Heather Massey

Lord of Snow and Ice is a fantasy story, not usually a subgenre of romance I read, that started off very overwritten but slowly and steadily built up a wonderful magical world. The fantasy aspects of the story worked very well with the descriptions of magical beasts & lands, potions, and good & evil sorcerers; I truly began to "see" the beings and land in my mind. Where the outside story worked, I found the characters to be slightly lacking; they came off a bit weak and thin. Clarysa was our pampered princess who at nineteen years old was very young and appeared at times to live with her head in the clouds. I found Stellan's character vastly more interesting with his dark background of leaving home, barely surviving the elements and how doing magic affected him, fighting his family, and fighting against Pestilence (the disease his family infected animals and then humans with). He was a compelling character but lacked true depth. Their relationship was a little bit in "luv" and when Stellan accuses Clarysa of only liking him because of his reputation and dark fairy tale stories she was raised on about him, I completely agreed with him. Surprisingly, what I don't typically like is what really worked for me; Clarysa and Stellan's romance fell short while the fantasy world was fun and interesting with all its magical elements that transferred me to another dimension. Overall, I liked Lord of Snow and Ice and if you're looking for something different this could be a fun alternative.

Read full review at: Reading Between the Wines book club… (meer)