Book Review: Crown of Ice by Vicki L. Weavil

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Book Review: Crown of Ice by Vicki L. Weavil

Synopsis:

Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.

Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.

A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

About the Author:

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderfu Vicki Weavil 11 l family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumbler

My Review:

The Snow Queen is one of my favourite fairy stories. It has themes and characters that are rare in traditional and older stories and when I read it I always feel really Christmassy for some reason. For a cold story, its kind of warming.

Crown of Ice was a masterful re-telling of it and had a dash of Angela Carter in its prose. Wonderfully manipulated by the author into a YA book and was enjoyable as an adult too.

From a writer’s perspective, it puts you right into the action straight on the first page and seamlessly weaves flashbacks into the present – a rare thing to find in modern books, as I’ve read far too many recently that just slap them in whenever and however the author can to either pad out their story or shoe horn something in they’ve forgotten! With the story told from the Snow Queen’s POV it was also very reminiscent of Sarah Pinsborough’s book, Poison which is a re-telling of Snow White, mostly from the Evil Queen’s point of View. I truly think as a reader and a writer that the evil characters are more interesting than the arrow straight heroes – and actually, seem realer.

The front cover is gorgeous! Stunning visual that will serve the book well when would-be readers are flipping through Amazon, Goodreads and the like for their next YA fantasy fix.

Overall, I’d give Crown of Ice 5 out of 5 stars – a must read – especially on a winter’s night wrapped up by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and purring cat on your lap – or on a train or anywhere else!