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Five Hundred Kingdoms #4
The Snow Queen
Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is mysterious, beautiful and widely known to have a heart of ice. No one would seek her wisdom except as a last resort. But when she's falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, she realizes there's an impostor out there far more heartless than she could ever be.
And when a young warrior following the Tradition disappears, leaving his sweetheart and mother to fear the worst, Aleksia's powers are needed as never before.
Now, on a journey through a realm of perpetual winter, it will take all her skills, a mother's faith and a little magic to face down an enemy more formidable than any she has ever known.…
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
145 people are currently reading
3668 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,536 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 353 reviews
July 25, 2015
Kinda torn on this one.
It was good...but not. I'm starting to notice a pattern with the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and I don't know if this is just Lackey's particular style, or if it just happens in these particular books.
Two words: Abrupt Ending.
There's all this build-up to some (supposedly) spectacular showdown, and then its just...over.
Ta-da!
* balloon deflates *
So far, the build-up itself is good enough to keep me coming back for more of her stories, though.
The only other thing I want to mention about this one is the love-interest for The Snow Queen. He's...for lack of a better word, grody. I get that Lackey likes to redeem her characters in these stories, but the dude was just a dirty old man. Ick. Maybe the Snow Queen could look past that, but I couldn't get over the fact that he kept actively eyeballing women who were waaay too young for him. And kept getting actively rejected. Ouch.
Word to the wise, boys. When you decide to have your mid-life crisis, stick to getting the sports car. Having been on the receiving end of my fair share of inappropriate advances from older men (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I can safely say that it is not flattering. Skeevy, is a better word to describe the feeling that arises when an old fart hits on you. And, yes. 40 is an Old Fart when you are 20ish.
P.S.- If by chance a 20something does return your advances, there is a very good chance that her nickname in high school was Hot Dog or Swallows. You are no longer privy to the cream of the crop...and the rest of us are laughing at you. Just sayin'.
I still enjoyed the story despite the things I found lacking. Here's hoping that the next one I read is just a tad better.
It was good...but not. I'm starting to notice a pattern with the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and I don't know if this is just Lackey's particular style, or if it just happens in these particular books.
Two words: Abrupt Ending.
There's all this build-up to some (supposedly) spectacular showdown, and then its just...over.
Ta-da!
* balloon deflates *
So far, the build-up itself is good enough to keep me coming back for more of her stories, though.
The only other thing I want to mention about this one is the love-interest for The Snow Queen. He's...for lack of a better word, grody. I get that Lackey likes to redeem her characters in these stories, but the dude was just a dirty old man. Ick. Maybe the Snow Queen could look past that, but I couldn't get over the fact that he kept actively eyeballing women who were waaay too young for him. And kept getting actively rejected. Ouch.
Word to the wise, boys. When you decide to have your mid-life crisis, stick to getting the sports car. Having been on the receiving end of my fair share of inappropriate advances from older men (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I can safely say that it is not flattering. Skeevy, is a better word to describe the feeling that arises when an old fart hits on you. And, yes. 40 is an Old Fart when you are 20ish.
P.S.- If by chance a 20something does return your advances, there is a very good chance that her nickname in high school was Hot Dog or Swallows. You are no longer privy to the cream of the crop...and the rest of us are laughing at you. Just sayin'.
I still enjoyed the story despite the things I found lacking. Here's hoping that the next one I read is just a tad better.
December 16, 2008
Mercedes Lackey is very much my guilty pleasures, as I think I've mentioned before. Because of that, I'll read pretty much everything she rolls out with, even though lately I've been kind of disappointed.
The Five Hundred Kingdom books have been uneven. The first one, Fairy Godmother, was great. The second, One Good Knight, was bloody terrible, but the series has been improving again, with Fortune's Fool genuinely different and unique. This was another new twist on an old story, and the writing style itself was better, lacking some of the truly cringe-worthy elements that Lackey has been using more and more lately. My real problem with this was pacing. The book was slow, even when there were supposed to be urgency and panic, the plot seemed to crawl along and occasionally wandered off and left all together. Her characters remain strong, which is why I think I keep going back, and she seems to be weaning herself off some of the nausea-inducing mannerisms she's fallen back on before, but please add the plot back! Dear God!
The Five Hundred Kingdom books have been uneven. The first one, Fairy Godmother, was great. The second, One Good Knight, was bloody terrible, but the series has been improving again, with Fortune's Fool genuinely different and unique. This was another new twist on an old story, and the writing style itself was better, lacking some of the truly cringe-worthy elements that Lackey has been using more and more lately. My real problem with this was pacing. The book was slow, even when there were supposed to be urgency and panic, the plot seemed to crawl along and occasionally wandered off and left all together. Her characters remain strong, which is why I think I keep going back, and she seems to be weaning herself off some of the nausea-inducing mannerisms she's fallen back on before, but please add the plot back! Dear God!
December 12, 2017
DNF at 67%
I give up. Although the novel started out promising enough, it didn't take long for it to become incredibly boring with long and tedious descriptions of food, clothes and everything else that we don't see the main character doing.
I just don't care.
There were some scenes in which a character is sexually harassed, and later on, we readers find out that the main character gave some magical "directions" to delay her and another character; the gist of it being "not too much bad things happening to them".
Ugh.
Then there was a guy, forty...ish or around that, vaguely propositioning to a young maiden..."if you don't have enough coin, I'm sure we can work some things out, wink, wink". -_-
Aleksia found that amusing, I didn't.
January 25, 2009
I'm a HUGE fan of fantasy fluff and this completely fit the bill. I love books I can easily read, end happily ever after and leave you with that glowing, feel good happiness afterwards. Nothing deep, just lots of good fun.
April 23, 2017
I had seen lower ratings on this than on previous books in the series, so was a little worried that it wouldn't be as fun as the others were. I think I know where those were coming from, though. There's hardly any romance at all, and that was always a large part in the past. I believe it's a positive difference here, though. A romance honestly didn't fit anywhere, and Lackey didn't force the issue, so I respect her more for leaving it out.
Beyond that, this was a fantastic retelling of the Snow Queen in the context of the 'Godmother' kingdoms. Aleksia is a Godmother who takes on the role of the Snow Queen as part of her 'Tradition' magic management. I loved that this story went back to the nuts and bolts of being a Godmother.
But rather than just reiterating the devices of the first two books (the 3rd was a little different), Lackey takes this one in a new direction. There is a second storyline outside of the tradition, and it's a really great parallel to the Traditional story going on. Lackey manages to keep the story fresh this way. Very enjoyable! Highly recommended to pure escapist fluff happy ending fairytale fantasy fans.
Beyond that, this was a fantastic retelling of the Snow Queen in the context of the 'Godmother' kingdoms. Aleksia is a Godmother who takes on the role of the Snow Queen as part of her 'Tradition' magic management. I loved that this story went back to the nuts and bolts of being a Godmother.
But rather than just reiterating the devices of the first two books (the 3rd was a little different), Lackey takes this one in a new direction. There is a second storyline outside of the tradition, and it's a really great parallel to the Traditional story going on. Lackey manages to keep the story fresh this way. Very enjoyable! Highly recommended to pure escapist fluff happy ending fairytale fantasy fans.
September 25, 2019
3.5 stars
I was really sucked into this story! I had to see how it would end, and finished it in about a day.
I was intrigued by the Ice Godmother and I could hardly wait to see how she would deal with an impostor who was ruining her good name. The questing element was fun - I love a good travel story, and I loved the shape-changing magic. ML is really good at describing the details.
Annukka was my favorite character (I think I resonated with her as a fellow mother), she lived a quiet, unassuming life - using only a little magic in small ways. But when the need arose to save her son, her power was nearly equal with the Godmother's. She always had the power, she just didn't see the need to use it until it was needed. She was able to focus her power with music, and I like that the Sammi People's magic in the book is strengthened by music and singing.
I have always loved to read about nomadic peoples, and the Sammi People are especially interesting to me. I only wish more aspects of their culture had been included in the story though; other than reindeer herding and a few mentions of hair styles and clothing, there wasn't much.
Another part I loved was the godmother's Ice Palace. It felt like another character; throughout the story she goes back to it many times and you get to see different parts of it described in the little details as the story flows. I love how the Godmother's houses are alive, much like the Inns in Ilona Andrew's Innkeeper Series.
The bad part, and the reason for the 3.5 star rating was the ending. It felt rushed and was very anti-climactic. I kept thinking, "That was it????? What about the dragons! Elena promised to send dragons, but there were no dragons!".
It was a happy ending though, and no cliff hanger.
I was really sucked into this story! I had to see how it would end, and finished it in about a day.
I was intrigued by the Ice Godmother and I could hardly wait to see how she would deal with an impostor who was ruining her good name. The questing element was fun - I love a good travel story, and I loved the shape-changing magic. ML is really good at describing the details.
Annukka was my favorite character (I think I resonated with her as a fellow mother), she lived a quiet, unassuming life - using only a little magic in small ways. But when the need arose to save her son, her power was nearly equal with the Godmother's. She always had the power, she just didn't see the need to use it until it was needed. She was able to focus her power with music, and I like that the Sammi People's magic in the book is strengthened by music and singing.
I have always loved to read about nomadic peoples, and the Sammi People are especially interesting to me. I only wish more aspects of their culture had been included in the story though; other than reindeer herding and a few mentions of hair styles and clothing, there wasn't much.
Another part I loved was the godmother's Ice Palace. It felt like another character; throughout the story she goes back to it many times and you get to see different parts of it described in the little details as the story flows. I love how the Godmother's houses are alive, much like the Inns in Ilona Andrew's Innkeeper Series.
The bad part, and the reason for the 3.5 star rating was the ending. It felt rushed and was very anti-climactic. I kept thinking, "That was it????? What about the dragons! Elena promised to send dragons, but there were no dragons!".
It was a happy ending though, and no cliff hanger.
July 4, 2008
I really enjoy Mercedes Lackey. She's one of my favorite authors, and I usually make it top priority to read her newest releases. Although I think this series is a bit too much...fluff, I really like how all the stories are built around fairy tales. Since the story of The Snow Queen is one of my favorites, I was anxious to read this new book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, but I feel that it fell short of my expectations.
I'm sure some people will argue with me, but I felt Lackey put too much work into setting up the story and introducing the characters. Although I love description, I couldn't help but feel the book was unbalanced- there was way too much buildup, and it took a LONG time to get into the plot. Then by the time the real action of the story started, there were only 100 pages left. I know this is her "style" but I felt it was even MORE obvious in this novel.
Honestly, I was a bit dissapointed, because, despite the long introduction, I had issues connecting with ANYBODY, and I felt that the romance between The Snow Queen and the wonder-smith (although a really good pairing) was kind of sudden, and that suddenness makes it less enjoyable.
I really liked the last three (One Good Knight less so than The Fairy Godmother and Fortune's Fool), but this one seemed a bit less enjoyable than the others.
I'm sure some people will argue with me, but I felt Lackey put too much work into setting up the story and introducing the characters. Although I love description, I couldn't help but feel the book was unbalanced- there was way too much buildup, and it took a LONG time to get into the plot. Then by the time the real action of the story started, there were only 100 pages left. I know this is her "style" but I felt it was even MORE obvious in this novel.
Honestly, I was a bit dissapointed, because, despite the long introduction, I had issues connecting with ANYBODY, and I felt that the romance between The Snow Queen and the wonder-smith (although a really good pairing) was kind of sudden, and that suddenness makes it less enjoyable.
I really liked the last three (One Good Knight less so than The Fairy Godmother and Fortune's Fool), but this one seemed a bit less enjoyable than the others.
September 22, 2024
Entertaining retelling of the Snow Queen fairy tale
Aleksia is the Snow Queen, who is also known as the Ice Fairy. She serves as the fairy godmother (FG) for all of the frozen northlands in a medieval-style fantasy world. One of her main paranormal gifts is mirror magic. She can watch over anyone she chooses within her territory by using any reflective surface (including the eye of a bird), not just a mirror. She can also transform into a swan, a hawk, and a bear. She lives in a huge ice palace that has been inhabited by a series of FGs for as much as a thousand years, all the way back to the original FG, who was an actual fairy. For many hundreds of years, magically talented human women, who live out a normal human lifespan, have served the role of FG here. Due to magic inherent in the ice palace itself, it is kept comfortably warm, to the exact degree desired by Aleksia and the resident house elves who serve her, and there is also running water that can become hot on demand for bathing in a sunken tub in Aleksia's luxurious bedroom suite. Through her individual magic, Aleksia is also able to keep her body warm no matter what the external circumstances, both indoors and outdoors.
The first part of this novel takes place within the palace, until the inciting incident occurs for the main action-adventure plot. Aleksia is warned by a fellow FG, Elena, who is the FMC of Book 1 of this series, and a continuing subcharacter throughout this six-book series, that an evil sorceress is murdering entire villages of reindeer-herding people. And as if that wasn't bad enough in and of itself, the sorceress is calling herself the Snow Queen. Aleksia is extremely concerned about her murdered people, but also enormously enraged that her sterling reputation has been besmirched. She is determined to take down the imposter immediately. In the process of her quest, she collaborates with a magical middle-aged woman, whose son has been kidnapped by the imposter, the fiancee of the unfortunate young man, a bear who is a wise, talking, magical animal, and two magical men who are wondersmiths.
This is the fourth entry in the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey. It was originally published in 2008 by Harlequin's LUNA fantasy line (which existed between 2004-2017). I am not typically a fan of sword-and-sorcery fantasy unless it has a very strong romance plot, and it is not extremely long. This series fits within those parameters because LUNA books were required to be no more than 80,000 words, and each book written for this line was technically required to be a paranormal romance, with a secondary action-adventure plot. There are, in fact, a primary and a secondary romance in this novel, both of which I really enjoyed, but they do not begin until the last 10% of the novel and are essentially instalove, because ML dedicates very little page space to the development of the romances. The main focus in this story is on the group dynamics of the quest described above. Though I am a huge fan of the romance genre, I also like fantasy novels with strong female leads, and Aleksia is a very determined, active FMC. I was also delighted that the FG, Elena, shows up in a crucial cameo appearance in this story as a close friend and ally of Aleksia.
This book is very close to being G-rated. In the romance subplots, there is not even a single kiss. There is no cussing, and the violence is bloodless. All of the people who were killed by the villain are frozen to death.
I have read this novel several times over the years. Most recently, I have listened to it as an audiobook. The narrator does a very good job other than one irritating quirk: she pronounces "mage" as if it rhymes with "badge," rather than the correct pronunciation, rhyming with "page."
Aleksia is the Snow Queen, who is also known as the Ice Fairy. She serves as the fairy godmother (FG) for all of the frozen northlands in a medieval-style fantasy world. One of her main paranormal gifts is mirror magic. She can watch over anyone she chooses within her territory by using any reflective surface (including the eye of a bird), not just a mirror. She can also transform into a swan, a hawk, and a bear. She lives in a huge ice palace that has been inhabited by a series of FGs for as much as a thousand years, all the way back to the original FG, who was an actual fairy. For many hundreds of years, magically talented human women, who live out a normal human lifespan, have served the role of FG here. Due to magic inherent in the ice palace itself, it is kept comfortably warm, to the exact degree desired by Aleksia and the resident house elves who serve her, and there is also running water that can become hot on demand for bathing in a sunken tub in Aleksia's luxurious bedroom suite. Through her individual magic, Aleksia is also able to keep her body warm no matter what the external circumstances, both indoors and outdoors.
The first part of this novel takes place within the palace, until the inciting incident occurs for the main action-adventure plot. Aleksia is warned by a fellow FG, Elena, who is the FMC of Book 1 of this series, and a continuing subcharacter throughout this six-book series, that an evil sorceress is murdering entire villages of reindeer-herding people. And as if that wasn't bad enough in and of itself, the sorceress is calling herself the Snow Queen. Aleksia is extremely concerned about her murdered people, but also enormously enraged that her sterling reputation has been besmirched. She is determined to take down the imposter immediately. In the process of her quest, she collaborates with a magical middle-aged woman, whose son has been kidnapped by the imposter, the fiancee of the unfortunate young man, a bear who is a wise, talking, magical animal, and two magical men who are wondersmiths.
This is the fourth entry in the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey. It was originally published in 2008 by Harlequin's LUNA fantasy line (which existed between 2004-2017). I am not typically a fan of sword-and-sorcery fantasy unless it has a very strong romance plot, and it is not extremely long. This series fits within those parameters because LUNA books were required to be no more than 80,000 words, and each book written for this line was technically required to be a paranormal romance, with a secondary action-adventure plot. There are, in fact, a primary and a secondary romance in this novel, both of which I really enjoyed, but they do not begin until the last 10% of the novel and are essentially instalove, because ML dedicates very little page space to the development of the romances. The main focus in this story is on the group dynamics of the quest described above. Though I am a huge fan of the romance genre, I also like fantasy novels with strong female leads, and Aleksia is a very determined, active FMC. I was also delighted that the FG, Elena, shows up in a crucial cameo appearance in this story as a close friend and ally of Aleksia.
This book is very close to being G-rated. In the romance subplots, there is not even a single kiss. There is no cussing, and the violence is bloodless. All of the people who were killed by the villain are frozen to death.
I have read this novel several times over the years. Most recently, I have listened to it as an audiobook. The narrator does a very good job other than one irritating quirk: she pronounces "mage" as if it rhymes with "badge," rather than the correct pronunciation, rhyming with "page."
January 10, 2015
For some reason, the Snow Queen has never been one of my favorite fairy tale traditions. I'm not sure if that's because it's just so, forgive me for saying, cold, or if it is that I could never, ahem, warm up to the character. Mercedes Lackey has managed to paint a portrait of a Snow Queen I actually like--allowing the usual representation to be portrayed by an imposter. I truly enjoy the 500 Kingdoms series with its unusual take on the fairy tale traditions of many cultures in the form of an (almost?) sentient Tradition, working to make the people fit into the roles comfortable to that fairy tale arc. Those hoping to meet up with old friends from previous 500 Kingdom Tales will be happy to meet up with Godmother Elena. Fans hoping for steamy romance may well be disappointed; but the potential romance and that found and rekindled seem right for this tale. I hope to hear more of what happens next to this new cast of characters in later stories.
If I had a complaint, it would simply be that I wish the two names, Annuka and Aleksia,had not started and ended with the same letter/sound. For some reason, at least in the early chapters, I found myself distracted trying to place the correct name with the correct character. Names that sound or look different might have helped prevent the issue.
If I had a complaint, it would simply be that I wish the two names, Annuka and Aleksia,had not started and ended with the same letter/sound. For some reason, at least in the early chapters, I found myself distracted trying to place the correct name with the correct character. Names that sound or look different might have helped prevent the issue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2009
An incredibly bad book. The plot is total fantasy claptrap, which is to be expected. However, the book consistently tells instead of shows, with clumsy prose, nonexistent characterization, and a ridiculously pat ending.
Probably the worst part, though, was the abysmal pacing. You spend three pages on some stupid hunting description, and then take a sudden jump through crucial action in a few paragraphs? No. For the first half or 2/3 of the book, she just has too many little branches of plot, too many balls in the air to balance reasonably. We don't need that much stuff happening anyway; why not cut some out and spend your time actually developing the main characters?
And that's not touching the book design. Normally it would barely register, but when you turn a page in the middle of a sentence to find that oh hey! A new chapter has suddenly started, and the page numbers are correct and everything! Where'd the end of the sentence go? That is just sad. Let's not even get into the horrific photoshop butchery on the cover.
I read a reasonable amount of bad fantasy, but barely any of it is as bad as this.
Probably the worst part, though, was the abysmal pacing. You spend three pages on some stupid hunting description, and then take a sudden jump through crucial action in a few paragraphs? No. For the first half or 2/3 of the book, she just has too many little branches of plot, too many balls in the air to balance reasonably. We don't need that much stuff happening anyway; why not cut some out and spend your time actually developing the main characters?
And that's not touching the book design. Normally it would barely register, but when you turn a page in the middle of a sentence to find that oh hey! A new chapter has suddenly started, and the page numbers are correct and everything! Where'd the end of the sentence go? That is just sad. Let's not even get into the horrific photoshop butchery on the cover.
I read a reasonable amount of bad fantasy, but barely any of it is as bad as this.
July 19, 2008
I was so excited to find this latest book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey. She is one of my favorite authors and I like the series. This one takes place in the far north, where Aleksia, the Snow Queen, is the Godmother of a very large territory. The Godmothers deal with the Tradition, which tries to shape ordinary lives into stereotypical fairy tales, many of which have unhappy endings. They try to steer the Tradition into paths which have happier endings. In this book, Aleksia ends up participating in a Quest to try to work out a path which she has seen developing. Adventure and perhaps romance ensue. Good book, if you like this sort of thing, which I do.
December 30, 2018
3.5 stars
Aleksia is the “Snow Queen” or “Ice Fairy”, one in a long line of snow queens – she took over for someone else in the position. This also makes her one of the Godmothers of the kingdoms. As she goes about her usual business, she discovers that someone seems to be impersonating her to do terrible things. She must find out who is doing this and put a stop to it.
This actually had a few different storylines, which made it a bit confusing for me at the start. I enjoyed the second half much more after one of the storylines wrapped up (Aleksia’s “usual business”) and the other two storylines (including searching for the imposter) joined up.
Aleksia is the “Snow Queen” or “Ice Fairy”, one in a long line of snow queens – she took over for someone else in the position. This also makes her one of the Godmothers of the kingdoms. As she goes about her usual business, she discovers that someone seems to be impersonating her to do terrible things. She must find out who is doing this and put a stop to it.
This actually had a few different storylines, which made it a bit confusing for me at the start. I enjoyed the second half much more after one of the storylines wrapped up (Aleksia’s “usual business”) and the other two storylines (including searching for the imposter) joined up.
March 14, 2009
While not quite as good as the first 500 kingdoms book, this story is nonetheless interesting because it borrows from less familiar traditions and incorporates some elements that are new and surprising. It relies on a bit of a deus ex machina to resolve the major conflict, and the end rambles a teensy bit and diffuses some of the tension that has built up over the course of the plot in a rather unsatisfying way. But, I've read it twice already and will probably read it again. The 500 kingdoms are among my favorite Lackey creations.
November 28, 2018
Some of Mercedes Lackey's books are a little more adult rated than others--and I'm never quite sure which they will be. This one was of the cleaner variety :-) and I really enjoyed the story. I'm a big fan of fantasy/fairy tale re-tellings, so that is probably why, but this was a fun book--and I've read it three times. I have to ask: What is up with Ms. Lackey's obsession with birds, and the viewpoint of a bird, including repetitive descriptions of how they hunt and eat other bird's innards? I felt it definitely detracted from the storyline. Anyway--go to!
August 23, 2008
I like Mercedes Lackey's idea of the "tradition" forcing people to fit into fairy tale patterns. But this was not the best book of the series for character development. I didn't care about these characters as much as the others in the series. However, I am thrilled that this one didn't have the 4 or 5 pages that you have to skip because of inappropriate content that the other ones in th 500 kingdoms series have. All in all, I liked the book.
September 20, 2016
I've enjoyed the first three books in this series but this book was terribly boring. There was just way to many irrelevant details that dragged on and on and on for over half the book. The characters were flat and where the hell was the romance? There was too much telling and not enough showing. Just horrible.
March 10, 2023
This book was surprisingly good. It took me longer than it should have because I was reading other books. There were some parts that took me out of the story, but it was pretty good besides that. I didn't really have to worry about steamy scenes or anything that would make me uncomfortable. I also liked the Queen. She has a unique personality to her which I think can be good to have for someone. I recommend.
May 28, 2020
Loved this one. Based on some fairy tales I am not familiar with, so it was really fun.
October 29, 2017
Back to her old form
Misty is back. This Godmother novel was a page turner and didn’t rush the ending like many of the latest Valdemar novel have done. This was a nice twist on Snow Queen/Ice Fairy lore. And a nice bit of Sammi culture with this romance novel.
Misty is back. This Godmother novel was a page turner and didn’t rush the ending like many of the latest Valdemar novel have done. This was a nice twist on Snow Queen/Ice Fairy lore. And a nice bit of Sammi culture with this romance novel.
April 21, 2020
Aleksia is the Snow Queen or Ice Fairy, one in a long line of snow queens she took over for someone else in the position. This also makes her one of the Godmothers of the kingdoms. As she goes about her usual business, she discovers that someone seems to be impersonating her to do terrible things. She must find out who is doing this and put a stop to it.
The story did not gel for me at all. I get the retelling but the book felt disjointed to me. At points it was hard to follow. I did not enjoy it and it needed some work.
The story did not gel for me at all. I get the retelling but the book felt disjointed to me. At points it was hard to follow. I did not enjoy it and it needed some work.
July 25, 2009
I enjoyed the first three books in Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series, but this one could have done with a firmer editor.
While the set-up and character introduction were lovely, the pacing was markedly off. Not only did the plot not get moving until qiute literally halfway through the book, but all throughout Lackey would introduce obstacles for the characters... and then resolve them immediately. We're talking within-three-pages immediately. I don't ask for much narrative tension from my fluffy fantasy novels, but this was a tad silly.
A better editor (or even a beta reader!) would've also caught the repetition of the scene at the end of chapter seven where two characters clean up after a massacre in a bandits' camp. They do it again, in different words, in the middle of chapter nine. Very jarring.
Read -- or re-read! -- the Fairy Godmother or One Good Knight instead of this one.
While the set-up and character introduction were lovely, the pacing was markedly off. Not only did the plot not get moving until qiute literally halfway through the book, but all throughout Lackey would introduce obstacles for the characters... and then resolve them immediately. We're talking within-three-pages immediately. I don't ask for much narrative tension from my fluffy fantasy novels, but this was a tad silly.
A better editor (or even a beta reader!) would've also caught the repetition of the scene at the end of chapter seven where two characters clean up after a massacre in a bandits' camp. They do it again, in different words, in the middle of chapter nine. Very jarring.
Read -- or re-read! -- the Fairy Godmother or One Good Knight instead of this one.
February 21, 2009
I was so excited to get this book from the library. Lackey's books of the Five Hundred Kingdoms twist the fairy stories in interesting ways. The Five Hundred Kingdoms are guided by the Tradition, the universal energy that guides people to live out traditional folk tales and fairy tales. The Fairy Godmothers are there to help people find happiness while not [exactly:] thwarting the Tradition.
This book had all the elements of a good Lackey tale with neat magical twists. The magic of the Sammi (Laplanders), shape shifting, magical menance and original ideas told by a master fantasy writer. However it took me forever to read this book. I could not get into it for more than a few pages. Maybe there were too many plot twists or maybe the main character is the Snow Queen and lives in the land of everlasting winter. I am so over winter and this book kept me in the cold and dark. Even the presence of Elena from previous books failed to keep me interested. I finally skimmed the last 100 or so pages and called it a day (or three weeks).
This book had all the elements of a good Lackey tale with neat magical twists. The magic of the Sammi (Laplanders), shape shifting, magical menance and original ideas told by a master fantasy writer. However it took me forever to read this book. I could not get into it for more than a few pages. Maybe there were too many plot twists or maybe the main character is the Snow Queen and lives in the land of everlasting winter. I am so over winter and this book kept me in the cold and dark. Even the presence of Elena from previous books failed to keep me interested. I finally skimmed the last 100 or so pages and called it a day (or three weeks).
January 2, 2009
I liked this book until the ending. I was a little disappointed. I didn't like guy that Lackey made as the love interest for Aleksia. Aleksia was a complex character. She doesn't deserve the shallow guy that she is ultimately hooked up with. I can't for the life of me even remember the guys name, which shows how memorable he was. Anyway, I felt that quite honestly the book could have ended with out any hookup at all. It was like Lackey was trying to make it all neat, each male character finds a female character, but that wasn't what the overall story was about and it almost detracted from the loveliness of the story that everyone did have to find someone. Don't get me wrong I love happy endings, but he was not the right person for Aleksia. Not by a long shot.
December 21, 2009
The Snow Queen is Lackey's spin on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson; and tells the story of Aleskia the "ice fairy", known to others as the Snow Queen due to her reputation for a cold heart. When I first started reading this story, I was totally into it. It reminded me a lot of the Fairy Godmother (which I absolutely loved). However, I found myself losing interest in the story about halfway through. I can't exactly pinpoint the reason, but it began to remind me of the second book "One Good Night" which was probably my least favorite of the Five Hundred Kingdoms books. I thought the middle moved slow, but was pleased w/ the ending. As w/ the other books, I love Lackey's spin on the Tradition and the fairy tales; and hope she plans to continue the series.
tbr-series-sequels-x
April 13, 2020
September 27, 2019
I'm such a sucker for this series. Pure escapism. But wholesome, too, with the strong, smart, and brave, not quite perfect female characters, and some female villains, and some males both good and bad, too. This one doesn't have much romance, but it's def. written for YA and adults, not kids. (So far #2 is unfortunately the only kid-friendly one.)
Also unfortunate is that Hans Christian Andersen is not credited as the inspiration for this story - it's not a folktale with origins lost in time but an actual work by an actual person.
Also unfortunate is that Hans Christian Andersen is not credited as the inspiration for this story - it's not a folktale with origins lost in time but an actual work by an actual person.
March 12, 2009
I enjoyed this book, but I've always loved the Snow Queen myths. I like the way this one was set up, though I did predict many pieces of the ending. (The books of the 500 Kingdoms are NOT ones I read for unexpected plot twists. They are ones I read for the Happily Ever Afters.)
I do think I liked book 1 of this series best still, but I really enjoyed this one. . . more than I had expected to based on the descriptive blurb and even the beginning of the book itself.
I do think I liked book 1 of this series best still, but I really enjoyed this one. . . more than I had expected to based on the descriptive blurb and even the beginning of the book itself.
August 9, 2008
Fourth in the Tales of the 500 Kingdoms. Aleksia is the Snow Queen and Fairy Godmother for the North. She specializes in giving arrogant young men their comeupance and guiding the Tradition into happy endings. But now someone has stolen her name and is blaming atrocities on her. Aleksia must muster the Tradition and find a way to reclaim her good name before someone hunts her down . . .
June 16, 2014
4.5- I really admire the way this author crafts fantasy. It's intricate with plenty of twists and turns, some familiar, some unfamiliar. The ending of this one isn't wrapped up as tightly as the others in the series; I wonder if the characters will come back in a different book in the series (so far, each of the books is stand-alone).
Note: clean
Note: clean
June 2, 2015
Courtney, Main patron, June 2015, 5 stars:
*LOVED* this book. Stepping away from the traditional fairy tale, Mercedes Lackey has created a world unique unto itself. As a fairy tale snob, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adventure. Her characters are well rounded, she ties up loose ends well and leaves you wanting more, all while supplying a "Happily Ever After."
*LOVED* this book. Stepping away from the traditional fairy tale, Mercedes Lackey has created a world unique unto itself. As a fairy tale snob, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adventure. Her characters are well rounded, she ties up loose ends well and leaves you wanting more, all while supplying a "Happily Ever After."
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