Heart of Ice by K. M. Shea
Fantasy. 227 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Rakel, a princess by birth, has spent most of her life exiled on a barren mountain, despised because of her powerful snow magic. Though she longs to be accepted, she hides in her ice-castle and lives with the fear that her brother—the King—will one day order her execution.
Her empty life changes forever when an army of magic users—led by the enigmatic Colonel Farrin Graydim—invade her home country and plan to enslave its citizens. Swallowing her fear, Rakel joins forces with her jailers and uses her magic to save the people who scorned her.
If Rakel cannot defend her homeland, the country will be lost.
THE SNOW QUEEN: HEART OF ICE is a story of magic, distrust, and unexpected friendships. It takes place in the same world as the TIMELESS FAIRY TALES series, but occurs centuries prior. If you enjoy strong female leads, clean romance, and humorous stories, download a sample or buy HEART OF ICE today!
My Review:
You know, I’ve always been intrigued by the Snow Queen story. Perhaps it was the old children’s show I had, or perhaps it’s the rarity of the tale. Either way, something about the story draws me in, so I was definitely curious about this retelling.
I very much enjoyed the twist on the tale here. Shea takes a classic villain and puts us inside her head. She’s constructed a society and a world that has isolated her out of fear and ignorance. I mean, at least they spared her life, right? We’re told other countries don’t even do that–though, we’ve no evidence of that yet. I’d like to see how other countries tie into this story and this world a little more in the sequel. We’re slowly introduced to more and more of Verglas, but as Raquel has been so isolated her entire life, we get very little knowledge of the history of the country. Maybe that will come into play with the next book and the mirror. Speaking of mirror, I liked the touches of the original: the boy and girl, the allusion to the mirror–though we still don’t understand that quite yet–and the formidable Snow Queen herself. It’s been a while since I read the original, but I remembered enough key aspects to recognize them as Shea incorporated them and to hold my breath wondering if she’d stay true to it or just turn it on its head. For instance, I was terrified something horrible would happen to Kai for the entire book!
The plot did touch the original story, but it also held its own mystery and intrigue, keeping me very engaged. I loved seeing how the society reacted to Raquel, the invaders, and other moving parts in the plot. I’m very interested to see how the story will play out in the next book.
The setting was beautifully described and tied in, of course, to the Snow Queen’s powers–which were also very well-written, I thought. I’m curious about her magic system and hope to see more of that revealed, too; though I did feel enough revealed in this book to be satisfied and content with where we are now. I liked that the setting changed up from village to village and palace to palace. I loved Raquel’s castle! I wish I could see more of that and that the story had lingered there just a little longer–perhaps we will return.
The story is well written and I didn’t catch an inconsistencies or typos. The pacing was even for most of the book. I did feel the end was a little…lopsided. Have you ever screwed a bottle cap on and missed a ring? So when you’re done the cap is just slightly crooked? That’s kind of how this ending felt to me. It wasn’t necessarily rushed, but it was…off. It was not as fleshed out as the rest of the book. That said, I am very invested in seeing the story through.
I enjoyed these characters. Rakel was so relatable, at least for me. Distrustful of people, used to being alone, angry and hurt by the way others saw and treated her. And she grew. I liked watching her slowly learn that there are good people who can be relied upon and trusted. I can’t wait to see how much bolder and more confident she grows. I liked Graydim, too. I absolutely loved the bits we got to see from his pov and certainly hope to see more of those! I want to know his backstory. I want to know what he’s been through, why he stands where he does, and why he isn’t as callous as the others. I loved seeing how he softened toward Rakel and the beautiful, simple, and very slight touches Shea added in his behavior were my very favorite part of the entire book. One thing I didn’t really appreciate, however, was the very blunt realization Rakel had at the very end of the story. I felt like it stole from the subtlety that Shea had built around him up to that point. It sort of robbed the romance of its magic in a way, at least for me. The captain makes me smile. He’s another favorite of mine. I hope we get to dive in a little deeper with him in the next book. Philie was…an interesting character. I’m still undecided about her. I’m not sure how I feel about her, but she definitely adds some color to the story. The king. We saw him briefly, but what little we did see made me tilt my head. I’m very curious to see more of him.
Overall, this was a neat little rendition of the Snow Queen and I’m excited to move on to the next book. The story was clean and enjoyable; no foul language, very little and very mild violence, and very subtle, clean, almost non-existent romance. I’d feel comfortable giving this to a young teen or pre-teen even. There are themes of slavery, war, prejudice, and neglect, but they’re all very well-handled and still allow the book to be appropriate even for a younger audience.
More:
Book 2 in the Snow Queen duology is Sacrifice (4 Stars)
Book 2.5, Snowflakes, is a companion anthology of short stories (4 Stars)
I have read and reviewed the above on Goodreads, so check out the links for more info. This series should be read in order.
On GraceBought
Check out my review on the next book in the series!