Asha's Kisses (Ever After #1) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

 *I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Asha's Kisses: The Ever After Series Volume One (Blood & Snow)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date:  February 14, 2015
Genre: Reinvented Fairy Tale

Synopsis: Volume One in this new Ever After series that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty and takes place in the BLOOD AND SNOW world.

“By day’s end on her eighteenth birthday, she will be stabbed through the heart… and die!” ~ Mizrabel

Seventeen-year-old Asha has always preferred to stay out of the spotlight, but during a rehearsal for her high school's rendition of Romeo and Juliet she realizes that starring in the right kind of role might be better than she thought.

Series Summary: Cursed as a baby by a malevolent sorceress, Asha is left without the protection of her fairy magic. Her parents, fearing for their daughter’s safety, enlist the help of their three most trusted guards—who whisk Asha into the human world under a blanket of magic.

For nearly eighteen years Asha has lived as a normal human, doted on by her three aunts.

Without magic.
Without her parents.
And, without the knowledge of her curse.

But that’s about to change.

One night, a few weeks before graduation, Asha decides to disobey her aunts’ rules and go to a party. When she arrives, there’s a bonfire, lots of beer, and a mysterious guy named Paxton. No one seems to know who he is. Asha can’t stop staring at him. He’s everything her aunts have told her to stay away from.

When Paxton saves her from the overzealous actions of a drunken classmate, their lives become inexplicably intertwined. His touch rouses more than her desire for him. It awakens her long-hidden magic.

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Review: RaShelle's Blood and Snow books are really fascinating to me. I love the way she takes classic fairy tales and manipulates them into something new and exciting. When I found out that the next fairy tale princess she would be tackling was Sleeping Beauty, I knew I had to get my hands on the books ASAP! 

Asha's Kisses is a short prequel story that introduces us to Asha. She's your typical high school girl with a crush on the attractive, popular guy. Since he's in the popular crowd and she's not, her crush was just a fantasy. Until one day, during a rehearsal for the school play, when her dreams become a reality. And then everything changes.

I really enjoyed that this story was just enough to get your feet wet. We get to see Asha interact with her aunts and her best friends (Tiana and Merida, I can't wait to see what RaShelle eventually has in store for them too!), and I thought it was a lot of fun. Asha's aunties are wacky, and they totally reminded me of the fairies in Maleficent. I have so many questions about the characters now (how did Asha end up living with her aunties, anyway?), and it excites me that there's so much mystery around most of them.

This volume has very little magic in it, which worked out ok since this is basically an introduction to the new characters. There's a little hint of what's to come, and it definitely left me wanting more. I need to know what the curse is, how Asha came to live in the human world, what type of magic she has or has been cursed by, and who her parents are! 

RaShelle has a fantastic way with these fairy tales, and I love how all of the volumes in the Blood and Snow world are so interconnected. I am really looking forward to finding out more about Asha and how she and her friends and family are a part  of the world RaShelle has already established, and how her story adds more depth and excitement to that world. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of reimagined fairy tales, especially if you're familiar with RaShelle's other Blood and Snow books. And even if you aren't, you can jump right in with Asha's Kisses and it will be fine! A 4/5, and I can't wait for the next volume in this series! 


--Ashley