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Icefire Trilogy #1
Fire & Ice
Deep under the City of Glass in the frozen southern land, an age-old machine called the Heart of the City radiates a power which locals call icefire. Most citizens are immune to it, but a few, always born with physical disabilities, can bend it to their will. For fifty years, the ruling Eagle Knights, who fly on the back of giant birds, have killed these Imperfects, fearing the return of the old royal family, who used icefire to cut out people's hearts, turning them into ghostly servitors. The old king's grandson Tandor only sees the good things icefire brought: power and technology now forgotten while the people of the south live in dire poverty. He's had enough of seeing his fellow kinsfolk slaughtered by ignorant Knights, of Imperfect babies being abandoned on the ice floes to be eaten by wild animals. His grandfather's diary tells him how to increase the beat of the Heart the first step to making the land glorious once more. Arrogant as he is, he sets the machine in motion. All he needs is an army of Imperfect servitors to control the resulting power. Isandor is Imperfect, an ex-Knight apprentice, betrayed by his best friend and running for his life. The queen Jevaithi is Imperfect, living like a prisoner amidst leering Knights, surviving only because the common people would rebel if their beloved queen were harmed. Both are young and desperate and should be grateful that Tandor wants to rescue them from their hopeless situations. Or so he thinks. The youngsters, however, have no inclination to become heartless ghosts, but while they defy Tandor, the Heart beats, and he alone cannot control its power.
312 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2013
912 people are currently reading
2662 people want to read
About the author
Patty Jansen
146 books294 followersAuthor of Science Fiction and fantasy and non-fiction.
Author of the Ambassador series, the Icefire Trilogy, For Queen And Country series and the Return of the Aghyrians series.
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Author of the Ambassador series, the Icefire Trilogy, For Queen And Country series and the Return of the Aghyrians series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
September 7, 2015
I struggled to read the first 9 chapters, then gave up. For those who want to read it, there are male rape scenes and girl who basically beg for sex the minute they have their first cycle. Oh, and camels are ridden in the snow... Even after reading so few chapters, I still failed to see the plot. Children are kidnapped. And?? .... I don't recommend it.
September 26, 2013
This is a book with promise that doesn't quite deliver. The central concept (a font of special power, a revolution with a hazy past), while not entirely novel, is well conceived and offers some nice touches (antarctic location, a steampunk-ish approach to magic).
Unfortunately, the book reads as a not-quite finished draft. It starts in media res, and Jansen takes her time to give us enough clues to put the pieces in place. Some of that is deliberate (the murky background of the last regime change), but some is clearly not (who's who, and how they're related). I felt that it just didn't all hang together well, though, frustratingly, it could have, with a little more work.
I like that the key characters weren't simple black and white, though some of the supporting cast were, and others were simple stereotypes. There were some reveals that I felt were unnecessary, and made the story a little mawkish, or at least brought it below the level it could otherwise have reached.
Mostly, the story and world simply wasn't as well realized or described as I would have hoped. A solid beta draft, rather than a finished product. It's for that reason that, though I'm intrigued by the story, I probably won't go on to volumes 2, 3, or .5.
* A note on typos, which seem to feature unusually heavily in the comments, and even led Ms. Jansen to include a note defending Australian norms: Aside from use of single quotes instead of double, I didn't notice or care about the Astralianisms. (There were some cases of inconsistent voice, but that's nothing to do with the variety of English.) I did note a moderate number of typos that I would have expected to be corrected by now (I got my copy recently from Amazon). I'm pretty sure that missing punctuation, misspelling of the heroine's name, mistaken words ('had' for 'and') also have nothing to do with Australian English. But we're talking about 11 instances in a 250 page book (I mark them to edit out later) - noticeable, but not too worrying. I know how hard typos can be to spot, so the concern is not that there were some, but that there still are.
Unfortunately, the book reads as a not-quite finished draft. It starts in media res, and Jansen takes her time to give us enough clues to put the pieces in place. Some of that is deliberate (the murky background of the last regime change), but some is clearly not (who's who, and how they're related). I felt that it just didn't all hang together well, though, frustratingly, it could have, with a little more work.
I like that the key characters weren't simple black and white, though some of the supporting cast were, and others were simple stereotypes. There were some reveals that I felt were unnecessary, and made the story a little mawkish, or at least brought it below the level it could otherwise have reached.
Mostly, the story and world simply wasn't as well realized or described as I would have hoped. A solid beta draft, rather than a finished product. It's for that reason that, though I'm intrigued by the story, I probably won't go on to volumes 2, 3, or .5.
* A note on typos, which seem to feature unusually heavily in the comments, and even led Ms. Jansen to include a note defending Australian norms: Aside from use of single quotes instead of double, I didn't notice or care about the Astralianisms. (There were some cases of inconsistent voice, but that's nothing to do with the variety of English.) I did note a moderate number of typos that I would have expected to be corrected by now (I got my copy recently from Amazon). I'm pretty sure that missing punctuation, misspelling of the heroine's name, mistaken words ('had' for 'and') also have nothing to do with Australian English. But we're talking about 11 instances in a 250 page book (I mark them to edit out later) - noticeable, but not too worrying. I know how hard typos can be to spot, so the concern is not that there were some, but that there still are.
July 27, 2020
It seemed to me like there were only two types of characters in this book; human punching bags who constantly get shafted (both literally and metaphorically) by amoral douchebags, or the aforementioned amoral douchebags who made me wonder why they were supposed to be the 'heroes' of this story, exactly?
The 'hero,' Tandor, is thoroughly unlikable, and came across as more of a villain, to be honest (having a penchant for ripping out the hearts of innocent people so he can turn them into his undead slaves because reasons will kind of do that.) Having a society where all the females dream of having sex with as many men as possible from the day of their first period, (which, in this book, included girls as young as TWELVE,) in the hope of having lots of babies to bolster the population, also tends to leave a sour taste in the mouth. But I ploughed on, hoping that, at some point, this story will develop some sort of nuance within all the blatant sexual exploitation and no-this-is-totally-justified killing-and-undead-enslaving-thing.
And then I hit the chapter that included an unnecessarily graphic male-on-male rape scene, written from the point of view of the rapist, in a way that suggests we're supposed to empathise with him because he had a tough old life before where this happened to him too.
Nope. That's it - I'm outta here. Done. And no, I won't be reading the sequels either.
The 'hero,' Tandor, is thoroughly unlikable, and came across as more of a villain, to be honest (having a penchant for ripping out the hearts of innocent people so he can turn them into his undead slaves because reasons will kind of do that.) Having a society where all the females dream of having sex with as many men as possible from the day of their first period, (which, in this book, included girls as young as TWELVE,) in the hope of having lots of babies to bolster the population, also tends to leave a sour taste in the mouth. But I ploughed on, hoping that, at some point, this story will develop some sort of nuance within all the blatant sexual exploitation and no-this-is-totally-justified killing-and-undead-enslaving-thing.
And then I hit the chapter that included an unnecessarily graphic male-on-male rape scene, written from the point of view of the rapist, in a way that suggests we're supposed to empathise with him because he had a tough old life before where this happened to him too.
Nope. That's it - I'm outta here. Done. And no, I won't be reading the sequels either.
March 23, 2015
The Review: http://thefictionalhangout.blogspot.c...
Working in his uncle's butchery in the City of Glass, Isandor knows that he has a strange ability. He can turn animals in to ghosts by cutting out their hearts. He knows it's magic and not allowed and has to stay hidden if he is ever become an Eagle Knight.
Then a stranger arrives in town. He is the sorcerer Tandor and he claims that he can help Isandor become a Knight, in return for a gruesome task: to bring him the heart of the Queen.
As fans of Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorns) will know, he recently launched a project to several bloggers (see full list at the end of this review) to give them a selection of 25 self-published books, submitted by volunteering authors, from the same genre in an effort to offer more spotlight onto the books, mainly from the fantasy genre, that they might not normally get otherwise. You can find out more about this project here (link to project available on the blog), as well as the books that I’ll be covering. Fire & Ice is the first novel that I have chosen and is currently available for free on the Kindle Store.
The first thing that grabbed me about the book is the premise. It sounds incredibly interesting, with what looks to be a richly developed world and that’s certainly true. There are some great ideas floating about here with some interesting characters that feels kind of steampunk-y with a unique location of an Antarctic environment. You can tell that a lot of thought’s been put into the world, and it really pays off in this book.
The ‘Imperfect’ magical system is handled very well with an intriguing concept of Icefire. The rich background of the setting is explored in great detail with the environment really playing a role in the book; for example, if you are an Imperfect then things aren’t looking too great for you, with the Eagle Knights, who fear the return of the old family, constantly hunting down Imperfects and killing them. They are formidable foes not to be taken lightly, and needless to say, things aren’t looking great for those who have that ability, which two of our main characters do.
Isandor, an ex-Knight’s apprentice, and Jevaithi, who is only kept alive because she is the Queen, are the main characters who we follow and unfortunately they’re not developed as well as I would have liked. It doesn’t help that both Isandor and Jevaithi fall into the insta-love trope fairly easily, which kind of takes away from the story a bit. However, thankfully, Tandor offers an interesting alternative for a lead character, and is heavily flawed, coming across as the most well-developed of the lot . So it’s safe to say that there’s a real mix of personalities here and whilst not all of them work, the ones that do are enjoyable.
The book itself however, feels rushed in places, and doesn’t really move along as smoothly as I would have perhaps liked it to. Maybe with a smoother pace things would have worked a whole lot better, but in this case, it didn’t quite hit all the high notes. It’s also worth noting that Fire & Ice ends on a cliffhanger, and with the second and third books in the trilogy currently available, it is making me strongly consider checking out this novel to see where it will take us in the future. There’s a lot of interesting ideas here and the concept is appealing enough to make you want to find out more.
Even if Fire & Ice may feel a tad rushed, it does allow for a quick read. It won’t take you long to get through it at all, with the shorter pagecount serving as an advantage. There’s plenty of promise here for it to improve in the second and third acts however, and I’m hopeful for better things to come. The concept is fascinating even if it doesn’t always pay off, and with the book currently available for free, you could do far worse than check this out.
VERDICT: 5.9/10
Note: I chose this book at random from the SPFBO and this is the first novel that I’ve read, so things have gotten off to a fairly decent start and I’ll be looking forward to reading more. As mentioned above, I’ll try and review all the novels that I manage to finish reading. Also, you can find the link to all of the other awesome bloggers partaking in this project under the “Sites of Interest” tab on the right (again, on the blog) – Beauty in Ruins, Fictiongarden, Bibliotropic, Bookworm Blues, Fantasy Faction, Elitist Book Reviews, Lynn’s Book Blog, Fantasy Book Critic, The Speculative Book Review and Fantasy Book Review. Go check them out!
Working in his uncle's butchery in the City of Glass, Isandor knows that he has a strange ability. He can turn animals in to ghosts by cutting out their hearts. He knows it's magic and not allowed and has to stay hidden if he is ever become an Eagle Knight.
Then a stranger arrives in town. He is the sorcerer Tandor and he claims that he can help Isandor become a Knight, in return for a gruesome task: to bring him the heart of the Queen.
As fans of Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorns) will know, he recently launched a project to several bloggers (see full list at the end of this review) to give them a selection of 25 self-published books, submitted by volunteering authors, from the same genre in an effort to offer more spotlight onto the books, mainly from the fantasy genre, that they might not normally get otherwise. You can find out more about this project here (link to project available on the blog), as well as the books that I’ll be covering. Fire & Ice is the first novel that I have chosen and is currently available for free on the Kindle Store.
The first thing that grabbed me about the book is the premise. It sounds incredibly interesting, with what looks to be a richly developed world and that’s certainly true. There are some great ideas floating about here with some interesting characters that feels kind of steampunk-y with a unique location of an Antarctic environment. You can tell that a lot of thought’s been put into the world, and it really pays off in this book.
The ‘Imperfect’ magical system is handled very well with an intriguing concept of Icefire. The rich background of the setting is explored in great detail with the environment really playing a role in the book; for example, if you are an Imperfect then things aren’t looking too great for you, with the Eagle Knights, who fear the return of the old family, constantly hunting down Imperfects and killing them. They are formidable foes not to be taken lightly, and needless to say, things aren’t looking great for those who have that ability, which two of our main characters do.
Isandor, an ex-Knight’s apprentice, and Jevaithi, who is only kept alive because she is the Queen, are the main characters who we follow and unfortunately they’re not developed as well as I would have liked. It doesn’t help that both Isandor and Jevaithi fall into the insta-love trope fairly easily, which kind of takes away from the story a bit. However, thankfully, Tandor offers an interesting alternative for a lead character, and is heavily flawed, coming across as the most well-developed of the lot . So it’s safe to say that there’s a real mix of personalities here and whilst not all of them work, the ones that do are enjoyable.
The book itself however, feels rushed in places, and doesn’t really move along as smoothly as I would have perhaps liked it to. Maybe with a smoother pace things would have worked a whole lot better, but in this case, it didn’t quite hit all the high notes. It’s also worth noting that Fire & Ice ends on a cliffhanger, and with the second and third books in the trilogy currently available, it is making me strongly consider checking out this novel to see where it will take us in the future. There’s a lot of interesting ideas here and the concept is appealing enough to make you want to find out more.
Even if Fire & Ice may feel a tad rushed, it does allow for a quick read. It won’t take you long to get through it at all, with the shorter pagecount serving as an advantage. There’s plenty of promise here for it to improve in the second and third acts however, and I’m hopeful for better things to come. The concept is fascinating even if it doesn’t always pay off, and with the book currently available for free, you could do far worse than check this out.
VERDICT: 5.9/10
Note: I chose this book at random from the SPFBO and this is the first novel that I’ve read, so things have gotten off to a fairly decent start and I’ll be looking forward to reading more. As mentioned above, I’ll try and review all the novels that I manage to finish reading. Also, you can find the link to all of the other awesome bloggers partaking in this project under the “Sites of Interest” tab on the right (again, on the blog) – Beauty in Ruins, Fictiongarden, Bibliotropic, Bookworm Blues, Fantasy Faction, Elitist Book Reviews, Lynn’s Book Blog, Fantasy Book Critic, The Speculative Book Review and Fantasy Book Review. Go check them out!
November 7, 2019
Dnf.
Gave up at 80% 🙄
Gave up at 80% 🙄
July 3, 2022
1 star
no 🙂
no 🙂
February 15, 2019
The story takes place in a winter civilization with eagle knights, what I assumed are imperfect people that are born missing parts of them and can use icefire and this weird breeder thing. The story follows too many characters and while the narrator does help decipher them, many of them seem like the same character to me with exception of the character Caro, who is the worst coward of all time.
I found myself not liking the story when it seems so focused on the sexual parts of the culture than anything. the eagle knights use rape as punishment, which is kind of awkward to know as it happens to one character and then that character performs it later on.
the story's pacing is meh at best, but the narrator did make it exciting. fyi, the echo parts are for inner monologues and dont continue past chapter 6.
I wish I could say I loved this, but I only enjoyed the setting.
I was given this audiobook for free by the distributor for my honest review.
I found myself not liking the story when it seems so focused on the sexual parts of the culture than anything. the eagle knights use rape as punishment, which is kind of awkward to know as it happens to one character and then that character performs it later on.
the story's pacing is meh at best, but the narrator did make it exciting. fyi, the echo parts are for inner monologues and dont continue past chapter 6.
I wish I could say I loved this, but I only enjoyed the setting.
I was given this audiobook for free by the distributor for my honest review.
February 10, 2019
Pretty good. Part Handmaid's Tale with a splash of JV Jones and a pinch of Jon Marco, and we have a decent fantasy set in a harsh frozen land. It's a little too humourless for my taste, and all the cast seem too earnest, but the world is interesting and the ending sets the tone for some big things down the road.
The narrator was good, dealing with a number of different characters, yet giving them unique voices.
The narrator was good, dealing with a number of different characters, yet giving them unique voices.
May 22, 2013
Right from the start you are thrown into a board game without a rule book and half your pieces already on the table. You learn about the world, the power struggles from the past and the future struggles and the pawns as the story moves forward.
Tandor has returned to Borderland only to find that the Knights of the City of Glass have taken all of the "Imperfects" he has spent the last 15 years rescuing and keeping safe there... or have they? There is one left. A very annoying pregnant Imperfect. Now the Imperfects, like himself, can see and wield the icefire (the magic in the book) and their heritage line once ruled the City of Glass. And so the journey begins. But who is Tandor, who.. or what is the blue man that most can't see called Roku?
There are so many questions in the book, Who is good and Who is bad? If or when friends will turn against each other. Things rarely went as I thought they would go, but at times they went so much as I thought they would that it irritated me to no ends.
I wasn't bothered much by the grammar or spelling errors, though I did end up submitting a couple to amazon, but they weren't terrible. The lack of thorough visual descriptions in some of the more elaborate and detailed scenes detracted from the imagery and the story though. Especially at the end.
The two story arcs that I thought could be the most interesting ended so strangely- the Queen's for one and then well, the ending. It almost felt as if it was okay to end it there. I don't want to spoil it with this review. But it was not what I expected and I don't know how thing could continue in the next two books of the Trilogy.
Unlike the previous two series I went through I felt no dying urge to purchase the second book. Though I enjoyed the character development and it was easy to see their individual personalities and traits- though some old cliches poke through- but there are *fresh*, unique and endearing vibrantly alive personalities in each of them.
I just wish they had a better series to "live in", one that I wanted to revisit.
Tandor has returned to Borderland only to find that the Knights of the City of Glass have taken all of the "Imperfects" he has spent the last 15 years rescuing and keeping safe there... or have they? There is one left. A very annoying pregnant Imperfect. Now the Imperfects, like himself, can see and wield the icefire (the magic in the book) and their heritage line once ruled the City of Glass. And so the journey begins. But who is Tandor, who.. or what is the blue man that most can't see called Roku?
There are so many questions in the book, Who is good and Who is bad? If or when friends will turn against each other. Things rarely went as I thought they would go, but at times they went so much as I thought they would that it irritated me to no ends.
I wasn't bothered much by the grammar or spelling errors, though I did end up submitting a couple to amazon, but they weren't terrible. The lack of thorough visual descriptions in some of the more elaborate and detailed scenes detracted from the imagery and the story though. Especially at the end.
The two story arcs that I thought could be the most interesting ended so strangely- the Queen's for one and then well, the ending. It almost felt as if it was okay to end it there. I don't want to spoil it with this review. But it was not what I expected and I don't know how thing could continue in the next two books of the Trilogy.
Unlike the previous two series I went through I felt no dying urge to purchase the second book. Though I enjoyed the character development and it was easy to see their individual personalities and traits- though some old cliches poke through- but there are *fresh*, unique and endearing vibrantly alive personalities in each of them.
I just wish they had a better series to "live in", one that I wanted to revisit.
December 19, 2022
*** SPOILERS and triggers *** First of all, the narration on this is awful!!!! It’s really cringe and the Irish accent (I think it’s supposed to be that anyway) is laughable! And the main character who I suppose is meant to be the hero just never became anything other than annoying to me. In fact, I felt all the characters and their motivations were all over the place and I didn’t like the world building or fantasy elements.
I feel I have to mention the rape scene, which was truly horrific to read. It totally took me by surprise at how violent it was, especially as I wasn’t expecting that type of thing to happen in this type of book. Then to read it from the other perspective (from the now rapists side) was utterly disgusting because it was trying to show that this is just what is done in this world. In fact the casual use of rape, and the constant threat of it, throughout this book was quite obscene.
I feel I have to mention the rape scene, which was truly horrific to read. It totally took me by surprise at how violent it was, especially as I wasn’t expecting that type of thing to happen in this type of book. Then to read it from the other perspective (from the now rapists side) was utterly disgusting because it was trying to show that this is just what is done in this world. In fact the casual use of rape, and the constant threat of it, throughout this book was quite obscene.
January 31, 2017
I just discontinued reading Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen. This book was included in a fantasy adventure collection of novels called Quest. I only read up to Chapter 6 or 7. Because I prefer not to have violent rape included in my fantasy adventure, I can not recommend this book. I know it is not the main focus of the book, but I would prefer not to have to read the details of such a horrific act while I am trying to relax and enjoy my time.
June 21, 2012
UGH!! Horrible read. The only positive I could say was that it was over quickly! My full review: http://obsessivebookworm.wordpress.co...
March 1, 2016
Yeah... What?
Male rape scene in the first 4/5 chapters. Finished there. Unnecessary.
That and as other reviews have said it's already reading like a haphazard draft.
Male rape scene in the first 4/5 chapters. Finished there. Unnecessary.
That and as other reviews have said it's already reading like a haphazard draft.
Read
June 13, 2021DNF’ed at 64% because nothing in the story really engaged me.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Patty Jansen’s books are not for me. I’ve given three of her four first-in-series starters a try and none of them especially compelled me to read the next in the series. In the case of Fire and Ice, I liked the premise a lot: disabled protagonists! An original arctic setting with mounted bears and “legless lions”! The promise of a post-apocalyptic twist behind the magic of icefire!
And maybe there is a twist later in the series. I’ll never find out because I didn’t connect with any of the characters or become engaged enough in the plot to finish the book. It felt like a not-quite-there beta draft that could have been much better with another round of revisions. As it is, I’m stopping here and moving on.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Patty Jansen’s books are not for me. I’ve given three of her four first-in-series starters a try and none of them especially compelled me to read the next in the series. In the case of Fire and Ice, I liked the premise a lot: disabled protagonists! An original arctic setting with mounted bears and “legless lions”! The promise of a post-apocalyptic twist behind the magic of icefire!
And maybe there is a twist later in the series. I’ll never find out because I didn’t connect with any of the characters or become engaged enough in the plot to finish the book. It felt like a not-quite-there beta draft that could have been much better with another round of revisions. As it is, I’m stopping here and moving on.
July 3, 2019
I just finished this in audio. It's an interesting concept of using "Icefire", and all those who are born a cripple have this magic. And because this kingdom is scared of them, everyone born a cripple is slain. However, way outside of the city, there is a village full of cripples, who a wizard is hiding in hopes to take back over this kingdom. It was an intriguing plot and structure, but this book is very dark and gritty with adult themes and rainbows. I don't recommend to young readers or people who are easily triggered over certain subjects.
3/5
3/5
October 6, 2020
I gave up on this book at the 10 percent mark. I didn't like any of the characters and didn't care for the writing style. Years ago, I used to visit an online community for a computer role-playing series of games. This reminded me of the fan fiction that members, many of them teens, posted in segments for others to read and critique. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything I was interested in spending more time reading.
December 4, 2017
Not
I rarely run into books that have no likable characters in it but this book is like that. Carro, who seems to have the most voice in the book, seems to be a petulant and abused coward with no loyalty to his friend. I was never sure as a main character if he was good or not. Some of the other characters were just as confusing. Maybe it's just me, but I like rooting for one side of the other. I won't be reading the next book.
I rarely run into books that have no likable characters in it but this book is like that. Carro, who seems to have the most voice in the book, seems to be a petulant and abused coward with no loyalty to his friend. I was never sure as a main character if he was good or not. Some of the other characters were just as confusing. Maybe it's just me, but I like rooting for one side of the other. I won't be reading the next book.
May 12, 2017
This review covers all three books in the Icefire trilogy.
The City of Glass was once a place of wonder, with technologies that made life easy, but the inhabitants have long forgotten how they work. The underlying power of this technology is a thing called Icefire. The origin of Icefire is not explained, only that Thilleians were the ones who could control it and they could perform impressive as well as terrible feats. The Thilleians were born with physical defects and were called Imperfects. The old Thilleian king ruled as a despot until eventually overthrown and now imperfects are killed at birth. The city has fallen into arctic decay under the rule of the Eagle Knights, of Pirosian descent, who appear little better than the old rulers.
Tandor is an Imperfect and the principle character, but the story revolves around an ensemble of other characters that flesh out the back story of the City of Glass and the adjacent states. Tandor is something of an anti-hero, who causes a catastrophe that serves as the motivator for the other characters, who do not see a great deal of development and exist to serve the plot rather than shape it.
Icefire is toxic to all but the Thilleians and Pirosians, but the latter cannot see or control it. Their immunity is not complete, as infertility is a major problem which has allowed their society to degenerate such that women are mere incubators for families who can afford to pay. Big concepts such as this lurk in the story, but they really don’t get realized in a coherent manner.
The writing style is inconsistent with more expository devices than I would have liked. Some characters seem natural while others are more contrived. Where the author seems comfortable with the themes the writing flows well enough, but others not. Scenes depicting sex or violence are usually stilted and forced. In contrast, the social narrative of Chevakia is the most interesting. The author seems familiar with the inner workings of a bureaucracy. World building is also a bit hit-and-miss. The technology, or magic, again only exists to serve the plot-driven nature of the story, with gaps or inconsistencies appearing when that immediate aim was not required.
However, despite awkwardness of many parts, the story kept me interested. I wanted to see how it ended. This turned out to be another weak point, the final climax was not entirely convincing. But overall I was engaged enough to read the follow-up Moonfire trilogy.
The City of Glass was once a place of wonder, with technologies that made life easy, but the inhabitants have long forgotten how they work. The underlying power of this technology is a thing called Icefire. The origin of Icefire is not explained, only that Thilleians were the ones who could control it and they could perform impressive as well as terrible feats. The Thilleians were born with physical defects and were called Imperfects. The old Thilleian king ruled as a despot until eventually overthrown and now imperfects are killed at birth. The city has fallen into arctic decay under the rule of the Eagle Knights, of Pirosian descent, who appear little better than the old rulers.
Tandor is an Imperfect and the principle character, but the story revolves around an ensemble of other characters that flesh out the back story of the City of Glass and the adjacent states. Tandor is something of an anti-hero, who causes a catastrophe that serves as the motivator for the other characters, who do not see a great deal of development and exist to serve the plot rather than shape it.
Icefire is toxic to all but the Thilleians and Pirosians, but the latter cannot see or control it. Their immunity is not complete, as infertility is a major problem which has allowed their society to degenerate such that women are mere incubators for families who can afford to pay. Big concepts such as this lurk in the story, but they really don’t get realized in a coherent manner.
The writing style is inconsistent with more expository devices than I would have liked. Some characters seem natural while others are more contrived. Where the author seems comfortable with the themes the writing flows well enough, but others not. Scenes depicting sex or violence are usually stilted and forced. In contrast, the social narrative of Chevakia is the most interesting. The author seems familiar with the inner workings of a bureaucracy. World building is also a bit hit-and-miss. The technology, or magic, again only exists to serve the plot-driven nature of the story, with gaps or inconsistencies appearing when that immediate aim was not required.
However, despite awkwardness of many parts, the story kept me interested. I wanted to see how it ended. This turned out to be another weak point, the final climax was not entirely convincing. But overall I was engaged enough to read the follow-up Moonfire trilogy.
November 25, 2017
Not my favourite and I don't think I'll be pursuing the series. Almost like slogging through a bog. Backstories are almost non existent and character development is like watching paint dry. Could have been a neat idea but...well...you get the picture.
January 20, 2016
I received a free kindle copy of Fire & Ice (Icefire Trilogy) by Patty Jansen in an Amazon promotion for review. I gave it four stars because it kept my attention & I wanted to learn what would happen next.
It was a world where 'Imperfects' were left on ice floes to be eaten by polar bears. They were able to see the icefire. Tandor, the grandson of a former king has been saving them to help form a revolution against the current regime.
Icefire evidently acts like high dosage radiation since it singes the skin & can cause death.
I hoped that the character Carro would be more ethical but considering his background with the Eagle Knights & his chronic rapes by higher ranking Knights did enough damage to tip him into mental illness. He also betrays his friend Isandor who had managed to become an Eagle Knight in spite of the imperfection of missing a lower leg which he disguised with icefire.
The Servitors were created by the removal of their hearts & they became blue (or invisible) automatons bound to do the will of who held their hearts.
Overall it was an interesting storyline & it ended with a cliffhanger. I will likely read Icefire Trilogy #2 in spite of several typos or grammatical errors.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...
It was a world where 'Imperfects' were left on ice floes to be eaten by polar bears. They were able to see the icefire. Tandor, the grandson of a former king has been saving them to help form a revolution against the current regime.
Icefire evidently acts like high dosage radiation since it singes the skin & can cause death.
I hoped that the character Carro would be more ethical but considering his background with the Eagle Knights & his chronic rapes by higher ranking Knights did enough damage to tip him into mental illness. He also betrays his friend Isandor who had managed to become an Eagle Knight in spite of the imperfection of missing a lower leg which he disguised with icefire.
The Servitors were created by the removal of their hearts & they became blue (or invisible) automatons bound to do the will of who held their hearts.
Overall it was an interesting storyline & it ended with a cliffhanger. I will likely read Icefire Trilogy #2 in spite of several typos or grammatical errors.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...
February 26, 2020
It looked interesting, so I got it. I was lost within a chapter, so I started over. I remained lost. I tried to like the characters. I kind of liked one but not enough to actually like him and care about his story. Mostly I was disappointed because I really thought I would find the story interesting. Actually finishing the book was a relief.
December 1, 2017
Not too easy to get into, had some potential but rape, nope. Sorry it is too much of a trigger for me. I can't read about rape nope nope nope
March 17, 2025
This was an exceptionally weird book. The weirdest book I’ve read in 2025, so far, and probably the weirdest I’ve ever read in my life. That’s what I truly appreciated, its originality. Patty Jansen’s imagination is something else. However, I wouldn’t recommend this book for every fantasy lover. It is an acquired taste, and reading it from start to finish does call for one to have a strong stomach and no trigger issues.
Some parts of the story involve animal cruelty and child abuse. There’s one scene where a man gets mercilessly tortured. But the biggest sensitive trigger of all, in my opinion, is how rape is normalized. It’s taken a bit too lightly and casually among this arctic world. There’s even a scene where one of the main characters does the raping, which is very graphic and just, ugh. If you could get past the deeply disturbing parts and brush off the sick and twisted ways of this icefire world, the story as a whole is very interesting and alien and so unique.
The servitor thing was so weird and messed up, I couldn’t help laugh. Cut out someone’s heart and kill them. Then conjure up the power of icefire to bring them back to life, but they’re not alive in a physical or spiritual sense. They become these blue entities with super-strength who could only be seen by those with the ability to see icefire. To those who can’t see it, the servitors are invisible people. Meanwhile, the servitor’s cut out heart is the only thing that stays physically alive. Seriously, what the…?
The other main character kept his servitor sled driver’s living, beating heart in a jar, which was found in his luggage. HA! The part where the queen and her lover got locked in a warehouse full of legless lions, but escaped by cutting one another’s hearts out and making each other a servitor was darkly humorous. They flew off to freedom in their ghostly blue forms, hearts in hand. Then when they wanted to become human again, they simply popped their hearts back into their chests, and—Bing! Their bodies magically became solid and normal again. That’s so zany!
I would never want to live in a world like this icefire world. It’s pretty austere and primitive with a touch of a dystopian vibe. However, the strangeness of it all gripped my interest and had me quickly sucked in and hooked. The main characters were flawed, which also kept things interesting. And I loved how the drama that was centered around this icefire grew more twisted and tangled and complicated, the further on I’d read.
Now here comes that special part of nearly all my book reviews—The things about the book that bugged me.
I think the camel at the beginning of the book must’ve been a blooper the author forgot to edit out. Once that camel was parked at that one guy’s house, it was never mentioned again, and nobody else in the story used camels to pull their sleds. Everybody used polar bears.
That one character’s flashbacks being written in present-tense was annoying. I think I understand why the author wrote it that way. So readers wouldn’t get confused with what was a flashback of the past, and what was going on in the present. In my opinion, I think the way the flashbacks were sectioned off by lines of three stars should’ve been enough to prevent confusion. Having the present written in past tense and the past written in present tense was just plain weird, but not in a good way.
“By the skylights!” being the popular exclamatory everybody used got irritating because it was the only exclamatory used. “By the skylights!” this, and “By the skylights!” that. Was that supposed to be an attempt at a creative and original substitute for profanity? Or did Patty Jansen put that in there just for the sake of being weird? I think it sounded stupid. The story already had explicit content, like violence and rape and drunk people. The characters might as well have dropped an F-bomb, or taken the Lord’s name in vain, every once in a while.
Also, I would’ve liked a little detail about certain things. Like why and how did the use of so much icefire cause the women to have problems with fertility? Why did it cause those who had the ability to see it and use it at will to have birth defects? One would think icefire is radioactive. It did, after all, make eagles evolve to being large enough and strong enough to carry knights on their backs. I would’ve liked to know more about the whole Breeder thing too. When did that start? Perhaps these things are explained further in the other books in this series? I would definitely be enthused to read the next book.
Then there’s the ending. That ending was pure madness.
Despite my four-star rating, I don’t highly recommend this book. It’s not for everyone. However, if you don’t have any sensitive triggers, and you’re into stories that take place in bazaar worlds where off-the-wall things can happen, give this one-of-a-kind, icy tale a read.
Some parts of the story involve animal cruelty and child abuse. There’s one scene where a man gets mercilessly tortured. But the biggest sensitive trigger of all, in my opinion, is how rape is normalized. It’s taken a bit too lightly and casually among this arctic world. There’s even a scene where one of the main characters does the raping, which is very graphic and just, ugh. If you could get past the deeply disturbing parts and brush off the sick and twisted ways of this icefire world, the story as a whole is very interesting and alien and so unique.
The servitor thing was so weird and messed up, I couldn’t help laugh. Cut out someone’s heart and kill them. Then conjure up the power of icefire to bring them back to life, but they’re not alive in a physical or spiritual sense. They become these blue entities with super-strength who could only be seen by those with the ability to see icefire. To those who can’t see it, the servitors are invisible people. Meanwhile, the servitor’s cut out heart is the only thing that stays physically alive. Seriously, what the…?
The other main character kept his servitor sled driver’s living, beating heart in a jar, which was found in his luggage. HA! The part where the queen and her lover got locked in a warehouse full of legless lions, but escaped by cutting one another’s hearts out and making each other a servitor was darkly humorous. They flew off to freedom in their ghostly blue forms, hearts in hand. Then when they wanted to become human again, they simply popped their hearts back into their chests, and—Bing! Their bodies magically became solid and normal again. That’s so zany!
I would never want to live in a world like this icefire world. It’s pretty austere and primitive with a touch of a dystopian vibe. However, the strangeness of it all gripped my interest and had me quickly sucked in and hooked. The main characters were flawed, which also kept things interesting. And I loved how the drama that was centered around this icefire grew more twisted and tangled and complicated, the further on I’d read.
Now here comes that special part of nearly all my book reviews—The things about the book that bugged me.
I think the camel at the beginning of the book must’ve been a blooper the author forgot to edit out. Once that camel was parked at that one guy’s house, it was never mentioned again, and nobody else in the story used camels to pull their sleds. Everybody used polar bears.
That one character’s flashbacks being written in present-tense was annoying. I think I understand why the author wrote it that way. So readers wouldn’t get confused with what was a flashback of the past, and what was going on in the present. In my opinion, I think the way the flashbacks were sectioned off by lines of three stars should’ve been enough to prevent confusion. Having the present written in past tense and the past written in present tense was just plain weird, but not in a good way.
“By the skylights!” being the popular exclamatory everybody used got irritating because it was the only exclamatory used. “By the skylights!” this, and “By the skylights!” that. Was that supposed to be an attempt at a creative and original substitute for profanity? Or did Patty Jansen put that in there just for the sake of being weird? I think it sounded stupid. The story already had explicit content, like violence and rape and drunk people. The characters might as well have dropped an F-bomb, or taken the Lord’s name in vain, every once in a while.
Also, I would’ve liked a little detail about certain things. Like why and how did the use of so much icefire cause the women to have problems with fertility? Why did it cause those who had the ability to see it and use it at will to have birth defects? One would think icefire is radioactive. It did, after all, make eagles evolve to being large enough and strong enough to carry knights on their backs. I would’ve liked to know more about the whole Breeder thing too. When did that start? Perhaps these things are explained further in the other books in this series? I would definitely be enthused to read the next book.
Then there’s the ending. That ending was pure madness.
Despite my four-star rating, I don’t highly recommend this book. It’s not for everyone. However, if you don’t have any sensitive triggers, and you’re into stories that take place in bazaar worlds where off-the-wall things can happen, give this one-of-a-kind, icy tale a read.
May 18, 2020
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
I’ve read other books by Patty Jansen, and like her science fiction, so I picked up one of her fantasies to try. This world is complex with many layers running through it. There are few simple answers or clear villains and heroes. The one constant is power, or more specifically control, but what that means for each character is different.
Tandor is a mix of hero trying to overthrow an illegitimate government and villain willing to do whatever necessary to achieve his aims. But that is far from the whole of his nature as his care for the imperfects he has rescued fights with his need to use them in his plan. As an imperfect himself, he sees the benefits in what he offers them as much as the loss, but doesn’t understand the rage that drives his servitor to fight his control absolute.
Isandor, an imperfect Tandor rescued a long time ago and placed with the woman he loves, has grown up in the capital city with an instinctive command of icefire. He also sought forbidden books that speak of icefire to learn more. Still, he joined the Knighthood when being an imperfect means abandonment on the ice floes when newborn. This is a policy the Knights brought into practice when they overthrew the old king because imperfects can use icefire, and yet they have not noticed Isandor’s wooden leg.
Then we get to Carro, Isandor’s childhood friend. His father mentally tortured him as a child, a practice the Apprentice Knights are all too happy to continue when he follows his friend into their ranks. With Carro we see the darker side as much as with Tandor, though I can’t say more without spoiling. His situation is complicated, and fair warning, involves on-screen male-male rape. However, there are hints of healthy gay relationships, so the two are not considered equivalent but rather one of power and the other of pleasure.
The complexity of the world comes to play in Loraine role, Isandor’s foster mother and Tandor’s love. She’s a breeder, one of the rare women able to bring a child to term. For this she is offered contracts to continue other family lines in return for her children being ripped from her. Economic imbalance also plays a part with the City of Glass much less prosperous since the overthrow. Most of the remaining wealth is funneled to the higher levels and away from the outer city. Which isn’t even covering the secret society, a black market in loot from the old palace, and many other aspects that make the world multilayered and fascinating.
There are many characters who have a crucial role and the point of view. I haven’t listed them all (some for spoiler reasons), but once I realized Carro’s friend Isandor did not grow up to be Tandor, I had no trouble keeping track. They have different parts to play, different skills, and distinct personalities. The imperfects are born with visible birth defects, meaning a good number of the characters are disabled, including two of the leads.
Bloodline is also critical because imperfects tend to come from the older, Thillei, bloodline while the bloodline that dominates the senior Knights can sense, if not see, icefire. This ability means illusions are harder to hold.
The world is not a bright and happy one. It has its moments, but there are as many if not more where the characters suffer or do something that turns my stomach. There is violence and hate, for sure, and yet there are moments of connection and love even in unexpected characters. It’s a harsh place with rules designed to keep the old bloodlines from returning. The costs are high. You won’t find straightforward characters that fall into place. Instead, the characters are as multi-faceted as the world and make as many bad choices as good. This is the strength of Fire & Ice. You will not find simplicity or easy answers, but there are many deep questions to consider, something I appreciate.
This is the first of a trilogy, and yet several storylines come to a satisfying conclusion. In some cases, that is a “for now” answer with more needing to be resolved and in others one situation resolves but with hints at more to follow. I’m not sure where the next book will take me, but I’m curious to find out.
P.S. I purchased this in the Icefire Trilogy The Complete Series box set for those who want to know the series is written before they start.
I’ve read other books by Patty Jansen, and like her science fiction, so I picked up one of her fantasies to try. This world is complex with many layers running through it. There are few simple answers or clear villains and heroes. The one constant is power, or more specifically control, but what that means for each character is different.
Tandor is a mix of hero trying to overthrow an illegitimate government and villain willing to do whatever necessary to achieve his aims. But that is far from the whole of his nature as his care for the imperfects he has rescued fights with his need to use them in his plan. As an imperfect himself, he sees the benefits in what he offers them as much as the loss, but doesn’t understand the rage that drives his servitor to fight his control absolute.
Isandor, an imperfect Tandor rescued a long time ago and placed with the woman he loves, has grown up in the capital city with an instinctive command of icefire. He also sought forbidden books that speak of icefire to learn more. Still, he joined the Knighthood when being an imperfect means abandonment on the ice floes when newborn. This is a policy the Knights brought into practice when they overthrew the old king because imperfects can use icefire, and yet they have not noticed Isandor’s wooden leg.
Then we get to Carro, Isandor’s childhood friend. His father mentally tortured him as a child, a practice the Apprentice Knights are all too happy to continue when he follows his friend into their ranks. With Carro we see the darker side as much as with Tandor, though I can’t say more without spoiling. His situation is complicated, and fair warning, involves on-screen male-male rape. However, there are hints of healthy gay relationships, so the two are not considered equivalent but rather one of power and the other of pleasure.
The complexity of the world comes to play in Loraine role, Isandor’s foster mother and Tandor’s love. She’s a breeder, one of the rare women able to bring a child to term. For this she is offered contracts to continue other family lines in return for her children being ripped from her. Economic imbalance also plays a part with the City of Glass much less prosperous since the overthrow. Most of the remaining wealth is funneled to the higher levels and away from the outer city. Which isn’t even covering the secret society, a black market in loot from the old palace, and many other aspects that make the world multilayered and fascinating.
There are many characters who have a crucial role and the point of view. I haven’t listed them all (some for spoiler reasons), but once I realized Carro’s friend Isandor did not grow up to be Tandor, I had no trouble keeping track. They have different parts to play, different skills, and distinct personalities. The imperfects are born with visible birth defects, meaning a good number of the characters are disabled, including two of the leads.
Bloodline is also critical because imperfects tend to come from the older, Thillei, bloodline while the bloodline that dominates the senior Knights can sense, if not see, icefire. This ability means illusions are harder to hold.
The world is not a bright and happy one. It has its moments, but there are as many if not more where the characters suffer or do something that turns my stomach. There is violence and hate, for sure, and yet there are moments of connection and love even in unexpected characters. It’s a harsh place with rules designed to keep the old bloodlines from returning. The costs are high. You won’t find straightforward characters that fall into place. Instead, the characters are as multi-faceted as the world and make as many bad choices as good. This is the strength of Fire & Ice. You will not find simplicity or easy answers, but there are many deep questions to consider, something I appreciate.
This is the first of a trilogy, and yet several storylines come to a satisfying conclusion. In some cases, that is a “for now” answer with more needing to be resolved and in others one situation resolves but with hints at more to follow. I’m not sure where the next book will take me, but I’m curious to find out.
P.S. I purchased this in the Icefire Trilogy The Complete Series box set for those who want to know the series is written before they start.
September 28, 2019
This one didn't quite pass muster for me, and I'm not entirely certain why Patty Jansen's writing didn't grab me. The setting certainly was interesting enough – we enter a frozen world where the previous regime that relied on a type of magic called icefire has been overthrown. In charge now is a cabal of eagle-riding knights who will do everything in their power to remain on top. Folks who have some sort of deformity (they're called Imperfect) are able to wield icefire, and so they face great persecution from the knights.
We follow the trials of an exiled noble Tandor, who wishes to reinstate his royal line. Only he's up against the knights, who have been stealing the Imperfect children Tandor has been grooming for his purpose. We also meat Isandor, and Imperfect who's been able to disguise his deformity and enter the knights' service. And it all culminates during a winter festival in a glorious catastrophe of earth-shaking proportions.
I like the author well enough; I follow her on assorted social media, so it pains me that I simply didn't gel with her writing. And I honestly believe the fault lies with the reader (myself). The story left me cold, like I couldn't suspend disbelief to immerse myself in it, and trust me, it's rare when that happens. Whether it was the uneasy blend of fantasy and sci-fi apparent in this work, of the fact that there was a part of me that wanted the story to be more lyrical in terms of prose, I'm not certain. I'm sure there are folks out there who are huge fans, and they find what they are looking for here. But I am not that reader.
We follow the trials of an exiled noble Tandor, who wishes to reinstate his royal line. Only he's up against the knights, who have been stealing the Imperfect children Tandor has been grooming for his purpose. We also meat Isandor, and Imperfect who's been able to disguise his deformity and enter the knights' service. And it all culminates during a winter festival in a glorious catastrophe of earth-shaking proportions.
I like the author well enough; I follow her on assorted social media, so it pains me that I simply didn't gel with her writing. And I honestly believe the fault lies with the reader (myself). The story left me cold, like I couldn't suspend disbelief to immerse myself in it, and trust me, it's rare when that happens. Whether it was the uneasy blend of fantasy and sci-fi apparent in this work, of the fact that there was a part of me that wanted the story to be more lyrical in terms of prose, I'm not certain. I'm sure there are folks out there who are huge fans, and they find what they are looking for here. But I am not that reader.
October 8, 2019
My first comment about this book is that it should be made clear at the point of sale that this book contains male on male rape scenes. I'm pretty sure not everyone wishes to buy books with such content in them for very obvious reasons.
That said, let's get on with the review.
As a first book in a trilogy i was very impressed. I feel it's certainly set the stage for some good grimdark fantasy to come. It isn't pleasant, the characters are flawed and too busy struggling with their own shit to worry about you, the reader -- get over it!
No really, looking at some reviews i don't think some people get this genre of story telling: you ain't getting it laid out all spotlessly cleaned and ironed with your clean socks in the morning, it's crumpled, still got stains and a bit of a stale wiff to it. But they're the only clothes you've got for the day so just throw 'em on and get out and enjoy the adventure they take you on.
To sum up, this was a great beginning to a trilogy that also has another trilogy following straight after. As the stage builder for this grimdark, disturbing world that the story is set in, it's certainly got my interest and i'm diving straight into Dust & Rain to see if what follows can meet my expectations.
That said, let's get on with the review.
As a first book in a trilogy i was very impressed. I feel it's certainly set the stage for some good grimdark fantasy to come. It isn't pleasant, the characters are flawed and too busy struggling with their own shit to worry about you, the reader -- get over it!
No really, looking at some reviews i don't think some people get this genre of story telling: you ain't getting it laid out all spotlessly cleaned and ironed with your clean socks in the morning, it's crumpled, still got stains and a bit of a stale wiff to it. But they're the only clothes you've got for the day so just throw 'em on and get out and enjoy the adventure they take you on.
To sum up, this was a great beginning to a trilogy that also has another trilogy following straight after. As the stage builder for this grimdark, disturbing world that the story is set in, it's certainly got my interest and i'm diving straight into Dust & Rain to see if what follows can meet my expectations.
March 19, 2019
This is a slightly difficult book for me to review, there are a lot of good ideas, interesting characters and a fairly well-realised world but for some reason it just didn't seem to click fully for me, at the same time though there wasn't anything in particular that I didn't like about it.
One possible reason for this situation might be that the characters were mostly interesting rather than likeable and thus couldn't serve as the initial hook early in the book while the rest of the world-building took place, which hampers this book, but could readily result in it helping subsequent ones in the series now that a lot of that stuff is out of the way.
The narrator gave a good overall performance that enhanced the book and helped to bring the characters to life.
Overall, this was a good book with enough interesting ideas that I would look into further parts of the series and I suspect this instalment will seem stronger as part of a trilogy than on its own.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
One possible reason for this situation might be that the characters were mostly interesting rather than likeable and thus couldn't serve as the initial hook early in the book while the rest of the world-building took place, which hampers this book, but could readily result in it helping subsequent ones in the series now that a lot of that stuff is out of the way.
The narrator gave a good overall performance that enhanced the book and helped to bring the characters to life.
Overall, this was a good book with enough interesting ideas that I would look into further parts of the series and I suspect this instalment will seem stronger as part of a trilogy than on its own.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
August 22, 2025
A compelling concept undermined by flawed characters and sluggish pacing.
The story begins with an admirable premise: the exiled royal family seeking to reclaim their country from the brutal Eagle Knights, who execute or abandon anyone born with physical or mental differences. These marginalized individuals, known as the Imperfects, possess the rare ability to wield icefire—a power the Knights fear and suppress.
However, the narrative falters when the protagonist, Tandor, reveals his intent to enslave some of the Imperfects as Servitors. This morally compromised stance makes him feel disturbingly similar to the very oppressors he’s fighting. I found Tandor self-centered and arrogant, and unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
The first quarter of the book dragged, making it difficult to stay engaged. While the worldbuilding and central conflict held promise, the character development felt undercooked, leaving the story emotionally hollow despite its thematic weight.
The story begins with an admirable premise: the exiled royal family seeking to reclaim their country from the brutal Eagle Knights, who execute or abandon anyone born with physical or mental differences. These marginalized individuals, known as the Imperfects, possess the rare ability to wield icefire—a power the Knights fear and suppress.
However, the narrative falters when the protagonist, Tandor, reveals his intent to enslave some of the Imperfects as Servitors. This morally compromised stance makes him feel disturbingly similar to the very oppressors he’s fighting. I found Tandor self-centered and arrogant, and unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
The first quarter of the book dragged, making it difficult to stay engaged. While the worldbuilding and central conflict held promise, the character development felt undercooked, leaving the story emotionally hollow despite its thematic weight.
February 13, 2018
When a baby was born with a physical disability, a knight would take the infant and leave them on the ice floes so that they could be eaten by wild animals. You see, anyone with a deformity had special powers and those that were born normally did not have them and couldn’t see the Icefire. Women who had come of age were given a special drink that would be able to make them conceive and they did not have to marry just to procreate. Not everyone thought that what the knights were doing was a good thing, so they would go out and rescue the babies and find people to raise them.
This book was a hard for me to get into in the beginning. The book was dry and did not capture my attention, I almost stopped reading it because of that. I am giving this four stars because I am hoping that book two will fill in some missing parts.
This book was a hard for me to get into in the beginning. The book was dry and did not capture my attention, I almost stopped reading it because of that. I am giving this four stars because I am hoping that book two will fill in some missing parts.
May 12, 2018
Good storytelling in an interesting world
I like the story well enough that it made it memorable and slightly hard to put down.
The only reason it didn't get five stars was there was not enough background as to why the imperfect were hated and why they were being rounded up by the knights. There were parts that were confusing specially the young queen. If the author wanted Carro to be totally pathetic, she succeeded, but then so were Isandor and the queen. All of the characters were flat with no development as the story went.
Reading the next book just to see if more things are explained otherwise I probably won't read the third one.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley.
I like the story well enough that it made it memorable and slightly hard to put down.
The only reason it didn't get five stars was there was not enough background as to why the imperfect were hated and why they were being rounded up by the knights. There were parts that were confusing specially the young queen. If the author wanted Carro to be totally pathetic, she succeeded, but then so were Isandor and the queen. All of the characters were flat with no development as the story went.
Reading the next book just to see if more things are explained otherwise I probably won't read the third one.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley.
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