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Ice Castle: A Queerplatonic Love Story
Shoveling dirt over slippery patches while dressed as a Christmas fairy isn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but Rachel Forrest doesn’t mind spending another holiday season as “dirt girl” at the Ice Castle ice maze if it means she gets paid. She never expected one such patch of ice to lead her to Cassie Harlan.
Cassie is cute and funny and shares Rachel’s aromantic asexual identity. Rachel finds herself drawn to Cassie in a way she’s never experienced, and as her feelings grow, she questions what exactly they are. Does Rachel want to be her friend? Or something else? She’ll have to learn to trust Cassie and herself in order to figure it all out before they lose their chance at anything.
Cassie is cute and funny and shares Rachel’s aromantic asexual identity. Rachel finds herself drawn to Cassie in a way she’s never experienced, and as her feelings grow, she questions what exactly they are. Does Rachel want to be her friend? Or something else? She’ll have to learn to trust Cassie and herself in order to figure it all out before they lose their chance at anything.
72 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 27, 2022
Oh man I am LIVING in my feels. I've never ever ever read a story quite like this and it both hurt and healed. It hurt because it felt so true to what I may want and healed because I think I desperately needed to see this representation.
Ice Castle is a queer platonic love story. I know, if you haven't heard of the term queer platonic you may be confused, but don't fret, this book will clear it all up for you.
In Ice Castle, (which is a contemporary story not a fantasy set like I assumed), Rachel is working at her towns local winter attraction, The Ice Castle, as the dirt girl. She's responsible for shoveling dirt onto exceptionally icy pathways and she's doing just that when she stumbles across Cassie, who quite literally fell in her path.
Cassie is visiting from out of town but the two girls immediately hit it off and even more so when they realize they're both aroace. They make plans to meet up and spend time together.
Cassie is very secure in her identity and has experienced squishes before, but Rachel hasn't and is feeling conflicted about her potential feelings for Cassie. I really loved this bit and how they both helped Rachel work through what she was truly feeling.
The two then help Cassie's trans aunt Trula, who is amazing btw, with her Christmas queer ornaments and the Christmas festival.
This entire story takes place over about a month and was a little too meet cute/insta QPR for me, but I did really love it. The two explore and learn and figure out what a QPR means to each of them and if it's something they want with each other.
As much as I wish I could say it doesn't, it is a bit preachy at times and felt a bit like my aspec group chat but in the best way. There's a lot of terms to discuss especially when you're not sure if readers are familiar and I appreciate the author using her characters to educate so other irl aspecs can take a break. If you're aspec, you probably know a bunch of the terms, but power through and you'll see the beauty of this story.
I definitely recommend this and hope more people will pick it up! We need more aroace queer platonic love stories out there and this was a balm on my soul.
Ice Castle is a queer platonic love story. I know, if you haven't heard of the term queer platonic you may be confused, but don't fret, this book will clear it all up for you.
In Ice Castle, (which is a contemporary story not a fantasy set like I assumed), Rachel is working at her towns local winter attraction, The Ice Castle, as the dirt girl. She's responsible for shoveling dirt onto exceptionally icy pathways and she's doing just that when she stumbles across Cassie, who quite literally fell in her path.
Cassie is visiting from out of town but the two girls immediately hit it off and even more so when they realize they're both aroace. They make plans to meet up and spend time together.
Cassie is very secure in her identity and has experienced squishes before, but Rachel hasn't and is feeling conflicted about her potential feelings for Cassie. I really loved this bit and how they both helped Rachel work through what she was truly feeling.
The two then help Cassie's trans aunt Trula, who is amazing btw, with her Christmas queer ornaments and the Christmas festival.
This entire story takes place over about a month and was a little too meet cute/insta QPR for me, but I did really love it. The two explore and learn and figure out what a QPR means to each of them and if it's something they want with each other.
As much as I wish I could say it doesn't, it is a bit preachy at times and felt a bit like my aspec group chat but in the best way. There's a lot of terms to discuss especially when you're not sure if readers are familiar and I appreciate the author using her characters to educate so other irl aspecs can take a break. If you're aspec, you probably know a bunch of the terms, but power through and you'll see the beauty of this story.
I definitely recommend this and hope more people will pick it up! We need more aroace queer platonic love stories out there and this was a balm on my soul.
March 3, 2023
This makes my aroace heart so happy. Just a little book filled with aspec joy?? 😭💜
November 9, 2020
I'm gonna keep this a spoiler-free review.
What can I say about this book?? I just absolutely adore it!!! I've read the whole thing multiple times and I'm still not tired of the story or the characters.
This is Fouks' first outing as a published author, and it's amazing as a first offering, but you can also tell she certainly isn't new to writing in how her skill with prose and ability to weave a compelling story shines through in every page. For a relatively short book she crams in an impressive amount of characterization and emotion and I really felt invested in the characters. I felt for Rachel and her struggle with identity and labels and making sense of her experiences and I think her internal conflict is something many people, particularly queer people could identify with.
Plus, this is the first book I've ever read and one of only few in existence (at least that I've found) that contains two explicitly confirmed in-text aromantic asexual characters in a queerplatonic relationship (and as someone in a qpr that representation means a lot to me). So many times works will have queer characters that we only know for sure are queer by "word of god" from the author because there is nothing in the text itself to confirm the characters' identities, leaving a level of ambiguity in the story. There is something uniquely powerful about using those words and labels in the text, about seeing yourself and your experiences recognized and validated, about being able to point to a book and a character and say, "look, there's someone like me," and Fouk's book is a rare treat in this regard.
Ice Castle is a quick and delightful read as well as a win for representation and I cannot recommend it enough!!
What can I say about this book?? I just absolutely adore it!!! I've read the whole thing multiple times and I'm still not tired of the story or the characters.
This is Fouks' first outing as a published author, and it's amazing as a first offering, but you can also tell she certainly isn't new to writing in how her skill with prose and ability to weave a compelling story shines through in every page. For a relatively short book she crams in an impressive amount of characterization and emotion and I really felt invested in the characters. I felt for Rachel and her struggle with identity and labels and making sense of her experiences and I think her internal conflict is something many people, particularly queer people could identify with.
Plus, this is the first book I've ever read and one of only few in existence (at least that I've found) that contains two explicitly confirmed in-text aromantic asexual characters in a queerplatonic relationship (and as someone in a qpr that representation means a lot to me). So many times works will have queer characters that we only know for sure are queer by "word of god" from the author because there is nothing in the text itself to confirm the characters' identities, leaving a level of ambiguity in the story. There is something uniquely powerful about using those words and labels in the text, about seeing yourself and your experiences recognized and validated, about being able to point to a book and a character and say, "look, there's someone like me," and Fouk's book is a rare treat in this regard.
Ice Castle is a quick and delightful read as well as a win for representation and I cannot recommend it enough!!
February 19, 2021
This is such a cute, wholesome and fluffy story, with almost no hurt and pure comfort.
I've never read a book about Zuchinnis before and was therefore really interested. The fact that this is own voices and written by a person who knows how QPR's feel, made it even better.
The writing was really nice and both characters were great. They had such a good chemistry which made the conversations even greater to read. I had a really good time. The story is also really inclusive and - if I didn't already know about a lot of the stuff in there - really informative. Never in a 'in your face way' though! ... ok, maybe a tiny bit when it comes to some things and you feel like being picky, but never in a way that really bothered me.
I loved our side characters. Best aunt in the word.
So why only 4 stars... well, I love the story for what it is, but I felt like, for me - and that's completly subjectiv - I need a tiny bit more drama. NOT in the relationship. They use communication so beautifully and don't really on misunderstandings and misscommunication as a plot device. So no, I'm talking about external conflict. The potential for it was there, but we don't really go that deep into it, which is natural given the length of the story. It concentrates on the love aspect (Yes I'm using love, because you can love, without being in love *boom*) which I enjoyed, but still. If this was a longer story, I'm sure we could have easily reached 5 star teretory.
But as it is, it's just a 4 stars for me.
Still! I'm happy this book exists and I'm happy I read it, because it's great.
I've never read a book about Zuchinnis before and was therefore really interested. The fact that this is own voices and written by a person who knows how QPR's feel, made it even better.
The writing was really nice and both characters were great. They had such a good chemistry which made the conversations even greater to read. I had a really good time. The story is also really inclusive and - if I didn't already know about a lot of the stuff in there - really informative. Never in a 'in your face way' though! ... ok, maybe a tiny bit when it comes to some things and you feel like being picky, but never in a way that really bothered me.
I loved our side characters. Best aunt in the word.
So why only 4 stars... well, I love the story for what it is, but I felt like, for me - and that's completly subjectiv - I need a tiny bit more drama. NOT in the relationship. They use communication so beautifully and don't really on misunderstandings and misscommunication as a plot device. So no, I'm talking about external conflict. The potential for it was there, but we don't really go that deep into it, which is natural given the length of the story. It concentrates on the love aspect (Yes I'm using love, because you can love, without being in love *boom*) which I enjoyed, but still. If this was a longer story, I'm sure we could have easily reached 5 star teretory.
But as it is, it's just a 4 stars for me.
Still! I'm happy this book exists and I'm happy I read it, because it's great.
March 28, 2021
A cute story
This was a cute story about a queerplatonic relationship. Things progressed a bit quickly for me in the first couple of chapters but it's a novella so I understand. Nice to see some aro ace and QPR rep.
This was a cute story about a queerplatonic relationship. Things progressed a bit quickly for me in the first couple of chapters but it's a novella so I understand. Nice to see some aro ace and QPR rep.
January 7, 2023
I never understood how allos could gush over a romance novel, but this book? I think it finally helped me understand a little bit. This is the exact sort of relationship I want, my fantasy, and I love it so darn much! I recommend this to anyone who wants to understand 'queerplatonic relationships better, and possibly the aspec communityas a whole.
April 7, 2022
Ice Castle was a wonderful book. Firstly, the QPR (queerplatonic relationship) that develops over the course of the book between Rachel and Cassie was so cute and I didn’t realise how much that would affect me. Authors rarely take as much time to build up platonic connections with the same amount of sweetness and caringness as they would for a romance, but Katie Fouks wrote a whole entire book about two aroace girls becoming friends and then becoming a QPR! And they go on outings and have heartfelt conversations and exchange Christmas presents! And it was so good! I think I’ve only ever read one or two other books where this type of relationship was represented (and I say this as somebody who actively seeks out aspec rep), so this was such a valuable story to have. Having now read the first five “An Aspec For All Seasons” stories I have to say that I’m slightly obsessed with the way the author writes aspec representation in so many different ways and plot lines and identities, but always with a focus on acceptance and finding what makes you happy. Also, Rachel’s panic over whether her feelings of fondness for Cassie were actually romantic attraction and what that would mean for her own identity and the platonic connection between the two of them was so relatable, and I wish I’d had this book to turn to when I was experiencing a similar thing a while ago.
Anyway TLDR: this book is fantastic and incredibly cute, go read it!
Anyway TLDR: this book is fantastic and incredibly cute, go read it!
December 20, 2023
This was really cute!
It was unfortunately a little preachy at times and a little on the instant-attraction side of things, but it was also so nice to see a qpr relationship develop between two aroace characters and that relationship be given as much importance as a romantic one in a romance novel.
I also love holiday romances so I’m so glad that a Christmas QPR story like this exists.
It was unfortunately a little preachy at times and a little on the instant-attraction side of things, but it was also so nice to see a qpr relationship develop between two aroace characters and that relationship be given as much importance as a romantic one in a romance novel.
I also love holiday romances so I’m so glad that a Christmas QPR story like this exists.
Did Not Finish
December 3, 2024I don't know the right word for what this felt like - I wouldn't say it was preachy, but the conversations just felt... unnatural. Like they were talking to each other but also cognizant of having to educate the reader.
February 22, 2024
Very cute a bit rushed though. I look forward to more of their story.
July 26, 2024
Having now read my ninth Katie Fouks story, I can say for certain that I appreciate the innovative approach in how she depicts aspec identities while not being a fan of her writing style.
November 19, 2024
Definitely one of my favorites!!!
December 12, 2022
It has a lot of representation and interesting discussions between the characters. There's a QPR and talk about different types of attraction. However, since it was so short I felt like the characters didn't get much build up, both in their relationship and personalities. I think I just wish this book would have been longer. It felt a bit like an instrument to explain certain subjects rather than a story in itself. But it is really effective at that and I did. have fun.
Rep: two aroace main characters, qpr, ace-group mentioned (including alloromantic aces and allosexual aromantic, though they don't really appear aside from descriptions), trans woman side character
TW: description of non-accepting/ ace-phobic parents
Rep: two aroace main characters, qpr, ace-group mentioned (including alloromantic aces and allosexual aromantic, though they don't really appear aside from descriptions), trans woman side character
TW: description of non-accepting/ ace-phobic parents
April 29, 2021
The pacing is a bit rushed, but the novella has its heart in the right place. I've heard this will be a trilogy, so I'll make sure to look out for the continuations. Also, Aunt Trulla is an icon.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews