Adorned in Ice

by Kylie Wiggins

Eliza Hawke, the ice-wielding Princess of Keruna, has been married off to Will, the earth-wielding Prince of Mineros. The cruel and unfeeling place that is Mineros cares about power over anything else. As Eliza's days of forced betrothal go by, Will leaves his mark with bruises and veiled threats. Yet, through Eliza's misery, she finds solace within the Princess of Mineros, Nissa.

Nissa, is a beam of light even on Eliza's darkest days. It is not until Will's coronation is almost in his grasp, Eliza and Nissa hatch a daring plan of escape. If the Prince is allowed control over the largest army in Catalina, then all will surely be lost.

As the two fight desperately to unite the kingdoms in their war against the Prince, a tale of danger and betrayal unfolds every step of the way.

322 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2024

About the author

Kylie is a graduate of Sam Houston State University. She has loved writing and storytelling for as long as she can remember.
While Kylie loves writing poetry, her real passion lies in creating fantasy worlds such as the one you see in her debut novel, Adorned in Ice.
When not writing, you can find her buying books she doesn’t need or cuddling with her dog, Toby, usually a drink with far too much caffeine in hand.

Reviews

[KateJoanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘To anyone who's ever fought a war within their own head.
You are the heroes of this story.’

Lovely formatting, cover, a map and little symbol illustrations on the chapter titles.
Whilst not flawlessly written, it is very easy to sink into and lyrical. It’s almost soothing to read with really pretty prose. Lots of flowery descriptions and an interesting immersive story and characters.
The pacing after the first few chapters really slows down and overall it’s a very steady, slow book. The beginning and end are much more action based and fast paced than the main body of the book.

All information and physical descriptions are given really nicely, subtle and either between the lines or conversationally via the FMC inner monologue.
I like the powers and kingdoms but would have liked to have seen more of that magic and world building. Most of the writing is really nice, the dialogue is good but occasionally stiff and formal.

The budding friendship, compassion and companionship between Nissa and Eliza is so sweet to read. However, it jumps a bit too quick from nothing to instant love for my liking.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorned in Ice is a nice debut. The story is a bit dark and deals with physical abuse and royal politics in a magical world, with a bit of romance thrown in. The writing was good, but the plot felt a bit rushed at times and I wanted more time devoted to the relationship between Eliza and Nissa. It went fairly quickly to instalove, where I would have liked to see more depth. It ends on a cliffhanger, and it did leave me wanting to know what will happen next, so kudos to that.

The narration wasn’t the best I’ve listened to and there were some mispronunciations, but the tone matched the story. Overall the audiobook gets 3.5 stars from me rounded up, and I’ll definitely give the next installment a go.

I received a free ARC from StoryOrigin, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.

[Carissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this as the general plot sounded interesting but the execution was a miss for me.

[Peyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorned in Ice was an interesting mix of magic, politics, and romance that kept me engaged. Eliza, an ice-wielding princess, is forced to marry Will, a prince from a rival kingdom, but finds an unexpected ally in Nissa, his sister.

I really liked the world-building and character dynamics, especially how Will served as a strong antagonist. Eliza and Nissa’s relationship balanced out the darker aspects of the story, but it felt a bit rushed—leaning too much into the instalove trope. A slower build-up would’ve made it more believable. The ending also left a lot unresolved, which was frustrating.

Overall, Adorned in Ice had a lot of potential. While it wasn’t perfect, it was still an enjoyable fantasy romance, and I’m curious to see where the story goes next.

[Avrial || Bookish.and.blissful · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME BRB ONCE I CAN COLLECT MY THOUGHTS

HELLO. I COLLECTED MY THOUGHTS.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQR3arxDrI-/

you’ll like this if you enjoy:
✻ A princess who is stolen and betrothed to a prince but falls for his SISTER instead!
✻ WLW Energy!
✻ Romantasy with some darker themes and some on page violence towards women

i couldn’t NOT tell you about this one!

✨forcibly betrothed to a terrible prince but falls for his sister instead? ✨

this has all the vibes: sapphic yearning, royal drama, and righteous vengeance.

4.75 rounded up (.25 off because the magic was a little underbaked)

[Vanessa Borges · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall enjoyable read. It felt cozy, as if I was immersed in a world and followed along a journey of self discovery and healing. Details about the world including the magic system and its politics were revealed naturally and in an easily digestible way. By starting with an action scene, I became immediately drawn in and invested in the main character.

Interestingly, the author was able to address the complex issue of abuse in a way that seemed authentic, without the story seeming overly dense. In a very believable and psychologically sound way, the author was able to share the effects of abuse, including the inner turmoil experienced, the perceptions of others, and even how the cycle of abuse can be perpetuated.

Given the length of the book, character development was a focal point. For me, at times, relationships seemed to develop too quickly, although the story suggests some passage of time and relationship building that occurs off page. Also, the narrator mispronounced a couple words to my ears, one that was said repeatedly throughout the book.

Overall though, and especially considering this was a debut novel, it was an enjoyable read.

Note: a copy of the book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Bruce Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantasy novel needs three key ingredients to get my attention: A likable hero, an intriguing villain, and edge-of-the-seat adventure. And ADORNED IN ICE serves up all three!

Princess Eliza gets shipped off to marry Will, the cruel, ruthless crown prince of a hostile foreign power. And Will is a villain to the core - he treats Eliza and all those around him with abuse and disdain. But she finds an unlikely ally in Nissa, Will’s sister. Nissa’s love provides a powerful antidote to Will’s hate. Eliza now fights not only for her own freedom, but to protect the innocent people in Will’s path.

ADORNED IN ICE certainly has a strong, well-written love story. But to me, it’s more of a classic fantasy adventure than a romantasy. Author Kylie Wiggins doesn’t hold back on the action, powered by Eliza’s incredibly cool (pun intended) ice magic. The battle scenes had me furiously flipping pages to see what happened next!

The end of this book sets up the second book in the series. Can’t wait to see how it all ends!

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is filled with lots of flowery metaphors, passive sentences, and wildly over the top extreme statements that at times make the book feel campy.

Self published doesn’t mean you wouldn’t benefit from an editor, proofreader, and writing workshop team. I can see the sparks of ideas that take the princess trope in a magical world in a different way, but they haven’t fully come to fruition in this novel.

I hope the author continues to grow and develop writing skills because it’s important for real people to keep writing and refining their craft instead of relying on AI.

[Brittany Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, dark read that will have you throwing the book across the room at the villain, Will. He's infuriating, and it's beautiful to watch Eliza and Nissa carve something intense and meaningful out of his brutality and the darkness they find themselves living in. It does get a little slow in places as it focuses on building those character arcs, but I think this worked well to make me invested in Nissa, especially. I'm anxiously awaiting the second book in the duology.

[emily page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorned In Ice really captures your imagination! The fact that it didn't waste any time getting into the action while also delivering strong world-building and character development is a hallmark of great storytelling. Kylie has created a deeply immersive world that made everything from the lands to the wars come alive! I always love when a book lets you fully visualize it's settings and characters, and this book does exactly that. I can't wait to read what comes next in the series!

[Arini Vlotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiggins gives us a story unique in its character descriptions and a world that's easy to get lost in. There are so many little details that I thoroughly enjoyed, all that added to the story as a whole. I'm not usually partial to an old fashioned villian but I enjoyed reading about this particular bad guy! Wiggins had me invested from the beginning!

[Samantha W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, light read. The interaction between our heroines is fairly celibate but Will as our antagonist is genuinely one of the best I’ve read. Shades of GOT’s Joffrey for sure. Lots of plot and movement, and you definitely care what happens. Can’t wait to see more from this author!

[Sylwia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorned in Ice is a perfect mix of political intrigue, romance, and badass and gruesome action. I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved Nissa and Eliza’s simple and quiet love, and the journey that they go through to fight their way out of an oppressive situation.

[Gina Hejtmanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to ARC Listen to this book! All thoughts are mine and given freely!

I loved this book. There's something so special about women taking what's theirs! And wooo-eee the spice was spicing! 🧡🧡

Definitely give it a go!

[Deirdre VanHorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this read. it’s. great example of epic fantasy. Great world building, a plot with a bit of mystery and lot of intrigue, the narrator was great, and i felt delivered each character with unique voices displaying their personalities! i hope to read other books by this author! It was the type of book once you get into it, it’s hard to put it down as you want to know what the next plot twist will be.

i received this book from story origin voluntarily. my opinions are my own.

[Melanie Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorned in Ice follows Eliza, Princess of Keruna as she gets taken to the kingdom of Mineros to settle the growing tensions amongst the territories.
Kylie’s writing style is so immersive, making the interactions between the characters easy to follow and enjoyable. The pacing is very character driven and focuses more on Eliza and Nissa’s navigation of the ruthless Minerosi nobility, while growing their feelings for each other along the way.
Seeing them be each others light in their dark world was heartwarming, and highlighted the importance of compassion when the world tells you to be otherwise.

[Stacy Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a completely different take on a royal hostage from another kingdom story, and I was definitely here for it! The dynamics between Eliza, Will, and Nissa were so good. Will is one of the better villains I’ve seen lately—the amount of cruelty he shows to not only Eliza, but everyone in his path, is absolutely horrible but necessary to the story. I couldn’t get enough of Eliza and Nissa’s relationship and the challenges they face along their way to escape. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

[Kylie Wiggins]

I’m totally not biased