My Reaction in a Nutshell: 
 As generic as any other YA fantasy book. 
 The Long Version: 
 Ten pages into the ebook I rented from OverDrive, I nearly DNF. It screamed "predictability" and "teenage angst." But, right before I was going to return this book, I glanced at Goodreads and saw some reviewers I trust give this book 4 stars. So I figured that it must get better, right? 
 If you love the Throne of Glass series then you will love this book. If you, like myself, found TOG generic, predictable, and at times annoying, then you will most likely have the same thoughts and feelings about this book. TOG is a series that I read once, probably won't continue reading, will never read again even though it had a mildly entertaining plot. That's how I feel about this book. 
 Snow Like Ashes manages to cover in one book what other series have dragged out in five. Raasch keeps things action packed, with mild romance, and lots of bloodshed. There are many twists and turns and the book's synopsis doesn't even begin to cover what this book is about. 
 With how popular TOG is, I'm honestly surprised that more people haven't read this book. It is perfect for those fans. This book has a similar writing style to Maas with just enough death, gore, romance, occasional sarcastic quip, and angst to keep readers interested. Raasch does a nice job of slowly weaving in the world building. Any and all gaps are because the MC has never been to her home country. So the lack of world building in some areas makes sense due to the first person narrative. 
 TBH, I'm not sure if I'll continue reading this series. It's not bad, but it's not like I want to run to the bookstore to buy the next book either. Overall, I enjoy it about as much as I enjoyed TOG. 
 ***TRIGGER WARNINGS: implied prostitution, threat of R, SA, kidnapping, war, suicide, slavery, forced marriage, death, murder, torture