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Cold Magic

(Spiritwalker #1)

Kate Elliott (Goodreads Author)

3.72 · Rating details · 8,818 ratings · 1,081 reviews

As they approach adulthood, Cat Barahal and her cousin Bee think they understand the society they live in and their place within it. At a select academy they study new airship technologies and the dawning Industrial Revolution, but magical forces still rule. And the cousins are about to discover the full ruthlessness of this rule.

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Paperback, 528 pages

Published September 2nd 2010 by Orbit (first published January 1st 2010)

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Average rating 3.72 ·

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· 8,818 ratings · 1,081 reviews

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Dec 05, 2013 carol. rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: possibly the fans of the Parasol Protectorate series

Shelves: female-lead, paranormal-romance, time-period-fantasy, fantasy

Pretty close to awful. In fairness, I'll admit I'm not a fan of Victorian romances. Didn't think this was one?

Ha.

Here, let me save you some time:

Chapter 1 to 6

Cat misses her dead father, so she reads his expedition journals. Cat is cold because they can’t afford heat in the big, drafty house. She is hungry because she missed breakfast. Cat is cold when she runs to school because she forgot her coat, the one in last season’s style. See Cat’s cousin, Bee, and “best friend” pinch her during lectur ...more

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Dec 07, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, e-version, other-creatures, gods-demons-angels-immortals, unfinished, witches-sorcerers-magic, love-story-romance, a-jerk-is-a-jerk, sequel-no-thank-you, dragons

When I decided to put Cold Magic aside, after 67% of very little pleasure and a lot of struggle, I felt pretty angry and offended. Angry, because reading these 360 pages took a huge effort and did not dole out the tiniest reward. Offended, because the book, written by an author with quite some published writing to show as a proof for her skills, made me question my ability to focus, my ability to absorb and understand what I read and - for a short, shocking minute – the functionality of my Kindl ...more

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Apr 24, 2016 Bradley rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016-shelf, fantasy

First off, I really ought to say that there are a lot of very good aspects to this novel. Some parts, such as the dream of the dragon, the bits with the illusions and the cold steel, and especially the alternate history of Europe right up to the Regency era, with all of the Napoleanic (Camjiata) flavors built right in, even going far back for the world-building to the great empire of Carthage, the Phoenicians.

Like I said, there's a lot to love.

Unfortunately, there's also the bad.

Andevai has got First off, I really ought to say that there are a lot of very good aspects to this novel. Some parts, such as the dream of the dragon, the bits with the illusions and the cold steel, and especially the alternate history of Europe right up to the Regency era, with all of the Napoleanic (Camjiata) flavors built right in, even going far back for the world-building to the great empire of Carthage, the Phoenicians.

Like I said, there's a lot to love.

Unfortunately, there's also the bad.

Andevai has got to be one of the most atrociously horrible character I've ever read. Not only do I learn to hate him right off the bat, but there's almost no good points to latch onto besides a little illusion of Catherine in his hands or the fact that he apparently, grudgingly, did the right thing later in the tale. I did not get the feeling that he was supposed to be Catherine's love interest even if she told us, also grudgingly, that he was handsome. I was not sold. No. Nope. Nada. Nilch. Or zilch if you prefer. However you want to say it, he is No Darcy. I mean... "Oh goodie he loves me, now I can forget that he treated me like crap, repeatedly, hunted me, tried to kill me, was shamed by his family and betrayed his master, albeit for me. Woopie. He did the right thing and seems to hate me for it. Oh, yeah, of course he's my true husband."

Right.

That's just the worst of it, but unfortunately, I also had some problems with the flow of the text. I didn't mind how dense it was, in general, but when I start wondering why we're still in this scene and it seems rather directionless at the beginning and a good handful of times throughout, then I had to put the book down and read something else. I don't like doing that. I rarely ever want to, even.

There's a lot of good promise in the book, though. I just wish it had been written by someone else. Or with better editing. Or maybe a good couple of beta readers that could have sat down and said that a good deal of better foreshadowing might have fixed it or that a slightly less traditional wrap-up to the core story might have been quite, quite welcome after having us work so hard to get through the text.

I dislike being this cruel to a book. Seriously. It's nothing personal. I generally love to read. I just wish I could have loved this one more and not so sporadically. ...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Sarah Mac rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: uber-disappointing, zzz-2011, reviewed, trifecta-of-retard, read-regifted, dnf-rubbish-flounce-goodbye, reviewed-snarky, zzz-departed-fantasy, cover-me-white

A GR friend of mine has a shelf called wtf was this. And as I closed this book for the last time, utterly defeated by the barrage of incomprehensible & unnecessary pseudo-european cultural fantasy-speak, I actually thought what the fuck was this? If I had a shelf with that label, I'd put COLD MAGIC on it.

As much as it pains me (& really, it does; I had high expectations for this one), I'm waving the white flag.

Regardless of my issues with the poorly-developed setting & magical WTFery, I've been ...more

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Sep 11, 2010 Felicia rated it really liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy

I wrote a really long review and somehow it got erased just as I was about to press "post." Is it because it's Monday? Jeeeez.

Ok, AS I WAS SAYING, this book was between 3 and 4 stars for me, but I gave it 4 because at the end of the book I was really satisfied and wanted more. I really really enjoyed Cold Magic, I liked the female protagonist a lot and the mystery behind the book and the politics of the world. Only negative: the world-building slogged down the pace in places though because there ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell marked it as wishlist · review of another edition

Ughhhh I know I shouldn't but this book is only 99 cents so GUESS WHAT I BOUGHT ...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Katie rated it liked it

This book is so FRUSTRATING

I mean, interesting premise: Steampunky alternate Europe in which there is widespread multicultural cross-pollination and ~magic~. Check!

Great characters: Headstrong young lady who has been sadly misinformed about herself for most of her life, and a Harlequin-worthy hatemance with the spoiled Cold Mage she's forced to marry and who is Not All What He Seems. Check!

But on the other hand--

Plot: Hello, yoo-hoo, plot? Where are you? Look at the cover blurb:

"Young Cat Baraha ...more

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May 08, 2011 Alex Fayle rated it it was amazing

Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic is about as slippery as dress shoes on ice. But fortunately without the painful fall.

Why is it slippery? Because it’s (as Elliott describes it) a mashup novel.

When I started reading I decided it was a magic-riddled steampunk novel. Then I decided it was also a political novel (exploring cultural beliefs using an alternate Europe). But no sooner had I decided that when Elliott threw in an “I hate him with all my heart” romance in the best Harlequin tradition. Later, once Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic is about as slippery as dress shoes on ice. But fortunately without the painful fall.

Why is it slippery? Because it’s (as Elliott describes it) a mashup novel.

When I started reading I decided it was a magic-riddled steampunk novel. Then I decided it was also a political novel (exploring cultural beliefs using an alternate Europe). But no sooner had I decided that when Elliott threw in an “I hate him with all my heart” romance in the best Harlequin tradition. Later, once I had accepted the three themes, seemingly for fun, Elliott tossed in a coming-of-age story colored by who-am-I changeling motifs. At this point I was sliding around so much in the various plots that I’m convinced that there are other novels hidden inside Cold Magic that I didn’t see.

In other words, it’s a mess of a novel. Oh and it’s long. Very long. It’s also full of physical detail, whole sections of alternate history lessons and worldbuilding summaries.

It should be a disaster. I shouldn’t have made it past the first addition of complexity. I like my stories simple, plot oriented and on the shorter side. I hate book bloat (yes, looking at you Harry Potter Book 4).

And yet I loved it, so much that I was momentarily angry with Elliott for abandoning me at the end, just as the main character and I were getting some answers.

I’ve heard (can’t remember where) that the twenty-first century’s only original contribution to culture is the mashup (a nice piece of irony that – the only thing new isn’t new at all). If that’s true, then Elliott demonstrates that she’s one of the Mashup Movement’s masters.

Every single thing that she “shouldn’t” have done should have blocked my slide through the book (such as the passages of history stuck into the thoughts of the main character, or the use of description and details that seemed to have nothing to do with the plot), but as I glided along screen after screen I marveled at how well she had done it. Cold Magic is a great example of a book that breaks the rules of conventional fantasy and yet succeeds for the skill with which it’s done.

This isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster hitting us over the head again and again with its action scenes and overarching lesson. It’s a European period piece that lets the reader decide what to get out of the slippery messages the story contains. (Not that it doesn’t have action scenes, because it does aplenty – written with dexterity, of course). ...more

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Sep 06, 2014 Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history, favourites, fantasy-or-paranormal, potential-to-go-big

Review also available @Scaredy Engines End of Line Library

This was such a richly described complex novel that was about a lot of things I'm interested in e.g. culture, mythology and the what ifs in history. This is not a story to be rushed it has to be savored and analysed to get the full experience.

The novel is set in an alternate early 19th century europa that still has fragments of the ice age and magic and the spirit world are real and well known. After the fall of the Roman empire the regi Review also available @Scaredy Engines End of Line Library

This was such a richly described complex novel that was about a lot of things I'm interested in e.g. culture, mythology and the what ifs in history. This is not a story to be rushed it has to be savored and analysed to get the full experience.

The novel is set in an alternate early 19th century europa that still has fragments of the ice age and magic and the spirit world are real and well known. After the fall of the Roman empire the regional princes and nobility ruled their areas but were still influenced by the somewhat regional mage houses who gained power when people from the sahara area were driven from their land by a plague of ghouls that were released when digging too far in the salt mines. These people had sorcerers who led them safely north across the desert to Europa where they met the celtic drua of the north and together they formed the mage houses. There is just too much complex history for me to go into here but I will say the world was richly crafted and described especially the spirit world scenes.

The things I liked were the world building (like I said), the characters and the reveals toward the end. One of the things that intrigued me so was this whole idea of dragons controlling the natural forces of the mortal and spirit worlds by dreaming and shifting in their sleep. I wanted to know more about this ability to "walk the dreams of dragons" and what exactly it meant and it would also be interesting to learn more of Cats heritage and why she has a spirit mantle and what her brother actually is. The idea of the wild hunt was also really interesting as I'm sure I've heard that name before but not known what it is. It turns out the wild hunt kills or carries away those who have drawn the attention of the night or day courts, the courts that rule the spirit world..

The characters were well developed and complex and I loved seeing how they evolved throughout the book. I know she is the MC but I really got on well with Cat. I could really sympathize with her situation when she discovered her whole life was a lie and I liked her quick wits and determination. She is a strong character who will do anything to protect those she loves and survive.

The things I didn't like that much were the slow pacing. I can't really say how but I thought this novel could have moved along faster. There was a lot of descriptions of average things so maybe things could have been edited down a little? The ending also felt a little unbelievable and unclear regarding the mage houses desire to control Bee the girl who walked the dreams of dragons I knew they were guarding her but afterwards the girls went to seek legal help with old friends while also meeting the very man those in power want to stop.

It would seem that everyone powerful on both sides is going to start fighting over the power to get the girls to do their bidding. I really hope this series is not going to turn into political ramble like Golden Son... I really hope this series will focus more on the fantasy side of things and I would really like to know more about the spirit world courts and the dragons...

This is how I envisioned one of the dragons (representing the forces of ice and winter and perhaps cold magic even though the cold mages were said to get their power through the spirit world) after looking at my front cover of this book..

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a really complex alternate history/fantasy book. Anyone who likes rich culture and history along with strong characters would like this but on saying that there is a lot of patience needed with this book due to the pacing and all... ...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Krystle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Re-read Update (6/29/2021): I think reading this book during the summer was a bad idea because it is so hot and this book was set in winter and I couldn't jive with the cold, biting temperatures. I still love the characters of Bee, Cat, and Andevai, and all of their interactions together. That's the best part of the book.

The pacing was a lot slower than I remember and there was much more world building so some of it went over my head. I'm thinking I'll enjoy the next book more (as I did the las ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Paradoxical rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-in-room, 2011-reading-list

The beginning of Cold Magic was both slow and felt rather cumbersome, and while I did not precisely struggle to read it, I was more than ambivalent about it. There are reasons for this. The world building has to begin and the author balances a delicate line between too much detail and exposition and not enough (well, like all fantasy novels). I wouldn't say that it was clumsily done, but it was a little heavy. I found myself at turns confused and then enlightened and then confused once more, but The beginning of Cold Magic was both slow and felt rather cumbersome, and while I did not precisely struggle to read it, I was more than ambivalent about it. There are reasons for this. The world building has to begin and the author balances a delicate line between too much detail and exposition and not enough (well, like all fantasy novels). I wouldn't say that it was clumsily done, but it was a little heavy. I found myself at turns confused and then enlightened and then confused once more, but once all of the preliminary setting is laid out, then the book really hits its stride and I found myself enjoying it.

I found that Cat, the main character, was someone I liked very much. She's a little impulsive and hotheaded, but she does her best to try to temper it without smothering herself. She makes mistakes, but she tries her best in just about impossible conditions, and she does it without going 'woe is me' all of the time. She's a strong character.

But who really interested me (I can't say 'liked', since I like Cat better [I pretty much always like main characters best], but he is fascinating in his own right) was Andevai. What was best about him was the slow progression of his character, that as time went on he became more... not fleshed out, exactly (because that would mean that he was poorly characterized in the beginning), but more familiar to the reader, and so we understood more of what is going on in his mind. You read the book and you understand more about him and it's very skillfully done that you don't get whiplash from 'cold arrogant jerk' to, well, still a cold, arrogant jerk, but someone with more depth to him. It was fascinating seeing him evolve, and learning more about him as Cat learns more about him.

The plot is skillfully done. It races along the pages and you find yourself tense when Cat is, and relaxed when she is (though, yes, that doesn't happen as often as she'd like, heh). The character Rory is great, I feel compelled to give him a great giant squeeze of a hug, and I love the addition that he made. What is perhaps one of the best bits is Cat's relationship with her cousin Beatrice, and how strong it is. They love each other and would do whatever they can to protect each other, and it's a relationship that does not flounder, but only grows stronger.

Overall, a very strong book and I look forward to reading the next. ...more

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May 26, 2016 Lindsay rated it really liked it

In an alternate history Europe an orphaned girl struggles for her family against forces that would use them as political and magical pawns.

The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collap In an alternate history Europe an orphaned girl struggles for her family against forces that would use them as political and magical pawns.

The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collapse so much as retreat. There's also a large population of people of African descent living in Europe because of a historical disaster that overtook the northern part of that continent (a ghoul plague). And of course, multiple sapient races including the owl-like Trolls who are the natives of the North American continent as well as elemental magic.

What this leaves in 1834 in this world is a racially-diverse version of Europe without racism and sexism greatly reduced from what we would think of in this time. (Women soldiers, women in universities, etc). Where there is some pretty extreme sexism, like in the mage society, it's seen as archaic and horrible. Society is also interesting, in that while it is superficially a lot like England in the mid-1800s, it is so with small groups of nobility and mage-houses acting almost feudal but with also a strong merchant class and a quickly rising industrial revolution.

I haven't talked about the magic system or the spirit world. Or the story. That's because the world-building is so dominant; it's basically kitchen-sink work. At every point you're learning more and comparing and contrasting with the history of our own world. It's probably at once the novel's greatest strength and it's biggest problem.

Catherine and Beatrice Hassi Barahal ("Cat" and "Bee") are cousins raised as sisters by Bee's parents because Cat's parents drowned during a river crossing. One day, not long before their majority at 20 a cold mage named turns up at their house and claims ownership of the oldest Barahal daughter, which is Cat. Bee's parents are obviously upset, but they acknowledge his claim and tell her to go with him immediately. Only cold mages are pretty much feared and despised and this one, Andevai, seems to live up to their reputation as cold, aloof and arrogant. But Cat has abilities that no one expects. Which comes in handy, because it turns out that Bee's parents have deliberately given the cold mages the wrong daughter and for them to get the right daughter Cat must first die.

I found the story compelling although not so much as the world-building. What I didn't appreciate so much was what I felt was some really clunky writing. There were numerous paragraphs where I had to reread because of clarity issues and mixed metaphors or just plain poor wording. I wish I'd taken notes on some of them so I could give examples, but frankly, there's a lot of book here and I was more interested on pushing through it.

Despite issues, I had the strong urge to start the next one immediately, so that tells me the things I liked about it far outweighed my problems with it. ...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-fantasy, 2010_release_read, read_2010, top_25_2010_novels

An awesome book that blew me away;

The setting is an ice-age like alt-Earth around the 1800's but with a quite different history, magic houses, but also budding science that the "cold mages" dislike and want suppressed, but the local princes try to protect

The heroine/narrator is Cat (Catherine) of Carthaginian descent - here 2000 years ago Carthage was ruled by queens (called dido's for the famous mythical founder) and Hannibal defeated the Romans at Zama for once, so the two powers fought thems An awesome book that blew me away;

The setting is an ice-age like alt-Earth around the 1800's but with a quite different history, magic houses, but also budding science that the "cold mages" dislike and want suppressed, but the local princes try to protect

The heroine/narrator is Cat (Catherine) of Carthaginian descent - here 2000 years ago Carthage was ruled by queens (called dido's for the famous mythical founder) and Hannibal defeated the Romans at Zama for once, so the two powers fought themselves to a standstill and while the Roman Empire eventually extended over most Europe, North Africa and Spain remained Carthaginian influenced and after the Empire breakup some 1000 years ago, there has been a patchwork of mini-states all over Europe, which now stops at the Baltic ice-sea - there is a great map too

Cat is almost 20 - age of majority - and studies at a college in a Celtic city in Britain at the edge of the sea, city that is a famous trading one and a mixture of all races/nationalities - the headmaster is an Egyptian since they are perceived as "neutral"; Cat lives with her uncle/aunt and cousins of which Beatrice younger by two months is like her twin sister, while her uncle is the head of the local family clan which like many other Carthaginian old trading houses is now somewhat impoverished and acts as spies/mercenaries/enforcers for the powerful and the moneyed

Cat's father who was a famous traveler for the clan and wrote some 50 travel journals drowned with her mother who was a mysterious figure - seemingly an "Amazon" warrior of Belgae origin in the army of a Napoleon like conqueror of Iberian descent that was finally defeated 13 years before by the mages and has been imprisoned on an island; since the local British princes have been the general's fiercest enemies and since Cat's mother deserted to have a family, it is understandable that nobody wants to talk much about her

And then the cold mages come to enforce a "bargain" made with Cat's house many years ago and she will find herself thrown in the unknown...

Great narration, tons of twists and turns - some that you can dimly see, but still think a bit far fetched until they actually happen, and a punch ending that really makes me want the sequel Cold Steel asap

"ice-punk" with magic ...more

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Feb 05, 2017 Stjepan Cobets rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of fantasy

Shelves: fantasy

The book "Cold Magic" leads to a parallel world in Europe, in the world ruled by the Cold magic house and many royal houses. This is the dark world in which human life is worth nothing, and all the inhabitants were slaves or Cold magic house or Ruler. The industrial revolution was in its infancy, but Houses of Cold magicians are hardly conducive to the progress and try to prevent any progress. Therefore, the rebellion led by the Roman legate Camjiata, but after a terrible war and the destruction ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Allison rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-series, potential-re-read, historical-fantasy, favorite-series, coming-of-age, series-i-finished, alternate-history, published-2010s, winter, fantasy

Cold Magic is an alternate history fantasy, but unlike any I’ve read before. It takes place in England in the 1800s - I think, since there isn’t really an England or a Victoria as far I can tell. Some aspects of both Regency and Victorian society are there, including an alternate Industrial Revolution. All of Europe is still frozen in an extended ice age. There are mage houses and princes in conflict with serving classes and technology, and there is just a tiny bit of steampunkishness to it - th Cold Magic is an alternate history fantasy, but unlike any I’ve read before. It takes place in England in the 1800s - I think, since there isn’t really an England or a Victoria as far I can tell. Some aspects of both Regency and Victorian society are there, including an alternate Industrial Revolution. All of Europe is still frozen in an extended ice age. There are mage houses and princes in conflict with serving classes and technology, and there is just a tiny bit of steampunkishness to it - there’s an airship, but that’s about it so far.

There are still Romans running around and Latin is still a spoken language, although their empire was defeated about 800 years earlier. There are also Carthaginians who have become a clan of spies, and a Napolean-like liberator who is imprisoned on an island. A version of America is hinted at - oh, and there are trolls! Trolls are apparently sentient descendants of another species that didn’t die out, just as there are still wooly rhinos in this world. It is fascinating, and also cold. You can really feel the cold.

Honestly, the world-building was one of the worst info dumps I’ve read in a long while even though the world is an imaginative one. I had to concentrate so hard for the first half to try to absorb all of the altered names and altered countries, wars, history, etc. It was almost harder having slightly familiar events than a completely new world would have been because my mind was trying to translate everything and register all the changes. And it was mostly conveyed through conversations. It was rough, but there was just enough atmosphere and interest in the main character to keep me ploughing through it, and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.

Once things started really happening, I kept being surprised by the turns events took. My expectations were constantly challenged as the story went off in new directions and unexpected adventures. I also started to put together how the world - and magic - worked in real situations and what parts of the history were important for understanding the immediate story.

I don’t know how, but once the plot started moving, this world got under my skin and I found myself wanting to get back to it while I was at work, and wanting to pick up the sequel without taking a break. Strange. It's not easy to get into and is not without its faults once you do, but I do recommend it if you enjoy a bit of a challenge, as well as alternate history / steampunk sort of fantasies.

If only the world-building had been less like being buried under a mountain of foreign terms! This is why I'm struggling with a rating, because I think I would give the story itself 4 stars, but the massive info dump is dragging it down. It was way more work to get into than it needed to be. 3 stars it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Initial Review 9/27/2014:

I'm going to have to think about this one for a while. I ended up liking it, but have no idea how to describe it or even rate it right now. ...more

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Dec 12, 2014 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016, to-read-sff, to-read-have-access

I really enjoyed this alternate world Regency fantasy - great world-building, characters, and peril. My main complaint is that I think it needed to be pared down - parts got a bit repetitive.

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Feb 21, 2011 colleen the convivial curmudgeon rated it it was ok

Shelves: library-read, historical-fantasy

I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be but, whatever it was, what I got wasn't it. I think I expected more historical relevance, more political intrigue, perhaps less romance, though I'm certainly not opposed to romance in a story, and more, well - I think what I expected was for the world-building and the history to be more important to the actual story than it was.

There are times when the history becomes relevant to the story line, like the not travelling abroad during Samhain and t ...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Nafiza rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, favourites, read-2010

I don't often find a book I want to read again after the first initial inhalation of its story and characters. I don't want to pore over events that shape the narrative, linger over the words spoken and the feelings felt by the different characters. It's a rare book that engages me to the extent that I will read and reread because every time I do, I find something more to take away from it.Cold Magic, the first book in the Spirit Walker trilogy, is one such rare book. I found myself reading as s I don't often find a book I want to read again after the first initial inhalation of its story and characters. I don't want to pore over events that shape the narrative, linger over the words spoken and the feelings felt by the different characters. It's a rare book that engages me to the extent that I will read and reread because every time I do, I find something more to take away from it.Cold Magic, the first book in the Spirit Walker trilogy, is one such rare book. I found myself reading as slowly as I could so that the pleasure that came from reading it would last a longer time. And when I did finish the book, I immediately went and looked up the author to see when the next installment is coming out because I don't know if I can wait until it does and...well, there is no release date yet. Boo.

Cold Magic fascinates because of the detail with which the alternate world is created. The history, the people, the mythos - it is all so exquisitely detailed that the reader will find herself swept away with it but at the same time, in some detached manner, breathless at the superb skill of the author. The story is not built on a shaky foundation which is loosened by a logical question or attempts at reason. It is solidly woven, binding together different parts of the world to create a gorgeous tapestry, a setting in which the wonderful characters of the book can exist.

There are two women: Cat and Bee. Girls, really. Both twenty. Usually when you have two characters, there is a lack of balance between them. One is deemed more important than the other. It is a testament to Ms. Elliot's writing that despite the story being told in the first person (Cat), Bee is just as much intriguing and an equally strong character as Cat. Neither of them are perfect but both have been characterized in a manner that transcends their otherworldliness and makes them relatable to the ordinary reader curled up by a fireplace (or not). The other characters are just as strongly hewn. Their individuality, whether they are present for a chapter or two, is very present. I've said it before, side characters and their characterizations are very important to the success of a novel and Ms. Elliot delivers wonderfully on those counts. The romance is surprising with its presence and all the more compelling for its element of unexpectedness.

Another strength of the novel comes from its pacing. The entire novel is like a race. Tensions increase as the finish line is approached, the sense of danger skitters across your skin and you (no matter how much you try not to) read as fast as you can in desperation to see what happens next. The story has many layers, it's a complex interweaving of different dynasties, different times and different hopes. It is unpredictable to its last page and I'm so running out of superlatives right now.

This was a brilliant premise to what promises to be an awesome trilogy. If you are interested in steam-punk, strong heroines, friendship and sizzling romance, read this. Even if you aren't interested in any of those things, read this anyway. It's too good to miss. ...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Renay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013

My first Kate Elliott book. I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES. *_* Things this book has:

- awesome diverse cast!
- lady friendships that are incredibly important to both ladies AND THE PLOT!
- examination and critique of colonialism and other terrible social ills, BY CLEVER HEROINE and company
- kissing!
- magic!
- a complicated romance with a dude that doesn't come with an easy resolution that both people have to work for!

More thoughts (with spoilers): https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2... ...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it really liked it

Shelves: michael

http://www.rantingdragon.com/cold-mag...

Cold Magic is the first book in the new Spirit Walker trilogy by Kate Elliott, established author of both the Crown of Stars and the Crossroads series. As the result of a family obligation, Catherine Hassi Barahal is forced into an arranged marriage to a young noble, an enigmatic cold mage. She is immediately torn away from her home and her education in the technology of the impending industrial age, only to find that marriage into a mage house is far from ...more

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Nov 09, 2016 YouKneeK rated it really liked it

Shelves: completed-series, fantasy

Several years ago, I read this author’s Crossroads trilogy, beginning with Spirit Gate. My memory of it is really fuzzy, but I remember it as being a fairly complex story, with multiple points-of-view and storylines. I also remember that I really enjoyed it, and I’ve wanted to try some of her other books.

This book was a little different from what I expected based on my fuzzy memory of Crossroads. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but there were some aspects of the writing that seemed amate Several years ago, I read this author’s Crossroads trilogy, beginning with Spirit Gate. My memory of it is really fuzzy, but I remember it as being a fairly complex story, with multiple points-of-view and storylines. I also remember that I really enjoyed it, and I’ve wanted to try some of her other books.

This book was a little different from what I expected based on my fuzzy memory of Crossroads. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but there were some aspects of the writing that seemed amateur to me, and I also felt like the story was written for a younger audience. The “younger audience” aspect probably would have been less of an issue for me if I hadn’t expected something more adult, and it was also partly explained by the author’s Acknowledgments at the end of the book. As it turns out, she had collaborated on the story with her three children who were in high school at the time. This doesn’t explain some of my complaints with the writing, though, since she did all of the writing herself. I briefly wondered if this book was one of her earlier works, but it was in fact published a little bit later than the final Crossroads book.

The setting is kind of interesting, set in an odd alternate version of our world in which there are both mages and an industrial revolution. I’m going to be vague about the story line, because it’s a bit of a slow build-up and I don’t want to spoil any surprises. Cold Magic is told from the first-person perspective of Cat, a nineteen-year-old girl whose parents were killed in an accident when she was six. She’s been raised, and well-treated, in the home of her aunt and uncle where she has a great relationship with her similarly-aged cousin, Bee. Cat has some special abilities, and one of her only memories of her mother is her warning Cat not to ever tell anybody what she can do. So there’s a bit of a mystery about Cat’s past, but mostly she just lives her life as a normal girl. Until everything changes, of course. :) One night a visitor shows up at Cat’s home to demand that a certain bargain be upheld.

One of the main reasons I thought this was an earlier work was because the author used dialogue clumsily, particularly in the beginning, to convey background information. The dialogue was usually well-written and interesting, but there were several passages that completely dragged me out of the story because it was just too obvious. For example, at one point Cat is pretty much lectured by Bee on her own life history. People just don’t talk like that. When they have shared stories and histories, they use shorthand. They would say, “Remember that time in the elevator?” as opposed to, “Remember that time in the elevator when [long monologue about a story both parties already know]?”.

Another one of my complaints is about the romance. Fortunately it’s a bit sparse and doesn’t overwhelm the story, but I did think it was very obvious from the beginning how the relationship would develop. It was also pretty unrealistic, such as the random “oh wow, look at those lips, I really want to kiss him” (I’m paraphrasing!) thoughts at absolutely ridiculous moments. The friendship between Cat and Bee, on the other hand, was very well done. I also really enjoyed the character of Rory and his interaction with Cat.

The story has a little bit of repetitiveness and a few excessively coincidental occurrences, but mostly I did enjoy the story. We’re given several questions at the beginning and then the answers are slowly revealed while giving us more questions along the way, and I enjoyed speculating about the answers. This is the first book in a trilogy, so it doesn’t wrap up all of the story lines, but we do get answers to some of the major questions by the end. There’s an interesting, if not terribly surprising, twist near the end that sets the stage for the next book and I look forward to seeing what will happen next. I’m giving this 3.5 stars on BookLikes, but rounding up to 4 on Goodreads. ...more

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May 12, 2010 Foz Meadows rated it it was amazing

This is going to be a longish review and also a rambling one, so I’ll ask you to bear with me.

Despite having purchased the third volume in Kate Elliott’s amazing Crossroads trilogy close on three months ago, I’ve not yet started reading it. This is due, in large part, to the originality of her worldbuilding; and I mean that as a compliment. Being as I am a devout mythology and history geek and also a lifelong fantasist, there are certain narrative cues to which my interests make me sensitive. Wh This is going to be a longish review and also a rambling one, so I’ll ask you to bear with me.

Despite having purchased the third volume in Kate Elliott’s amazing Crossroads trilogy close on three months ago, I’ve not yet started reading it. This is due, in large part, to the originality of her worldbuilding; and I mean that as a compliment. Being as I am a devout mythology and history geek and also a lifelong fantasist, there are certain narrative cues to which my interests make me sensitive. When a fantasy author borrows from particular human cultures, like ancient Egypt, or from known myth-forms, like the Norse tradition – and more, if they do so with the intention that a similarly well-versed audience will be able to note the relationship, and appreciate it – the way I read their stories changes. Automatically, I infer background details about the world, the society, the religion, which is less presumptuous than it is natural, because to a certain extent, that’s what I should be doing. Rather than explaining every little thing, the author is allowing me to fill in the gaps with my own knowledge, which in turn allows them to get on with the business of telling a good story. The first Kate Elliott series I encountered was Crown of Stars, which, while featuring several original societies, took place primarily in a more familiar medieval setting, albeit one shaped with certain fascinating and significant alterations. The point of mentioning this is that, when the first Crossroads book came out, I more or less assumed that its worldbuilding, too, would contain comparable levels of familiarity to Crown of Stars, and that I would therefore be able to navigate the narrative in my usual fashion, strengthening my grasp on what the characters were doing and where they were headed by comparing the rules of their world to what I know of ours.

What actually happened was that I found myself in a setting completely outside my experience, blind to the sorts of cues which, had they been anchored in a mythos comparable (say) to that of ancient Rome, I would have pounced on in a heartbeat. Not only was I unable to predict the actions of the characters or the twists of the plot, but I couldn’t piece together the shape of the higher magical story. A sidenote at this point, by way of demonstration: consider the average vampire novel. In this day and age, an author can reasonably assume that, if they drop hints about a character who is pale, unfond of direct sunlight and possessed of a tendency to stare at necks, their audience will think, vampire. There is no tension on our behalf as to this fact, even if the characters are, of necessity, slower to catch on. But imagine you, the reader, had never heard of a vampire. The hints would still be there, but harder to spot; without having a creature in mind possessed of all three traits to signal that this was a cluster of important facts, you could easily be forgiven for dismissing certain pertinent information – such as the paleness – as mere background detail, there to flesh things out, but not, of itself, significant. Given the current popularity of fantasy stories, particularly urban fantasy, even non-mythologists use their knowledge of certain monster-and-magic types to guide them through each successive story.

Kate Elliott’s writing is unique to my experience, in that she can borrow from known cultures, mythologies and settings and yet reinvent them so completely that the reader is, utterly and truly, transported to a new world. From the smallest social details to the higher magical, social and political destinies of her characters, Elliott challenges her readers to work without the usual safety nets. Which is why, midway through the second Crossroads book, I suddenly realised that everything I’d been assuming about the world was wrong, because – shamefully – I had been dismissing relevant information out of a self-inflicted inability to recognise it as such. The Crossroads mythology was so different to anything I’d read before that even when presented, time and again, with the key stories about the gods and their behaviours, I failed to make the connection between those invented myths and the hints as to their significance strewn throughout the plot and actions of the characters. I was being a lazy reader; I was not paying attention. By the end of the second book, I’d made up my mind: before embarking on the third, I’d have to read the first two again – only this time, I’d keep my eyes open and refrain from making assumptions.

Which brings me to Cold Magic, the first volume in the new Spiritwalker trilogy. The setting is an alternate past-history Earth, but with so many inventive differences that any attempt at trying to intuit the shape of the narrative on that basis simply won’t work. There is something utterly fascinating about being dropped into a world to which one feels an automatic sense of ownership – it is still Earth, no matter how altered, therefore I should still comprehend how it works – and realising that, actually, no. Elliott has a gift for detail: instead of leaning on turns of phrase appropriate to our own reality, her narrator is provided with ample world-appropriate alternatives, so that, even where we might deem one new saying to be the equivalent of a particular old one, we are still forced to consider its meaning anew. Small social niceties and behaviours are observed by the characters, but we must learn these, too, such as the fact that shaking hands is considered a politically radical way of greeting someone else, because of the equality such a tactile gesture implies. There are flashes of known mythological concepts, particularly as relates to Celtic traditions, but renamed and altered so skilfully that even trying to compare them to the Earth originals doesn’t quite work, because the new names have properly come to mean something quite different. Elliott has described the work as a mash-up, which it technically is, but also, in a more literal sense, isn’t. Despite the disparate elements drawn together to build the world, the story, the society, its peoples and their magics, there are no stitches in evidence at the juncture of this and that. The skin of the whole is smooth and unblemished, the gait fluid, the eyes sharp, and what the tongue seeks to describe, it does not miss.

Narrated by Catherine Hassi Barahal, known as Cat, the eldest daughter of a Kena’ani family, who are also called Phoenecians, the story follows her travails after the aunt and uncle by whom she has been raised are forced to hand her over in marriage to a haughty cold mage. Cat’s world is shaped by the struggles of an industrial civilisation: common folk are rebelling against their masters, both magical and political, desiring to change society through new technologies such as rifles and airships, which the cold mages despise. The political landscape is fraught with ancient tensions, too: old Roman lies about the nature of Phoenecians, the history of the mage Houses, and the comparatively recent uprising of Camjiata, a would-be emperor whose defeat and subsequent island imprisonment are reminiscent of Napoleon’s captivity on Elba. Separated from her beloved cousin, Bee, Cat is forced not only to consider her own place in this world, but her options in navigating its dangers, whether through her cold mage husband, the laws of the Europan principalities, the writings of her father’s diaries, or the revolutionary words of radicals. Cold Magic is an incredible novel that blends questions of culture, society and humanity with enthralling mythologies, heated politics and strong, compelling characters: in other words, it was written by Kate Elliott, and you should go read it. Now.
...more

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Mar 23, 2011 TheBookSmugglers rated it really liked it

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/01/b...

Catherine Hassi Barahal (or Cat to all that know her) has always taken pride in her family’s rich history. The Hassi Barahals are a storied Phoenician clan of merchants, spies and traders of information, tracing their roots back to even before the height of Rome’s ambitious empire. When she was six Cat’s father, the scholarly wanderer Daniel Hassi Barahal, and her mother, the Amazonian warrior Tara Bell, perished Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/01/b...

Catherine Hassi Barahal (or Cat to all that know her) has always taken pride in her family’s rich history. The Hassi Barahals are a storied Phoenician clan of merchants, spies and traders of information, tracing their roots back to even before the height of Rome’s ambitious empire. When she was six Cat’s father, the scholarly wanderer Daniel Hassi Barahal, and her mother, the Amazonian warrior Tara Bell, perished in a river crossing accident, leaving sole survivor Cat an orphan. Taken in by her Aunt, Uncle and her beloved cousin Beatrice, Cat has lived a happy, if quiet, life.

But onne day Cat’s world is shattered when a remorseless Cold Mage of the powerful Four Moons House comes to her Uncle’s home and demands the hand of the eldest Hassi Barahal daughter, as payment of a family debt incurred years earlier. Forced into a magically binding marriage – one that can be severed only by death – Cat is cruelly yanked from her home and whisked across the unforgiving, frozen countryside to Four Moons House, for reasons unknown to Cat. What she does know, however, is that her whole life and home was a lie, and she realizes that the only reason she had been taken in by her relatives was for this specific moment in the future; because Cat’s birthday rests a few months earlier than that of her beautiful and much loved cousin, Bee. And this is just the first of the many revelations that Cat makes on the road to her destiny – where she encounters death sentences, betrayals, magic, and closely guarded secrets at every turn.

Cold Magic is only the second novel I’ve read by Kate Elliott (despite her pretty impressive backlist), and, as I’ve said before, I was worried when I started the book due to conflicting reviews. Plus, as it’s marketed as a pseudo-steampunk fantasy novel, I was even more hesitant to dive in (since steampunk is becoming the new vampire – and by that I mean played the eff out). Thankfully, I did suck it up and make the purchase, because Cold Magic is one *really* darn good book.

Although set in the early Victorian era in an alternate world, Cold Magic is about as steampunk as that one episode of NCIS: Los Angeles (which is to say: NOT AT ALL). No, Cold Magic is proto-steampunk if it’s anything to do with the subgenre (yes, there’s ONE airship but, as Ana and I always say, a single dirigible does NOT a steampunk novel make), and it’s actually much more of a traditional fantasy novel – magic, carriages, taverns with lots of mead and cheese and tough bread, etc. Where Cold Magic excels is with the book’s worldbuilding – I loved the alternate/revisionist history with its strong Roman, Celtic and African tones, the different creatures (like trolls and enu) and hierarchy of magic (from wise djelis to the ruthless Cold Mages). Cat’s world is a beautifully textured and incredibly well-conceived place – clearly, I need to read more of Ms. Elliott’s work, because I am a sucker for intricate histories and worldbuilding.

In addition to the solid foundation of the book, Cold Magic has adventure and revelations in spades, as well as a dash of romance. Although the book isn’t perfect and the first third is deceptively mundane and hard to get into (I found my interest wandering as the story seemed as though it would head in a very pedestrian direction, i.e. Cat falling in love with her bridegroom despite his purported cruelty and they both struggle against the constraints of the Cold Mage House and live happily ever after), there is a big WTFPOLARBEAR moment that totally changes the direction of the book and makes it AWESOME.1 Add to this wonderfully executed twist some solid (if slightly unoriginal) characterizations, and you’ve got the makings of an excellent book.

As a heroine, Cat is resourceful, brave and stubborn, and although some of the romantic trappings are trite (Cat’s complete ignorance of her effect on certain male characters, for example), her narration lends a strong, believable voice to the novel. Cat is put to the test harshly in this book as everything she has known about her past is challenged, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her and root for her all the way. Of course, the other half of the equation is Andevai, Cat’s imperious, cruel, powerful Cold Mage of a husband – who could have easily become a usual romantic lead type of stereotype, but turns out to be surprisingly complex, with layers of conflict and nuance with his family, the mages that have taken him in, and his own power. And while, yes, the romance is utterly predictable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to read. Almost all of the characters in Cold Magic are similarly well-written and layered – in fact the only character I wasn’t crazy about was Cat’s sister-cousin Beatrice (who only irritated me because of her character as the beautiful powerful one that everyone desires, and her tendency to say annoying things to Cat about Cat’s choices – which is to say, her character is written brilliantly, and my distaste is not because of a failing of the author’s but a justifiable bias!). I also loved Rory, but I’ll refrain from digging into his character, as that way lies spoilers.

Now, while I did love Cold Magic, there were a number of things I wasn’t crazy about. As I mentioned earlier, the book’s first act plods along at a slow pace and feels extremely pedestrian (I’m sure this is where the book loses most readers, who probably wonder what the hubub is all about). Also, there is an abundance of awkwardly repetitive phrasing (e.g. Cat’s fixation with Andevai’s distinguished jawline), and before the big WTF POLAR BEAR moment (which totally revitalizes and changes the direction of the book), I was losing interest with all the taverns and the eating of food, since Cat is both freezing and constantly ravenous for the first half of the book and eats a lot of tough bread and sharp cheese and cold chicken and… you get the picture. Also, there’s a disproportionate amount of time spent on descriptions of Andevai’s wardrobe, which struck me as kind of silly.

But, these are for the most part overlookable flaws in what is a solid start to a new trilogy. I really, really liked this book. Heck, I loved it. Maybe I’m not *quite* head over heels in love…yet. But I’ll DEFINITELY be back for more (and had I read this in 2010, it would have made my honorable mentions list because it is so wonderfully detailed and I heart Cat). Absolutely recommended for fans of fantasy in the style of N.K. Jemisin, Sharon Shinn and Sherwood Smith. ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Ashley Marie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-it, meh-boring-dragged-blah, fantasy-misc, gifty-books, wanted-to-love-it

As with a lot of books where I don't quite "get it" - I feel like I should reread it, but I also don't want to waste my time.

The Good
- The world-building was really cool. I'm always down for alternate histories.
- Cat. Bea. Rory.

The Bad
- Was I supposed to like the husband? What an insufferable ass. And as far as Cat could describe, it seemed the only thing that attracted her was his physical attractiveness, which, no.
- It felt too long and repetitive in spots.

The Weird
- The characters seem to s ...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Vivian rated it did not like it

Boring, long and it desperately needed a good editor.
Also, Cold Magic was very poorly researched. It felt as if the author set up a dart board with the names of ancient cultures and just started throwing darts. Whatever names the darts hit, she'd use in her story without actually trying to make their usage be coherent or research the cultures customs, languages or anything. Sort of like a child who decided to wear all of his or hers best clothes at once. The result is cute for a while, but if d ...more

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Sep 23, 2014 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: audio, sci-fi-fantasy-challenge-2016

This feels, for some reason, like it skims the surface of a story. It lacks density and heft. It is kind of cute at times. I like Cat and her relationship with Bea but so much of this is so light.

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Oct 22, 2010 Hallie rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya, this-side-of-pond-pub

Three and a half stars.

I loved: the setting. Roman Empire continued a lot later than in "our world", and the society Elliott depicted is fascinating.

I didn't love: the setting. It probably didn't help that I read this while (re)-working on a section of our book to do with alternate histories, and this almost is and isn't quite an alternate history. Little things kept niggling at me about that - why should there still be so much hatred against the Romans - even to the point of one character's say ...more

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Dec 09, 2015 Sue (Hollywood News Source) rated it liked it

Shelves: characters-of-color, young-adult, authors-of-color, high-fantasy

Actual Rating: 3. 5 stars

I would’ve rated it higher if I didn’t skimmed some of the scenes I deemed unnecessary.

Cold Magic is without doubt one of the most ingenious and well established book I’ve ever read. Elliott approached the fantasy genre by meshing steampunk in her work with a heavy emphasis on cultural diversity.

I’m a mess and I don’t know if I could ever justify how inclusive this book is. I love how Cold Magic tackled kinship without blood relation, colonialism, slavery, empowering wo ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Lost Planet Airman rated it liked it

Shelves: series-in-progress, ratb-06-the-sixth-sense

Well. This is an interesting adventure story with a definite YA vibe, but a lot more difficult to read than, say, the Hunger Games or Divergent trilogies. It faces the challenge of being a mash-up of alternate-history (Carthage v. Rome was fought to a draw instead of Carthage's crushing loss) and a period piece (technology is just reaching the industrial age, giving a Napoleanic era feeling with Antebellum America overtones) and, of course, the titular fantasy.
Jumping through scenery in a coach ...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Meg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy-romance, steampunk, alternate-history

COLD MAGIC is a fantastic cross-genre epic, bringing together themes from epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, steampunk, and alternative history to snare readers for hours. I was 100% sucked into this world, reading the first two 500+ page installments in less than a week. If the third was available, I’d be reading that one right now too!

Catherine Hassi Barahal is a young woman raised in a family known for its skill as merchants of information...in other words, spies. She’s trained to use a blade an COLD MAGIC is a fantastic cross-genre epic, bringing together themes from epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, steampunk, and alternative history to snare readers for hours. I was 100% sucked into this world, reading the first two 500+ page installments in less than a week. If the third was available, I’d be reading that one right now too!

Catherine Hassi Barahal is a young woman raised in a family known for its skill as merchants of information...in other words, spies. She’s trained to use a blade and keep secrets both for her family, but more importantly for herself. Born with unheard of abilities to disappear in plain site, hear beyond human ability, and see in the dark, Catherine is very much the Cat that everyone calls her. But her most important secret is one that even she doesn’t know. When the cold mage comes to claim her, Cat is drawn into a chaotic adventure that slowly reveals the truth about her history and lays the path of the future.

Characters: ***** 5 Stars
I adored the characters in COLD MAGIC. Cat is fully believable, and someone that I would probably be great friends with if I ever met her in person. She’s feisty and talks too much, but she’s also loyal, hard-working, and has a vulnerable core that endeared her to me. Her cousin, Beatrice (Bee), is similarly well-rounded. Also loyal, Bee is a much better actress and knows how to use her feminine charms to get what she wants. The two together make a perfect team. Meanwhile, the cold mage, Andevai (Vai), is just what he sounds: cold. He’s haughty and rude, paying little attention to the physical needs and emotional turmoil of his hapless bride. However, every once in awhile, you get a glimpse of the real man underneath the cold mask, and by the end of the book I have to admit I was rooting for him.

Plot: **** 4 Stars
Betrayed by her family and married off to the cold mage, Cat’s adventure is just beginning. There are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting despite the length of the novel. I will admit that a few of the twists were obvious chapters in advance of their revelation, and occasionally I was frustrated that Cat wasn’t figuring things out faster, but it was never enough to make me want to put the book down, even for a moment!

Setting: ***** 5 Stars
The alternate earth setting is drawn with fine detail and attention to our earth’s history. Kate Elliott must have done a great deal of research in preparation for world building, because the quality of the descriptions and integration of backstory is unparalleled.

Romance: **** 4 Stars
I’m giving the romance less than 5 stars for one reason and one reason only: Cat, though confused about her feelings, still doesn’t trust or like Vai at the end of the book. I have a strong feeling this is going to change (okay, I already read the second installment, but I’m reviewing that separately) but I couldn’t give a full 5 stars when the romantic interest isn’t at least partially gratified by the end. That being said, I loved the slow-build as Vai’s true nature is revealed, and Cat’s conflicting emotions. In the full arc of the trilogy, I expect great things from the two of them.

Genre - Multiple: ***** 5 Stars
This may be the first book I’ve read that crosses more than two genres. Certainly it’s epic fantasy: it’s a cross country adventure with magic and trolls and a parallel spiritworld. It’s also steampunk with a conflict between the old magical order and the new technologies rising from the Amerikes. There’s a potential for a strong romance between Cat and Andevai, and the the novel also takes place in an “alternate earth” setting. Regardless, Kate Elliott does a wonderful job tying together these elements and creating a story that fits into all and none of these. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA/ Adult Historical Fantasy series. Girl (MC) impersonates her cousin to save her from having to marry the prince with ice powers. She lives with aunt, uncle and cousin (her parents died when she was young). Read 2012-2016. Spoilers. [s]	5	19	Feb 17, 2021 10:11PM
Nothing But Readi...: Elliott, Kate-Cold Magic (Spiritwalker #1); Informal Buddy Read: Starts December 20, 2014	31	159	Dec 29, 2014 04:29PM
Beyond Reality: COLD MAGIC: Finished Reading (SPOILERS)	12	51	Jan 07, 2014 03:00AM
Beyond Reality: COLD MAGIC: Roll call and initial impressions (NO SPOILERS)	20	52	Dec 30, 2013 06:46PM

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About Kate Elliott

Kate Elliott

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As a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. She currently lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer.

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Quotes from Cold Magic

“I will either find a way, or make one.” — 27 likes

“A kiss can be like the world turning over. It can be like the tide of a dragon's dream washing through the unseen world that is hidden to mortal eyes but that nevertheless permeates our being. It can be hot and cold together, as vast as the heavens and yet specific to the pressure of hands and the parting of lips. It raised more intense feelings than I had expected, like being engulfed in a storm of lightning.” — 17 likes

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