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The Cold King
From the author of The Hemlock Bay Series comes a new retelling of an old tale…
… Not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every Beauty is a maiden just waiting for love…
Calia Thorn has lived her entire life in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain. Working day and night to care for her younger siblings, complete her unending chores and please her selfish, lazy mother has left her with few dreams for her own future.
But then even those meager hopes are taken from her when the Cold King comes down from his mountain to demand a new servant. Ungraceful, unladylike, undesired and unwanted by even her own family, Calia is chosen to be sent to the palace.
The Cold King has lived for three hundred years under a curse imposed by his own father. With no hope of ever breaking it, he settles for keeping his heart frozen against any pain— or hope.
When his new servant arrives, she challenges him in ways no one ever has and sparks fly. But not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every beauty is a maiden just waiting for love.
Sometimes happily ever after isn’t so easy…
… Not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every Beauty is a maiden just waiting for love…
Calia Thorn has lived her entire life in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain. Working day and night to care for her younger siblings, complete her unending chores and please her selfish, lazy mother has left her with few dreams for her own future.
But then even those meager hopes are taken from her when the Cold King comes down from his mountain to demand a new servant. Ungraceful, unladylike, undesired and unwanted by even her own family, Calia is chosen to be sent to the palace.
The Cold King has lived for three hundred years under a curse imposed by his own father. With no hope of ever breaking it, he settles for keeping his heart frozen against any pain— or hope.
When his new servant arrives, she challenges him in ways no one ever has and sparks fly. But not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every beauty is a maiden just waiting for love.
Sometimes happily ever after isn’t so easy…
237 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2013
80 people are currently reading
3026 people want to read
About the author
Amber Jaeger
6 books187 followersAmber Jaeger is the author of five novels, including the completed Hemlock Bay series. When she's not working on the next King book, she can be found camping, cooking or wherever the cat happens to be napping. The Dragon King is forthcoming in Fall 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
September 14, 2016
I rarely write reviews but this book made me so angry I felt the need to write one.
I'll preface my review with the fact that this is the worst book I've ever had the displeasure to read, and I've read well over 3,000 books in my lifetime.
I'll begin by focusing on the failings of the literature aspect of the book.
The characters were generic and vanilla, we only ever get to know the background of 2 or 3 of them, even though there are perhaps 5 or 6 main ones, and the main protagonist, Calia, is as vapid and willowy as they come. Not one of the characters received proper characterization by this clearly subpar and inexperienced author; nothing beyond "she was ugly and useless and then became beautiful and useful literally overnight after a year of servitude in the castle." Not only was Calia's characterization stunted and rapid, but it also did nothing to advance the plot. In the beginning, right after she became a servant in the castle, she was useless and clumsy and cried all the time. And then one night she literally just stopped crying and the next day she became near perfect at her duties and changed her mind about the king she had previously believed with all her heart was horrible and cruel. She promised herself she'd never be nice to him and then in that same night she became a domestic goddess she suddenly developed an affection for her captor as well, and the author offered no reasoning behind it other than "she finally came to terms with her predicament," which would be fine, but we never got to fully understand what the predicament was?? Overall it was a shoddy characterization attempt and it was clear the author just got lazy at the end.
In terms of the plot, it was clear what the plot was SUPPOSED to be: a young woman overcomes adversity in her life and her dislike of the king she previously thought cruel and cold to enhance his life and ingratiate herself into his heart against all odds, melting the ice walls he had built up around his heart and liberating the castle from his grip. However, what came across was a dumb girl from the village lost all her moxy and strength almost immediately upon entering the castle. She initially insisted that she would never love the king or even like him, believing him cruel and her kidnapper essentially. But after spending only a little bit of time with this man, she changes her mind because he gives her gifts and a room to sleep in, after LITERALLY ingraining in her brain that she is his property and she relies on him for everything. What a joke.
I won't even BEGIN to talk about the problematic uses of the ugly-to-pretty-girl, misunderstood-villain, and tragic-love-story tropes that are used because I'll be here all day.
Instead I'll move on to the misogynistic, victim blaming, abuser apologist, and stockholm syndrome that is blatantly prevalent throughout this miserable novel.
-SPOILERS AHEAD-
The final tally for the asshole Cold King is as follows: locks Calia up in a cold dungeon TWICE, (the first time when she initially arrives in order to "ease the transition into her new life" and to teach her that she must rely on the king for everything, essentially breaking down her spirit and building it back up to his liking to satisfy his controlling personality, and the second time when he was angry at her for refusing to lock a PREGNANT WOMAN in the cold cellar, so he locks her there instead without food, a blanket, and with the window open in the middle of the winter. She almost freezes to death), sends her back to her mother's house when he knows it was an abusive, loveless place and it makes her uncomfortable, once again to assert his power over her I'm assuming, constantly berates her and insults her looks and intelligence without offering a comforting word once in a while, continually reminds her that she is his property and everything she has is a gift from him and she should be grateful to him always for this, and not only does he not believe her when she comes running to him from the village where she's been assaulted and almost raped, but sends her away back to her attackers because he was angry she saw him without his mask on (he has ugly burns and thinks himself unattractive whoop dee doo). That's literally a paragraph of what an abusive and manipulative man he is, and yet Calia STILL RETURNS TO HIM EVERY TIME. He has nearly KILLED HER in his anger and pride, and she keeps coming back for more, the literal description of someone suffering from Stockholm Syndrome as well as someone trapped in an abusive relationship. He never raises a hand to her, but the mental and secondary physical abuse she suffers from his ignorance and anger is inexcusable, and the only excuse he DOES offer, when he finally gets around to apologizing, is "I'm sorry I'm such a bad man, please stay with me and I'll never do it again." Are you KIDDING ME?
I understand that the whole faux-abusive men in power trope is popular these days thanks to the deplorable and disgusting 50 Shades of Grey, but there HAS to be a limit to the blatant misogyny present in today's romance novels. The Cold King is literally an abusive manipulator, and numerous times throughout the novel Calia tries to leave but by her own admission she has nowhere else to go, so she inevitably ends up back in his palace. YES he takes care of her after she recovered from her near freezing, but HE'S the one who did that to her in the first place. YES he brings her back after she left for the village when he sent her away, and he even forgave her for looking upon him without his mask, and saved her from her would-be rapists, but it was HE who sent her there after he refused to believe she'd been attacked, believing selfishly that she only wanted to see him without his mask.
He's a narcissistic, manipulative, unstable, and abusive man and yet somehow, someway, Calia STILL falls in love with him, SOMEHOW he is STILL painted as the misunderstood victim because poor him, his mom and sister died long ago and he was cursed to finally take responsibility for his actions after unintentionally killing hundreds of people in an irresponsible party.
This culture of having the woman with no choices, no prospects, and no self-esteem falling in love with her abuser, her kidnapper, her master, is disgusting and only perpetuates the rampant misogyny in our culture. Shame on you, Amber Jaeger, for contributing to this disgusting culture.
My only consolation is that I have Kindle Unlimited and I didn't have to pay money for this piece of literary garbage.
I'll preface my review with the fact that this is the worst book I've ever had the displeasure to read, and I've read well over 3,000 books in my lifetime.
I'll begin by focusing on the failings of the literature aspect of the book.
The characters were generic and vanilla, we only ever get to know the background of 2 or 3 of them, even though there are perhaps 5 or 6 main ones, and the main protagonist, Calia, is as vapid and willowy as they come. Not one of the characters received proper characterization by this clearly subpar and inexperienced author; nothing beyond "she was ugly and useless and then became beautiful and useful literally overnight after a year of servitude in the castle." Not only was Calia's characterization stunted and rapid, but it also did nothing to advance the plot. In the beginning, right after she became a servant in the castle, she was useless and clumsy and cried all the time. And then one night she literally just stopped crying and the next day she became near perfect at her duties and changed her mind about the king she had previously believed with all her heart was horrible and cruel. She promised herself she'd never be nice to him and then in that same night she became a domestic goddess she suddenly developed an affection for her captor as well, and the author offered no reasoning behind it other than "she finally came to terms with her predicament," which would be fine, but we never got to fully understand what the predicament was?? Overall it was a shoddy characterization attempt and it was clear the author just got lazy at the end.
In terms of the plot, it was clear what the plot was SUPPOSED to be: a young woman overcomes adversity in her life and her dislike of the king she previously thought cruel and cold to enhance his life and ingratiate herself into his heart against all odds, melting the ice walls he had built up around his heart and liberating the castle from his grip. However, what came across was a dumb girl from the village lost all her moxy and strength almost immediately upon entering the castle. She initially insisted that she would never love the king or even like him, believing him cruel and her kidnapper essentially. But after spending only a little bit of time with this man, she changes her mind because he gives her gifts and a room to sleep in, after LITERALLY ingraining in her brain that she is his property and she relies on him for everything. What a joke.
I won't even BEGIN to talk about the problematic uses of the ugly-to-pretty-girl, misunderstood-villain, and tragic-love-story tropes that are used because I'll be here all day.
Instead I'll move on to the misogynistic, victim blaming, abuser apologist, and stockholm syndrome that is blatantly prevalent throughout this miserable novel.
-SPOILERS AHEAD-
The final tally for the asshole Cold King is as follows: locks Calia up in a cold dungeon TWICE, (the first time when she initially arrives in order to "ease the transition into her new life" and to teach her that she must rely on the king for everything, essentially breaking down her spirit and building it back up to his liking to satisfy his controlling personality, and the second time when he was angry at her for refusing to lock a PREGNANT WOMAN in the cold cellar, so he locks her there instead without food, a blanket, and with the window open in the middle of the winter. She almost freezes to death), sends her back to her mother's house when he knows it was an abusive, loveless place and it makes her uncomfortable, once again to assert his power over her I'm assuming, constantly berates her and insults her looks and intelligence without offering a comforting word once in a while, continually reminds her that she is his property and everything she has is a gift from him and she should be grateful to him always for this, and not only does he not believe her when she comes running to him from the village where she's been assaulted and almost raped, but sends her away back to her attackers because he was angry she saw him without his mask on (he has ugly burns and thinks himself unattractive whoop dee doo). That's literally a paragraph of what an abusive and manipulative man he is, and yet Calia STILL RETURNS TO HIM EVERY TIME. He has nearly KILLED HER in his anger and pride, and she keeps coming back for more, the literal description of someone suffering from Stockholm Syndrome as well as someone trapped in an abusive relationship. He never raises a hand to her, but the mental and secondary physical abuse she suffers from his ignorance and anger is inexcusable, and the only excuse he DOES offer, when he finally gets around to apologizing, is "I'm sorry I'm such a bad man, please stay with me and I'll never do it again." Are you KIDDING ME?
I understand that the whole faux-abusive men in power trope is popular these days thanks to the deplorable and disgusting 50 Shades of Grey, but there HAS to be a limit to the blatant misogyny present in today's romance novels. The Cold King is literally an abusive manipulator, and numerous times throughout the novel Calia tries to leave but by her own admission she has nowhere else to go, so she inevitably ends up back in his palace. YES he takes care of her after she recovered from her near freezing, but HE'S the one who did that to her in the first place. YES he brings her back after she left for the village when he sent her away, and he even forgave her for looking upon him without his mask, and saved her from her would-be rapists, but it was HE who sent her there after he refused to believe she'd been attacked, believing selfishly that she only wanted to see him without his mask.
He's a narcissistic, manipulative, unstable, and abusive man and yet somehow, someway, Calia STILL falls in love with him, SOMEHOW he is STILL painted as the misunderstood victim because poor him, his mom and sister died long ago and he was cursed to finally take responsibility for his actions after unintentionally killing hundreds of people in an irresponsible party.
This culture of having the woman with no choices, no prospects, and no self-esteem falling in love with her abuser, her kidnapper, her master, is disgusting and only perpetuates the rampant misogyny in our culture. Shame on you, Amber Jaeger, for contributing to this disgusting culture.
My only consolation is that I have Kindle Unlimited and I didn't have to pay money for this piece of literary garbage.
July 21, 2016
Finally,i finished this book,it was so bad and boring.
The first day i read this book I thought this book was interesting but i wronged so so wronged because the story was bad,really really bad.
What I didn't like:
The Characters
Calia: oh my god,she annoyed me so much i know Calia's life was hard but could she stop crying and be a strong girl???
I was so frustrated reading from her POV because she kept crying and crying.
Ugh!! I really hated her.
(┛❍ᴥ❍)┛彡┻━┻
The Cold King: the first day i read this book i thought he was interesting and made me curious but as long as i read the book i found out that he was an asshole and he bored me,I'm serious he was not interesting at all,and he has a name,he's name is...is...ugh!! I even forget his name but it's ok I don't even like him.
(-＿- )ノ
And the story was so cliché and I didn't like the story too.
This book was so boring
I don't want to recommend this book to anyone but if you want to try it then it's ok because this is just my opinion and everyone has different opinion about books.
✿◕ ‿ ◕✿
The first day i read this book I thought this book was interesting but i wronged so so wronged because the story was bad,really really bad.
What I didn't like:
The Characters
Calia: oh my god,she annoyed me so much i know Calia's life was hard but could she stop crying and be a strong girl???
I was so frustrated reading from her POV because she kept crying and crying.
Ugh!! I really hated her.
(┛❍ᴥ❍)┛彡┻━┻
The Cold King: the first day i read this book i thought he was interesting and made me curious but as long as i read the book i found out that he was an asshole and he bored me,I'm serious he was not interesting at all,and he has a name,he's name is...is...ugh!! I even forget his name but it's ok I don't even like him.
(-＿- )ノ
And the story was so cliché and I didn't like the story too.
This book was so boring
I don't want to recommend this book to anyone but if you want to try it then it's ok because this is just my opinion and everyone has different opinion about books.
✿◕ ‿ ◕✿
April 26, 2018
This book is another retelling of the age-old beauty and the beast tale - a theme I keep reading but can't seem to get enough of!
I love how every author uses their creativity and incorporates their own elements and tries to make something unique out of this same theme. So the question remains...Was it done right? Well yes! The cold king definitely delivers.
The cold king, as he is known to his subjects is a powerful immortal king who has been ruling for centuries. His subjects are utterly terrified of him. It all begins when the king makes a summons for a new personal servant and Callie being the town outcast is forced to fill in for the position despite her fear.
Despairing her loss of freedom and terrified of her fate, Callie loathes the king. But life inside the castle walls turns out to be completely unexpected. Her feelings of loathing begin to fade as she realises that the castle is filled with other servants who have all been town rejects but their lives have turned out for the better ever since they have come to the castle. She finds a new found acceptance among this band of misfits. She also begins to harbour tender feelings as she slowly discovers the man beneath the terrible mask.
I tried to keep guessing in vain till the very end about what will ultimately break the curse and I have to say I was very satisfied with the way things turned out. Yes there were things that the king did that were wrong a few times but being a monarch his arrogance is to be expected.
Overall a 4.5 rating... But I'll round it off to 5 stars as I liked a book a lot!
I love how every author uses their creativity and incorporates their own elements and tries to make something unique out of this same theme. So the question remains...Was it done right? Well yes! The cold king definitely delivers.
The cold king, as he is known to his subjects is a powerful immortal king who has been ruling for centuries. His subjects are utterly terrified of him. It all begins when the king makes a summons for a new personal servant and Callie being the town outcast is forced to fill in for the position despite her fear.
Despairing her loss of freedom and terrified of her fate, Callie loathes the king. But life inside the castle walls turns out to be completely unexpected. Her feelings of loathing begin to fade as she realises that the castle is filled with other servants who have all been town rejects but their lives have turned out for the better ever since they have come to the castle. She finds a new found acceptance among this band of misfits. She also begins to harbour tender feelings as she slowly discovers the man beneath the terrible mask.
I tried to keep guessing in vain till the very end about what will ultimately break the curse and I have to say I was very satisfied with the way things turned out. Yes there were things that the king did that were wrong a few times but being a monarch his arrogance is to be expected.
Overall a 4.5 rating... But I'll round it off to 5 stars as I liked a book a lot!
July 12, 2013
I have to say, I LOVED this book. I got this book as a free kindle purchase, and I wasn't expecting it to be that great. In fact, I was just hoping I would be able to read it through without any annoying frustrations I've been feeling towards YA books lately.
I mean, they all seem to be leaning towards the MC being a self depreciating mary-sue who ends up being in a insta-love and/or love triangle type of situation. The plots are usually strench way behind their means to fit multiple books and there always seem to be a snarky queenbee type antagonist in there.
This book had none of that. With the exception of the MC being a little self depreciating. But at least I understood where she was coming from. She wasn't this beautiful girl who thought she was ugly. She had an unhealthy look based on her life and it didn't help the way she was treated.
The MC grew into her own person, the romance actually DEVELOPED, and the story developed. It didn't just happen over night.
This was an amazing retelling of Beauty & the Beast and I'm glad that I actually give it chance.
I mean, they all seem to be leaning towards the MC being a self depreciating mary-sue who ends up being in a insta-love and/or love triangle type of situation. The plots are usually strench way behind their means to fit multiple books and there always seem to be a snarky queenbee type antagonist in there.
This book had none of that. With the exception of the MC being a little self depreciating. But at least I understood where she was coming from. She wasn't this beautiful girl who thought she was ugly. She had an unhealthy look based on her life and it didn't help the way she was treated.
The MC grew into her own person, the romance actually DEVELOPED, and the story developed. It didn't just happen over night.
This was an amazing retelling of Beauty & the Beast and I'm glad that I actually give it chance.
June 29, 2013
By the end of this story I was so disappointed and angry that I couldn't form words. Before I enumerate what happened to make me so unhappy let me discuss the few things I liked.
I enjoyed reading about Calia at first. She doesn't let herself break down under her mother's indifference (or the calculated cruelty), she cares about others without being obnoxious and she's not annoying. Which is important to say now because this changes.
Meanwhile the Cold King, Valenka, isn't all that bad at first. He isn't cruel, doesn't abuse his servants or demand much of anything beyond 'Do what I say' and loyalty. Tossing his servants into a cold dungeon room until he feels they aren't going to run away is perhaps a tad bit much, but he has his own insecurities and paranoia so its not that bad (at first).
I liked watching the friendship grow between Calia and Valenka. While I thought her stubborn refusal to understand that her stubbornness was really what was holding her back from what she wanted (freedom to do as she pleases pretty much), was grating on the nerves it didn't detract from the fact the two had a warm bond. The secondary characters were all very interesting as well. They had distinct personalities for the most part (Cato and Jos, the cook and house "maid", sometimes felt similar though) and gave a good counterpoise to Calia's previous life.
Things were moving along nicely, if predictably given the fairy tale this is based on. I was in a warm happy place when it all rocketed downhill faster then I could blink.
In short order Valenka goes from fairly Princely with some minor anger problems to a Grade A Creep:
-- he locks her in a dungeon cell, in the dead of winter, without a blanket, water or food. The window is open and she nearly dies. All because she told him a pregnant woman shouldn't be locked up like that.
-- he accuses her of lying about being nearly raped by two guys, of injuring herself and making it all up to trap him into revealing his secrets
Calia meanwhile forgives him, after some harsh words and bitchy comments that he should have believed her, then keeps tossing a snit because he's afraid to walk around without his mask on. Thereby proving she hasn't learned a thing about why he acts the way he does. And then true love saves the day because god help us if it didn't.
Honestly by the end I didn't think either of them deserved love. His servants all deserved happiness, which they all got because they were all STAND UP fellows (even Jos by the end), but Calia and Valenka didn't grow as a couple. After what Valenka did I just could not buy the romance anymore. He shouldn't have needed his entire staff telling him that Calia wasn't lying in order to believe her. Nor should he have let his rage get to the point where he ignored the fact he tossed her into a life threatening situation.
Calia, for all the backbone she grew facing off against her mother finally, should have stood up for herself more. She shouldn't have relented. I think its problematic whenever a heroine says to her supposed love interest 'be the man I want you to be'. (to be more specific she says "the man I thought you were"). His acceptance of what he was, her expectations of him and them growing as a couple shouldn't been jammed into the last few chapters. It never felt as if Valenka accepted himself, it felt like he was doing it to please Calia.
I enjoyed reading about Calia at first. She doesn't let herself break down under her mother's indifference (or the calculated cruelty), she cares about others without being obnoxious and she's not annoying. Which is important to say now because this changes.
Meanwhile the Cold King, Valenka, isn't all that bad at first. He isn't cruel, doesn't abuse his servants or demand much of anything beyond 'Do what I say' and loyalty. Tossing his servants into a cold dungeon room until he feels they aren't going to run away is perhaps a tad bit much, but he has his own insecurities and paranoia so its not that bad (at first).
I liked watching the friendship grow between Calia and Valenka. While I thought her stubborn refusal to understand that her stubbornness was really what was holding her back from what she wanted (freedom to do as she pleases pretty much), was grating on the nerves it didn't detract from the fact the two had a warm bond. The secondary characters were all very interesting as well. They had distinct personalities for the most part (Cato and Jos, the cook and house "maid", sometimes felt similar though) and gave a good counterpoise to Calia's previous life.
Things were moving along nicely, if predictably given the fairy tale this is based on. I was in a warm happy place when it all rocketed downhill faster then I could blink.
In short order Valenka goes from fairly Princely with some minor anger problems to a Grade A Creep:
-- he locks her in a dungeon cell, in the dead of winter, without a blanket, water or food. The window is open and she nearly dies. All because she told him a pregnant woman shouldn't be locked up like that.
-- he accuses her of lying about being nearly raped by two guys, of injuring herself and making it all up to trap him into revealing his secrets
Calia meanwhile forgives him, after some harsh words and bitchy comments that he should have believed her, then keeps tossing a snit because he's afraid to walk around without his mask on. Thereby proving she hasn't learned a thing about why he acts the way he does. And then true love saves the day because god help us if it didn't.
Honestly by the end I didn't think either of them deserved love. His servants all deserved happiness, which they all got because they were all STAND UP fellows (even Jos by the end), but Calia and Valenka didn't grow as a couple. After what Valenka did I just could not buy the romance anymore. He shouldn't have needed his entire staff telling him that Calia wasn't lying in order to believe her. Nor should he have let his rage get to the point where he ignored the fact he tossed her into a life threatening situation.
Calia, for all the backbone she grew facing off against her mother finally, should have stood up for herself more. She shouldn't have relented. I think its problematic whenever a heroine says to her supposed love interest 'be the man I want you to be'. (to be more specific she says "the man I thought you were"). His acceptance of what he was, her expectations of him and them growing as a couple shouldn't been jammed into the last few chapters. It never felt as if Valenka accepted himself, it felt like he was doing it to please Calia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2015
How did this book get so many good reviews? It's AWFUL, like something you jot out in junior high or Creative Writing class for the amusement of your friends.
It's patently obvious the author hasn't an inkling about how things are done in a castle, something that anyone should know after one episode of Downton Abbey, or three old romance novels. First, personal assistants to men are never women, it JUST WASN'T DONE. But there seems to be a lot of gender role nonconformity going on in this castle, which would have been nice to have been shown in the beginning. Since this wasn't done, I really had to struggle with the concept of a female valet to a king for a long time.
Also, you can have a magic castle with almost no servants, or a real one with tons of servants, or you can have an unholy mess. What you can NOT have is a non-magical castle run by less than ten servants. There are reasons why your personal attendant isn't the one who cleans your fireplace...hell, even the regular maid didn't generally clean out the fireplace because that girl was usually black from head to toe. It was considered one of the lowest entry positions, and you would work your way up to being a regular maid. Having her do the fireplace in the middle of the afternoon...has this author ever cleaned out a fireplace?
Why is the king doing so much physical labor? What's the point of even having servants if you are doing so much of the work? Why is he carrying trays and/or buckets? I get not trying to make things hard on one's servants, but the reason servants exist is so that kings can get on with ruling. Making judgements, defending the borders, settling disputes between their lord's squabbles, etc. I don't vacuum for my maid and the CEO doesn't make his secretary coffee. KINGS DON'T CARRY STUFF, especially not trays and buckets, I don't care if they do happen to be going that way. If they are, they make a servant carry the tray and/or bucket while following them.
Why did they go down to the town for a new stablemaster rather than promoting someone already in the stable (the answer being that apparently the royal stable only has one person running it). In "real" life, they get a new stable hand, and then promote one of the grooms. This book makes it seem that you only need one of every job, one maid for a whole castle, a stable run by one "stable master" (master of what?), one cook in the kitchen (guess you don't need scullery maids if you are only cooking for ten or less), and a butler to oversee...meh? I guess the butler just opens the door because there don't seem to be any footmen underfoot, let alone the rest of the staff.
Who uses the title "my king"? That's borders on the profoundly intimate. Someone watched Coming to America too many times and thinks "yes, my prince" is an acceptable form of address. Depending on where you are, a king might be "your Highness", "your Excellency", and possibly "Supremacy" or "Exalted", but in at least one instance in the book the main character actually switches and says "my lord" instead. *facepalm* IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LORD AND A KING, PLEASE WRITE CONTEMPORARY STUFF THAT IS DEVOID OF NOBILITY.
The dialogue was wooden and a bit too expository (again, shades of beginner or at least first draft writing), the romance meh (he's a douche, he remains a douche, but oh how I love him) and not that well shown. All sizzle is lacking. The characters are totally flat and there is no character development. The good characters stay good, the bad characters are totally bad, and that's it. The writing style itself is simply okay, but doesn't make up for all the fatal flaws in the setup of the story.
It's patently obvious the author hasn't an inkling about how things are done in a castle, something that anyone should know after one episode of Downton Abbey, or three old romance novels. First, personal assistants to men are never women, it JUST WASN'T DONE. But there seems to be a lot of gender role nonconformity going on in this castle, which would have been nice to have been shown in the beginning. Since this wasn't done, I really had to struggle with the concept of a female valet to a king for a long time.
Also, you can have a magic castle with almost no servants, or a real one with tons of servants, or you can have an unholy mess. What you can NOT have is a non-magical castle run by less than ten servants. There are reasons why your personal attendant isn't the one who cleans your fireplace...hell, even the regular maid didn't generally clean out the fireplace because that girl was usually black from head to toe. It was considered one of the lowest entry positions, and you would work your way up to being a regular maid. Having her do the fireplace in the middle of the afternoon...has this author ever cleaned out a fireplace?
Why is the king doing so much physical labor? What's the point of even having servants if you are doing so much of the work? Why is he carrying trays and/or buckets? I get not trying to make things hard on one's servants, but the reason servants exist is so that kings can get on with ruling. Making judgements, defending the borders, settling disputes between their lord's squabbles, etc. I don't vacuum for my maid and the CEO doesn't make his secretary coffee. KINGS DON'T CARRY STUFF, especially not trays and buckets, I don't care if they do happen to be going that way. If they are, they make a servant carry the tray and/or bucket while following them.
Why did they go down to the town for a new stablemaster rather than promoting someone already in the stable (the answer being that apparently the royal stable only has one person running it). In "real" life, they get a new stable hand, and then promote one of the grooms. This book makes it seem that you only need one of every job, one maid for a whole castle, a stable run by one "stable master" (master of what?), one cook in the kitchen (guess you don't need scullery maids if you are only cooking for ten or less), and a butler to oversee...meh? I guess the butler just opens the door because there don't seem to be any footmen underfoot, let alone the rest of the staff.
Who uses the title "my king"? That's borders on the profoundly intimate. Someone watched Coming to America too many times and thinks "yes, my prince" is an acceptable form of address. Depending on where you are, a king might be "your Highness", "your Excellency", and possibly "Supremacy" or "Exalted", but in at least one instance in the book the main character actually switches and says "my lord" instead. *facepalm* IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LORD AND A KING, PLEASE WRITE CONTEMPORARY STUFF THAT IS DEVOID OF NOBILITY.
The dialogue was wooden and a bit too expository (again, shades of beginner or at least first draft writing), the romance meh (he's a douche, he remains a douche, but oh how I love him) and not that well shown. All sizzle is lacking. The characters are totally flat and there is no character development. The good characters stay good, the bad characters are totally bad, and that's it. The writing style itself is simply okay, but doesn't make up for all the fatal flaws in the setup of the story.
March 12, 2018
This was a fun twist on the Beauty and the Beast retelling! It almost like a Cinderella/ Beauty and the Beast mash up!
I liked how there is this kingdom and with is comes the cursed king/beast, they are aware of their king and are terrified of him. When the king is in need of a servant or whatever to work with him in his castle he comes down to the town and makes the town pick who they want to send to him, very rarely does someone volunteer. His face is constantly covered with a mask made with precious jewels. The town is terrified of him, but they also love him because they keep them safe from war and famine.
This story starts out with a Cinderella feel to it as Calia our main character is her own mother's slave, she does everything, but she's told she is ugly and unwanted. As a mother myself I was angry on Calia's behalf! But Calia loves her mother and her sisters and does everything she is asked.
When the king comes to town demanding a new personal servant Calia is thrown to the wolves because she is told she is ugly, unloved, unwanted, and will never get married because nobody wants her.
When Calia arrives she is immediately thrown into the dungeon to help ease her into her new life as she is to never see her family again. For days she is kept there until the king feels that she is ready to begin her new life with him as his personal servant.
I enjoyed story and the character development of Calia as she goes from ragged peasant to polished servant. I enjoyed the other characters found at the castle.
The biggest complaint I have with this story is when two very serious events happen against Calia, she runs back and in a matter of hours is able to forgive and forget... duuuude I'm like...what????? oh nay nay I say!
Other than that I loved it and it was wonderful!
Sexual Content: moderate
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild
Violence: moderate
I liked how there is this kingdom and with is comes the cursed king/beast, they are aware of their king and are terrified of him. When the king is in need of a servant or whatever to work with him in his castle he comes down to the town and makes the town pick who they want to send to him, very rarely does someone volunteer. His face is constantly covered with a mask made with precious jewels. The town is terrified of him, but they also love him because they keep them safe from war and famine.
This story starts out with a Cinderella feel to it as Calia our main character is her own mother's slave, she does everything, but she's told she is ugly and unwanted. As a mother myself I was angry on Calia's behalf! But Calia loves her mother and her sisters and does everything she is asked.
When the king comes to town demanding a new personal servant Calia is thrown to the wolves because she is told she is ugly, unloved, unwanted, and will never get married because nobody wants her.
When Calia arrives she is immediately thrown into the dungeon to help ease her into her new life as she is to never see her family again. For days she is kept there until the king feels that she is ready to begin her new life with him as his personal servant.
I enjoyed story and the character development of Calia as she goes from ragged peasant to polished servant. I enjoyed the other characters found at the castle.
The biggest complaint I have with this story is when two very serious events happen against Calia, she runs back and in a matter of hours is able to forgive and forget... duuuude I'm like...what????? oh nay nay I say!
Other than that I loved it and it was wonderful!
Sexual Content: moderate
Language: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild
Violence: moderate
March 23, 2013
5 Stars for a wonderful novel!
I admit that my rating may be a bit biased since I'm a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast spin offs, but Amber Jaeger truly did a fantastic job creating her own unique twist on Beauty and the Beast. While I haven't read every single spin off of this fairy tale that's been published to this day, I have read many and I can say that there are very few that I have enjoyed as much as this. While I do love Disney fairytales, I like that this story doesn't hold back on the cruelty and violence aspect. The Cold King is by far the most cruel version of the Beast that I've ever read and Calia is certainly not your typical Belle.
I felt a lot of sympathy for Calia as her family rings true to the synopsis of this story---they don't care about her. In fact, no one cares about her to the point that they volunteered her to be the King's personalslave servant. I absolutely hated her mother as well since she was pretty much the epitome of the typical evil mother that you oh so desperately hate.
If you break down the structure of the story into it's simplest form, it's basically your average Beauty and the Beast story (i.e. a girl trapped in a castle by an evil guy, there's a curse, etc.). However, once you add in Amber Jaeger's characters and plot twists it's a wonderful story that stands on its own. The romance is there that's not strictly a fairytale love, but once that does show the truly complex side of it. There's also a tiny bit of comedy here and there which I thoroughly enjoyed! I also liked that the ending wasn't the flawless happy ending. Overall, I'd say whether or not you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, you should definitely check this book out. It's worth the read if you love struggling heroines, the raw, gritty aspects of reality, and a classic love story that's been reshaped into something new.
I admit that my rating may be a bit biased since I'm a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast spin offs, but Amber Jaeger truly did a fantastic job creating her own unique twist on Beauty and the Beast. While I haven't read every single spin off of this fairy tale that's been published to this day, I have read many and I can say that there are very few that I have enjoyed as much as this. While I do love Disney fairytales, I like that this story doesn't hold back on the cruelty and violence aspect. The Cold King is by far the most cruel version of the Beast that I've ever read and Calia is certainly not your typical Belle.
I felt a lot of sympathy for Calia as her family rings true to the synopsis of this story---they don't care about her. In fact, no one cares about her to the point that they volunteered her to be the King's personal
If you break down the structure of the story into it's simplest form, it's basically your average Beauty and the Beast story (i.e. a girl trapped in a castle by an evil guy, there's a curse, etc.). However, once you add in Amber Jaeger's characters and plot twists it's a wonderful story that stands on its own. The romance is there that's not strictly a fairytale love, but once that does show the truly complex side of it. There's also a tiny bit of comedy here and there which I thoroughly enjoyed! I also liked that the ending wasn't the flawless happy ending. Overall, I'd say whether or not you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, you should definitely check this book out. It's worth the read if you love struggling heroines, the raw, gritty aspects of reality, and a classic love story that's been reshaped into something new.
November 19, 2019
One of the best reselling I've ever read.
July 3, 2013
Love, love, love this book! It was so captivating and wonderfully written.
The main character, Calia Thorn, has lived a hard life. Growing up in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain, without the affection of her own family, Calia doesn't know of love. All she does, day in and day out, is clean up after her horrid mother and sisters. But all that changes when the Cold King, the King that ensures her towns safety, comes to announce he was looking for a new personal assistant. Calia is curious about the Cold King, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that the people in her town would pick her to work for the king. Even her own mother votes for her to go, saying that she has no future and nobody would want to marry her. The Cold King has lived hundreds of years cursed, by his own father no less. Seeing no hope or happiness in the future for his life, he has keep himself aloof, remote, and most importantly, cold. But then Calia appears into his life as his new servant, testing him in ways he never was before. Can the Cold King learn to love? Will Calia finally find somewhere where she is wanted, cherished,and loved? Can Calia and The Cold King find their happily ever after together?
What I loved about this story was it was not like any other books you ever read. It was captivating, entertaining, and brilliant. I read this book in about 6 hours. You know that a book is good when you can't stop reading it. It was definitely a page turner! Also, how cool is it that this book is a retelling for the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast? I absolutely love Beauty and the Beast!! I had high expectations for this book, and I wasn't let down. The characters were beautifully written and I love the Cold King and Calia's character's. I will admit that I cried a lot throughout this book. The raw emotions portrayed in this book were powerful! I love when a book can make me feel all kinds of emotions. I adore this book, and will definitely reread this book in the future! I recommend this book to everyone! Love this book!
The main character, Calia Thorn, has lived a hard life. Growing up in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain, without the affection of her own family, Calia doesn't know of love. All she does, day in and day out, is clean up after her horrid mother and sisters. But all that changes when the Cold King, the King that ensures her towns safety, comes to announce he was looking for a new personal assistant. Calia is curious about the Cold King, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that the people in her town would pick her to work for the king. Even her own mother votes for her to go, saying that she has no future and nobody would want to marry her. The Cold King has lived hundreds of years cursed, by his own father no less. Seeing no hope or happiness in the future for his life, he has keep himself aloof, remote, and most importantly, cold. But then Calia appears into his life as his new servant, testing him in ways he never was before. Can the Cold King learn to love? Will Calia finally find somewhere where she is wanted, cherished,and loved? Can Calia and The Cold King find their happily ever after together?
What I loved about this story was it was not like any other books you ever read. It was captivating, entertaining, and brilliant. I read this book in about 6 hours. You know that a book is good when you can't stop reading it. It was definitely a page turner! Also, how cool is it that this book is a retelling for the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast? I absolutely love Beauty and the Beast!! I had high expectations for this book, and I wasn't let down. The characters were beautifully written and I love the Cold King and Calia's character's. I will admit that I cried a lot throughout this book. The raw emotions portrayed in this book were powerful! I love when a book can make me feel all kinds of emotions. I adore this book, and will definitely reread this book in the future! I recommend this book to everyone! Love this book!
August 4, 2017
2.5 stars
Definitely not the best Beauty and the Beast retelling out there. The king was a jerk. Most of the time his bad attitude was mild, but when it was bad it was really bad. He locked her up twice, almost killed her once, and sent her off with a good possibility that she would be abused and raped. By the end I didn't feel like he was love interest material. Maybe I would have liked him better if he had groveled more.
Calia cried a lot which was understandable, but I didn't really get why her feelings changed about her captivity. What did the king see in her? She wasn't special or interesting. The only thing she did was voice her opinion a few times when he didn't want it. I seriously doubt in all the time he'd been cursed that she was the first to do that.
Definitely not the best Beauty and the Beast retelling out there. The king was a jerk. Most of the time his bad attitude was mild, but when it was bad it was really bad. He locked her up twice, almost killed her once, and sent her off with a good possibility that she would be abused and raped. By the end I didn't feel like he was love interest material. Maybe I would have liked him better if he had groveled more.
Calia cried a lot which was understandable, but I didn't really get why her feelings changed about her captivity. What did the king see in her? She wasn't special or interesting. The only thing she did was voice her opinion a few times when he didn't want it. I seriously doubt in all the time he'd been cursed that she was the first to do that.
July 21, 2014
My kind of fairytale
What a unique and beautiful journey. I fell in love with this story and all of the characters. While it felt more geared towards young adults (no sex etc) it never once felt juvenile. I look forward to checking out more of this writer's work.
What a unique and beautiful journey. I fell in love with this story and all of the characters. While it felt more geared towards young adults (no sex etc) it never once felt juvenile. I look forward to checking out more of this writer's work.
July 21, 2016
Okies, it was good. Typos! Viscous instead of vacuous and other amusing ones. At times it ran shallow and all-too-pat also, had a really hard time sympathizing with the male lead. Still decent enough to read but the trailing, niggling threads are bothersome~~
November 13, 2017
I️ love these stories but this one was a snooze. I️ could not warm up to the hero. It felt like it was going in circles. You may love it. I️ was excited to read this and I️ love cruel and tortured heroes but they have to have some redeeming qualities at some point.
The heroine was mediocre too.
The heroine was mediocre too.
October 29, 2014
2.5 stars.
It was a fairly decent retelling of Beauty and the Beast (with some odd Cinderella bits thrown in for good measure), but it wasn't without a fair amount of problems that ultimately left me dissatisfied at the end.
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It was a fairly decent retelling of Beauty and the Beast (with some odd Cinderella bits thrown in for good measure), but it wasn't without a fair amount of problems that ultimately left me dissatisfied at the end.
.
April 30, 2015
I started reading this book because it looked like an unusual twist on classic fairy tale but I finished the book feeling disappointed.
From the blurb I'd thought Calia would be feisty and headstrong but she didn't really challenge the Cold king, Valanka instead she complained to herself,and then did what Valanka wanted.
The character of Valanka was difficult to grasp because his reputation is meant to be "cold" and ruthless but he eats with Calia whilst she is imprisoned, brings her food to her and tolerates her poor excuse for insolence all within moments of meeting her. Jaeger also did not address the idea of the magic that she introduced which left me a bit disappointed.
I know I go on about editing but it can be really distracting when is happens a lot; and in this book it happens a lot.
I gave The Cold King two stars because it delivered tale with promise but not enough follow through. I think some more real conflict between two strong emotional characters would make it a more enjoyable read.
June 7, 2013
This is not my type of book. To be honest I'm surprised I finished it. I had too many issues with Calia and the King's relationship. I'm not a fan of Dom/Sub much less master/slave.
If you like fairy tales and master/slave relationships this book is for you.
If you like fairy tales and master/slave relationships this book is for you.
June 24, 2017
I finished this in one sitting. There was something captivating about this booking, idk what exactly. Plus, I needed a short read and this was good enough, if not great. I wonder if I would have liked it had I read it some other time...
The idea of masks and burns was excellent. Some scenes of romance were interesting too. It was a short book but story was excellently developed.
There were things that I did not like. First of all, Calia, the MC was crying all the time... She was too timid. Also her opinions changed quickly, a lot of times. And well, Cold king had bit of bipolar personality... sometimes this and sometimes that. However, we come to know later he's insecure. There were stereotypical stuff too which made me roll my eyes 😒
The idea of masks and burns was excellent. Some scenes of romance were interesting too. It was a short book but story was excellently developed.
There were things that I did not like. First of all, Calia, the MC was crying all the time... She was too timid. Also her opinions changed quickly, a lot of times. And well, Cold king had bit of bipolar personality... sometimes this and sometimes that. However, we come to know later he's insecure. There were stereotypical stuff too which made me roll my eyes 😒
June 4, 2013
I picked this book to review due mainly to this sentence from its blurb which caught my attention: “…not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every beauty is a maiden just waiting for love.” Seriously, who wouldn’t want to read this book after just that line? I couldn't wait to get my eyes all over this one! I picked this book to review due mainly to this sentence from its blurb which caught my attention:
The heroine, Calia, is a cross between Beauty and Cinderella – she’s a slave to her family and treated poorly by her entire village. She is resigned to a life of drudgery and mistreatment as her own self-esteem is understandably not very high. This changes when the Cold King, ruler of their village comes down from his castle to request a servant from among the townsfolk. Providing people to serve the King, a lifetime sentence for the chosen few, is the price the villagers pay for the privilege of the King’s protection. Calia, unwanted & unloved, is selected to be his newest servant/slave.
Calia is a strong heroine who doesn’t whine and plead to be rescued. She doesn't let her feelings control her and the situations she finds herself in, no matter how horrible they may be. She is honest & forthright with the King, including telling him about her feelings. This is a notable change from the usual formula where the heroine & hero are supposed to be in love but never talk about their feelings leading to all kinds of “zany misunderstandings” and friction between them. Amber Jaeger writes mainly from Calia’s point of view and it was very enjoyable to follow her transformation from a supposedly worthless wretch to a woman who knows she is intelligent and capable, not to mention brave. Calia was a well written character with depth, not at all one dimensional or pathetic - think Katniss, not Bella!
The Cold King, Valanka, is more of a two dimensional character to me which makes him less interesting/sympathetic. Where Calia blooms throughout the story, in many ways he remains frozen and stuck in his long-lived rut. He is the forbidding stranger; the cold, unfeeling “beast” that when we meet him was cursed to an immortal life and who tells Calia, “I may be a good King but I am a terrible man.” This changes as we learn of Valanka’s past but he remains rather two-dimensional when compared to our heroine, unfortunately.
I really enjoyed this story!
It wasn’t without its flaws but overall, it caught my attention and kept it from start to finish which is all I really ask from my fantasy reading. This book is, as promised, a somewhat darker re-telling of The Beauty and The Beast fairy tale featuring a couple of situations that are definitely not suited to younger readers so keep that in mind if you share your Kindle. The story felt a little rushed as it drew to a close after taking its time getting established but that was a minor issue as far as I was concerned. The Cold King is a fun, quick read at just 188 pages and has me wondering if we will see some more re-imagined fairy tales coming our way from Amber Jaeger, I definitely look forward to reading them!!!
The heroine, Calia, is a cross between Beauty and Cinderella – she’s a slave to her family and treated poorly by her entire village. She is resigned to a life of drudgery and mistreatment as her own self-esteem is understandably not very high. This changes when the Cold King, ruler of their village comes down from his castle to request a servant from among the townsfolk. Providing people to serve the King, a lifetime sentence for the chosen few, is the price the villagers pay for the privilege of the King’s protection. Calia, unwanted & unloved, is selected to be his newest servant/slave.
Calia is a strong heroine who doesn’t whine and plead to be rescued. She doesn't let her feelings control her and the situations she finds herself in, no matter how horrible they may be. She is honest & forthright with the King, including telling him about her feelings. This is a notable change from the usual formula where the heroine & hero are supposed to be in love but never talk about their feelings leading to all kinds of “zany misunderstandings” and friction between them. Amber Jaeger writes mainly from Calia’s point of view and it was very enjoyable to follow her transformation from a supposedly worthless wretch to a woman who knows she is intelligent and capable, not to mention brave. Calia was a well written character with depth, not at all one dimensional or pathetic - think Katniss, not Bella!
The Cold King, Valanka, is more of a two dimensional character to me which makes him less interesting/sympathetic. Where Calia blooms throughout the story, in many ways he remains frozen and stuck in his long-lived rut. He is the forbidding stranger; the cold, unfeeling “beast” that when we meet him was cursed to an immortal life and who tells Calia, “I may be a good King but I am a terrible man.” This changes as we learn of Valanka’s past but he remains rather two-dimensional when compared to our heroine, unfortunately.
I really enjoyed this story!
It wasn’t without its flaws but overall, it caught my attention and kept it from start to finish which is all I really ask from my fantasy reading. This book is, as promised, a somewhat darker re-telling of The Beauty and The Beast fairy tale featuring a couple of situations that are definitely not suited to younger readers so keep that in mind if you share your Kindle. The story felt a little rushed as it drew to a close after taking its time getting established but that was a minor issue as far as I was concerned. The Cold King is a fun, quick read at just 188 pages and has me wondering if we will see some more re-imagined fairy tales coming our way from Amber Jaeger, I definitely look forward to reading them!!!
May 28, 2014
I did enjoy the story and I did have to know what happened, so that would suggest that the book was good. And it was . Despite frequent instances of key words being missed out of sentences, it was well written. I've already downloaded the Fire King to read. There were however, a few bugbears for me with this.
The most realistic characters were the servants. They had layers and dimensions. A nice touch in a Beauty and the Beast retelling where they are often relegated to being invisible or even literally furniture (thank you Disney!)
On the whole I liked the two MCs. But they didn't so much have fatal flaws as desperately need therapy and then we'll see if you can finish the story flaws.
Calia bugged me by crying over EVERYTHING. It was literally her first response. And she is neither stupid, nor unfeeling or unkind. Her constant sense if inferiority was grating and while I am glad she found her gumption and started standing up for herself, I feel it should have happened much earlier.
The King was intriguing. I like the mask idea and I can see that 300 years of lonely immortality might make you lose touch with your humanity. However I couldn't get around his need for his servants to develop Stockholm syndrome before they were considered loyal. He was also vain, self obsessed and occasionally cruel. This was only just balanced by his usually clear judgement and kindness.
Perhaps the really clever touch, whether intentional on the author's part or not, was the way in which these two characters strengthened and brought out the best in each other, stopping either of them from becoming fundamentally unlikeable.
Anyway there's plenty of (at times inexplicable) action. Some fun moments - usually with the servants - and ultimately a satisfying ending.
3.5 stars and a must read for Beauty and the beast fans.
The most realistic characters were the servants. They had layers and dimensions. A nice touch in a Beauty and the Beast retelling where they are often relegated to being invisible or even literally furniture (thank you Disney!)
On the whole I liked the two MCs. But they didn't so much have fatal flaws as desperately need therapy and then we'll see if you can finish the story flaws.
Calia bugged me by crying over EVERYTHING. It was literally her first response. And she is neither stupid, nor unfeeling or unkind. Her constant sense if inferiority was grating and while I am glad she found her gumption and started standing up for herself, I feel it should have happened much earlier.
The King was intriguing. I like the mask idea and I can see that 300 years of lonely immortality might make you lose touch with your humanity. However I couldn't get around his need for his servants to develop Stockholm syndrome before they were considered loyal. He was also vain, self obsessed and occasionally cruel. This was only just balanced by his usually clear judgement and kindness.
Perhaps the really clever touch, whether intentional on the author's part or not, was the way in which these two characters strengthened and brought out the best in each other, stopping either of them from becoming fundamentally unlikeable.
Anyway there's plenty of (at times inexplicable) action. Some fun moments - usually with the servants - and ultimately a satisfying ending.
3.5 stars and a must read for Beauty and the beast fans.
May 27, 2015
For a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, where an ogre of a king has lived for 300 years and is so scary that he must demand a servant of the townspeople, this novel was very.....staid. It must be magic if a 300-year-old man can sit day after day at his desk taking care of kingdom business and still have the body of a young god. Most of the book is consumed by the Cold King turning Calia into a good and dutiful servant, which is not exactly high adventure. In the case of The Cold King, this mentoring isn't even enacted with high emotion. Calia matures during the book, as she eases into her role and becomes comfortable with the fearsome king. As isolated as he is, he needs someone trustworthy and perceptive.
Pieces of the various Beauty and the Beast tales make an appearance in The Cold King. For example, the other servants in the Cold King's castle are an interesting amalgam of likable and eccentric. There is a rose story-line, but Jaeger blows it in the end by not actually using the symbol of the rose in the relationship between the king and Calia. And, although ideas from various fairy tales are introduced, most lead nowhere. I read a digitally-interactive book once where the reader could make a choice for the main character, and the plot moved in a direction based on that choice. The author set up a lot of proverbial doors to choose from in this story that could have lead to battle or intrigue or jealousy or despair. The king chose the spoiled brat door, which created a reality for Calia that was pretty awful. She was the teenager, and he was the 300-year-old Cold King, so that was a pretty disappointing direction for the story.
Finally, the story ends very abruptly with no epilogue. Readers deserved to witness the happily-ever-after.
Pieces of the various Beauty and the Beast tales make an appearance in The Cold King. For example, the other servants in the Cold King's castle are an interesting amalgam of likable and eccentric. There is a rose story-line, but Jaeger blows it in the end by not actually using the symbol of the rose in the relationship between the king and Calia. And, although ideas from various fairy tales are introduced, most lead nowhere. I read a digitally-interactive book once where the reader could make a choice for the main character, and the plot moved in a direction based on that choice. The author set up a lot of proverbial doors to choose from in this story that could have lead to battle or intrigue or jealousy or despair. The king chose the spoiled brat door, which created a reality for Calia that was pretty awful. She was the teenager, and he was the 300-year-old Cold King, so that was a pretty disappointing direction for the story.
Finally, the story ends very abruptly with no epilogue. Readers deserved to witness the happily-ever-after.
March 15, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In reading the description of the book, it is touted as being a "dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast". And while I did see the ties to the age old fairy-tale, I really felt like Amber took the story and made it her own. Amber Jaeger really did knock it out of the park with this story.
Calia Thorne is an awesome heroine in this story!! Stuck in a family that doesn't appreciate her and in a town where nobody has a kind word to say to her, she is "chosen" to become the personal servant of "The Cold King". She's terrified of what's ahead of her...and after meeting the king for only 5 minutes, I started to believe that maybe she SHOULD be terrified. In midst of all of the fears, Calia rises above her awkwardness and becomes a strong-willed and loving servant to "The Cold King".
I have to admit, I hated King Valanka at first. The way he treated Calia especially. He didn't really seem to even acknowledge the rest of his staff which I couldn't decide if that was a mean thing or not. They all seemed to love him though...and it takes Calia some time to understand why the love and respect him as much as they do.
I really loved the supporting cast. Marchello, Abelina, Iago, Klaribel, Cato, and Jos. They all play their important roles in Calia's transition into her new life with the Cold King.
Things take a twist toward the end that I really wasn't expecting....so trust me....keep on reading!!
Definitely enjoyed and I look forward to reading more of what Amber has to offer!!!
Calia Thorne is an awesome heroine in this story!! Stuck in a family that doesn't appreciate her and in a town where nobody has a kind word to say to her, she is "chosen" to become the personal servant of "The Cold King". She's terrified of what's ahead of her...and after meeting the king for only 5 minutes, I started to believe that maybe she SHOULD be terrified. In midst of all of the fears, Calia rises above her awkwardness and becomes a strong-willed and loving servant to "The Cold King".
I have to admit, I hated King Valanka at first. The way he treated Calia especially. He didn't really seem to even acknowledge the rest of his staff which I couldn't decide if that was a mean thing or not. They all seemed to love him though...and it takes Calia some time to understand why the love and respect him as much as they do.
I really loved the supporting cast. Marchello, Abelina, Iago, Klaribel, Cato, and Jos. They all play their important roles in Calia's transition into her new life with the Cold King.
Things take a twist toward the end that I really wasn't expecting....so trust me....keep on reading!!
Definitely enjoyed and I look forward to reading more of what Amber has to offer!!!
July 18, 2018
Except the summary, there was not even one good thing about this... "creation". The most spineless, brainless and superficial main character I've encountered in YA, amateur writing and storytelling, that should not have been published at this level. I mean, seriously, I am a big fanfiction lover and I have read fanfics much worthier of publishing. There is zero characterization, zero world building, zero everything that should matter, but instead we get character "development" literally in a few pages (meaning, she finally learns to wash her hair properly and knock on the door, yeah, I'm not kidding), girl on girl hate for no reason whatsoever, oh I'm too mad to list everything wrong with characters, logic and especially Calia's personality, or rather a lack of it. Every two sentences I had to roll my eyes. Making cardboard ridiculous villains out of the whole Calia's family, so that the Cold King or whatever will be seen like a good man, despite pointlessly putting her in a dungeon on a first day, constantly diminishing her and in short, breaking her so that the smallest kindness would seem a privilege, was absolutely disgusting. And Calia is suddenly like, oh yeah, the dungeon where I almost died for no reason, but you know, he thinks it's improper for me to clean his bedchamber, so he lives in dirt for an year, so that I won't be uncomfortable, so like, yeah, he is a total sweetie (seriously, wtf?!!) I deeply regret the time spent on this, ughhh, I can't even call it a book. Stay away.
June 14, 2013
I expected more at the end. It was good and fitting but lacked a certain flair and enough development to actually satisfy my curiosity about their new life as a couple.
I also found confusing how some normal attitudes the king had towards her, actions normal men would have no problem doing, suddenly meant he was in love with her. I didn't actually see the passion. He loved her yes, like I'm guessing he loved his sister, but didn't actually showed to be in love.
His two last romantic acts were things he should have done from the beginning as a true king towards his people. The two brothers were rapists and deserved nothing more than death and so it was not a favour done to her. The freeing of his servants was, again, the act of a just king. He had more than enough to pay them and they were loyal to him anyway. The implication that such actions were the result of his love for her is kind of disappointing...and if that is not the case, then I don't see his passion for her but simply compassion for another human being.
In her case, the love is obvious because she manages to actually forgive him for putting her in a dungeon twice, expel her from the castle when she needed help the most and also forgive him for almost killing her from hypothermia.
I see the development of a romance but not actually the romance. I expected much more. One kiss and a good apology does not make a good romance story. It ended being more drama than anything really and it was a shame.
I also found confusing how some normal attitudes the king had towards her, actions normal men would have no problem doing, suddenly meant he was in love with her. I didn't actually see the passion. He loved her yes, like I'm guessing he loved his sister, but didn't actually showed to be in love.
His two last romantic acts were things he should have done from the beginning as a true king towards his people. The two brothers were rapists and deserved nothing more than death and so it was not a favour done to her. The freeing of his servants was, again, the act of a just king. He had more than enough to pay them and they were loyal to him anyway. The implication that such actions were the result of his love for her is kind of disappointing...and if that is not the case, then I don't see his passion for her but simply compassion for another human being.
In her case, the love is obvious because she manages to actually forgive him for putting her in a dungeon twice, expel her from the castle when she needed help the most and also forgive him for almost killing her from hypothermia.
I see the development of a romance but not actually the romance. I expected much more. One kiss and a good apology does not make a good romance story. It ended being more drama than anything really and it was a shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2013
I've read several Beauty and the Beast retellings and this is one of the better ones. (Are you listening Robin McKinley?) Original enough while still paying homage to the classic. Well done. There were more than a handful of errors both spelling and grammatical but the plot and story were so well-paced and engaging that they didn't detract at all from my enjoyment (although my personal pet peeve was the several uses of "that" when "who" should have been employed)
I felt the rose theme was dropped mid story. It would have been nice for that to pop up somewhere at the end. I think that Calia's character could have been a bit more developed (for a 5-star rating). I feel like the Cold King should have done a bit more groveling for her forgiveness after refusing to save her from the rapists. Because that very much sucked. He should have known after sending her home that he was all she had as protector. His continued insistence that she return to the village that so clearly didn't want her was the height of arrogant, self-aggrandizing cruelty. He needed to beg her forgiveness and earn her trust a bit more outwardly.
Also, I needed to know why that carriage left her in the village. Why did he leave with out her. Seemed out of character.
But, small issues in a mostly shining example of fine YA fiction.
I felt the rose theme was dropped mid story. It would have been nice for that to pop up somewhere at the end. I think that Calia's character could have been a bit more developed (for a 5-star rating). I feel like the Cold King should have done a bit more groveling for her forgiveness after refusing to save her from the rapists. Because that very much sucked. He should have known after sending her home that he was all she had as protector. His continued insistence that she return to the village that so clearly didn't want her was the height of arrogant, self-aggrandizing cruelty. He needed to beg her forgiveness and earn her trust a bit more outwardly.
Also, I needed to know why that carriage left her in the village. Why did he leave with out her. Seemed out of character.
But, small issues in a mostly shining example of fine YA fiction.
July 23, 2016
I am a sucker for the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, from the original French tale to Robin McKinley's masterpiece Beauty to, yes, even the Disney animated "classic." I was immediately drawn to this new interpretation by Amber Jaeger and I was not disappointed.
In this version, we have an ugly duckling, elder daughter, Calia Thorne, whose selfish, narcissistic mother can't wait to send her away to serve the Cold King, the fierce but fair ruler of their village. After a terrifying first few days in the Cold King's castle, Calia begins to settle in to life as the Cold King's personal servant. She learns to sew his shirts, serve his food, and even help hand down justice in his court. Despite the luxuries of her own room, hot baths, beautiful clothes, and plenty to eat, Calia chafes at being a slave. However, her natural outspoken curiosity begins to melt the Cold King's heart, until he makes a fatal mistake when she needs him the most.
All the elements of the original tale are here - cursed nobleman whose horrifying appearance strikes fear into the hearts of men, a bevy of faithful servants, a beautiful, outspoken girl, a rose garden, and naughty townfolk, culminating in the curse being broken by true love and forgiveness.
The writing is fresh, and the story charming. Highly recommended.
In this version, we have an ugly duckling, elder daughter, Calia Thorne, whose selfish, narcissistic mother can't wait to send her away to serve the Cold King, the fierce but fair ruler of their village. After a terrifying first few days in the Cold King's castle, Calia begins to settle in to life as the Cold King's personal servant. She learns to sew his shirts, serve his food, and even help hand down justice in his court. Despite the luxuries of her own room, hot baths, beautiful clothes, and plenty to eat, Calia chafes at being a slave. However, her natural outspoken curiosity begins to melt the Cold King's heart, until he makes a fatal mistake when she needs him the most.
All the elements of the original tale are here - cursed nobleman whose horrifying appearance strikes fear into the hearts of men, a bevy of faithful servants, a beautiful, outspoken girl, a rose garden, and naughty townfolk, culminating in the curse being broken by true love and forgiveness.
The writing is fresh, and the story charming. Highly recommended.
February 19, 2017
This book was very interesting and it pulled me from the beginning. I liked how it was a retelling of beauty and the beast and at the same time it was a separate story in itself.
- I liked the conflict in the hero's actions like he imprisoned her in a dungeon yet he provided her with food and medical treatment.
- The author portrayed the hero correctly he was a scary creep but at the same time he wasn't a stereotype like animalistic or such sorts he looked like a normal man but with hideous masks, and like the heroine I hated the masks.
- I liked how the heroine planted herself in their group and especially with the hero XD
- I wished there were parts with the hero's POV but sadly there wasn't though it was kinda obvious how he felt since knowing her the hideousness of his masks started to decrease XD
- I hated the village people and her mom they were awful.
- I hated when the hero was always paranoid about his face and always thought the heroine's actions were because she wanted to sneak a peek at his face, dude face it ur not that important XD
- I hated how the hero acted toward the heroine when she needed him most even his apology wasn't all that but the heroine seems to have a big heart and all XD
- Loved the ending XD
Overall, *thumbs up*
- I liked the conflict in the hero's actions like he imprisoned her in a dungeon yet he provided her with food and medical treatment.
- The author portrayed the hero correctly he was a scary creep but at the same time he wasn't a stereotype like animalistic or such sorts he looked like a normal man but with hideous masks, and like the heroine I hated the masks.
- I liked how the heroine planted herself in their group and especially with the hero XD
- I wished there were parts with the hero's POV but sadly there wasn't though it was kinda obvious how he felt since knowing her the hideousness of his masks started to decrease XD
- I hated the village people and her mom they were awful.
- I hated when the hero was always paranoid about his face and always thought the heroine's actions were because she wanted to sneak a peek at his face, dude face it ur not that important XD
- I hated how the hero acted toward the heroine when she needed him most even his apology wasn't all that but the heroine seems to have a big heart and all XD
- Loved the ending XD
Overall, *thumbs up*
January 3, 2014
A accidental find
This is an adult Beauty and the Beast with some Phantom of the Opera, but it was creative and original at the same time. I came across it in the free books and it sat there for quite a while. It is not what I usually read so I was skeptical. The beginning almost reminds me of the Hunger games because of the strange town and customs. They pick outcasts and send them to the feared Cold King (he is not who he seems to be). There love evolves and the girl is opinionated and feisty. This is a vague review, but it really was a good book.
This is an adult Beauty and the Beast with some Phantom of the Opera, but it was creative and original at the same time. I came across it in the free books and it sat there for quite a while. It is not what I usually read so I was skeptical. The beginning almost reminds me of the Hunger games because of the strange town and customs. They pick outcasts and send them to the feared Cold King (he is not who he seems to be). There love evolves and the girl is opinionated and feisty. This is a vague review, but it really was a good book.
October 24, 2015
This is another book that had been showing up on my recommendation list. This was surprisingly a good read. This is another retelling of Beauty and the beast. I actually good not stand the Beast/ Cold king for most of the book he was just a jerk. This book did make me cry but I enjoyed the story and I am even going to give The Fire King (another book by this author) a shot. I am looking forward to it!
July 26, 2016
I like the premise and the writing style. The one star is because the so-called hero of this novel should be in (supernatural) jail, not getting a happily ever after with a woman he groomed for abuse and then proceeded to abuse.
I am much more fond of your nasty alpha hero than your average person (hey, I read those ridiculous 1980s romances too much), but not when there is such an imbalance of power and not when the hero is so calculating about his cruelty and domination. No thanks.
I am much more fond of your nasty alpha hero than your average person (hey, I read those ridiculous 1980s romances too much), but not when there is such an imbalance of power and not when the hero is so calculating about his cruelty and domination. No thanks.
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