European vibe you get with a lot of the fantasy being written. So in this instance the feel of the book is very different. What isn't so outstanding or spectacular is the execution of the story. Somewhere inside this book is a better book dying to get out. The characters were intriguing but flat. They had no real flesh, to me. I felt that the character development really suffered because the plot took so much precedence. There are a lot of characters and a lot of things happened to those characters very quickly. One character finds out about her parentage after having lived all of her life in ignorance and then a few chapters later, by chance, meets her long lost grandmother and then a few chapters later, masters a difficult inherited family trait. I guess there is a reason why so many fantasy writers write volumes that are 600 or more pages long. I obviously can't give the book unqualified praise. But I didn't hate it either. I am looking forward to the follow up books if for no other reason than to see if the characters develop better and to see what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: Great concept but poor execution
Review: Gavril Andar's world shifts dramatically as he abruptly discovers the truth about his father and himself and, immediately upon that knowledge, finds himself the ruler of Azhkendir, a snowy and sometimes barbaric northern country. As the Drakhaoul of Azkendir, Gavril is also heir to strong powers and their potentially fatal consequence of wielding this power. He has to somehow balance the expectations of his new country, of his loved ones and of himself-a nearly impossible task-while also defending Azkendir from attack, and protecting himself from assignation.
Ghosts, dragons and magicians mix with scientists, politicians and spies while werewolves and alchemists battle against clan warriors and revolutionaries. Gavril's odd world is half fairy tale, half nightmare, with betrayal, murder, true love, and blood sacrifice all woven together to form the thick plot.
Unfortunately, despite many unique and creative ideas from Ms. Ash, there are also many stale fillers to be found in Lord of Snow and Shadows. I put the book down once, after reading a few pages; I have come across the "lowly boy meets noble lady and falls deeply in love" scenario (for example) more than thrice and didn't wish to read it again. Fortunately, I re-read the cover, and was intrigued anew by the tantalizing mention of dragons and Eastern myths. I re-started it only to hit the "poor boy suddenly discovers he is son of a king" bit. *sigh*
I kept on, and after trudging through the first fifty or so pages, I was rewarded for my diligence with an intriguing read. That is not to say that there were not still several slow and uninteresting parts to follow. Furthermore, I felt that, rather than end the book at the end, she drew it out to provide enough to create a sequal.
I did truly enjoy the supernatural and mythical elements-the dragons and werewolves in particular-but the human and political dramas were not as convincing. Ms. Ash's writing style was generally engrossing and comfortable to read, but I just felt that so much more could have been done with such an inspired theme; the concept was exciting and fresh, but the execution was sadly lacking. As a result, Lord of Snow and Shadow did not capture my imagination enough to make me eager for the sequel and I can therefore only rate it a three out of five.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't stop reading!
Review: I bought this book because I was in the bookstore looking for a new novel to read and noticed the beautiful artwork on the cover and became intrigued. I brought it home and read it in four days. I couldn't put it down! I was totally consumed by the compelling storyline. I didn't feel that going into a lot of detail about the characters detracted from the story. It is the plot and storyline that really keeps you absorbed in reading this novel. You feel so much emotion for the main character, Gavril. This book invokes all your emotions from fear, terror, revenge, and pity, to love, compassion and joy. The story doesn't overdo the fantasy, sorcery or magic stuff, but rather focuses on the lives of the people in the story. It is not so complicated that you get bored trying to keep up with all the facts and characters. Sarah Ash brings you into this world and you can totally visualize everything. The only drawback was that sometimes I found myself frustrated with the characters being naive and gullible and not saying more or wanting more information, but that all contributes to the mystery of the story. All in all, I loved this book and wish that the next one was out already so that I could continue reading. I think that if you like fantasy that doesn't get too complicated and mired in sorcery and magic, but concentrates on characters and storyline, you will like this book. Can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book!!!
Review: I dont know how anybody could write a better book then this-it had it all--wonderful characters-action-suspense-mystery and a complex storyline that has a brooding war with lots of political intrique with double agents and spies and etc...simplely put it is the best!!I cannot wait for the sequel---OUTSTANDING BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great idea but ultimately forgetable
Review: I read the blurb for this book and thought: "What a great idea! I've got to read it." Well I did read it and was ultimately disappointed. I have two categories of book that I apply to those I buy: Keepers (books I can read over and over and will never let go) and forgetables (read once and give away) This one from Ash is a forgetable. The ideas were there and sound, but somehow they didn't quite click for me. Gavril Andar's relationship with the Drakhoul wasn't explored enough for me. Ash simply began making Gavril change and do things while making him bemoan his fate and look desperatley for a way out. The fact he was an accomplished painter had no bearing on the story after about the third chapter. He could have been a blacksmith or a bard and it would have made no difference to what happens. Gavril's link to his men wasn't used hardly at all except to say that Gavril tried and failed to contact them when he was in need. The story came across to me as very light weight, when it could have been epic. All the ideas were there. A world discovering science but still having practitioners of magic, demon creatures, sword wielding soldiers that are also learning to use firearms for the first time... It could have been great, but suffered from "first in a trilogy syndrome" meaning all set up and no real substance. I hope the second book makes up for it. Buy this if you can't find anything new in fantasy to read, otherwise wait for book 2. Mark E. Cooper Author of The Warrior Within (ISBN: 0954512200)
Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: I really like this book. It took a few chapters to get going, but once it did I was hooked. The plot is slightly cliched, but there are still enough twists to make it interesting.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprise Hit!
Review: I saw this book in a local bookstore and was attracted to the beautiful cover art. This book was a pleasant surprise, far exceeding my expectations. It was very fast-paced, but the characters were not one-dimensional, I was sucked into the story and stayed up late to finish it. I felt real sympathy for the hero's plight, and also for the servant girl who was not a servant girl. Kind of nice to see such a strong female character in one of these male-dominated, sword and sorcery novels! This was a very well-thought out plot, somewhat with the feel of George R.R. Martin's " A Song of Ice and Fire" series, without the ponderous, complicated buildup of plots and subplots (don't get me wrong, I love that series also, gave it five stars). This is no Lord of the Rings, but its a heck of an entertaining read, that will keep you up late at night trying to finish it! I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Atmospheric Masterpiece! I love this book!
Review: I was in awe of the story-telling ability of Sarah Ash! She has transported me to a icy realm of intrigue, war dark passion and even darker magic! Set in a land that bares a eerie resemblance to 19th century Czarist Russia. She tells the epic tale of reluctant hero, Gavril Andar a young and poor painter who finds himself the ruler of a distant and barbaric Land of Azhkendir,after the murder of his father!Gavril also discovers his terrible legacy:a curse/blessing where he blood of dragon-warrior known as Drakhaoul which gives him supernatural powers of a dragon but also give him lust for human blood as well!Gavril
will need these powers as he must avenge his father's murder and
stop the possible invasion of his land by the power-hungry
Prince Eugene of Tielen! Ash's epic novel of fantasy is stark departure from most fantasies written today. Her world is more like 19th century Eastern europe than Medieval era.Where armies do not fight with knights but with gunpower.I also love the sinister atmosphere of this world and her use of eastern european legends with the aspect of vampirism and combines it high fantasy of dragons was brilliant.Her characters come alive in this book:reluctant ruler Gavril who must battle enemies who seek to him and his country harm and his own lust for blood and death!Kiukiu-young servant girl who has power to communicate with spirits and who becomes Gavril's ally.Jaromir-blood enemy to Gavril's family and Gavril's unexpected friend as well and Elysia-Gavril's mother who seeks to save her son only to become a pawn of political intrigue among the ruling nations! I can't wait to read the sequel of this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Fantasy...
Review: I was looking for something new in a good fantasy book, and stumbled across this title from an author I had never heard of. The reviews were good, and the description sounded unique, so i dove in. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The writing is well-paced. The characters are deep, beleivable, and all too human in their capacity for error in spite of great power. There seems to be a tremendous potential in the way of backstory and world detail so that Sarah Ash should be able to continue this series and expand upon it to keep fans like me happy. I look forward to the sequels.
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