// blog tour: ice like fire by sara raasch (snow like ashes. #2)

Hey everyone! I'm so glad to share with you guys the Ice Like Fire Blog Tour for the Sara Raasch's second instalment for her book Snow Like Ashes. 

I was lucky enough to be asked to be a part of the tour, get the chance to ask the author some questions and know her top 10 alternative worlds. For my stop, I will share it with you guys and of course, my review of Ice Like Fire. However, this has not in anyway impacted my view on the book. Putting everything aside, I would like to introduce the very lovely Sara Raasch!

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too.

Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures.

 She is the author of the New York Times Bestselling YA fantasy trilogy SNOW LIKE ASHES.

Connect with Sara: Website // Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest // Goodreads // Youtube 

Q&A with Sara Raasch

* Growing up, which books/authors inspired you to become a writer? 

o Sharon Shinn was a HUGE inspiration—her fantasy books crafted such 

rich worlds that I always went “I want to write a world like THAT!”

* What was your most memorable moment on your journey to becoming an author? 

o Getting the news that I had sold the SLA trilogy. I remember getting off the phone with my agent and bursting into tears. It was such a “dream come true” moment, and I still tear up a little thinking of it! 

* The concept/idea with the kingdoms in Snow Like Ashes was really interesting and unique. How did you come up with them? 

o I wanted to write a book where winter was seen as the “good guys.” The Season Kingdoms all kind of spiraled from there, and the Rhythms came during my rewrite of the series, when I wanted a balance to the Season Kingdoms’ magic. 

* What are your favourite type of scenes to write and why?

o Action scenes! I could write action scenes all day. Romance scenes are fun, but there’s just something even more heart racing about a good fight sequence. 

* Can you share with us a little bit of your current work? What are we to expect in the next installment of Ice Like Fire? 

o I’m currently editing Book 3 and working on another secret project that I hope to talk about soon! As for ICE LIKE FIRE, you can expect a lot of political intrigue—Meira is far more involved in the ruling of her kingdom now, so she’s less physical, and learning how to go from “warrior” to “ruler” is a difficult change for her. 

* What fictional character (including your characters) are you the most like? 

o I’m soooo like Meira. Her sarcasm, her stubbornness, her loyalty—it’s super easy to get in her head, because she is so like me! 

* What would be your advice for aspiring writers? 

o Keep moving forward!

Sara's Top 10 Alternative Worlds

 1. Middle Earth 

 When the extended LOTR movies came out on DVD, there was a period of time in my life when I watched every movie at least once a week. It was a gloriously unproductive time—and I can now quote the entire opening sequence to The Fellowship of the Ring. 

2. Gillengaria 

I adore every book by Sharon Shinn, but her Twelve Houses series is at the top of my list. Gillengaria was one of the first fantasy worlds that made me go “I want to make a world as fascinating as THIS.” The magic system is incredible (fire! Shape-shifting! Mind control!), the societal set up is so cool (twelve—twelve—distinct and glorious “Houses” that come with their own political baggage), and the characters. THE CHARACTERS. I’d move to Gillengaria right now if I could. 

3. Welce 

Again, my love for Sharon Shinn knows no bounds. Welce is the world in one of her other series, Elemental Blessings. It’s got this wicked combination of technology (air ships!) and fantastic mythology (we should have Blessings in our day to day life all. the. time.), plus the glorious characters Shinn does so well. 

4. The Five Hundred Kingdoms

 This is one of those worlds that would actually be a pain to live in, but I’d totally visit. For, like, a day. Mercedes Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms series takes place in a world where the stories that are told affect a magical force called The Tradition that then forces people’s lives to emulate these stories. An orphan with two evil stepsisters and an evil stepmother? You’ll be destined to live out the life of Cinderella. It’s such an interesting world! 

5. Reading, England 

Which isn’t fictional—except the version in Jasper Fforde’s The Nursery Crimes series. Imagine an alternative England where nursery characters run rampant, bears live in apartments, and the Gingerbreadman is a deranged serial killer. Yes, please. 

Okay, okay, I’ve done all adult series alternative worlds—now for some YA: 

1. Incarceron

Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron series creates a truly terrifying world—a prison? Or IS it a prison? WHAT IS IT? This blurriness makes her world utterly fascinating. 

2. The Seven Kingdoms 

From the Graceling series. This world has it all—political intrigue, riveting magic (I would LOVE to visit purely to find out which grace I’d have!), and, um, hello, Po. 

3. The Kingdom of Mohr 

I will profess my love for Bridget Zinn’s POISON forever and always. Her kingdom is lovely—potions and political backstabbing and treachery galore! 

4. The Inkworld 

Cornelia Funke’s INKHEART series gives us a world of ink and paper—who wouldn’t love it? The imagination and danger in the Inkworld is so reminiscent of what all fantasy authors love to see—and create! 

5. Luna 

The Lunar Chronicles presents such an incredible depiction of what a culture would look like that developed on the moon—it’s quite literally out of this world!

My Review: 

Title: Ice Like Fire, (Snow Like Ashes, #2)

Author: Sara Raasch

Expected Publication: 13th of October 2015 by Balzer + Bray

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Format: ARC, 479 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Synopsis: 

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?
As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

Review: 

Thank you so much to Ms. Herbert for giving me a galley of Ice Like Fire in exchange of a honest review. Anyway, can we talk about how beautiful the cover is? *swoons* I am complete sucker for good books with pretty cover. I really enjoyed Snow Like Ashes, so you could imagine how happy I was when this beauty came into the mail (There may or may not be some petting and admiration involved) If you've read my review for SLA, you would know that I wished it would've been written in different POVs? Alas, Sara Raasch answered my prayers! I am pleased to tell you guys that we get the story in Meira and Mather's POV *squeals*

The story was a little bit slow in some parts but its only because Sara really went into the detail when the different Kingdoms were being introduced to us. It's more politics than action. In the second book, we really get to venture out and get a glimpse of what types of lifestyle each kingdom would be like as Meira tries to make an alliances against Cordell. Sara Raasch's brilliant world-building is again evident on her second book. We see the difference between the people's physical attributes and what they look like, their way of living, their culture and everyday life. Like for example, The Summer Kingdom have bright scarlet hair like the sun with tan skin and liquid brown eyes. Then there's the Ventralli Kingdom who focuses on being technologically advanced.

Let's talk about Meira. I am so so proud of how far she's come. She's really matured and she's no longer that sometimes-could-be-selfish girl from the first book. She isn't rash into making decisions anymore like the warrior girl she was in the first book. She is now the Winter queen and she would do anything to save her kingdom. She puts it first above anything else. She'd choose Winter even over her relationships. She not only sees the problems over the Kingdom but of the whole world and she wants to do something about it.

Then there's Mather. Before anyone else judges me, I wasnt really on anyone's side, ship wise,like I've only decided which ship I want to sail whilst reading ILF. But that one thing that annoyed me is how Matther suddenly realises that he has feelings for Meira when he sees her happy with Theron. He could've made his move along time ago. But he's never seen her as something more.

And then there's my precious Theron. Be prepared guys! I can't say more without it being to spoilers but --

The supporting characters were very interesting too. In the little bits of screen time they got, I've come to love them. They're very well characterised and all have amazing backstory. I am definitely looking forward into reading more about them in the third book.

Ice Like Fire is filled with many many twists and turns. Plus the plot twist at the end will pretty much f*ck you up. It just goes downward so quickly and I just want to cry till the next book comes out because the cliffhanger is such a cruel thing (Sara do you enjoy your readers sadness hahah). Ice Like Fire is out this 19th of November so make sure to pre-order it now and to add it on your to-be-read pile. You are warned though, this book will most likely turn you into a burrito of sadness. But nonetheless, you still need to get this book, like NOW.