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Ice
Koby is a graduate student specializing in the cohabitation of dead and living cells in a single body, a course of study that requires he spend two years working in the labs at the parium mines in Antarctica, where he will assist in experiments conducted on the vampire prisoners kept there.
Expecting little more than a tedious assignment, despite the dangers of the environment and the dangerous vampires sentenced to the mines for life, Koby instead discovers a dome of horrors, where the persons in charge cannot be trusted and the greatest victims are the prisoners—and the most incongruous place to discover a new love. If he cannot solve the problems destroying the dome from the inside, the vampires won't be the only ones to die.
Expecting little more than a tedious assignment, despite the dangers of the environment and the dangerous vampires sentenced to the mines for life, Koby instead discovers a dome of horrors, where the persons in charge cannot be trusted and the greatest victims are the prisoners—and the most incongruous place to discover a new love. If he cannot solve the problems destroying the dome from the inside, the vampires won't be the only ones to die.
117 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2013
40 people want to read
About the author
L.J. LaBarthe
38 books32 followersL.J. LaBarthe is an Australian woman living with disabilities and her cat. She has always loved books, music, and daydreaming. She has written stories since childhood, often drawing pictures to accompany her tales. She won a competition for drawing a picture of Australian Humpty Dumpty, complete with Aussie hat when she was a young child. The drawing was accompanied by an adventure story with Humpty Dumpty she wrote set in Australia. From that moment on, she has not looked back.
She spends her free time watching television and is an unashamed fan of 'Supernatural,' 'Spartacus' and 'Game of Thrones.' She reads newspapers online for fun and loves a good novel. She loves to cook and enjoys a snifter of absinthe from time to time.
L.J. would like to take a moment to let her university professor in creative writing know that knowledge of iambic pentameter isn't necessary in order to be able to enjoy the craft of writing, no matter how much he may have screamed to the contrary.
She spends her free time watching television and is an unashamed fan of 'Supernatural,' 'Spartacus' and 'Game of Thrones.' She reads newspapers online for fun and loves a good novel. She loves to cook and enjoys a snifter of absinthe from time to time.
L.J. would like to take a moment to let her university professor in creative writing know that knowledge of iambic pentameter isn't necessary in order to be able to enjoy the craft of writing, no matter how much he may have screamed to the contrary.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 23, 2014
2.5 Hearts--When promising plots leave a LOT to be desired.
I have to pour for my homie...that plot I looked for has gone.
I wanted to love this book. It had the elements to be a solid read for me:
Setting in the future
Vampires in prison
Some vampire/geek action
*sigh* Look at that cover. I really dig it. I had a spot of cover lust. Wish I could say the same for this story.
This is my first time reading a book from this author. I'm unclear how this author works with story telling but for this story, there was a lot of word dumps and not enough plot. Would I classify it as romance? Barely. Would I classify it as Sci-Fi? Meh, not really.
The plot revolves around a doctor/scientist, Koby who is contracted to work for a lab based in Antarctica. He researches the cohabitation living and dead cells in a body which seems perfect for him since his new job also is a prison of sorts for criminal vampires. Vampires who have been deemed criminal but unworthy for immediate death have been sent to Antarctica for life. These criminal vampires have to mine for a gas needed to save the ozone layer only found in that part of the world. Seems interesting enough right? So I thought. Then the story progresses with mediocre dialogue between characters and weird information dropped in at odd times.
If I had to describe the tone of the story, it was dry and cold...maybe fitting for Antarctica? The plot sludges through and we finally get to meet the other main character, vampire Mircea Aron cel Rau, a Romanian supposed baddie who was actually a good guy underneath for the little he is portrayed in the story. After a stilted and rapid conversation between the main characters, the story trudges through more information dump about vampires rights and the mistreatment of vampires like they were slaves and not the kinky kind. I am talking slave slaves, shackled and given no civil rights slaves. That is where the story's main passion lay, not in the romance. Disappointing.
Koby and co-workers are disgusted by the ill treatment of the criminal vampires. The vampires have no rights. They are treated unfairly and Koby devises a way to free them. The vampire revolution happens so easily and quickly, I question why the vampires never thought of doing what they did in the first place. They obviously had the strength. *shrugs*
Oh and then the romance plot is remembered somewhere between 70-80% and two kisses are shared. Koby gushed like a teen with his first crush...it did not annoy but it did give me pause. Also, I'm not a fan of those heroes it seems-you know the type, the bad guy hero made palatable by making him a killer but only of those who were truly evil, not innocents *rolls eyes* Mircea left a lot to be desired. He was kind of dull.
The epilogue? It was too long and really the romance was unnecessary. There was no romance building. Koby sees Mircea, feels weird around him, has two kisses, has no contact in two years and then walks off into the sunset? Really? Granted the story ends HFN-ish but it was a lackluster feel to the ending. I cared more about the secondary characters and they were so-so to begin with.
If this story was just that of a futuristic paranormal story that sticks up for vampire rights, I think I would have enjoyed it more. It was an interesting set up when ignoring most of the awkward dialogue/reactions. Or if there was an actual romance between Koby and Mircea, I definitely would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, these two different stories are melded and left me at the corner of Meh Street and Blah Avenue.
I liked the premise. I liked the cover and the story setting but overall the story was dull.
P.S. There is no sex in this story, so smut lovers beware!
Not mad...just a little disappointed.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
I have to pour for my homie...that plot I looked for has gone.
I wanted to love this book. It had the elements to be a solid read for me:
Setting in the future
Vampires in prison
Some vampire/geek action
*sigh* Look at that cover. I really dig it. I had a spot of cover lust. Wish I could say the same for this story.
This is my first time reading a book from this author. I'm unclear how this author works with story telling but for this story, there was a lot of word dumps and not enough plot. Would I classify it as romance? Barely. Would I classify it as Sci-Fi? Meh, not really.
The plot revolves around a doctor/scientist, Koby who is contracted to work for a lab based in Antarctica. He researches the cohabitation living and dead cells in a body which seems perfect for him since his new job also is a prison of sorts for criminal vampires. Vampires who have been deemed criminal but unworthy for immediate death have been sent to Antarctica for life. These criminal vampires have to mine for a gas needed to save the ozone layer only found in that part of the world. Seems interesting enough right? So I thought. Then the story progresses with mediocre dialogue between characters and weird information dropped in at odd times.
If I had to describe the tone of the story, it was dry and cold...maybe fitting for Antarctica? The plot sludges through and we finally get to meet the other main character, vampire Mircea Aron cel Rau, a Romanian supposed baddie who was actually a good guy underneath for the little he is portrayed in the story. After a stilted and rapid conversation between the main characters, the story trudges through more information dump about vampires rights and the mistreatment of vampires like they were slaves and not the kinky kind. I am talking slave slaves, shackled and given no civil rights slaves. That is where the story's main passion lay, not in the romance. Disappointing.
Koby and co-workers are disgusted by the ill treatment of the criminal vampires. The vampires have no rights. They are treated unfairly and Koby devises a way to free them. The vampire revolution happens so easily and quickly, I question why the vampires never thought of doing what they did in the first place. They obviously had the strength. *shrugs*
Oh and then the romance plot is remembered somewhere between 70-80% and two kisses are shared. Koby gushed like a teen with his first crush...it did not annoy but it did give me pause. Also, I'm not a fan of those heroes it seems-you know the type, the bad guy hero made palatable by making him a killer but only of those who were truly evil, not innocents *rolls eyes* Mircea left a lot to be desired. He was kind of dull.
The epilogue? It was too long and really the romance was unnecessary. There was no romance building. Koby sees Mircea, feels weird around him, has two kisses, has no contact in two years and then walks off into the sunset? Really? Granted the story ends HFN-ish but it was a lackluster feel to the ending. I cared more about the secondary characters and they were so-so to begin with.
If this story was just that of a futuristic paranormal story that sticks up for vampire rights, I think I would have enjoyed it more. It was an interesting set up when ignoring most of the awkward dialogue/reactions. Or if there was an actual romance between Koby and Mircea, I definitely would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, these two different stories are melded and left me at the corner of Meh Street and Blah Avenue.
I liked the premise. I liked the cover and the story setting but overall the story was dull.
P.S. There is no sex in this story, so smut lovers beware!
Not mad...just a little disappointed.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
February 16, 2014
It's not bad. I love sci-fi and everything in the plot was perfect to my taste... Vampires and a sci-fi! Yeah, I admit I had high hopes for this books.
Unfortunately, I didn't like many aspects of it, and can't give more than 2 stars. It was a 3 stars but to the last party. The epilogue... WTF? Death should be the best way of how to deal with criminals? OMFG! No! No no, sorry but NO. 1000 no to death as the way to punish crime! And BTW, it's also nonsense, first in a part Koby is all full of deep ideologies, like how it's unfair don't let vampires have a second chance and change after redemption... And in the epilogue he is ok with kill vampires with sunlight and no more jail to them?
WTF
No seriously
WTF?
So 2 stars... For the idea and original plot. But unfortunately it's not for me, so yeah. Giving just those 2 stars
Unfortunately, I didn't like many aspects of it, and can't give more than 2 stars. It was a 3 stars but to the last party. The epilogue... WTF? Death should be the best way of how to deal with criminals? OMFG! No! No no, sorry but NO. 1000 no to death as the way to punish crime! And BTW, it's also nonsense, first in a part Koby is all full of deep ideologies, like how it's unfair don't let vampires have a second chance and change after redemption... And in the epilogue he is ok with kill vampires with sunlight and no more jail to them?
WTF
No seriously
WTF?
So 2 stars... For the idea and original plot. But unfortunately it's not for me, so yeah. Giving just those 2 stars
February 2, 2014
First, the good points :
- a promising plot; a good set up.
- a pleasant writing.
But the story !!!
Let's begin by the romantic part.
LOL. I've rarely seen such a total lack of alchemy.
But it's easily explainable : the romantic plot seems as evolved as a porn movie start. With as many chat and interactions before "action".
It could be resumed :
Guy A see georgous guy B. He finds him attractive.
Guy A see georgous guy B again.
Guy A see georgous guy B again, End.
So exciting !!!!!!
And then... the story plot.
Refreshing : simple and naive like a 8 years old's story.
So there is :
- The bad guys : the rich-omnicient-racist-homophobic-evil mastermind. And his mini-me. And his nameless soldiers.
- The good guys : the hero, and all the people in his vicinity. Well, all of those who have a name (except for the 2 vilains). Convenient. And even more convenient : the good guys know perfectly who are on their side. No problem of trahison, even minimal. And handy to know who deserve to be saved, eh ?
- The "innocent" people : A unknow mass. Because they are the decent people, we can't let the mass die without reason. So let's ]
The initial quest seems hard. But there is no suspence. No surprise. No difficulty.
During their long(!) and epic(!) "adventure", there is only ONE incident. ONE "bad thing" happens. Worse, it happens without any explanation, and isn't really logic in the general situation. Is it just here for the sake of having a "dramatical" component ?
Last but not the least, the end is morally disturbing : vampire criminals can no longer be exploited in mining. They will just be killed. Ah, I'm reassured.(less)
- a promising plot; a good set up.
- a pleasant writing.
But the story !!!
Let's begin by the romantic part.
LOL. I've rarely seen such a total lack of alchemy.
But it's easily explainable : the romantic plot seems as evolved as a porn movie start. With as many chat and interactions before "action".
It could be resumed :
Guy A see georgous guy B. He finds him attractive.
Guy A see georgous guy B again.
Guy A see georgous guy B again, End.
So exciting !!!!!!
And then... the story plot.
Refreshing : simple and naive like a 8 years old's story.
So there is :
- The bad guys : the rich-omnicient-racist-homophobic-evil mastermind. And his mini-me. And his nameless soldiers.
- The good guys : the hero, and all the people in his vicinity. Well, all of those who have a name (except for the 2 vilains). Convenient. And even more convenient : the good guys know perfectly who are on their side. No problem of trahison, even minimal. And handy to know who deserve to be saved, eh ?
- The "innocent" people : A unknow mass. Because they are the decent people, we can't let the mass die without reason. So let's ]
The initial quest seems hard. But there is no suspence. No surprise. No difficulty.
During their long(!) and epic(!) "adventure", there is only ONE incident. ONE "bad thing" happens. Worse, it happens without any explanation, and isn't really logic in the general situation. Is it just here for the sake of having a "dramatical" component ?
Last but not the least, the end is morally disturbing : vampire criminals can no longer be exploited in mining. They will just be killed. Ah, I'm reassured.(less)
February 28, 2014
This book is a tough one for me to decide what to think. I have really liked L.J.'s other books, and I loved the concept of this story and much of the world described in this book - BUT.
For me there was something missing, and it wasn't just the romantic elements that fell flat for me due to lack of any sort of emotion beyond physical attraction (and even that didn't fit with the rest of the characters' actions and thoughts).
More importantly, some of the details of the world, as well as the "resolution", were less than satisfying for me. I have to admit that I am particularly picky because I read a lot of science fiction and paranormal stories, so this is a personal issue and should not stop you from giving this book a try.
And finally, the plot was a lot more simplistic than I was hoping for (my fault) with hardly any conflict, despite a great setup for some truly amazing intrigue, confrontations, and maybe even actual fighting (although the latter is by no means a must for me, I just expected it based on the blurb). That, for me, was probably the most disappointing aspect of reading this novella.
If you like paranormal stories about vampires in the future, if you enjoy reading about yet another "mess" humankind may get itself into if we're not careful, and if an interesting world and some great technological details are more important to you than emotionally deep characters, then you will probably enjoy this story.
For me there was something missing, and it wasn't just the romantic elements that fell flat for me due to lack of any sort of emotion beyond physical attraction (and even that didn't fit with the rest of the characters' actions and thoughts).
More importantly, some of the details of the world, as well as the "resolution", were less than satisfying for me. I have to admit that I am particularly picky because I read a lot of science fiction and paranormal stories, so this is a personal issue and should not stop you from giving this book a try.
And finally, the plot was a lot more simplistic than I was hoping for (my fault) with hardly any conflict, despite a great setup for some truly amazing intrigue, confrontations, and maybe even actual fighting (although the latter is by no means a must for me, I just expected it based on the blurb). That, for me, was probably the most disappointing aspect of reading this novella.
If you like paranormal stories about vampires in the future, if you enjoy reading about yet another "mess" humankind may get itself into if we're not careful, and if an interesting world and some great technological details are more important to you than emotionally deep characters, then you will probably enjoy this story.
February 23, 2014
2 – 2.5 stars.
The Dome, Koby’s new, temporary home, isn’t what it seems. There are rumors of mistreated and tortured vampires and it’s not the first time Koby hears of them. He’s not sure, if he should believe it or not. That is, until he witnesses the cruel things that happen in Antarctica.
Most of the time I can tell if I like a book or not while reading the first few pages. With Ice it was the same. I just couldn’t feel a connection to the characters and it didn’t help, that I rolled my eyes at some scenes. The blurb sounded so much better than the actual book.
The Dome, Koby’s new, temporary home, isn’t what it seems. There are rumors of mistreated and tortured vampires and it’s not the first time Koby hears of them. He’s not sure, if he should believe it or not. That is, until he witnesses the cruel things that happen in Antarctica.
Most of the time I can tell if I like a book or not while reading the first few pages. With Ice it was the same. I just couldn’t feel a connection to the characters and it didn’t help, that I rolled my eyes at some scenes. The blurb sounded so much better than the actual book.
August 9, 2016
I have to agree with other reviewers: sci-fi/futuristic vampire story? High hopes! But it didn't come anywhere close to living up to its promise.
Want to read
March 6, 2025Available in my Kindle app from Netgalley
February 25, 2014
This review can be found at The Blogger Girls review site.
This is a peculiar story about Koby who has been contracted to work in Antarctica as part of his contract for his Doctorate degree. Thinking working in a parium mine will be boring and easy, he’s very unprepared for what it really is: a place where imprisoned vampires mine the parium where no torture is off limits to them. Horrified at what he sees, he and a few of his colleagues, with the help of his friend Ivo, devise a plan to not only free the vampires but take down the very man who approves of such horrors.
There’s a good cast of characters in this one. Our main guy is Koby, who is the scientist on his way to studying the cohabitation of dead and living cells in a single body. He’s eager but nervous and very confused when he meets the criminal, Mircea. Mircea is the old, wise vampire that has made peace with the life he has, although he still wishes to kill the very men who make his life so bad. Other characters include Sophie and Ivo who give Koby the courage to do what he ultimate does and a few other minor characters that make it all happen.
The plot of this story is very intriguing. The fact that vampires are widely known and, more or less, accepted interests me a great deal. How Earth has completely ruined its ozone to the point that only something called parium is able to keep the atmosphere intact, is very intriguing. I liked that the author decided to go with this because it opened the story up to a lot of possibilities and made for some interesting discoveries.
At the same time, while the story had a lot of potential, I don’t think it lived up to it. I loved that it was set in the future but I also felt like I was missing a lot of the background story to completely understand not just the parium was used but the vampires and how they came to be so known. I also felt like a lot of the important parts where skipped over. I would have liked to see exactly how the vampires managed to leave or what Koby had to go through during the two year separation between him and Mircea. As it were, a lot of it is skipped, ignored or told very briefly to the point that it wasn’t very satisfying.
Beyond that, if you’re looking for a romance, this isn’t the right story for you because while there is romantic elements towards the end (the date is very sweet), it doesn’t come into play until literally the end. By that point, I didn’t feel a connection between Koby and Mircea. All I really knew was that there was some bone-deep pull Koby had towards Mircea but did Mircea feel the same? I could never really tell :(
In the end, I won’t deny that I still liked the story. There was a lot that I felt was missing that made the book feel almost like an outline but I enjoyed this author’s writing and found the world that she managed to create fascinating. I really wished it had been longer so that not only could the events be more detailed but we could actually see the connection and relationship between Koby and Mircea.
This is a peculiar story about Koby who has been contracted to work in Antarctica as part of his contract for his Doctorate degree. Thinking working in a parium mine will be boring and easy, he’s very unprepared for what it really is: a place where imprisoned vampires mine the parium where no torture is off limits to them. Horrified at what he sees, he and a few of his colleagues, with the help of his friend Ivo, devise a plan to not only free the vampires but take down the very man who approves of such horrors.
There’s a good cast of characters in this one. Our main guy is Koby, who is the scientist on his way to studying the cohabitation of dead and living cells in a single body. He’s eager but nervous and very confused when he meets the criminal, Mircea. Mircea is the old, wise vampire that has made peace with the life he has, although he still wishes to kill the very men who make his life so bad. Other characters include Sophie and Ivo who give Koby the courage to do what he ultimate does and a few other minor characters that make it all happen.
The plot of this story is very intriguing. The fact that vampires are widely known and, more or less, accepted interests me a great deal. How Earth has completely ruined its ozone to the point that only something called parium is able to keep the atmosphere intact, is very intriguing. I liked that the author decided to go with this because it opened the story up to a lot of possibilities and made for some interesting discoveries.
At the same time, while the story had a lot of potential, I don’t think it lived up to it. I loved that it was set in the future but I also felt like I was missing a lot of the background story to completely understand not just the parium was used but the vampires and how they came to be so known. I also felt like a lot of the important parts where skipped over. I would have liked to see exactly how the vampires managed to leave or what Koby had to go through during the two year separation between him and Mircea. As it were, a lot of it is skipped, ignored or told very briefly to the point that it wasn’t very satisfying.
Beyond that, if you’re looking for a romance, this isn’t the right story for you because while there is romantic elements towards the end (the date is very sweet), it doesn’t come into play until literally the end. By that point, I didn’t feel a connection between Koby and Mircea. All I really knew was that there was some bone-deep pull Koby had towards Mircea but did Mircea feel the same? I could never really tell :(
In the end, I won’t deny that I still liked the story. There was a lot that I felt was missing that made the book feel almost like an outline but I enjoyed this author’s writing and found the world that she managed to create fascinating. I really wished it had been longer so that not only could the events be more detailed but we could actually see the connection and relationship between Koby and Mircea.
June 3, 2014
Review posted on Books on Silver Wings blog: http://onsilverwingz.blogspot.com/201...
Koby works as a scientist in Antarctica and the job leads him to help the imprisoned vampires escape from the mines. The vampires are forced to dig out a precious gas that repairs the ozone from damages but it poisonous to vampires. The Carrons are prejudice against gays, non-whites, and vampires, but they have the power and connections to run the mines and make money off of the imprisoned vampires. As Koby and his team work to free the vampires from the Carrons, he falls in love with Mircea, a vampire.
In general, the pace of the story is too fast. Everything happens in a matter of days. The research team in Antarctica automatically agree to Koby's plan to break out the vampires and use Mircea to gather incriminating evidence against the Carrons. It may be more realistic for the Carrons to give Koby and Sophie (the two newbies) a prep talk about not trusting anything the vampires say and build up the suspense. The romance between Mircea and Koby is also fast. They are instantly attracted at first sight (or at least Koby is) and then they can't stop thinking about each other. At least in the end, Koby and Mircea agree to take things slowly and start dating first.
The most exciting part of the story is when Koby's plan is put into motion and things start to go wrong. The plot twists are unpredictable but the impact of them wasn't significant. The anticipation and suspense could have been greater. The novel would benefit in general if the main characters are more developed so I can be more emotionally invested in those characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the idea of criminal vampires being mistreated while working in the mines in Antarctica and some heroes come and save the day.
Overall, this is a adventurous story with a simple plot and characters. The science talk is kept to a minimum but enough to explain how vampires' bodies process blood and other details. The pacing is too fast but that helps me keep turning the pages to see what happens next. This is a quick read for me and fans of vampires and science fiction would like this story.
*review copy received in exchange for an honest review*
Koby works as a scientist in Antarctica and the job leads him to help the imprisoned vampires escape from the mines. The vampires are forced to dig out a precious gas that repairs the ozone from damages but it poisonous to vampires. The Carrons are prejudice against gays, non-whites, and vampires, but they have the power and connections to run the mines and make money off of the imprisoned vampires. As Koby and his team work to free the vampires from the Carrons, he falls in love with Mircea, a vampire.
In general, the pace of the story is too fast. Everything happens in a matter of days. The research team in Antarctica automatically agree to Koby's plan to break out the vampires and use Mircea to gather incriminating evidence against the Carrons. It may be more realistic for the Carrons to give Koby and Sophie (the two newbies) a prep talk about not trusting anything the vampires say and build up the suspense. The romance between Mircea and Koby is also fast. They are instantly attracted at first sight (or at least Koby is) and then they can't stop thinking about each other. At least in the end, Koby and Mircea agree to take things slowly and start dating first.
The most exciting part of the story is when Koby's plan is put into motion and things start to go wrong. The plot twists are unpredictable but the impact of them wasn't significant. The anticipation and suspense could have been greater. The novel would benefit in general if the main characters are more developed so I can be more emotionally invested in those characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the idea of criminal vampires being mistreated while working in the mines in Antarctica and some heroes come and save the day.
Overall, this is a adventurous story with a simple plot and characters. The science talk is kept to a minimum but enough to explain how vampires' bodies process blood and other details. The pacing is too fast but that helps me keep turning the pages to see what happens next. This is a quick read for me and fans of vampires and science fiction would like this story.
*review copy received in exchange for an honest review*
March 21, 2014
Really, 2.5 stars but I rounded up to three for the rating. I, like many other readers, really expected more from the story. The blurb, the first two or three chapters... they were great. Then we actually MEET the vampires and things move into fast-forward, followed by a whole lot of skip aheads.
Plots need an arc. The beginning was great, as it set us right at the moment of conflict--Koby's inescapable trip to research at a vampire prison slash mine slash research facility in Antarctica. We meet him, see kernels of the ending with his lawyer friend and the set up of the coded messaging system, and then he's off.
While the homophobic director trope isn't new, I really expected more from the man who supposedly rules the facility with an iron first, all while schmoozing the bosses and a lot of the political body public. He felt two dimensional, and didn't have enough face time in the story. I also felt the face time with the vampires was sadly lacking. I read 'dome of horrors' in the description but felt so divorced from the vampires because it was a single visual description of a few cases that the whole dramatic tension was lost for me.
The biggest disappointment was climax. There wasn't one. We barely see the events begin to unfold as Koby and his friends start the chain reaction to free the vampires and bring attention to their so called plight. Then there's a huge timeline jump and a belated focus on the attraction between Koby and Mircea at the end of the story. To be honest, I'd rather have that element completely erased than so poorly realized.
Ice had good bones. The author created a new world, a new paranormal twist, and a nice set-up for a wonderful story. I just wish the editors would've demanded more from the author so we actually received that story.
Plots need an arc. The beginning was great, as it set us right at the moment of conflict--Koby's inescapable trip to research at a vampire prison slash mine slash research facility in Antarctica. We meet him, see kernels of the ending with his lawyer friend and the set up of the coded messaging system, and then he's off.
While the homophobic director trope isn't new, I really expected more from the man who supposedly rules the facility with an iron first, all while schmoozing the bosses and a lot of the political body public. He felt two dimensional, and didn't have enough face time in the story. I also felt the face time with the vampires was sadly lacking. I read 'dome of horrors' in the description but felt so divorced from the vampires because it was a single visual description of a few cases that the whole dramatic tension was lost for me.
The biggest disappointment was climax. There wasn't one. We barely see the events begin to unfold as Koby and his friends start the chain reaction to free the vampires and bring attention to their so called plight. Then there's a huge timeline jump and a belated focus on the attraction between Koby and Mircea at the end of the story. To be honest, I'd rather have that element completely erased than so poorly realized.
Ice had good bones. The author created a new world, a new paranormal twist, and a nice set-up for a wonderful story. I just wish the editors would've demanded more from the author so we actually received that story.
March 14, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
Right out of the gate I’m just going to say that I wish this book was twice as long. What was here was absolutely fantastic, but I just wanted more. With it being a novella, I felt like the ideas here could have been explored in so much more depth, especially since they were such great, original ideas. Most of the focus was on the actual overthrowing of the prison management, but there was so much other material here that I wanted explored in further depth.
Read Angi's review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
Right out of the gate I’m just going to say that I wish this book was twice as long. What was here was absolutely fantastic, but I just wanted more. With it being a novella, I felt like the ideas here could have been explored in so much more depth, especially since they were such great, original ideas. Most of the focus was on the actual overthrowing of the prison management, but there was so much other material here that I wanted explored in further depth.
Read Angi's review in its entirety here.
September 3, 2016
"Ice" is a well written futuristic thriller with vampires and gay characters.
The set up of the world as it will be and the central realtionships are very well done.
The plot takes us to mines in the Antarctic and deals with hate for Vampires, gays and anyone non-white through the figure of Nathan, the Neanderthaler.
With crime and exploitation on one side, humanity and romance on the other, the author has given this story a rich selection of themes and although there were a few minor distractions in the story I enjoyed the book.
Reviewed via netgalley.
The set up of the world as it will be and the central realtionships are very well done.
The plot takes us to mines in the Antarctic and deals with hate for Vampires, gays and anyone non-white through the figure of Nathan, the Neanderthaler.
With crime and exploitation on one side, humanity and romance on the other, the author has given this story a rich selection of themes and although there were a few minor distractions in the story I enjoyed the book.
Reviewed via netgalley.
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