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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: uneven but mostly postive start to new series
Review: Lord of Snow and Shadows starts as Gavril, a young relatively carefree painter, learns that he has just inherited rule of the northern kingdom of Azhkendir after his father (whom Gavril never knew) was murdered. The inheritance has a darker side, however, as his father's line also passes from son to son the Drakhaoul, a creature which lives in their blood and mind and gives them great power at great cost--the eventual transformation of their body and soul. Kidnapped by his father's personal guard and brought back to Azhkendir both to rule and to avenge his father, Gavril must struggle against the creature inside of him, a warring prince of another country, another claimant to the throne, his father's demanding ghost, his own distaste for vengeance, and a host of people who wish to manipulate him for their own personal and political purposes. And oh yeah, there's the girl he loves. Or is that girls? The book is a stand-alone in that it wraps up an entire storyline, but clearly is leading to several sequels.
Ash offers up some pleasant changes of pace from the run-of-the-mill fantasy. Its major setting, Azhkendir, is a mostly icebound northern country and thus not your usual temperate setting where characters can meander around and camp for days on end with weather or geography being of no concern. The time setting is also different, offering a more advanced culture than usual, where gunpowder, magic, science, and alchemy exist side-by-side. The background is more Eastern than Western European, another nice change.
The objectives are more narrow and more personal than most of the epic "save the world" fantasy out there which is actually an improvement I think. And the hero's reluctance comes not from having lived in the typical little valley sheltered from the storm of the outside but from a philosophical repugnance against an eye for an eye as well as the more tangible fact that the more he uses his powers the more monstrous he becomes.
Setting, tone, premise, and general plot are all strengths. Characterization varies widely. Gavril is a bit too much of an unknown quantity when the action begins and many of his actions in the first third seem to come out of nowhere. Why does he feel motivated to protect a people he never knew? Where does he learn to become a leader of men and a plotter of intrigue? Once these abrupt shifts are done and he settles into a stable, recognizable character, things improve, though he never really reaches a fully three-dimensional characterization. The main female character, Kiukiu, a young servant he befriends, is somewhat better drawn, but like Gavril, moves far too quickly and abruptly from immature and somewhat ignorant to a more self-assured master of her own magical gift. More minor characters, Gavril's first love interest, Gavril's mother, Kiukiu's grandmother, a villainous sorcerer, are solid if a bit shallow. Prince Eugene, who attempts to reassemble a long-lost empire by attacking both of Gavril's homelands (where he lived when he was kidnapped and his newly inherited one), gets a lot of space but never really comes alive as a character, though he has moments of complexity which you wish were further explored.
That is probably my biggest complaint. Snow and Shadows has so many strong opportunities for good writing/storytelling but it often seems to fall a bit flat. Characters change too easily or too quickly, dramatic moments are glossed over, internal conflicts too easily resolved. And the ending itself is a bit anti-climatic.
It's a good but flawed beginning and one hopes for some improvement in the next book--deeper characterization, further exploration of motivation and internal conflict, a plot which slows down and develops rather than hops forward quickly and a little awkwardly. Snow and Shadows is a decent appetizer, but one hopes the food following tastes better. A solid recommendation with hopes, and expectations, for improvement.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fantasy
Review: Ok before you judge this review as lame as the title let me point out reviewing fantasy is not my forte. Although soon enough with some recent reviews I will have to skip the disclaimer I usually head them with about me not being a fantasy reader.
I am selective, and it was the blurb on the back of this novel that sold me the book.
Gavril Andral artist and sensitive young man living in sunny Smarma and painting a lovely princess. Her family of course looks on him with disdain and the opening gambit in this debut offering from Ash seems predictable. Except unbeknownst to Gavril right away he has royal blood in his veins as well as a dark legacy from his father Lord Drakhoun of Ankerhisk(sp)?. His father was murdered and his retainers kidnap Gavril as the heir to inherit his father's dark gifts and blood feuds with rival klans.
This novel borrows much from Russian lore including some sounds of names and places and folklore/wisdom. It also borrows from such tones as the darkest fantasy, and if Ash continues in this vein I can see comparisions to Barker(though not as dark) but I was also reminded a little of King's Dark Tower.
The action in the tale is a skilful mix of suspense, classic fantasy, mythology and horror. The plot moves quickly, and not even the preview of the second title in the trilogy saturated my appetite for more concerning the characters populating this magical land. Ash's best qaulity is a succinctness in providing enough detail without detracting from the story's excitement and thereby able to cut off her story in a trilogy as opposed to a tetralogy or longer series. I will probably end up reading them all more than once which for a non fantasy reader should be the seller;).
Rating:
Summary: A book of transformation, discovery and destruction
Review: This is the first book in a series called The Tears of Artamon and as such introduces us to the characters of this Russian inspired world and sets the stage for the conflict in the books come. However, thankfully, the author has provided us with a story that wraps up one main thread in this book. Gavril Andar is an artist, unaware that he is also the blood heir to the northern kingdom of Azhkendir. He is also ignorant of the fact that with this inheritance comes the unique family curse of the Drakhaoul which has passed on to him at his fathers death. However this curse brings its sufferer tremendous power, at the cost of their humanity, that has made the Kingdom of Azhkendir impregnable to invasion for generations and the men of his fathers court are prepared to do anything make sure that continues. Even if it includes kidnapping Gavril from his sunny homeland and forcibly installing him as Drakhaon of Azhkendir in the icy north. Of the people in this book it is the abused servant girl Kiukiu who is probably best written, because somehow the other characters, including Gavril, seem to lack the necessary depth to make you feel with their anguish. Despite this, I will be reading book 2 of this series as I would like to know the consequences of the resolution of this book. I would rate this book 3.5 stars if It was a selection option.
Rating: 
Summary: bland
Review: This one did nothing for me at all. Bland "good" characters being forced into actions (or should I say reactions) by the marginally more interesting evil characters. The writing itself wasn't good enough to make up for obvious plotting. Made it three quarters of the way through and realized I just didn't care enough to finish the book.
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