Selah J Tay-Song

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.

This book completely swept me away. It is one of the most creative and well-done books I've read in a long time, with top-notch world building, characters, and plot. It's takes place in a world of caves, where Icers, Flames, and humans live. This book has a grand scope, following the characters through a war and its aftermath.

There are many well developed characters in this book who are shown through multiple POVs, which also adds to our understanding of the plot. Unlike most books with multiple POVs, I was actually invested/interested in each character and never found myself wanting to skip ahead or reading more quickly through one character's part in order to get to the next.

I cannot wait to read the second book! That said, don't wait until it comes out to buy this one. Put this at the top of your reading list!… (meer)

I was immediately drawn into this book. It is set in an intricate network of underground caves that house two warring societies, Icers and Flames. The biggest difference between them is that Icers draw their magical power from the cold, while Flames draw theirs from heat. They have similar societies, but they seem to have different values, though their true differences get called into question in the book.

The author changes point of view from chapter to chapter but I was never confused as to which character’s eyes I was looking through. From the Ice Princess, Stasia (who wants nothing more than to follow her ‘Dreams’) to Glace (Stasia’s human guard who wants nothing more than to protect Stasia) to Dynat (the insane Fire King), to Bolv (Dynat’s cool and calculating cousin and ‘kinyara’) the characters are interesting and distinct. Added into this mix are the Khell, a mysterious and seemingly unconnected society of nomads whom we see from the vantage point of one woman, Maia, the tribe’s healer.

The end of the book left me satisfied with the story, but also wondering how certain characters had fared and about what was going to happen after the surprising turn of events at the end of the book. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens to everyone in volume two.

I also checked out the author’s website and found that she has free short stories about people and customs in the three different societies in the book, as well as maps, and drawings of the imaginative animals that live among the Icers, Flames, and Khell.

I’d recommend this book to anyone aged 14 and up who likes to be submerged in a thoroughly thought out fantasy world or for anyone who just likes a good story!
… (meer)