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Rosamund Hodge

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Gilded Ashes (Cruel Beauty Universe) Kindle Edition

by Rosamund Hodge (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 423 ratings

Related to: Cruel Beauty Universe

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The author of Cruel Beauty offers a hauntingly romantic reimagining of the Cinderella legend in this dark fantasy YA novella.

Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings people pain: Her dead mother haunts anyone who hurts Maia, and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, even though she despises them.

Meanwhile, Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. But when Maia's and Anax's paths cross before the royal ball, they discover that love might not be the curse they once thought. And it might even be the one thing that can save them both . . .

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BEFTQN2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Balzer + Bray (April 1, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1666 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 130 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,876 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

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4.3 423 ratings

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Rosamund Hodge

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Rosamund Hodge grew up as a homeschooler in Los Angeles, where she spent her time reading everything she could lay hands on, but especially fantasy and mythology. She got a BA in English from the University of Dallas and an MSt in Medieval English from Oxford, and she now lives in Seattle with a mountain of books, her best friend, and the most beautiful dog in the world. Visit her on the web at http://www.rosamundhodge.net/

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4.3 out of 5

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Valeria

Excellent, creepy story! Absolutely recommend it!

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015

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I feel this short novella hasn’t been receiving the love it deserves with dear Rosamund releasing a new book and all. But for all the love (which I, of course, share) I’ve seen for Cruel Beauty, I would’ve figured more fans would’ve read this novella already, and let me tell you, YOU SHOULD! Because it’s freaking amazing! It did not disappoint. I feel the need to warn you this is just a story set in the same world, so there is almost no reference to the characters we grew to love in Cruel Beauty ( spoiler alert: Ignifex does make an appearance of course, but it is simply not crucial to the story).

The writing is as beautiful as I remember, and the story, even though it is a novella, isn’t lacking in depth, nor complexity. All the characters have so many layers, and everything is not as it seems. I love how it related to Cinderella’s story (a bit more evident than Cruel Beauty’s relation to Beauty and The Beast) but also managed to become its own twisted version of it.

In sum, this book was as every bit of creepy and dark as I remembered this world to be, and I love everything about this story. Fans of Miss (or Mrs? I don't know) Hodge’s writing should most definitely not miss this one. It’s short, really fast paced, with very rich characters and a sickly plot it will leave you wanting more of this wonderfully weird world. For those who didn’t enjoy Cruel Beauty much, whether it was because of the intricate complexity of the plot or you disliked the characters, you should give this author another try and check out this novella, because the plot isn’t as tangled as her previous book, and I feel the story ran much more smoothly too.

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Ruth Anderson

A gorgeous, haunting Cinderella retelling, 4.5 stars!

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2014

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Once a beloved only daughter, following her father's remarriage and subsequent death Maia has remained in her stepmother's household, despite being relegated to the status of a servant, subject to the whims of her stepfamily. Though an outsider in her own home, taken advantage of and abused, Maia remained, for she'd learned the price of her tears was too great for anyone else to pay. For Maia has an avenger, a guardian angel, if you will -- the ghostly spirit of her beloved mother, residing in the tree that they once played under when Maia was a child. If Maia's mother thinks she is anything less than perfectly happy, she unleashes the demons under her thrall to drive any who cross her daughter insane. What was once a love that Maia cherished has now become her prison...and so she bites her tongue and buries her true feelings, until she's forgotten the luxury of speaking the truth.

When Lord Anax, son and heir to the Duke of Sardis, announces that he will finally take a bride, Maia sees a golden opportunity to save her family from the threat of her mother's capricious moods. She agrees to act as her stepsister Kore's proxy, delivering her letters to Anax and securing his agreement to their marriage. But Maia never counted on finding a kindred spirit in the Duke's son, one who has been as burned by love as she. As she delivers a new letter each day, she finds herself leaving a little piece of her heart with Anax, until she realizes she's stumbled into the greatest danger of all -- for if she cannot sever her fledgling bond with Lord Anax, she may lose more than her stepfamily to her mother's wrath -- she might lose the hope Anax has given her for a future free from fear.

Since falling in love with Rosamund Hodge's debut novel, Cruel Beauty -- a heady mix of fairy tale and Greek mythology -- I've been eagerly anticipating her take on the Cinderella story. Set within the same world as Cruel Beauty -- Arcadia, ruled by the deal-making Gentle Lord, prince of demons -- Gilded Ashes reinvents the Cinderella story, blending her world of demons and dangerous bargains with the Brothers Grimm story of Aschenputtel.

In a world where Disney's take on classic fairy tales has become accepted as a societal norm, it's easy to forget that that the original stories were bloody and violent, pulling no punches, refusing to deliver a romanticized version of the world in which these timeless characters lived. Reconciling Aschenputtel with Disney is a particularly good illustration of this disparity in Cinderella retellings, for the Brothers Grimm filled their story with a ghostly mother, stepsisters who self-mutilated, and the doves who later punished them for their misdeeds by plucking out their eyes.

Hodge doesn't go quite *that* far, but she restores the tension to the story, raising the stakes for her Cinderella and transforming the tropes of the classic fairy tale into a gorgeous examination of guilt, loss, and love. Here, the mother's ghost is absolutely TERRIFYING (why did I never realize this before?), a powerful catalyst for Maia's transformation from servant shackled by her circumstances to a woman embracing the chance to face world and the uncertainties of the future on her own terms -- but only if she's willing to let go of the past. Within eighty short pages, Hodge crafts a wonderfully believable romance, but even better, redeems Maia's stepfamily from the status of mere villains to fully realized characters, individuals every bit as broken and in need of love as Maia.

Gilded Ashes is a haunting, wonderfully creative Cinderella retelling, cementing Ms. Hodge as a YA author to watch. Rich in mystery, romance, and spine-tingling chills, this is the best kind of novella -- one a fully-realized and satisfying whole on its own, but that leaves you desperately wanting more. A gorgeous tale, beautifully told -- I can't wait for Ms. Hodge's next book!

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Dani

Fantastic.

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2014

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★★★★½

Between this book and Cruel Beauty, it’s clear that Hodge has a gift for creating relatably flawed, intriguingly self-aware heroines who’ve been forced into seemingly impossible positions. Maia’s particular situation comes courtesy of a bad bargain made by her mother on her behalf with the Gentle Lord. And as no bargain with the Gentle Lord ever ends favorably for anyone, Maia suffers the consequences for her mother’s great love, telling lie after lie, playing a part day after day to keep others from paying the price of her mother’s deal with the devil. But when she meets the engaging Lord Anax, a young man who’s fed up with falsehoods, Maia discovers how freeing the truth can actually be. But as she grows closer to Anax, the more she realizes that her lies may now be more necessary than ever. Her resulting dilemma, though perhaps a bit predictable, still made for a fantastic story.

So what made this story so fantastic, especially considering that I’m not usually a fan of the Cinderella story in general? Well, several things…

Maia. As I already mentioned. Maia’s a relatably flawed heroine whose situation is reaching a critical point. She feels honor bound to protect her household from her mother’s bargain, no matter how they might treat her, but after years of enduring abuses and ill-treatment, her “duty” has been taking it’s toll. Maia’s a genuinely decent person, but her goodness is a somewhat forced goodness as well, and it’s something she achieves by lying. Hers is an interesting and messy predicament, and I love these difficult, morally gray areas that Hodge seems to like dropping her heroines into, and ultimately, I just love the development of Maia’s character.

Stepsisters. The complicated relationship dynamic between Maia and her stepsisters is fascinating. As is true of most relationships, there are a lot of factors that color their interactions, and it’s not quite as black and white as simply writing them off as “wicked stepsisters.”

Anax. He is as tortured, and conflicted, and flawed as Maia, and I love it. I also love that this version of Cinderella does not limit Maia’s interaction with her “prince” to an evening (or several) of dancing. Though this was a short novella, the relationship that builds between Anax and Maia is surprisingly believable, satisfying, and substantial.

Twists and Turns. And lastly, I love how Hodge merges her idea of the Gentle Lord from Cruel Beauty with some of the elements from the “Aschenputtel” version of the Cinderella tale… among other things. A+ for cleverness.

Overall. A fantastic reimagining of Cinderella that puts several creative twists on the tale, adding some (much needed) bulk and depth to the story, while also expanding the world of Cruel Beauty.

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natyfrinee

Amazing!!

Reviewed in Mexico on November 25, 2016

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It is different novel. Is twist, is cruel, but also is beauty. Is like a distopian, fantasy novel with contemporane. Is like the Beaty and the beast but better. The end its just amazing. That is true love.

Aranel

Pretty good

Reviewed in Australia on March 30, 2017

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A good read, it fit well into the Cruel Beauty universe at the same time as being separate. I liked the idea and the story was well written, however it seemed a bit rushed. Still worth reading though!

Maureen

Good read

Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2014

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I enjoyed reading this book , Rosamund hodge rocks for books the covers are so beautiful it makes you want to read them again and again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kaber3967

Traumhafte, (leicht dramatische) Cinderellastory

Reviewed in Germany on March 8, 2015

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Zusammenfassung: Gilded Ashes spielt wieder in der Welt von Cruel Beauty, womit der Lord of Bargains, mit dem die Leute Geschäfte machen, damit er ihnen einen Wunsch erfüllt wieder eine große Rolle spielt. In diesem Buch hatte Maias Mutter dadurch gesorgt, dass sie immer für ihre Tochter nach ihrem Tod da sein und sie beschützen könnte. An sich ein schöner Gedanke, doch wie alle Geschäfte, die mit dem Gentle Lord gemacht werden, hatte auch dieses seine Schattenseiten. Der Geist von Maias Mutter gebietet nun über Dämonen und ist so in der Tat dazu in der Lage ihrer Tochter jeden Wunsch zu erfüllen und sie zu beschützen, aber was tut ein Geist, der nur von dem einen Gedanken beseelt ist, ihre Tochter zu schützen, wenn ihr kleines Mädchen unglücklich ist? Ganz recht, sie rächt sie. Was kann Maia also als Mädchen, dass in Aschenputtelverhältnissen lebt, tun, wenn sie die Leute um sich herum nicht leiden sehen möchte? Lächeln, immer zu lächeln. Mutter ich bin so glücklich....
Als Maia den Grafen ihres Landes kennenlernt und diesem näherkommt, besteht für Maia also gar nicht die Option jemals mit ihm zusammenzusein, wenn sie ihn nicht in den Fluch ihrer Mutter hineinziehen möchte. Und nachdem sie gesehen hat, was die Liebe ihrer Mutter alles anrichten konnte, hat sie ihren Glauben in die Liebe ohnehin längst verloren.

Gilded Ashes ist also genau wie Cruel Beauty vor allem eins; grausam und voller Leid, was mich allerdings bereits an Cruel Beauty besonders fasziniert hatte. Das mag schlecht erscheinen, in diesem Buch ist es aber geradezu eine Kunstform. Eine Geschichte muss nicht in hellen Farben gemalt werden, um wunderschön zu sein.

Die Nebencharaktere waren fantastisch und realistisch, die Handlung perfekt aufgebaut, der Schreibstil wunderbar. Das einzige, was mir nicht so sehr gefallen hat, war der Schluss. Warum musste die Geschichte nur schon so früh enden?! Aber es ist ja leider nur eine Kurzgeschichte, in dem Sinne also absolut perfekt. Die vielen Verweise auf griechische Sagen, die mir bereits in Cruel Beauty so sehr gefallen hatten, traten auch hier wieder häufig auf, wenn auch ein paar weniger, da die Geschichte viel kürzer ist.
Ich nannte es ja oben eine Cinderellastory und das ist es natürlich auch, ich persönlich kann es aber nicht sehr leiden, wenn man sich immer so auf diese Parallelen versteift. Die Geschichte ist wunderbar, weil sie großartig geschrieben ist, die Handlung faszinierend und die Charaktere interessant sind, und nicht weil sie sich eines Märchenstoffes bedient. Das gleiche galt auch schon für Cruel Beauty. Für Gilded Ashes ist es natürlich empfehlenswert Cruel Beauty vorher gelesen zu haben, nicht nur des Verständnis wegen, sondern auch weil Cruel Beauty schon an sich ein wunderschönes Buch ist ;)
Wer sich verzaubern und überraschen lassen will, von Rosamund Hodges neuartigen Geschichten, der sollte auf jeden Fall zu beiden Büchern greifen.

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Kindle Customer

Simply stunning.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2014

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I loved every single word of this novella. Hodge never fails to write a beautiful, captivating story. Recommend to everyone.

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