The Girl from Shadow Springs

by Ellie Cypher

A debut fantasy about two teens who must brave a frozen wasteland and the foes within it to save their loved ones and uncover a deadly secret.

Everyone in Shadow Springs knows that no one survives crossing the Flats. But the threat of a frozen death has never deterred the steady stream of treasure hunters searching for a legendary prize hidden somewhere in the vast expanse of ice. Jorie thinks they’re all fools, which makes scavenging their possessions easier. It’s how she and her sister, Brenna, survive.

Then Jorie scavenges off the wrong body. When the dead man’s enemy believes Jorie took something valuable from the body, he kidnaps Brenna as collateral. He tells Jorie that if she wants her sister back, she’ll have to trade her for the item he thinks she stole. But how can Jorie make a trade when she doesn’t even know what she’s looking for?

Her only source of information is Cody, the dead man’s nephew and a scholar from the South who’s never been hardened by the harsh conditions of the North. Though Jorie’s reluctant to bring a city boy out onto the Flats with her, she’ll do whatever it takes to save her sister. But anything can happen out on the ice, and soon Jorie and Cody find they need one another more than they ever imagined—and they’ll have to trust each other to survive threats beyond their darkest nightmares.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Family

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2021

Reviews

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many people who deserve to live, the love interest is a waste of that.

RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐ 3.8

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! ABORT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET!

Everything could've been better.
Without the humanoid mosquito.


~El Fin~


In honor of my ruined childhood, I'll let Dora take the stage for a while. *clears throat*
Amigos! Can you say, el idiota? *stares*
No? Well, can you help me find, el inutil? *stares some more*
Oh! I see you already did, next to la manzana. *hand flourish*
In the dang snow blizzard.
Surrounded by rabid dogs.


BECAUSE HE IS THAT IMBECILIC OF A BEING.

This story follows the main character, Jorie, who's a scavenger for money in dead bodies and such. One day, after she recollects a body, she finds her sister who doesn't seem to be alone. Sister gets kidnapped. MC searches for said sister. That made me feel absolutely nothing. MC meets a moronic guy, feels something akin to attraction for him (I- I don't even know HOW). They never ever get together. In the 'journey' they meet human-like wolf monsters, magical creatures (which are never explained), an Ice Witch (which again, could've been so much better), hunters (which were led by a woman called Bass and um... they were there) and tra la la la, the Witch is defeated. Happily ever after.
-Booksy's synopsis ended

Let me touch on the things that I loved (since describing every character is not useful in a book in which the only person that I cared for was the MC and the rest of the characters were just blank, flat, snowy space without any purpose. And like, I don't want to completely roast this book because half of it was REALLY good, then turned just good, and finished decently)

Lovely Things

One of the first things that struck me as OHMYPORKTHISISGOOD was the writing. It was lyrical, poetical and so vicious in its descriptions, it left nothing to be desired. Apart from less use of metaphors, which at times, drowned me like my real-time responsibilities. *snort* They were somewhat confusing to unravel, and I think that tiny aspect of it sucked me out of the story more than once. Which is unfortunate, since I would need all the good things I could absorb from this book, to fight against the slump that would later attack me because of one measly character. But I'm getting too ahead of myself (like always. You know where I DON'T get ahead? My life *smile through the pain*)

“The girl’s already cracked heart. They were lucky. They stole the seven pieces, bound them in the Witch’s own blood, and hid them away. Piece by missing piece, the Witch grew too weak to fight back. Until there was not enough of her left to hold together. The villagers tricked what was left of her into a prison of ice. Sealed the way with...

Find full chaotic, slightly messy review in Booktastically Amazing

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad that I read this book in the winter because it 100% delivers on a lovely, snowy vibe! This YA fantasy is a fascinating blend of western tropes and a snow queen fairytale retelling, with a wonderful dose of sisterly love at the heart of the main character's motivation. This felt fresh & a bit different from what I've read in YA fantasy, and the writing in particular was quite lovely. All around, very much enjoyed & hurrah for a fantasy that can be read as a standalone :)

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high stakes survival story, a girl determined to save her sister, a magical mystery, plus some serious wintry vibes make The Girl From Shadow Springs the perfect book to pick up this winter. (No joke, the descriptions of the dangerously frozen setting were chilling and I needed to read it with a cozy blanket!) This YA debut is being pitched as The Revenant meets True Grit with a magical twist and I can confirm that is a fairly accurate description!

No one survives on the frozen Flats and now that their parents are gone, Jorie and her sister Brenna make ends meet by scavenging the bodies of the foolish men who try their luck on the Flats. But when Jorie picks the wrong man to scavenge, they are caught up in a dangerous conflict and Brenna is kidnapped for ransom. Jorie is determined to get her sister back, no matter what it takes or what it costs her.

This is a very strong debut with wonderfully descriptive writing and an intense plot that has a very satisfying payoff. The pacing is a bit slow at the start, but you're also getting world-building and learning about the characters. Part survival story, part magical mystery, I had a good time with this one and hope people will check it out! Love the strong sisterly bond and messaging about love and family. I received an advance copy of this book for review from the author. All opinions are my own.

[AziaMinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Rating : C+



This was almost a 4 star book, it started off that good. But then the plot just got away from the characters, in a very weird, supernatural point that did not go with the setting. At least in a way that made sense. And it also ended with no clear resolution.

Still, a solid journey, and damn good characters and I'm glad it caught me eye.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

2.5*

The Girl From Shadow Springs follows Jorie on her quest to find her sister after she is stolen from some baddies. She meets Cody in town, and he sets off with her. There was stuff I liked, and stuff I didn't as much, so let's get to it!

What I Liked:

►The atmosphere was on point! I mean, you asked for cold desolation, you got cold desolation! This world is rough. I don't have any idea if there are like, nice, moderate climates anywhere, but wow would I be out searching for those! The weather is brutal, the people are brutal, there are few supplies to be had, and nearly everyone Jorie's ever known is dead. It's clear to see why she's so desperate to find her sister, right?

►I enjoyed the banter between Cody and Jorie. It lightened the mood, for sure, to have them squabbling and such. And, frankly, it made them seem more relatable.

►I love me an adventure! I mean, it's not a road trip, but a dog-sled trip, and that is pretty fabulous. I love the themes of surviving in dire conditions, fighting the elements, and things of the like. This book definitely had tons of that!

What I Didn't:

►The magic part confused the heck out of me. I knew it was coming, but I didn't understand it at all. There's a line where Jorie says "There may be a lot of this I don’t right understand—near all of it, to be honest", and hard same. It isn't introduced in earnest until later in the story, and I just didn't have enough time to really have it make sense to me.

►I didn't feel like I knew Jorie at all. Did she have anything going on other than staying alive? Genuinely asking because I don't know. It didn't seem like it? And maybe that is the case, but it felt very hard to connect to her when I couldn't really get a sense of who she is, other than she loved her sister, which wasn't exactly a groundbreaking revelation.

►While it was high stakes, it didn't always feel that way. First, I didn't really ever think that Jorie wouldn't find her sister, frankly. I won't tell you whether I was correct, but that is how I felt through the story. Second, I know Jorie loves her sister, I get it. Obviously, they're family. But it felt more like Jorie was telling me she loved her sister, rather than showing any meaningful connection between the two other than just... blood.

Bottom Line:  Definitely atmospheric and full of action, the magic and characters fell a bit short for me.

[Ellie Cypher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it so I'm biased, but if you like stories about vengeance, sisters and myths in an icy world maybe give Jorie and her sister Brenna's world a try!

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really torn on a rating for this one. On the one hand, this was so gripping! The tension was excellent, especially during scenes where the main characters were travelling through storms and facing dangerous scenarios. There were many times where I couldn’t out it down even though I needed to. The writing style was very visual, I could easily see and hear everything in my mind, it felt like a movie was playing even though I just read this physically without the audiobook. So that was all so well done and deserved a 4 star. But unfortunately the ending lost me. I thought everything was extremely obvious, to the point where I didn’t think the reveal was actually the reveal because there was no way the characters didn’t realize what was going on, so I kept waiting for the actual reveal which never came. The villains were so over the top dramatic, a lot of the dialogue was awkward and stilted, and the romance didn’t feel believable to me (or necessary for that matter). The ending was more like a 2.5 so I figured I’d settle for a 3. But this was definitely worth the read despite the ending not being the best!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Whom It May Concern—

I did not know what to expect going into The Girl from Shadow Springs. It made its way onto my shelf because my local library simply never got it in and I decided to take a gamble because it was cheap on Thriftbooks and I’d heard no one talking about it (which is generally a good sign, in my book). First two pages in, I had a bad feeling about it, because the author insisted on writing it in an obnoxious “trapper accent.” That, I decided, could very easily break this whole book.

Marjorie Harlow and her sister Brenna live in a rundown town called Shadow Springs: a pathetic excuse of a settlement in a frozen Arctic-like tundra called the Flats, where daily life is a struggle and death one wrong step away. With their parents dead, life is pretty solitary for Jorie and Bren. But then one night, a dangerous man - a Rover - turns up looking for something that he’s convinced Jorie recovered from the body of a stranger found dead on the Flats earlier. And when Jorie doesn’t answer satisfactorily, the Rover takes Brenna and tells Jorie to get him what he wants - or else.

With far more questions than answers, Jorie is forced to team up with Cody Colburn - whose uncle was searching for a legendary lost city - to recover Brenna before it’s too late. But Jorie has stumbled into something much bigger, and much more ancient, than she could have ever anticipated.

There’s really only one thing for me to say about this book: despite the annoying trapper accent, this book is highly underrated - and happily, I was mostly able to look past the trapper accent. This is part survivalist fantasy adventure, and part archeological mystery adventure, and it is a brilliant combination. There is a very strong thread of suspense running throughout, keeping the reader flipping pages, and it follows a very quintessential “mysterious map leading to lost city of legend and treasure” narrative that was totally unexpected and absolutely wonderful. On top of that, there’s a nice blend of Arctic survival conditions - which shockingly does not grow tedious because of the mystery-suspense atmosphere - and a touch of dark folklore-come-true.

Added to this was the fact that Jorie and Cody are both really easy characters to like. As much as I disliked the trapper accent narrative voice - and truly, I really disliked it - in a bizarre way, it kind of also saved Jorie as a character. She’s a blunt girl, doesn’t come across as the friendliest because of it, and has little to no patience for Cody, who knows zero about surviving the Flats. But the accent shaped Jorie’s edges to where she really did not come across as a man-hating, girl-power, “you’re so incompetent and I’m not because I’m a woman and can do anything” brat, but really was just blunt and lived a life that left no room for nonsense. Cody’s inexperience could very easily get in the way of recovering Brenna - the only thing Jorie’s cares about - and it could also cost them their lives. Jorie is more competent than Cody because Jorie has lived in the Flats all her life.

However, Cody is neither bumbling nor useless, and Jorie fully admits she was wrong when he proves that he has skills - skills that save their lives more than once. And Cody has an open, curious, and fairly easy-going personality that bounces off Jorie’s edges in a complimentary fashion. The two don’t spend all their time bickering because Cody simply does not rise to Jorie’s retorts. And the romance between them - which is an obvious direction the moment they meet - was shockingly low-key, almost slow-burn, and so sweet. I had it for sure pegged as an instant fall, but it’s not and I loved every little bit of it.

All in all, I was left pleasantly surprised by this book, my only real complaint being that blasted trapper accent. There were a few story points that I felt weren’t fully explained - like Jorie’s mother and Jorie’s struggle with letting people get close to her, and Jorie’s scar (which I might have missed) - but overall the conclusion was mostly satisfactory, the things left slightly unresolved explainable by conjecture. Winter was a perfect month in which to read this, and for all of the animal lovers out there, I can promise that no dogs are killed.

With Deepest Critical Regards,
M. A.

[Tiffany McCrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven’t really read anything like this. A western that takes place in a snowy tundra with witches and narwhals. Plus you know, that whole sharing a small tent romance trope. It was really well written and a fast paced and interesting plot.

[TheGeekishBrunette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an earc to read in exchange for a review!

I was very curious about this one because the blurb made it sound like a wild west but its a frozen tundra. I know I have read books with a frozen tundra as a setting but not like this. The characters do talk like any character from a western movie. I thought that was an interesting choice but one that worked well for this book.

Jorie has grown up in this frozen environment with just her sister ever since their parents died. She does anything to keep them both alive and that involves finding whatever is left on the dead bodies. I don’t think I’d be able to do that job! Sometimes you mess with the wrong body and there are consequences.

As a character, Jorie is strong and determined. It also takes a lot of courage to brave the frozen tundra when you deal with the bodies of those who never make it. At least she knows what it takes to survive. I can’t say that her or any of the other characters ever had a lot of development. She definitely had more than the rest. This usually is the case for standalones and so I try not to be too picky about it.

When it comes to standalones, I usually rely on the plot to get me through when the characters are bit underdeveloped. I was intrigued from the beginning as it didn’t take long for something to happen but after that initial push, things died down and from there it was just a lot of traveling across the tundra with nothing to really hold my attention. There a few plot twists that happened but none were really surprising. I was also disappointed with the magic. There wasn’t ever a lot to it and it took over half of the book for it to make an appearance, besides as just talk. Even then, it was lackluster.

Overall, it was okay but lacked in too many areas for my taste.

[R.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl hardened by the harsh wilds of Shadow Springs and a boy softened by life in the South are forced together by a common need to avenge a loved one, each bringing their own strengths to the adventure… and weaknesses.

The Girl From Shadow Springs is the type of book you read curled up on your couch snuggled in millions of blankets as a blizzard swirls around outside (for the full effect, of course). Which is–surprising for this Texan–exactly how I read this book. I have Jorie and Cody to thank for keeping me sane during the Texas Blizzard of 2021, and for reminding me exactly why I’ve chosen to reside in Texas and not some harsh North controlled by a Winter Witch *winks*.

Jorie and Cody were an entertaining duo to say the least. Jorie– almost never willing to “lighten up”–and Cody–being a really spunky and adorable guy–had simply amusing interactions the entire time. They are polar opposites, but naturally, we know that opposites attract so it’s easy to root for them.

The story is nonstop dilemma and problem as Jorie and Cody travel further and further into the unforgiving North. There’s always an element of suspense to keep you turning the pages, and though some of the storyline was predictable (for me), there were other things that kept it fresh and exciting. The only thing that I *almost* didn’t like was how the book was written in Jorie’s uneducated slang. Until I was used to it (about halfway through the book), I could NOT turn off my inner editor and the way Jorie spoke drove me crazy (if I ever see “weren’t” used like that again, I shall scream!). However, the writing style in Jorie’s voice is really what created the authenticity of her gruff and rough demeanor, making The Girl From Shadow Springs what it is. Without Jorie’s narration, I feel like this would have been an entirely different book. And even though Jorie’s way of narrating shows her tough lifestyle, the book never felt improperly edited; it was handled professionally, so in the end, it didn’t bother me.

So, overall, I enjoyed The Girl From Shadow Springs and recommend it to fantasy lovers who would like more of a survivalist story, rather than a quest-like story. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Content Disclaimers (some may consider these SPOILERS, proceed with caution): No sexual content and honestly, no romance. Some hints at attraction though. Cursing is limited to phrases like “she cursed under breath” and the characters use their own invented slang words. Action/gore can be detailed at times, but I wouldn’t rate it above a PG-13 level.

I received this book for free from the author/publisher. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and I am leaving a voluntary review.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jorie has lived all her life in Shadow Springs. Through her life, winter has taken more and more time and now it seems to be here permanently. Since her Pa's death, she's eked out a living for herself and her sister Bren by dragging lost souls off of the ice and selling anything worth reselling they happened to have on them. The latest man Jorie has found dead on the ice brings a heap more trouble with him than Jorie imagined. A Rover shows up and thinks Jorie has taken something he wants very badly off of the dead man. He doesn't believe she knows nothing, so he kidnaps Bren and takes her off as his hostage until Jorie can hand over what he wants. Jorie has no clue what the man wants, but Cody, the dead man's nephew may have an idea. Jorie thinks taking a soft Southerner with her into the wilds on her rescue mission is suicide for both of them, but he may be her only hope of getting Bren back. They set off into the ice and snow with a dog sled team and the supplies Jorie was able to hastily throw together.

This was a very unique blend of a hard ol' Western story (think True Grit) mixed with crazy polar expedition/survival story and dashes of The Snow Queen fairy tale (not the Anna & Elsa Disney version, the much creepier versions). It is written very atmospherically with all the snow and ice and Jorie's unique vernacular instantly transporting you into this unique setting. Then the slight fantasy elements start showing up but you can't tell if they are real or a hallucinations of dehydrated and concussed people for quite a while. It's a story of survival in a very cold climate, a tale of the lengths sisters will go to out of love for one another, a land suffering under the clutches of sinister power, and an unexpected friendship for two orphan teens who thought they didn't need anyone else.

Notes on content: Very infrequent minor swears. No sexual content beyond a kiss on the hand. People dying of exposure and gun shots. Some injuries from wild animals.

[Breanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars ✨

[James McInerney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, took a while to get started and the last few chapters were the best. Worthy read.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly....wtf

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

didn't finish it, way too boring

[Alyson Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC. A fast paced that left me exhausted a the end. This adventure with sisterly love at the center is perfect for the winter weather.

[Yazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book but the only reason I’m not giving it a five star is because I felt like towards the end of the book I wanted it to be over? I mean the plot and placing were great and I loved the main characters but I felt like towards the end it just felt too dragged out and like the book could have been over like maybe 30 pages ago but I pushed through. Overall it was an enjoyable read, I took my time reading it, maybe three days? It definitely wasn’t a book that made me want to sit and finish it in one go, the first half did feel like that but I did start losing interest towards the ending. Do recommend though if you want to take a break from your usual reads.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

“A winter dystopian western, The Girl From Shadow Springs‘ landscape is the driving force of this story.”

Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf & Ink

What originally drew me to The Girl From Shadow Springs was the idea of a winter dystopia.

Normally, when I think of dystopia’s my mind gravitates to these bleak terrains: dessert and drought that has everyone desperate and willing to do anything to survive.

Think Mad Max.

So when faced with a different landscape I was intrigued.

I found the setting to be the strongest feature of the book. Replete with ice and snow and every danger of surviving in a world of unending frost, Ellie Cypher’s descriptions and details in this frozen world was solid.

However, for the story itself, I had some concerns. The beginning of the narrative started off strong. Chypher solidifies with great detail in her world building and the main character, Jorie’s challenges in surviving.

But as the story progresses, the narrative begins to lose momentum and focus. Jorie’s attention in finding her sister tends to be placed on the back burner throughout most of the story. There is this lack of urgency when days start to drag by with little to no progress in the development of where she is going and a solid plan if and when Jorie finds her sister.

Then, there is the Winter Witch element of the story. The fantasy elements. We know early on there’s something not right about this permanent frost. Further, there’s this fable, legend like mythology that’s touched on in the beginning about a Winter Witch. What was becoming most apperant as I read on was how the survival aspect of the story wasn’t flowing smoothly and in succession with the fantasy of the Winter Witch.

It felt like I was reading two separate stories.

As though the idea of this story were like dominos: lined up in polished rows, making perfect sense. But a gale of wind comes through, the dominos scatter, leaving an image of disorder and a narrative jumbled together, and incongruous. Where the genre’s of survival and fantasy didn’t entirely integrate to make for a fulfilling narrative.
After setting the novel aside several times, I came to the conclusion this novel was not for me. I did come back to it with fresh eyes and a newfound hope, but sadly, I found myself distracted. That the book wasn’t fully holding my attention.

The Girl From Winter Springs potential lay in its world-building and its rich atmospheric descriptions, though these should not be the only driving aspects for a survival, action, and adventure debut.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

You can find my full review on my book blog: https://sheafandink.com/2021/02/21/th...
Support for my blog: https://ko-fi.com/sheafandink

[Katherine Gear · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story pleasantly surprised me! YA fantasy can be pretty hit-and-miss for me nowadays, but this one mostly got it right for me! This frigid survival story was atmospheric, and the tundra setting was well-realized and sufficiently threatening. This book felt cold. The plot was well-paced with good status quo shifts, while I enjoyed the short chapters, I found the chapter breaks in the book to be awkward. They didn't demarkate individual scenes, and seemed to exist to create tension, with chapters ending in "cliffhangers" only to continue from exactly where they left off. That's just a nitpick though.

The highlight of the book for me was definitely Jorie, she was a fantastic protagonist! Her motivations were always clear in the text, and remained present throughout the book, I was fully invested in her relationship with her sister, and it did not feel like a plot point or just the set-up to a romance, which is unfortunately common in YA stories and is a pet peeve of mine, glad it was avoided here. Jorie's character arc of learning to trust and rely on others (and maybe open her heart a bit) was very sweet, but overall I just loved how capable she was and very much enjoyed her harsh, take-no-shit attitude. The antagonists in the story were sufficiently threatening, and the love interest was fine, but Jorie was the real shining star here.

The one hiccup in the book for me was the world building/lore. I found the working in of the world's folklore to be a bit awkward, but if you're like me and don't mind some clunky worldbuilding this book has a lot to offer!

[MasterSal]

Dec 2020: BookslikeWhoa rated this 4 stars so of course it goes on my TBR ... dang it

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This book is a perfect winter book. The descriptions of the majestic frozen tundra landscape were hauntingly beautiful. It is a harsh world, this frozen world of ice and steal you breath cold. I really enjoyed the adventure aspect of the book, the main character journey across the frozen wasteland to find and save her sister. The fantasy elements weren't my favorite. I think I would of liked the story better had it kept that western-style adventure story instead of turning into a fantasy style book towards the end. The myths and the sensation of being watched was great, but I wished that the author had kept the stories as just stories.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something to read when you are stuck inside during the winter!
I think after reading so many books with crazy turns, this is where I could settle down a little. I was too correct. Definitely was intrigued with the first maybe five chapters, but then it got stupidly slow. I was almost begging for the characters to move faster, haha. I won’t specifically say what happened to spoil, but, when something bad happened, I was kinda like yES.

Did the climax pay off for the dragging? Maybe like 60% of it..?

If you’re stuck at home, bored, and tired of doing backflips to understand the books you’re reading, yeah I guess this is the book for you.

[Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very weird. Good weird, I think. I haven’t ever read anything like it. It was very unique and I cannot find a similar book on my shelves. Four stars, because it isn’t for everyone! The thing I liked about this book was that I felt the cold the Maine character was feeling! But I was a bit confused at some parts with certain things that didn’t seem to make sense. Overall, a good book.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book, the world was so interesting, and I loved this survival story! Such a great read!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, by any means, but I think I am too old for it to really impact me or thrill me much

In five sentences:
Marjorie (Jorie) lives in an inhospitable wintry place with her sister where they survive by scavenging useful goods off the people who die out in the pass. When Jorie scavenges off the wrong body, a villainous man from beyond the icy Flats takes her sister to motivate Jorie to return what she scavenged. Not knowing what it is that she needs to return, she teams up with Cody Colburn, the nephew of the dead man she scavenged from, in order to get her sister back. Together, they travel and travel and travel across an uber-harsh and forbidding winter landscape. In doing so, they enter a mythical world and battle an ice witch in order to save her sister.

I guess I just expected this to be more character-driven in the realistic fiction sense. The mythical tales and such were fine, I guess, but I never really felt swept up in them. Sort of like the mythology wasn't developed yet enough for me to truly believe in it while reading. Maybe I just wasn't prepared for this? It's just, the focus quickly shifted from the whole "return what you stole" premise to "are the myths of the ice witch real?" I was more into the first premise, I confess.

I also never really connected with Jorie all that much. I appreciated her gruff demeanor, which certainly made her unique from the other YA heroines out there, but I didn't really see as much character development as I hoped for. Yes, she connects with Cody, but he kind of was her only option to connect with, so I didn't see her truly blossoming as a character in more fundamental ways, if that makes sense. Plus, I had to get past Jorie's odd use of "were" instead of "was" at times as well as her use of "ain't" and her inclination to use unexpected sentence fragments and leave the -ly endings off words that need them. But that's probably just the English teacher in me complaining. Still, this was definitely not as frustrating for me to read as the lingo in The Maze Runner.

Cody himself was fine--helpful and sweet--and, goodness, full of blushes, the poor boy. And though I'm definitely a sucker for subtle romances, the romance between these two is SUPER subtle, man. I feel like, more middle grade romance than anything else, considering how few things pass between them besides an understanding that they're together.

But, like I said. Not a bad book. Just more suitable for readers younger than me. Maybe those who love the Frozen world. This is definitely a more grown-up tale of the bond of two sisters combating the powers of ice and myth and snow.

[Teressa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m actually mad I wasted my time reading this one. I really liked the gritty, Arctic, western— almost Mad Maxish— vibe. I loved the idea of their journey out into the wilderness to save a sister and how the sister’s abduction was somehow connected to family secrets, a mysterious heirloom necklace, and legends of an Ice Witch. But while it started out strong, the pace in the middle lagged, and the ending was just completely incoherent. Like, hot garbage. The plot at the end didn’t even make sense and bordered on absurd. Why would the witch let them in? How did she get Bren from the creepy guy? The wolves of extraordinary size— those weren’t connected to the witch? How could silver be the witch’s kryptonite when she literally BLEEDS silver?!? And if silver was the only thing to “contain” her evil magic, how did she break the chains in the tent with Bass? And why is everyone shooting each other and dying in the at tent???? What does Dev know? Why did people know the main character and Bren’s mother? Why did she even have the necklace? If Bass knew them and recognized the necklace— or knew that their mother had it-….. just, that doesn’t even make sense…. What is the old city….???? Oh, and my least favorite part…. They actually stop to make bullets and a silver coated blade to kill Vela…. But she’s RIGhT there!!! Also, that whole description is ridiculous in terms of chemistry— it’s just impossible. And remind me again why a silver bullet or dagger would work when the other silver didn’t….??? Because it’s the “special” silver from her cage prison? Please. And who made that enormous prison? And let’s go on to the map… where does the guy who abducted Bren even fit other than just as basic plot vehicle to have Bren abducted…. And what’s so special about Bren that the witch needs her… when she doesn’t even have the necklace anymore… What about Dev? Why was her mother (?) or father (?) a traitor. I could go on and on and on….. someone make it make sense.

This one literally makes me want to light the world on fire. It’s the rare book that is so bad, but had so much potential…. I was even highlighting some great quotes in it. Then it drug. Then it just fell apart. Just infuriating. Don’t waste your time. This one goes straight in the slush pile. I feel betrayed. I beg of the author to rewrite the ending so it makes sense. The fact I’ve wasted additional minutes of my life writing a review just to rant should be telling.

I kept going to the very end because I wanted answers… sadly I didn’t get any that were satisfying. This is going straight in the pulp pile. What a let down.

[Daniella]

dnf @ p. 54

Polar western with magic should have been an instant win, but unfortunately I just wasn't gripped by this. The choice to have people speak like old timey cowboys was interesting but it kept pulling me out of the story cause I had to go back to work out what they were saying. Maybe this would have worked better on audio, but there would be passages where it was fine and then it would hit me again with some strange phrasing and I'd be dragged out again.

Also didn't love that we opened with this baddie surviving in this snowy wasteland just trying to look after her sister and then like 20 pages later its like "oh a pretty boy looked at me and I wanna touch his eyelashes" - I mean sure let the mc have some romance but I felt like these sorts of comments were a bit jarring with her tough exterior. I think cause we hadn't really seen her soft spot at all, it just felt strange that she was like dead set on finding her sister but would then pause to think about how pretty the boy was.

I also was getting a lot of miscommunication stuff which is one of my least favourite tropes in books. The villain's whole thing is based on miscommunication (and maybe like she really does have what he's looking for but she certainly didn't know it at the beginning) and it felt like when any character had to describe a situation they'd do it in the vaguest terms possible until the other character asked what they meant (and even then they wouldn't necessarily clarify). I just thought between that and the language I didn't have much hope this was going to be great, and I've seen a few reviews saying the magic comes a bit out of nowhere too which I don't love the sound of.

The setting was cool, and the idea of this isolated ex-gold town where our protagonist is trying to keep her and her sister alive could have made for a really cool survival story with sisterhood at its core. Instead I feel this ends up as like a semi-romance 'gotta save my sister cause I said I really care about her' type vibe and I didn't think it was going to really wow me.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Revenant and that combined with a western vibe and frozen wasteland made me curious about this book.

Talk about your high stakes. After Jorie’s sister, her only remaining family, is kidnapped, Jorie is determined to hunt down the person who took her and bring her home. It’s not a simple task. Not only does she have to trade an unknown item for her sister, she has to survive a journey of several days and nights in frozen tundra with minimal supplies along with an inexperienced and unwelcome city boy companion just to get to her. The setting is a character in itself and has a big impact on this story. Trust me when I say you may need a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate while reading.

Jorie is a plucky MC and a survivor who’s suffered many losses in her young life. Other than the strong bond with her sister, she’s hardened herself to outsiders and has resolved not to let anyone in. Cody finds himself alone in the world after the death of his uncle and wants to avenge his death, although he’s far from equipped to do so. Watching him worm his way into Jorie’s cold heart was amusing, and found families are a favorite theme of mine.

Cody is a scholar and has studied tales of maps, treasures, beasts of snow and ice, and witches. Jorie heard these same stories during childhood and believes they’re only made up, but they come to figure prominently in the plot. Although hints about where the plot is leading are sprinkled throughout the book, something didn’t click for me. I felt like a piece of the puzzle that would tie everything together was missing. I don’t want to give away spoilers, and judging by other reviews I’m in the minority on this.

The pacing lags a bit in the beginning, but then takes off as Jorie and Cody embark on their harrowing journey filled with life-threatening obstacles. It’s an unusual blend of genres that I haven’t come across in YA, and a novel I enjoyed. I wouldn’t hesitate to read other books in the future by this debut author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.