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Spiritwalker #1
Cold Magic
From one of the genre's finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle.It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy.Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust?
528 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2010
383 people are currently reading
13784 people want to read
About the author
Kate Elliott
108 books2,889 followersAs a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. She currently lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,145 reviews
June 10, 2017
Pretty close to awful. In fairness, I'll admit I'm not a fan of Victorian romances. Didn't think this was one?
Ha.
Here, let me save you some time:
Chapter 1 to 6
Cat misses her dead father, so she reads his expedition journals. Cat is cold because they can’t afford heat in the big, drafty house. She is hungry because she missed breakfast. Cat is cold when she runs to school because she forgot her coat, the one in last season’s style. See Cat’s cousin, Bee, and “best friend” pinch her during lecture. See Bee get Cat into trouble with the school proctor. See Cat risk Big Trouble to help Bee get out of a little scrape. Plus, Cat will miss lunch and she is still hungry. See Bee mock Cat for missing her dead father. See Cat and Bee hide in the library where Bee tells the reader Cat all about her dead parents. See Cat sacrifice herself for Bee.
Chapter 6 to 14
Cat is symbolically married off to an evil ‘cold mage’ as part of a contract. However, he is very handsome with his cute beard and besides, he’s a very spiffy dresser. Too bad he makes fun of Cat’s clothes! Cat is still hungry, and can’t believe when the mage refuses his fish soup, lamb and chicken dishes, beans, rabbit liver, sweet potato and vegetable stews. How wasteful when Cat is so hungry! Let’s talk about the food some more. Aw, the mage takes pity on Cat and lets her eat some dinner. The house is under attack! They escape out the window and through the city. Cat is still hungry but now is kind of mad. Their carriage is under attack! The coachman, a spirit in disguise, saves them. The mage makes the carriage pull over at a shrine to do something mysterious. Cat is still cold! The driver gives her his coat. The mage makes fun of her clothes again. They stop at a hotel and Cat bonds with the trolls in the front room while the mage hangs with other old dudes.
Interlude: Carol goes to bed because this awful writing is giving her a headache.
***************************************************************************
Unfortunately for Elliot, I read the 2012 5-book edition of The Lyra Novels by Patricia Wrede shortly before starting Cold Magic. In the introduction, Wrede shares how she was afraid to workshop her first published book, Shadow Magic, with her writing workgroup after it had been accepted for publication. In this new edition, she was able to go back and re-work it. The first chapter of the original book was included, and she showed exactly what was cut, reworded and why. I wouldn’t have hated the first version by any means; it was competent and familiar. However, her edits demonstrated how slightly changing narrative and deleting extraneous details could focus the story.
All I could think when I first started reading Cold Magic is how much Elliot could have used Wrede’s writing group. The first six chapters are essentially large swaths of setting that have nothing to do with plot advancement. To add insult, many of the infodumps are structured as dialogue between Bee and Cat in astonishingly awkward conversation. Although they’ve been living together for years, in one section Bee says to Cat: “People must eat. That’s why your parents came to live with the family in Adurnam, isn’t it? What else could they do? Your father had to go to work again for the family. Yet his heart wasn’t in it. He fought with everyone. The reports he prepared were useless. He did not want to leave your mother and you alone, and your mother could not travel with him into those regions…” Even more distressingly, that particular chunk takes place on page 63. As in, not during the introduction. But don’t worry: Elliot does it in the beginning pages as well.
Characterization feels sadly unoriginal. Cat is the orphan, alienated by fickle disposition and excessive brains. Bee is the beautiful one everyone adores. Even more disappointingly, during the first half of the book Cat and Bee’s relationship is sadly dysfunctional although Cat tells us all the time how she and Bee would do ‘anything’ for each other. I don’t know yet if Elliot was doing it on purpose, but it’s pretty apparent the relationship is one way. If Bee was a man, we’d call her ‘an exploitative ass.’ Actually, I’d call her that either way. Certainly with all the pinching, mocking, entreating, condescending and lecturing, it qualifies. I’m generally against the martyr protag, and Cat’s longing to be with her best friend and compadre Bee just smacked of idiocy.
Character motivation annoys. I confess, I’m predisposed to get stabby with the “daddy’s little girl” absentee-father syndrome. Cat admires her father, misses him, risks punishment as part of getting closer to him through reading his journals, yada, yada, yada. She doesn’t sounds like a majority age protagonist. She sounds like every young book orphan ever, trying to discover her heritage. I found myself vaguely interested in the father, but it was wrapped in so much emotional angst, I wasn’t able to read in any detail before my eyes started glazing over. Cat is childish in other ways as well. It isn’t noticeable at first, because I attributed it to writer affectation, but Cat rarely refers to people by name, only by relationship to her or their position. Thus “the nanny,” “Cook,” “the governess,” “the maestra,” “the coachman,” etc. Either it’s Elliot trying to keep her writing ‘interesting’ by varying jobs with given names and titles, or Cat’s a self-centered twit. Could be either. I’m annoyed by both.
Plot-wise, there’s a whole bunch of other random bits about how Romans didn’t conquer the Iberian peninsula (I think; frankly, the historical lectures were especially tedious), some vague stuff about the working class starting to rebel against the ruling class (which seems to be cold mages and seems vaguely related to industrialization), trans-ocean dirigibles, and a trip through Fairyland, where Cat discovers she is a Speshul Snowflake. Really. (Oh, and her other special skill of expert fencer is revealed). In a Q&A on Goodreads, Elliot mentions she threw in most of the ideas she was interested in/could fit in, and it shows. Believe me, it shows. Except it turns out quite a bit like The Greyfriar, only with mages instead of vampires. Or vice versa; I can’t be bothered to check dates. They are both annoying pastiches based on the whole Victorian ladies and unsuitable relationships plotting.
Lastly, not to be a complete meanie, but the writing is clunky. My first cringe was on page 4:
“Uncle’s exasperation was as sharp as a fire being extinguished by a blast of damp wind, but my curiosity was aflame.“
I think I sprained something trying to work out that image.
On my blog, I rated it one and-a-half stars. Why not one star? I found the trip through fairyland interesting, even if it was rather traditional. I didn’t hate it enough to completely stop, or to throw it across the room. I appreciated Elliot’s attempt to be sort of multi-culti, and if she suffered from Overly Plucky Heroine, it was a vaguely interesting setting. I was puzzled by the trolls that appeared in the inn (who seemed birdlike with their feathered crests) and found myself hoping for more about the magic system. So points for inspiring reader curiosity. But overall, it felt strangely like a first novel, badly in need of a writing group.
Ha.
Here, let me save you some time:
Chapter 1 to 6
Cat misses her dead father, so she reads his expedition journals. Cat is cold because they can’t afford heat in the big, drafty house. She is hungry because she missed breakfast. Cat is cold when she runs to school because she forgot her coat, the one in last season’s style. See Cat’s cousin, Bee, and “best friend” pinch her during lecture. See Bee get Cat into trouble with the school proctor. See Cat risk Big Trouble to help Bee get out of a little scrape. Plus, Cat will miss lunch and she is still hungry. See Bee mock Cat for missing her dead father. See Cat and Bee hide in the library where Bee tells the reader Cat all about her dead parents. See Cat sacrifice herself for Bee.
Chapter 6 to 14
Cat is symbolically married off to an evil ‘cold mage’ as part of a contract. However, he is very handsome with his cute beard and besides, he’s a very spiffy dresser. Too bad he makes fun of Cat’s clothes! Cat is still hungry, and can’t believe when the mage refuses his fish soup, lamb and chicken dishes, beans, rabbit liver, sweet potato and vegetable stews. How wasteful when Cat is so hungry! Let’s talk about the food some more. Aw, the mage takes pity on Cat and lets her eat some dinner. The house is under attack! They escape out the window and through the city. Cat is still hungry but now is kind of mad. Their carriage is under attack! The coachman, a spirit in disguise, saves them. The mage makes the carriage pull over at a shrine to do something mysterious. Cat is still cold! The driver gives her his coat. The mage makes fun of her clothes again. They stop at a hotel and Cat bonds with the trolls in the front room while the mage hangs with other old dudes.
Interlude: Carol goes to bed because this awful writing is giving her a headache.
***************************************************************************
Unfortunately for Elliot, I read the 2012 5-book edition of The Lyra Novels by Patricia Wrede shortly before starting Cold Magic. In the introduction, Wrede shares how she was afraid to workshop her first published book, Shadow Magic, with her writing workgroup after it had been accepted for publication. In this new edition, she was able to go back and re-work it. The first chapter of the original book was included, and she showed exactly what was cut, reworded and why. I wouldn’t have hated the first version by any means; it was competent and familiar. However, her edits demonstrated how slightly changing narrative and deleting extraneous details could focus the story.
All I could think when I first started reading Cold Magic is how much Elliot could have used Wrede’s writing group. The first six chapters are essentially large swaths of setting that have nothing to do with plot advancement. To add insult, many of the infodumps are structured as dialogue between Bee and Cat in astonishingly awkward conversation. Although they’ve been living together for years, in one section Bee says to Cat: “People must eat. That’s why your parents came to live with the family in Adurnam, isn’t it? What else could they do? Your father had to go to work again for the family. Yet his heart wasn’t in it. He fought with everyone. The reports he prepared were useless. He did not want to leave your mother and you alone, and your mother could not travel with him into those regions…” Even more distressingly, that particular chunk takes place on page 63. As in, not during the introduction. But don’t worry: Elliot does it in the beginning pages as well.
Characterization feels sadly unoriginal. Cat is the orphan, alienated by fickle disposition and excessive brains. Bee is the beautiful one everyone adores. Even more disappointingly, during the first half of the book Cat and Bee’s relationship is sadly dysfunctional although Cat tells us all the time how she and Bee would do ‘anything’ for each other. I don’t know yet if Elliot was doing it on purpose, but it’s pretty apparent the relationship is one way. If Bee was a man, we’d call her ‘an exploitative ass.’ Actually, I’d call her that either way. Certainly with all the pinching, mocking, entreating, condescending and lecturing, it qualifies. I’m generally against the martyr protag, and Cat’s longing to be with her best friend and compadre Bee just smacked of idiocy.
Character motivation annoys. I confess, I’m predisposed to get stabby with the “daddy’s little girl” absentee-father syndrome. Cat admires her father, misses him, risks punishment as part of getting closer to him through reading his journals, yada, yada, yada. She doesn’t sounds like a majority age protagonist. She sounds like every young book orphan ever, trying to discover her heritage. I found myself vaguely interested in the father, but it was wrapped in so much emotional angst, I wasn’t able to read in any detail before my eyes started glazing over. Cat is childish in other ways as well. It isn’t noticeable at first, because I attributed it to writer affectation, but Cat rarely refers to people by name, only by relationship to her or their position. Thus “the nanny,” “Cook,” “the governess,” “the maestra,” “the coachman,” etc. Either it’s Elliot trying to keep her writing ‘interesting’ by varying jobs with given names and titles, or Cat’s a self-centered twit. Could be either. I’m annoyed by both.
Plot-wise, there’s a whole bunch of other random bits about how Romans didn’t conquer the Iberian peninsula (I think; frankly, the historical lectures were especially tedious), some vague stuff about the working class starting to rebel against the ruling class (which seems to be cold mages and seems vaguely related to industrialization), trans-ocean dirigibles, and a trip through Fairyland, where Cat discovers she is a Speshul Snowflake. Really. (Oh, and her other special skill of expert fencer is revealed). In a Q&A on Goodreads, Elliot mentions she threw in most of the ideas she was interested in/could fit in, and it shows. Believe me, it shows. Except it turns out quite a bit like The Greyfriar, only with mages instead of vampires. Or vice versa; I can’t be bothered to check dates. They are both annoying pastiches based on the whole Victorian ladies and unsuitable relationships plotting.
Lastly, not to be a complete meanie, but the writing is clunky. My first cringe was on page 4:
“Uncle’s exasperation was as sharp as a fire being extinguished by a blast of damp wind, but my curiosity was aflame.“
I think I sprained something trying to work out that image.
On my blog, I rated it one and-a-half stars. Why not one star? I found the trip through fairyland interesting, even if it was rather traditional. I didn’t hate it enough to completely stop, or to throw it across the room. I appreciated Elliot’s attempt to be sort of multi-culti, and if she suffered from Overly Plucky Heroine, it was a vaguely interesting setting. I was puzzled by the trolls that appeared in the inn (who seemed birdlike with their feathered crests) and found myself hoping for more about the magic system. So points for inspiring reader curiosity. But overall, it felt strangely like a first novel, badly in need of a writing group.
September 30, 2012
When I decided to put Cold Magic aside, after 67% of very little pleasure and a lot of struggle, I felt pretty angry and offended. Angry, because reading these 360 pages took a huge effort and did not dole out the tiniest reward. Offended, because the book, written by an author with quite some published writing to show as a proof for her skills, made me question my ability to focus, my ability to absorb and understand what I read and - for a short, shocking minute – the functionality of my Kindle’s page-turning buttons. I think I would have met the same experience with more detachment had I bought a glowingly praised debut cheaply at Smashwords. Probably I would not have stayed as long on board of the shipwreck, but I would have said with conviction: It’s not me. It’s the book. It’s unreadable, but it shows room for improvement. But how can I say that about a book which has 1.800 ratings that produce an average of 3.8 out of 5? How can I say that about a book that makes others buy the sequels for good money? You see my dilemma. But I refuse to take the blame. I rather dance the Cha-Cha with my fury as a partner. And because I do not want to appear as someone impersonating Rumpelstiltskin without a plausible cause, I am going to breathe in and breathe out and defend my sanity.
I used to say that to me an enjoyable story begins and ends with likable, complex characters and a believable setting. To my own astonishment I have to step back from that opinion now. For I liked paranormally gifted Catherine "Cat" Hassi Baharal, her cousin Bee, enemy and love interest Andevai Diarisso Haranwy, a powerful cold mage . And I admit that there are a lot of great ideas thrown into the world mix: A very alternative, slightly steampunky version of Europe, magicians, whose presence kills fire, a parallel spirit world, sabertoothed werecats, dragons, feathered lizard-like trolls. The combination should unquestionably trump superhuman jerks pursuing brainless, insta-love-seeking girls in front of a cardboard backdrop any day. It does not. For Cold Magic is not a story. It is a mess that needs to be chucked or rewritten from scratch.
Like most of the fantasy readers out here I am bored by long monologues meant to introduce the unfamiliar, fictional world and its inhabitants. I also find books that treat the reader like an old acquaintance, who is already in the know, pretty difficult. When I was reading Cold Magic I came to the point at which I desperately wished for the arrival of an enormous info dump to finally get me on track or for a scattering of some new and helpful puzzle pieces to add to my inner picture. Both wishes remained unfulfilled. In almost each chapter the same incomprehensible, unstructured information about the last millennium's world politics, the wars, the Hassi Baharal family, their niche in the world as spies, messengers, sailors, wandering scientists, sociologists and whatnot was repeated in different words, sometimes even by different means, like in a letter or as a part of a diary. But each repetition remained lacking, vague and foggy. If I were a drug user, I would surely have double-checked my dose. Instead I checked myself for lack of sleep, for symptoms of a beginning cold and for symptoms of beginning dementia. I hated these self-directed doubts, really hated them. And I have no reasonable explanation for the novel’s lack of structure. Maybe the author taught a beginners' creative writing class, threw the same keywords at each of the participants, had them write her heroine’s background, liked all results equally well and promised to use them all at some point of her next book? That cannot be, can it? But strange ideas like that flitted through my brains and messed with my sanity.
The aspects that made me look closer at my Kindle’s buttons were repetitions in the plot. I know that a normal road-trip plot contains some routine essentials: Scenery, clothes, food, sleeping arrangements. But a narrator could cut them short, if nothing important is to be conveyed by elaborating on them. For example, in each of the inns the carriage stops at the heroine is greeted by a detached, but matronly person and is then waited on by a red-haired, silent, young girl who brushes her long, black hair and praises it. Eventually I stopped reading in order to find out whether I really had made reading process or whether my Kindle had jumped to a scene I had covered some time before. My Kindle worked just fine. The book didn’t. And, as far as I know, there was no surprise reason presented later - like a flame-tressed wonder girl who could portal from inn to inn. Accordingly it is just senseless almost-cut-and-paste to emphasize how boring and monotonous a cross-country-trip can be? Or is it sloppiness?
In addition to those repetitions there is a lot of redundant rambling and straying from the straight, narrative path. Little Cat-Riding-Hood stops to pick flowers and chat with random wolves whenever she pleases, while the baffled reader stands aside nervously clutching grandmother’s lunch basket.
So, no. It’s not me, who is damaged. It’s the book. I am sure. And I believe that every reader who did not experience my discomfort has just been graced with a superhuman ability to effortlessly combine scattered puzzle pieces, find the odd herb among the weeds and straighten tangled stories in the back of her mind. Contented readers, you have my full admiration. Ordinary readers, you now have my warning.
I used to say that to me an enjoyable story begins and ends with likable, complex characters and a believable setting. To my own astonishment I have to step back from that opinion now. For I liked paranormally gifted Catherine "Cat" Hassi Baharal, her cousin Bee, enemy and love interest Andevai Diarisso Haranwy, a powerful cold mage . And I admit that there are a lot of great ideas thrown into the world mix: A very alternative, slightly steampunky version of Europe, magicians, whose presence kills fire, a parallel spirit world, sabertoothed werecats, dragons, feathered lizard-like trolls. The combination should unquestionably trump superhuman jerks pursuing brainless, insta-love-seeking girls in front of a cardboard backdrop any day. It does not. For Cold Magic is not a story. It is a mess that needs to be chucked or rewritten from scratch.
Like most of the fantasy readers out here I am bored by long monologues meant to introduce the unfamiliar, fictional world and its inhabitants. I also find books that treat the reader like an old acquaintance, who is already in the know, pretty difficult. When I was reading Cold Magic I came to the point at which I desperately wished for the arrival of an enormous info dump to finally get me on track or for a scattering of some new and helpful puzzle pieces to add to my inner picture. Both wishes remained unfulfilled. In almost each chapter the same incomprehensible, unstructured information about the last millennium's world politics, the wars, the Hassi Baharal family, their niche in the world as spies, messengers, sailors, wandering scientists, sociologists and whatnot was repeated in different words, sometimes even by different means, like in a letter or as a part of a diary. But each repetition remained lacking, vague and foggy. If I were a drug user, I would surely have double-checked my dose. Instead I checked myself for lack of sleep, for symptoms of a beginning cold and for symptoms of beginning dementia. I hated these self-directed doubts, really hated them. And I have no reasonable explanation for the novel’s lack of structure. Maybe the author taught a beginners' creative writing class, threw the same keywords at each of the participants, had them write her heroine’s background, liked all results equally well and promised to use them all at some point of her next book? That cannot be, can it? But strange ideas like that flitted through my brains and messed with my sanity.
The aspects that made me look closer at my Kindle’s buttons were repetitions in the plot. I know that a normal road-trip plot contains some routine essentials: Scenery, clothes, food, sleeping arrangements. But a narrator could cut them short, if nothing important is to be conveyed by elaborating on them. For example, in each of the inns the carriage stops at the heroine is greeted by a detached, but matronly person and is then waited on by a red-haired, silent, young girl who brushes her long, black hair and praises it. Eventually I stopped reading in order to find out whether I really had made reading process or whether my Kindle had jumped to a scene I had covered some time before. My Kindle worked just fine. The book didn’t. And, as far as I know, there was no surprise reason presented later - like a flame-tressed wonder girl who could portal from inn to inn. Accordingly it is just senseless almost-cut-and-paste to emphasize how boring and monotonous a cross-country-trip can be? Or is it sloppiness?
In addition to those repetitions there is a lot of redundant rambling and straying from the straight, narrative path. Little Cat-Riding-Hood stops to pick flowers and chat with random wolves whenever she pleases, while the baffled reader stands aside nervously clutching grandmother’s lunch basket.
So, no. It’s not me, who is damaged. It’s the book. I am sure. And I believe that every reader who did not experience my discomfort has just been graced with a superhuman ability to effortlessly combine scattered puzzle pieces, find the odd herb among the weeds and straighten tangled stories in the back of her mind. Contented readers, you have my full admiration. Ordinary readers, you now have my warning.
February 8, 2017
First off, I really ought to say that there are a lot of very good aspects to this novel. Some parts, such as the dream of the dragon, the bits with the illusions and the cold steel, and especially the alternate history of Europe right up to the Regency era, with all of the Napoleanic (Camjiata) flavors built right in, even going far back for the world-building to the great empire of Carthage, the Phoenicians.
Like I said, there's a lot to love.
Unfortunately, there's also the bad.
Andevai has got to be one of the most atrociously horrible character I've ever read. Not only do I learn to hate him right off the bat, but there's almost no good points to latch onto besides a little illusion of Catherine in his hands or the fact that he apparently, grudgingly, did the right thing later in the tale. I did not get the feeling that he was supposed to be Catherine's love interest even if she told us, also grudgingly, that he was handsome. I was not sold. No. Nope. Nada. Nilch. Or zilch if you prefer. However you want to say it, he is No Darcy. I mean... "Oh goodie he loves me, now I can forget that he treated me like crap, repeatedly, hunted me, tried to kill me, was shamed by his family and betrayed his master, albeit for me. Woopie. He did the right thing and seems to hate me for it. Oh, yeah, of course he's my true husband."
Right.
That's just the worst of it, but unfortunately, I also had some problems with the flow of the text. I didn't mind how dense it was, in general, but when I start wondering why we're still in this scene and it seems rather directionless at the beginning and a good handful of times throughout, then I had to put the book down and read something else. I don't like doing that. I rarely ever want to, even.
There's a lot of good promise in the book, though. I just wish it had been written by someone else. Or with better editing. Or maybe a good couple of beta readers that could have sat down and said that a good deal of better foreshadowing might have fixed it or that a slightly less traditional wrap-up to the core story might have been quite, quite welcome after having us work so hard to get through the text.
I dislike being this cruel to a book. Seriously. It's nothing personal. I generally love to read. I just wish I could have loved this one more and not so sporadically.
Like I said, there's a lot to love.
Unfortunately, there's also the bad.
Andevai has got to be one of the most atrociously horrible character I've ever read. Not only do I learn to hate him right off the bat, but there's almost no good points to latch onto besides a little illusion of Catherine in his hands or the fact that he apparently, grudgingly, did the right thing later in the tale. I did not get the feeling that he was supposed to be Catherine's love interest even if she told us, also grudgingly, that he was handsome. I was not sold. No. Nope. Nada. Nilch. Or zilch if you prefer. However you want to say it, he is No Darcy. I mean... "Oh goodie he loves me, now I can forget that he treated me like crap, repeatedly, hunted me, tried to kill me, was shamed by his family and betrayed his master, albeit for me. Woopie. He did the right thing and seems to hate me for it. Oh, yeah, of course he's my true husband."
Right.
That's just the worst of it, but unfortunately, I also had some problems with the flow of the text. I didn't mind how dense it was, in general, but when I start wondering why we're still in this scene and it seems rather directionless at the beginning and a good handful of times throughout, then I had to put the book down and read something else. I don't like doing that. I rarely ever want to, even.
There's a lot of good promise in the book, though. I just wish it had been written by someone else. Or with better editing. Or maybe a good couple of beta readers that could have sat down and said that a good deal of better foreshadowing might have fixed it or that a slightly less traditional wrap-up to the core story might have been quite, quite welcome after having us work so hard to get through the text.
I dislike being this cruel to a book. Seriously. It's nothing personal. I generally love to read. I just wish I could have loved this one more and not so sporadically.
December 16, 2019
A GR friend of mine has a shelf called wtf was this. And as I closed this book for the last time, utterly defeated by the barrage of incomprehensible & unnecessary pseudo-european cultural fantasy-speak, I actually thought what the fuck was this? If I had a shelf with that label, I'd put COLD MAGIC on it.
As much as it pains me (& really, it does; I had high expectations for this one), I'm waving the white flag.
Regardless of my issues with the poorly-developed setting & magical WTFery, I've been turned away by the characters & voice of this book. Quite simply, I'm not connecting. All I can do is compare this book to KUSHIEL'S DART, another alterna-european fantasy in first person, & think how poorly it holds up beside Jacqueline Carey's vivid & elegant narration. I can't point out the exact nature of my distaste; this voice is almost too polished, maybe. I can tell this is the work of someone with books under their belt. But that smoothness is such that it lacks personality -- it's just bland, & that's a dastardly crime indeed. (On a more technical note, COLD MAGIC reads like a YA novel...yet it's marketed as an adult fantasy. Cat certainly behaves like a YA heroine more than an adult, & that irked me.)
Anyhoo...I'm not going to bend ears with a rant on the waste of alterna-european history & onslaught of cultural fantasy-speak. I have only this to say: If one wants their steampunkish historical fantasy to be taken seriously, one should not include lizard people.
Yes, LIZARD PEOPLE.
Ok, so technically these lizard folks aren't Gorn clones. They have feathered crests. And, apparently, some of them work as solicitors in London (Londun) proper. And they face cultural discrimination or something like that...I dunno, really. By that point I was still trying to wrap my mind around Gorn-the-lawyer.
Kirk...your feessss are three monthssss overdue.
Clearly this book just wasn't for me. Ah well. One star because it's a DNF; the writing was probably worth two stars overall, but I'm in a mean mood today.
As much as it pains me (& really, it does; I had high expectations for this one), I'm waving the white flag.
Regardless of my issues with the poorly-developed setting & magical WTFery, I've been turned away by the characters & voice of this book. Quite simply, I'm not connecting. All I can do is compare this book to KUSHIEL'S DART, another alterna-european fantasy in first person, & think how poorly it holds up beside Jacqueline Carey's vivid & elegant narration. I can't point out the exact nature of my distaste; this voice is almost too polished, maybe. I can tell this is the work of someone with books under their belt. But that smoothness is such that it lacks personality -- it's just bland, & that's a dastardly crime indeed. (On a more technical note, COLD MAGIC reads like a YA novel...yet it's marketed as an adult fantasy. Cat certainly behaves like a YA heroine more than an adult, & that irked me.)
Anyhoo...I'm not going to bend ears with a rant on the waste of alterna-european history & onslaught of cultural fantasy-speak. I have only this to say: If one wants their steampunkish historical fantasy to be taken seriously, one should not include lizard people.
Yes, LIZARD PEOPLE.
Ok, so technically these lizard folks aren't Gorn clones. They have feathered crests. And, apparently, some of them work as solicitors in London (Londun) proper. And they face cultural discrimination or something like that...I dunno, really. By that point I was still trying to wrap my mind around Gorn-the-lawyer.
Kirk...your feessss are three monthssss overdue.
Clearly this book just wasn't for me. Ah well. One star because it's a DNF; the writing was probably worth two stars overall, but I'm in a mean mood today.
September 13, 2010
I wrote a really long review and somehow it got erased just as I was about to press "post." Is it because it's Monday? Jeeeez.
Ok, AS I WAS SAYING, this book was between 3 and 4 stars for me, but I gave it 4 because at the end of the book I was really satisfied and wanted more. I really really enjoyed Cold Magic, I liked the female protagonist a lot and the mystery behind the book and the politics of the world. Only negative: the world-building slogged down the pace in places though because there is A LOT GOING ON. Steampunk/magic/politics/romance/swordfighting/fairies etc etc etc. I mean, this is an invention of a whole 'nother type of fantasy world, which I really admire, but some passages just felt a little slow because there was a lot of 'splainin' to do. A map and extended glossary would have helped (one thing a Kindle sucks at, flipping back and forth to stuff like that!)
That said, I'm definitely signed up for this series, it had a great epic-fantasy quality feel with an interesting female lead. I haven't read Kate Elliot's other stuff but I will definitely check it out while I wait for the next in the series.
Ok, AS I WAS SAYING, this book was between 3 and 4 stars for me, but I gave it 4 because at the end of the book I was really satisfied and wanted more. I really really enjoyed Cold Magic, I liked the female protagonist a lot and the mystery behind the book and the politics of the world. Only negative: the world-building slogged down the pace in places though because there is A LOT GOING ON. Steampunk/magic/politics/romance/swordfighting/fairies etc etc etc. I mean, this is an invention of a whole 'nother type of fantasy world, which I really admire, but some passages just felt a little slow because there was a lot of 'splainin' to do. A map and extended glossary would have helped (one thing a Kindle sucks at, flipping back and forth to stuff like that!)
That said, I'm definitely signed up for this series, it had a great epic-fantasy quality feel with an interesting female lead. I haven't read Kate Elliot's other stuff but I will definitely check it out while I wait for the next in the series.
May 8, 2011
Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic is about as slippery as dress shoes on ice. But fortunately without the painful fall.
Why is it slippery? Because it’s (as Elliott describes it) a mashup novel.
When I started reading I decided it was a magic-riddled steampunk novel. Then I decided it was also a political novel (exploring cultural beliefs using an alternate Europe). But no sooner had I decided that when Elliott threw in an “I hate him with all my heart” romance in the best Harlequin tradition. Later, once I had accepted the three themes, seemingly for fun, Elliott tossed in a coming-of-age story colored by who-am-I changeling motifs. At this point I was sliding around so much in the various plots that I’m convinced that there are other novels hidden inside Cold Magic that I didn’t see.
In other words, it’s a mess of a novel. Oh and it’s long. Very long. It’s also full of physical detail, whole sections of alternate history lessons and worldbuilding summaries.
It should be a disaster. I shouldn’t have made it past the first addition of complexity. I like my stories simple, plot oriented and on the shorter side. I hate book bloat (yes, looking at you Harry Potter Book 4).
And yet I loved it, so much that I was momentarily angry with Elliott for abandoning me at the end, just as the main character and I were getting some answers.
I’ve heard (can’t remember where) that the twenty-first century’s only original contribution to culture is the mashup (a nice piece of irony that – the only thing new isn’t new at all). If that’s true, then Elliott demonstrates that she’s one of the Mashup Movement’s masters.
Every single thing that she “shouldn’t” have done should have blocked my slide through the book (such as the passages of history stuck into the thoughts of the main character, or the use of description and details that seemed to have nothing to do with the plot), but as I glided along screen after screen I marveled at how well she had done it. Cold Magic is a great example of a book that breaks the rules of conventional fantasy and yet succeeds for the skill with which it’s done.
This isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster hitting us over the head again and again with its action scenes and overarching lesson. It’s a European period piece that lets the reader decide what to get out of the slippery messages the story contains. (Not that it doesn’t have action scenes, because it does aplenty – written with dexterity, of course).
Why is it slippery? Because it’s (as Elliott describes it) a mashup novel.
When I started reading I decided it was a magic-riddled steampunk novel. Then I decided it was also a political novel (exploring cultural beliefs using an alternate Europe). But no sooner had I decided that when Elliott threw in an “I hate him with all my heart” romance in the best Harlequin tradition. Later, once I had accepted the three themes, seemingly for fun, Elliott tossed in a coming-of-age story colored by who-am-I changeling motifs. At this point I was sliding around so much in the various plots that I’m convinced that there are other novels hidden inside Cold Magic that I didn’t see.
In other words, it’s a mess of a novel. Oh and it’s long. Very long. It’s also full of physical detail, whole sections of alternate history lessons and worldbuilding summaries.
It should be a disaster. I shouldn’t have made it past the first addition of complexity. I like my stories simple, plot oriented and on the shorter side. I hate book bloat (yes, looking at you Harry Potter Book 4).
And yet I loved it, so much that I was momentarily angry with Elliott for abandoning me at the end, just as the main character and I were getting some answers.
I’ve heard (can’t remember where) that the twenty-first century’s only original contribution to culture is the mashup (a nice piece of irony that – the only thing new isn’t new at all). If that’s true, then Elliott demonstrates that she’s one of the Mashup Movement’s masters.
Every single thing that she “shouldn’t” have done should have blocked my slide through the book (such as the passages of history stuck into the thoughts of the main character, or the use of description and details that seemed to have nothing to do with the plot), but as I glided along screen after screen I marveled at how well she had done it. Cold Magic is a great example of a book that breaks the rules of conventional fantasy and yet succeeds for the skill with which it’s done.
This isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster hitting us over the head again and again with its action scenes and overarching lesson. It’s a European period piece that lets the reader decide what to get out of the slippery messages the story contains. (Not that it doesn’t have action scenes, because it does aplenty – written with dexterity, of course).
January 10, 2012
This book is so FRUSTRATING
I mean, interesting premise: Steampunky alternate Europe in which there is widespread multicultural cross-pollination and ~magic~. Check!
Great characters: Headstrong young lady who has been sadly misinformed about herself for most of her life, and a Harlequin-worthy hatemance with the spoiled Cold Mage she's forced to marry and who is Not All What He Seems. Check!
But on the other hand--
Plot: Hello, yoo-hoo, plot? Where are you? Look at the cover blurb:
"Young Cat Barahal thinks she understands the world she lives in and her place in it, but in fact she is merely poised, unaware, on the brink of shattering events. Drawn into a labyrinth of politics involving blood, betrayal and old feuds, she will be forced to make an unexpected and perilous journey in order to discover the truth, not just about her own family but about an ancient secret lying at the heart of her world."
Okay, that's nice, BUT WHAT IS THE PLOT. HOW DO WE GO FROM A TO B. IS THERE EVEN AN A TO B. TELL ME BOOK.
Wait, you're too busy worldbuilding. Sorry, I'll let you get back to that.
And the worldbuilding. Oi. The worldbuilding.
I like worldbuilding. I like new, fresh, innovative takes on old tropes. That's why Sabriel is placed on an altar in my apartment and periodically worshiped. The major problem with building a whole huge world and spending a lot of thought and braincells on building this whole really cool world, including food, politics, and a culture is that you want to show people that you spent a lot of time and braincells on it. Which leads to infodumps.
This is the reason why I can't get through the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I know, I know, I'm a Philistine). The man put a lot of thought into the worldbuilding. And he shows it. I gave up when he spent like a page describing a CHAIR. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CHAIR. I'M SURE IT'S A VERY NICE CHAIR. BUT DO SOMETHING NOW, OK?
Cold Magic likes to infodump. Not only does it like to infodump, but it has the main character do it in the narration. The way it's done is so jarring that I kept getting thrown out of the story. The effect was rather like jogging straight into a brick wall every twenty feet or so.
Because the plot (when it's THERE) moves fast. There is action! Cat is constantly going from one place to the other, stuff keeps happening, blowing up, SEKRITS BEING REVEALED and oh wait BRICK WALL more infodump about the world, ow my head.
This would not be nearly as frustrating as it is if the plot and premise and characters weren't so interesting. Leaving me to have to force my way through the walls o' information. I feel like the book could have been served with less infodump about the world and more plot. Again, I hold up Sabriel as the example. It's obvious A LOT of worldbuilding went into the thing, but Nix only used as much as he needed to tell the story. You know there's a lot more going on there, but he cleverly gives us enough to get the job done and moves on (Which only leaves me slavering for more, 2013 get here NOW). J.K. Rowling did the same thing with Harry Potter, she knows a LOT more than what she put in the books, but used only enough to tell the story.
The other major problem I had was the prose. It seemed like there were a few large SAT-worthy words sprinkled into the prose that also felt jarring. I understand that Cat is an educated young lady who is obsessed with her scholar father's journals, and might throw in a few rando big words into her narration, but it just didn't feel right. And there's nothing wrong with using the thesaurus-mighty words, as long as they fit. The way it was done in Cold Magic these words interrupted the flow of the prose. A lot like the infodumps got in the way of the story.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and thus we probably need all the information being thrown at us to get the story. I just wish it had been integrated a bit better into the story, instead of ACTION! infodump ACTION! infodump! ACTION ACTION ACTION infodump! Jog jog jog BRICK WALL. Give us enough to understand the next bit and move on, we'll keep following because we NEED TO KNOW MORE OMG.
This is not a bad book. It's a good book that is also very frustrating. I'll be reading the second book because I do like the all the ideas and the strong characters. I just sincerely hope that the infodumps are a lot smoother the second go-round.
I mean, interesting premise: Steampunky alternate Europe in which there is widespread multicultural cross-pollination and ~magic~. Check!
Great characters: Headstrong young lady who has been sadly misinformed about herself for most of her life, and a Harlequin-worthy hatemance with the spoiled Cold Mage she's forced to marry and who is Not All What He Seems. Check!
But on the other hand--
Plot: Hello, yoo-hoo, plot? Where are you? Look at the cover blurb:
"Young Cat Barahal thinks she understands the world she lives in and her place in it, but in fact she is merely poised, unaware, on the brink of shattering events. Drawn into a labyrinth of politics involving blood, betrayal and old feuds, she will be forced to make an unexpected and perilous journey in order to discover the truth, not just about her own family but about an ancient secret lying at the heart of her world."
Okay, that's nice, BUT WHAT IS THE PLOT. HOW DO WE GO FROM A TO B. IS THERE EVEN AN A TO B. TELL ME BOOK.
Wait, you're too busy worldbuilding. Sorry, I'll let you get back to that.
And the worldbuilding. Oi. The worldbuilding.
I like worldbuilding. I like new, fresh, innovative takes on old tropes. That's why Sabriel is placed on an altar in my apartment and periodically worshiped. The major problem with building a whole huge world and spending a lot of thought and braincells on building this whole really cool world, including food, politics, and a culture is that you want to show people that you spent a lot of time and braincells on it. Which leads to infodumps.
This is the reason why I can't get through the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I know, I know, I'm a Philistine). The man put a lot of thought into the worldbuilding. And he shows it. I gave up when he spent like a page describing a CHAIR. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CHAIR. I'M SURE IT'S A VERY NICE CHAIR. BUT DO SOMETHING NOW, OK?
Cold Magic likes to infodump. Not only does it like to infodump, but it has the main character do it in the narration. The way it's done is so jarring that I kept getting thrown out of the story. The effect was rather like jogging straight into a brick wall every twenty feet or so.
Because the plot (when it's THERE) moves fast. There is action! Cat is constantly going from one place to the other, stuff keeps happening, blowing up, SEKRITS BEING REVEALED and oh wait BRICK WALL more infodump about the world, ow my head.
This would not be nearly as frustrating as it is if the plot and premise and characters weren't so interesting. Leaving me to have to force my way through the walls o' information. I feel like the book could have been served with less infodump about the world and more plot. Again, I hold up Sabriel as the example. It's obvious A LOT of worldbuilding went into the thing, but Nix only used as much as he needed to tell the story. You know there's a lot more going on there, but he cleverly gives us enough to get the job done and moves on (Which only leaves me slavering for more, 2013 get here NOW). J.K. Rowling did the same thing with Harry Potter, she knows a LOT more than what she put in the books, but used only enough to tell the story.
The other major problem I had was the prose. It seemed like there were a few large SAT-worthy words sprinkled into the prose that also felt jarring. I understand that Cat is an educated young lady who is obsessed with her scholar father's journals, and might throw in a few rando big words into her narration, but it just didn't feel right. And there's nothing wrong with using the thesaurus-mighty words, as long as they fit. The way it was done in Cold Magic these words interrupted the flow of the prose. A lot like the infodumps got in the way of the story.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and thus we probably need all the information being thrown at us to get the story. I just wish it had been integrated a bit better into the story, instead of ACTION! infodump ACTION! infodump! ACTION ACTION ACTION infodump! Jog jog jog BRICK WALL. Give us enough to understand the next bit and move on, we'll keep following because we NEED TO KNOW MORE OMG.
This is not a bad book. It's a good book that is also very frustrating. I'll be reading the second book because I do like the all the ideas and the strong characters. I just sincerely hope that the infodumps are a lot smoother the second go-round.
September 21, 2017
Review also available @Scaredy Engines End of Line Library
This was such a richly described complex novel that was about a lot of things I'm interested in e.g. culture, mythology and the what ifs in history. This is not a story to be rushed it has to be savored and analysed to get the full experience.
The novel is set in an alternate early 19th century europa that still has fragments of the ice age and magic and the spirit world are real and well known. After the fall of the Roman empire the regional princes and nobility ruled their areas but were still influenced by the somewhat regional mage houses who gained power when people from the sahara area were driven from their land by a plague of ghouls that were released when digging too far in the salt mines. These people had sorcerers who led them safely north across the desert to Europa where they met the celtic drua of the north and together they formed the mage houses. There is just too much complex history for me to go into here but I will say the world was richly crafted and described especially the spirit world scenes.
The things I liked were the world building (like I said), the characters and the reveals toward the end. One of the things that intrigued me so was this whole idea of dragons controlling the natural forces of the mortal and spirit worlds by dreaming and shifting in their sleep. I wanted to know more about this ability to "walk the dreams of dragons" and what exactly it meant and it would also be interesting to learn more of Cats heritage and why she has a spirit mantle and what her brother actually is. The idea of the wild hunt was also really interesting as I'm sure I've heard that name before but not known what it is. It turns out the wild hunt kills or carries away those who have drawn the attention of the night or day courts, the courts that rule the spirit world..
The characters were well developed and complex and I loved seeing how they evolved throughout the book. I know she is the MC but I really got on well with Cat. I could really sympathize with her situation when she discovered her whole life was a lie and I liked her quick wits and determination. She is a strong character who will do anything to protect those she loves and survive.
The things I didn't like that much were the slow pacing. I can't really say how but I thought this novel could have moved along faster. There was a lot of descriptions of average things so maybe things could have been edited down a little? The ending also felt a little unbelievable and unclear regarding the mage houses desire to control Bee the girl who walked the dreams of dragons I knew they were guarding her but afterwards the girls went to seek legal help with old friends while also meeting the very man those in power want to stop.
It would seem that everyone powerful on both sides is going to start fighting over the power to get the girls to do their bidding. I really hope this series is not going to turn into political ramble like Golden Son... I really hope this series will focus more on the fantasy side of things and I would really like to know more about the spirit world courts and the dragons...
This is how I envisioned one of the dragons (representing the forces of ice and winter and perhaps cold magic even though the cold mages were said to get their power through the spirit world) after looking at my front cover of this book..
I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a really complex alternate history/fantasy book. Anyone who likes rich culture and history along with strong characters would like this but on saying that there is a lot of patience needed with this book due to the pacing and all...
This was such a richly described complex novel that was about a lot of things I'm interested in e.g. culture, mythology and the what ifs in history. This is not a story to be rushed it has to be savored and analysed to get the full experience.
The novel is set in an alternate early 19th century europa that still has fragments of the ice age and magic and the spirit world are real and well known. After the fall of the Roman empire the regional princes and nobility ruled their areas but were still influenced by the somewhat regional mage houses who gained power when people from the sahara area were driven from their land by a plague of ghouls that were released when digging too far in the salt mines. These people had sorcerers who led them safely north across the desert to Europa where they met the celtic drua of the north and together they formed the mage houses. There is just too much complex history for me to go into here but I will say the world was richly crafted and described especially the spirit world scenes.
The things I liked were the world building (like I said), the characters and the reveals toward the end. One of the things that intrigued me so was this whole idea of dragons controlling the natural forces of the mortal and spirit worlds by dreaming and shifting in their sleep. I wanted to know more about this ability to "walk the dreams of dragons" and what exactly it meant and it would also be interesting to learn more of Cats heritage and why she has a spirit mantle and what her brother actually is. The idea of the wild hunt was also really interesting as I'm sure I've heard that name before but not known what it is. It turns out the wild hunt kills or carries away those who have drawn the attention of the night or day courts, the courts that rule the spirit world..
The characters were well developed and complex and I loved seeing how they evolved throughout the book. I know she is the MC but I really got on well with Cat. I could really sympathize with her situation when she discovered her whole life was a lie and I liked her quick wits and determination. She is a strong character who will do anything to protect those she loves and survive.
The things I didn't like that much were the slow pacing. I can't really say how but I thought this novel could have moved along faster. There was a lot of descriptions of average things so maybe things could have been edited down a little? The ending also felt a little unbelievable and unclear regarding the mage houses desire to control Bee the girl who walked the dreams of dragons I knew they were guarding her but afterwards the girls went to seek legal help with old friends while also meeting the very man those in power want to stop.
It would seem that everyone powerful on both sides is going to start fighting over the power to get the girls to do their bidding. I really hope this series is not going to turn into political ramble like Golden Son... I really hope this series will focus more on the fantasy side of things and I would really like to know more about the spirit world courts and the dragons...
This is how I envisioned one of the dragons (representing the forces of ice and winter and perhaps cold magic even though the cold mages were said to get their power through the spirit world) after looking at my front cover of this book..
I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a really complex alternate history/fantasy book. Anyone who likes rich culture and history along with strong characters would like this but on saying that there is a lot of patience needed with this book due to the pacing and all...
June 14, 2017
The book "Cold Magic" leads to a parallel world in Europe, in the world ruled by the Cold magic house and many royal houses. This is the dark world in which human life is worth nothing, and all the inhabitants were slaves or Cold magic house or Ruler. The industrial revolution was in its infancy, but Houses of Cold magicians are hardly conducive to the progress and try to prevent any progress. Therefore, the rebellion led by the Roman legate Camjiata, but after a terrible war and the destruction of the Magic House, who joined the rebellion, Camjiata was captured and imprisoned on a small island in the Mediterranean. But the spark of rebellion yet still shining among the oppressed in Europe and just waiting to be burned in a new war. In this world lives Catherin, but she is no ordinary girl, she has to be able to see the magic that is woven into the world in which he lives. Her family was killed in an accident at the research ice with whom he bound the north of Europe, and she lives with the family of his uncle. But her life gets turned upside down when to the house arrived Cold Mag, Mr. Andevai. He coming in the name of Four moons Mag House and seeking pre-bound marriage with the eldest daughter of the house Hassi Barahal. Due to the contracts signed by the magic, Hassi Barahal has no choice but to surrender his oldest daughter and this is Catherin. All that is believed to be the truth crumbled like a house of cards and it will have to fight for their pure existence because all she knew would become an illusion. The writer Kate Elliott takes us into a world of magic, mystery, deception and lies. Her writing style is elegant and draws us into the story in which I enjoyed because it is full of surprises. The book I would recommend to all lovers of fantasy.
June 30, 2021
Re-read Update (6/29/2021): I think reading this book during the summer was a bad idea because it is so hot and this book was set in winter and I couldn't jive with the cold, biting temperatures. I still love the characters of Bee, Cat, and Andevai, and all of their interactions together. That's the best part of the book.
The pacing was a lot slower than I remember and there was much more world building so some of it went over my head. I'm thinking I'll enjoy the next book more (as I did the last time) because it took place on a hot and humid tropical island. So very similar to my circumstances right now.
3.5 stars.
Original Review:
I’ve held off on this review for long enough, haven’t I? Well, let’s get started then. Cold Magic is fabulous!
I think the strongest part of the book is the world building. There is great depth and complexity woven through it, created with a great deal of intricate thought. Not only is there an established rank of classes with all its ensuing ramifications (prejudice, the dynamic between the rich and the poor, etc), careful economic considerations (what makes the poor, poorer and what makes the rich, richer, and what the society revolves around), and the complicated battle between science and magic. Or you can take this as an upgraded version of Victorian society which is what the alternate history in this book is based off of.
Also, the author has created a diverse world of many ethnicities, Cat herself being one, and of course, also, Andevai, the male protagonist. But there are many more allusions in the book. It’s awesome. I can totally envision this world as being real and dropping myself in it.
The relationships are also a fantastic high point of the book. I love how close Cat and her cousin, Bee, are in here. They might only be cousins but they were raised almost as sisters and it’s wonderful to see how devoted and loyal they are to both each other no matter what nasty things they encounter along the way. It’s refreshing to see that they keep their love for each other strong and don’t go the way of misunderstandings, misconceptions, and what not to make them vilify the other like some stories do.
Ah, I can’t forget about the romance. Aha, that got your interest did it? It’s actually very subtle and not very prominent in that the focus of the novel shifts away from the main plot to build up their love-love times. I’m quite happy about that. This is no insta-lust/love. It takes them quite a while to grow into their feelings for each other. Mainly because Cat is headstrong and stubborn, but determined, while Andevai is arrogant, detached, and riddled with a superiority complex because of his magical schooling. He is cool to her and not at all friendly but it’s very understandable once you understand the reasons behind his behavior. I’m sure I would behave the same way.
I don’t know why people call this book steampunk, because it’s not really. Except for one instance of a dirigible there really isn’t anything else concrete to make it a steampunk book. Especially since this world is based on/firmly grounded in magic and not on steam-powered creations. Maybe we’ll see more of the steampunk side in the later books, but this is firmly in the fantasy genre for me.
Sometimes the world building does tend to overshadow the narrative at times but the pace of this book is fast and addictive, you won’t really mind it all that much. I’m really curious, though, if Andevai is stated as being cold all the time due to his magic, is he like some… popsicle all the time? Because that is not very… attractive. Haha. But other than that, there are few qualms I have with this book.
This is one of the few books I can see straddling the crossover boundary. It’s not quite YA (she’s 19), but not yet adult. It’s firmly in the middle. A rare breed if I do say so myself.
I love this book! I can’t wait for the next one!
The pacing was a lot slower than I remember and there was much more world building so some of it went over my head. I'm thinking I'll enjoy the next book more (as I did the last time) because it took place on a hot and humid tropical island. So very similar to my circumstances right now.
3.5 stars.
Original Review:
I’ve held off on this review for long enough, haven’t I? Well, let’s get started then. Cold Magic is fabulous!
I think the strongest part of the book is the world building. There is great depth and complexity woven through it, created with a great deal of intricate thought. Not only is there an established rank of classes with all its ensuing ramifications (prejudice, the dynamic between the rich and the poor, etc), careful economic considerations (what makes the poor, poorer and what makes the rich, richer, and what the society revolves around), and the complicated battle between science and magic. Or you can take this as an upgraded version of Victorian society which is what the alternate history in this book is based off of.
Also, the author has created a diverse world of many ethnicities, Cat herself being one, and of course, also, Andevai, the male protagonist. But there are many more allusions in the book. It’s awesome. I can totally envision this world as being real and dropping myself in it.
The relationships are also a fantastic high point of the book. I love how close Cat and her cousin, Bee, are in here. They might only be cousins but they were raised almost as sisters and it’s wonderful to see how devoted and loyal they are to both each other no matter what nasty things they encounter along the way. It’s refreshing to see that they keep their love for each other strong and don’t go the way of misunderstandings, misconceptions, and what not to make them vilify the other like some stories do.
Ah, I can’t forget about the romance. Aha, that got your interest did it? It’s actually very subtle and not very prominent in that the focus of the novel shifts away from the main plot to build up their love-love times. I’m quite happy about that. This is no insta-lust/love. It takes them quite a while to grow into their feelings for each other. Mainly because Cat is headstrong and stubborn, but determined, while Andevai is arrogant, detached, and riddled with a superiority complex because of his magical schooling. He is cool to her and not at all friendly but it’s very understandable once you understand the reasons behind his behavior. I’m sure I would behave the same way.
I don’t know why people call this book steampunk, because it’s not really. Except for one instance of a dirigible there really isn’t anything else concrete to make it a steampunk book. Especially since this world is based on/firmly grounded in magic and not on steam-powered creations. Maybe we’ll see more of the steampunk side in the later books, but this is firmly in the fantasy genre for me.
Sometimes the world building does tend to overshadow the narrative at times but the pace of this book is fast and addictive, you won’t really mind it all that much. I’m really curious, though, if Andevai is stated as being cold all the time due to his magic, is he like some… popsicle all the time? Because that is not very… attractive. Haha. But other than that, there are few qualms I have with this book.
This is one of the few books I can see straddling the crossover boundary. It’s not quite YA (she’s 19), but not yet adult. It’s firmly in the middle. A rare breed if I do say so myself.
I love this book! I can’t wait for the next one!
May 24, 2011
The beginning of Cold Magic was both slow and felt rather cumbersome, and while I did not precisely struggle to read it, I was more than ambivalent about it. There are reasons for this. The world building has to begin and the author balances a delicate line between too much detail and exposition and not enough (well, like all fantasy novels). I wouldn't say that it was clumsily done, but it was a little heavy. I found myself at turns confused and then enlightened and then confused once more, but once all of the preliminary setting is laid out, then the book really hits its stride and I found myself enjoying it.
I found that Cat, the main character, was someone I liked very much. She's a little impulsive and hotheaded, but she does her best to try to temper it without smothering herself. She makes mistakes, but she tries her best in just about impossible conditions, and she does it without going 'woe is me' all of the time. She's a strong character.
But who really interested me (I can't say 'liked', since I like Cat better [I pretty much always like main characters best], but he is fascinating in his own right) was Andevai. What was best about him was the slow progression of his character, that as time went on he became more... not fleshed out, exactly (because that would mean that he was poorly characterized in the beginning), but more familiar to the reader, and so we understood more of what is going on in his mind. You read the book and you understand more about him and it's very skillfully done that you don't get whiplash from 'cold arrogant jerk' to, well, still a cold, arrogant jerk, but someone with more depth to him. It was fascinating seeing him evolve, and learning more about him as Cat learns more about him.
The plot is skillfully done. It races along the pages and you find yourself tense when Cat is, and relaxed when she is (though, yes, that doesn't happen as often as she'd like, heh). The character Rory is great, I feel compelled to give him a great giant squeeze of a hug, and I love the addition that he made. What is perhaps one of the best bits is Cat's relationship with her cousin Beatrice, and how strong it is. They love each other and would do whatever they can to protect each other, and it's a relationship that does not flounder, but only grows stronger.
Overall, a very strong book and I look forward to reading the next.
I found that Cat, the main character, was someone I liked very much. She's a little impulsive and hotheaded, but she does her best to try to temper it without smothering herself. She makes mistakes, but she tries her best in just about impossible conditions, and she does it without going 'woe is me' all of the time. She's a strong character.
But who really interested me (I can't say 'liked', since I like Cat better [I pretty much always like main characters best], but he is fascinating in his own right) was Andevai. What was best about him was the slow progression of his character, that as time went on he became more... not fleshed out, exactly (because that would mean that he was poorly characterized in the beginning), but more familiar to the reader, and so we understood more of what is going on in his mind. You read the book and you understand more about him and it's very skillfully done that you don't get whiplash from 'cold arrogant jerk' to, well, still a cold, arrogant jerk, but someone with more depth to him. It was fascinating seeing him evolve, and learning more about him as Cat learns more about him.
The plot is skillfully done. It races along the pages and you find yourself tense when Cat is, and relaxed when she is (though, yes, that doesn't happen as often as she'd like, heh). The character Rory is great, I feel compelled to give him a great giant squeeze of a hug, and I love the addition that he made. What is perhaps one of the best bits is Cat's relationship with her cousin Beatrice, and how strong it is. They love each other and would do whatever they can to protect each other, and it's a relationship that does not flounder, but only grows stronger.
Overall, a very strong book and I look forward to reading the next.
May 28, 2016
In an alternate history Europe an orphaned girl struggles for her family against forces that would use them as political and magical pawns.
The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collapse so much as retreat. There's also a large population of people of African descent living in Europe because of a historical disaster that overtook the northern part of that continent (a ghoul plague). And of course, multiple sapient races including the owl-like Trolls who are the natives of the North American continent as well as elemental magic.
What this leaves in 1834 in this world is a racially-diverse version of Europe without racism and sexism greatly reduced from what we would think of in this time. (Women soldiers, women in universities, etc). Where there is some pretty extreme sexism, like in the mage society, it's seen as archaic and horrible. Society is also interesting, in that while it is superficially a lot like England in the mid-1800s, it is so with small groups of nobility and mage-houses acting almost feudal but with also a strong merchant class and a quickly rising industrial revolution.
I haven't talked about the magic system or the spirit world. Or the story. That's because the world-building is so dominant; it's basically kitchen-sink work. At every point you're learning more and comparing and contrasting with the history of our own world. It's probably at once the novel's greatest strength and it's biggest problem.
Catherine and Beatrice Hassi Barahal ("Cat" and "Bee") are cousins raised as sisters by Bee's parents because Cat's parents drowned during a river crossing. One day, not long before their majority at 20 a cold mage named turns up at their house and claims ownership of the oldest Barahal daughter, which is Cat. Bee's parents are obviously upset, but they acknowledge his claim and tell her to go with him immediately. Only cold mages are pretty much feared and despised and this one, Andevai, seems to live up to their reputation as cold, aloof and arrogant. But Cat has abilities that no one expects. Which comes in handy, because it turns out that Bee's parents have deliberately given the cold mages the wrong daughter and for them to get the right daughter Cat must first die.
I found the story compelling although not so much as the world-building. What I didn't appreciate so much was what I felt was some really clunky writing. There were numerous paragraphs where I had to reread because of clarity issues and mixed metaphors or just plain poor wording. I wish I'd taken notes on some of them so I could give examples, but frankly, there's a lot of book here and I was more interested on pushing through it.
Despite issues, I had the strong urge to start the next one immediately, so that tells me the things I liked about it far outweighed my problems with it.
The world-building here is intricate and rich, with a very geologically different Earth. There still appears to be enough of an ice age that the Mediterranean is small and there's no English Channel and the middle of Europe is still glacier-bound. Also historically, with no Christianity, and an extant Roman Empire that didn't defeat Carthage and didn't collapse so much as retreat. There's also a large population of people of African descent living in Europe because of a historical disaster that overtook the northern part of that continent (a ghoul plague). And of course, multiple sapient races including the owl-like Trolls who are the natives of the North American continent as well as elemental magic.
What this leaves in 1834 in this world is a racially-diverse version of Europe without racism and sexism greatly reduced from what we would think of in this time. (Women soldiers, women in universities, etc). Where there is some pretty extreme sexism, like in the mage society, it's seen as archaic and horrible. Society is also interesting, in that while it is superficially a lot like England in the mid-1800s, it is so with small groups of nobility and mage-houses acting almost feudal but with also a strong merchant class and a quickly rising industrial revolution.
I haven't talked about the magic system or the spirit world. Or the story. That's because the world-building is so dominant; it's basically kitchen-sink work. At every point you're learning more and comparing and contrasting with the history of our own world. It's probably at once the novel's greatest strength and it's biggest problem.
Catherine and Beatrice Hassi Barahal ("Cat" and "Bee") are cousins raised as sisters by Bee's parents because Cat's parents drowned during a river crossing. One day, not long before their majority at 20 a cold mage named turns up at their house and claims ownership of the oldest Barahal daughter, which is Cat. Bee's parents are obviously upset, but they acknowledge his claim and tell her to go with him immediately. Only cold mages are pretty much feared and despised and this one, Andevai, seems to live up to their reputation as cold, aloof and arrogant. But Cat has abilities that no one expects. Which comes in handy, because it turns out that Bee's parents have deliberately given the cold mages the wrong daughter and for them to get the right daughter Cat must first die.
I found the story compelling although not so much as the world-building. What I didn't appreciate so much was what I felt was some really clunky writing. There were numerous paragraphs where I had to reread because of clarity issues and mixed metaphors or just plain poor wording. I wish I'd taken notes on some of them so I could give examples, but frankly, there's a lot of book here and I was more interested on pushing through it.
Despite issues, I had the strong urge to start the next one immediately, so that tells me the things I liked about it far outweighed my problems with it.
June 16, 2010
An awesome book that blew me away;
The setting is an ice-age like alt-Earth around the 1800's but with a quite different history, magic houses, but also budding science that the "cold mages" dislike and want suppressed, but the local princes try to protect
The heroine/narrator is Cat (Catherine) of Carthaginian descent - here 2000 years ago Carthage was ruled by queens (called dido's for the famous mythical founder) and Hannibal defeated the Romans at Zama for once, so the two powers fought themselves to a standstill and while the Roman Empire eventually extended over most Europe, North Africa and Spain remained Carthaginian influenced and after the Empire breakup some 1000 years ago, there has been a patchwork of mini-states all over Europe, which now stops at the Baltic ice-sea - there is a great map too
Cat is almost 20 - age of majority - and studies at a college in a Celtic city in Britain at the edge of the sea, city that is a famous trading one and a mixture of all races/nationalities - the headmaster is an Egyptian since they are perceived as "neutral"; Cat lives with her uncle/aunt and cousins of which Beatrice younger by two months is like her twin sister, while her uncle is the head of the local family clan which like many other Carthaginian old trading houses is now somewhat impoverished and acts as spies/mercenaries/enforcers for the powerful and the moneyed
Cat's father who was a famous traveler for the clan and wrote some 50 travel journals drowned with her mother who was a mysterious figure - seemingly an "Amazon" warrior of Belgae origin in the army of a Napoleon like conqueror of Iberian descent that was finally defeated 13 years before by the mages and has been imprisoned on an island; since the local British princes have been the general's fiercest enemies and since Cat's mother deserted to have a family, it is understandable that nobody wants to talk much about her
And then the cold mages come to enforce a "bargain" made with Cat's house many years ago and she will find herself thrown in the unknown...
Great narration, tons of twists and turns - some that you can dimly see, but still think a bit far fetched until they actually happen, and a punch ending that really makes me want the sequel Cold Steel asap
"ice-punk" with magic
The setting is an ice-age like alt-Earth around the 1800's but with a quite different history, magic houses, but also budding science that the "cold mages" dislike and want suppressed, but the local princes try to protect
The heroine/narrator is Cat (Catherine) of Carthaginian descent - here 2000 years ago Carthage was ruled by queens (called dido's for the famous mythical founder) and Hannibal defeated the Romans at Zama for once, so the two powers fought themselves to a standstill and while the Roman Empire eventually extended over most Europe, North Africa and Spain remained Carthaginian influenced and after the Empire breakup some 1000 years ago, there has been a patchwork of mini-states all over Europe, which now stops at the Baltic ice-sea - there is a great map too
Cat is almost 20 - age of majority - and studies at a college in a Celtic city in Britain at the edge of the sea, city that is a famous trading one and a mixture of all races/nationalities - the headmaster is an Egyptian since they are perceived as "neutral"; Cat lives with her uncle/aunt and cousins of which Beatrice younger by two months is like her twin sister, while her uncle is the head of the local family clan which like many other Carthaginian old trading houses is now somewhat impoverished and acts as spies/mercenaries/enforcers for the powerful and the moneyed
Cat's father who was a famous traveler for the clan and wrote some 50 travel journals drowned with her mother who was a mysterious figure - seemingly an "Amazon" warrior of Belgae origin in the army of a Napoleon like conqueror of Iberian descent that was finally defeated 13 years before by the mages and has been imprisoned on an island; since the local British princes have been the general's fiercest enemies and since Cat's mother deserted to have a family, it is understandable that nobody wants to talk much about her
And then the cold mages come to enforce a "bargain" made with Cat's house many years ago and she will find herself thrown in the unknown...
Great narration, tons of twists and turns - some that you can dimly see, but still think a bit far fetched until they actually happen, and a punch ending that really makes me want the sequel Cold Steel asap
"ice-punk" with magic
August 13, 2024
This is the third time I've read this book. I started sometime in the latter half of last year, when I felt the need for a "comfort read" as my partner was dealing with a parent's decline and death, and I was left to my own devices. I came back to it this month after DNF-ing a romantasy, because I felt a strong desire to read a fantasy where I knew the worldbuilding was well-researched and meticulous, and I had a fondness for the main cast, neither of which was true of the romantasy. Thanks to a tip from my friend Becky, I've started a new review with a different edition.
Unfortunately, I don't think Cold Magic will ever get a decent, full review from me. The first review I wrote was two sets of impressions from reads where I felt conflicted about it; and now I don't feel like relitigating the whole thing, including why I increased my rating from three stars to four between the second and third readings. Saying that my appreciation increased isn't quite enough, so let's see what else I can think of to say about it, that wasn't already talked about in the other review.
Cat's relationship with Bee: how it was depicted in the latter few chapters of the book is much better than in the first few. There's a lot of pinching, punching and kicking between these two early on, which didn't create an image of a sisterly bond, or one that had matured beyond a pre-teen level. When the cousins are reunited after a month and a half's separation, their interactions still have their share of mild physical violence. But I found it quite moving that Bee . It was only then that I believed their bond was strong enough to weather everything the world could throw at them.
Cat's relationship with Vai: more than a bit rushed, considering they spent maybe three or four days in each other's company. Still, I liked the P&P-like arc where Cat at first sees only arrogance, pride and vanity in him, and comes to understand him and his circumstances better as things go along, and builds a more sympathetic, but by no means perfect bond with him. Given an opportunity to communicate at length--which can't happen while Cat is in flight mode--I can easily see them having a partnership that's as strong as Cat's is with Bee.
Cat herself: the first couple times I read this book, I didn't have a lot of patience with Cat. She was brash and foolish, and oblivious to a number of things that should have been obvious. A thread that I picked up this time around is her loneliness, isolation and fear. When the mansa of Four Moon House , she's lost not one but two families, and is all but alone in the world. No wonder she cries sometimes. No wonder she feels an immediate closeness with Rory, who (much like Vai) she's only known for a few days as of the end of this volume.
Kings and Generals: one of my favorite things about this book is that the "kings and generals" aspect of the story is kept well in the background. Those kings and generals affect Cat's life throughout the book, but those effects are seen almost entirely at second hand, with only a scene or two where Cat is interacting directly with them. At the very end of the book, a prophecy that was given by a dying woman says that Cat will , but that doesn't play out in the way that one would expect of an epic fantasy, with Cat coming into her power as a queen or general herself. Which is just fine with me.
I love the worldbuilding in this story, and it's really cool that Elliott created a story around this world that her children and their friends invented, and collaborated with them as she was writing it. It gets info-dump-y at times, and some elements like the salt plague are repeated far too often, but there's enough detail here that a brief reminder now and then is welcome. I'm torn between the change of pace and overarching interest that the info-dumps provide, and thinking that this information could have been provided more gracefully, especially when Cat is told very basic things about her family and her world that she should have known already through her own experiences and education.
I still think the pacing is a bit off in the first half of the book, in between Cat's marriage to Vai and her arrival at Four Moons House. There are one or two too many inns where Cat interacts with the staff in near-identical ways, leading to a feeling of slowness and homogeneity. Cat is cold. Cat is hungry. Cat has beautiful hair that the attendant praises. Cat loses her cloak and gloves, or has to leave them behind in one of a number of frantic escapes, and has to find a new set. Repeat. The introduction of Chartji and co. in the middle of that trip was fun, though.
That slow patch aside, I enjoyed this reread greatly, and am looking forward to Cat's jaunt to the Antilles in the next book.
Unfortunately, I don't think Cold Magic will ever get a decent, full review from me. The first review I wrote was two sets of impressions from reads where I felt conflicted about it; and now I don't feel like relitigating the whole thing, including why I increased my rating from three stars to four between the second and third readings. Saying that my appreciation increased isn't quite enough, so let's see what else I can think of to say about it, that wasn't already talked about in the other review.
Cat's relationship with Bee: how it was depicted in the latter few chapters of the book is much better than in the first few. There's a lot of pinching, punching and kicking between these two early on, which didn't create an image of a sisterly bond, or one that had matured beyond a pre-teen level. When the cousins are reunited after a month and a half's separation, their interactions still have their share of mild physical violence. But I found it quite moving that Bee . It was only then that I believed their bond was strong enough to weather everything the world could throw at them.
Cat's relationship with Vai: more than a bit rushed, considering they spent maybe three or four days in each other's company. Still, I liked the P&P-like arc where Cat at first sees only arrogance, pride and vanity in him, and comes to understand him and his circumstances better as things go along, and builds a more sympathetic, but by no means perfect bond with him. Given an opportunity to communicate at length--which can't happen while Cat is in flight mode--I can easily see them having a partnership that's as strong as Cat's is with Bee.
Cat herself: the first couple times I read this book, I didn't have a lot of patience with Cat. She was brash and foolish, and oblivious to a number of things that should have been obvious. A thread that I picked up this time around is her loneliness, isolation and fear. When the mansa of Four Moon House , she's lost not one but two families, and is all but alone in the world. No wonder she cries sometimes. No wonder she feels an immediate closeness with Rory, who (much like Vai) she's only known for a few days as of the end of this volume.
Kings and Generals: one of my favorite things about this book is that the "kings and generals" aspect of the story is kept well in the background. Those kings and generals affect Cat's life throughout the book, but those effects are seen almost entirely at second hand, with only a scene or two where Cat is interacting directly with them. At the very end of the book, a prophecy that was given by a dying woman says that Cat will , but that doesn't play out in the way that one would expect of an epic fantasy, with Cat coming into her power as a queen or general herself. Which is just fine with me.
I love the worldbuilding in this story, and it's really cool that Elliott created a story around this world that her children and their friends invented, and collaborated with them as she was writing it. It gets info-dump-y at times, and some elements like the salt plague are repeated far too often, but there's enough detail here that a brief reminder now and then is welcome. I'm torn between the change of pace and overarching interest that the info-dumps provide, and thinking that this information could have been provided more gracefully, especially when Cat is told very basic things about her family and her world that she should have known already through her own experiences and education.
I still think the pacing is a bit off in the first half of the book, in between Cat's marriage to Vai and her arrival at Four Moons House. There are one or two too many inns where Cat interacts with the staff in near-identical ways, leading to a feeling of slowness and homogeneity. Cat is cold. Cat is hungry. Cat has beautiful hair that the attendant praises. Cat loses her cloak and gloves, or has to leave them behind in one of a number of frantic escapes, and has to find a new set. Repeat. The introduction of Chartji and co. in the middle of that trip was fun, though.
That slow patch aside, I enjoyed this reread greatly, and am looking forward to Cat's jaunt to the Antilles in the next book.
July 6, 2015
"Roman epske fantastike u kojem se znanost i magija blablabla...."
Bljak!
Evo dva citata da odmah shvatite o kakvoj se "epskoj fantastici" radi:
1:
2:
Je, ima tu neke hladne magije no od treće stranice počinje sa strašnom dilemom "koji je zgodniji" u školi, zlatofrčkavi ili crnkasti??
Zatim nas čeka strašno okrutno iznenadno prisilno vjenčanje, a tri stranice dalje nesretna supruga već razmišlja kakav bi poljubac bio s groznom spodobom koja joj je tako nasilno uletjela u život.
Tako da ja jesam to sve skup nabrzaka pročitao do negdje oko 65%, a onda se masirao i gnjavio do kraja koji je naprasan s cliffhangerom (ovo bi valjda trebala biti trilogija)
Naravno tko konzumira romantiku ove vrste može i ovo ako mu ne smetaju magijski dodaci (kojih ima gotovo pa ništa, uglavnom se radi o stalnoj jurnjavi kočijama, trčanjem i hodanjem)
Podloga je malkice steampunkasta s alternativnom povijesti.
e, da - prvi put su trolovi predstavljeni kao velike pernate kokoši - to mi je bilo zanimljivo.
evo još malo produhovljenih citata:
Dosadnjikavo - 1.5 ocjena
Pozitivno - niti jednog jedinog vampira, da se slučajno pojavio odmah bih zbrisao knjigu...
Bljak!
Evo dva citata da odmah shvatite o kakvoj se "epskoj fantastici" radi:
1:
"Poljubac može biti kao okretaj svijeta. Može biti kao plima zmajskog sna koja se prelijeva neviđenim svijetom skrivenim od očiju smrtnika koji svejedno prožima sve naše živote. Može biti vruć i hladan istovremeno, prostran kao nebesa ali precizan u dodiru ruku i razdvajanju usana. Može podići snažnije osjećaje nego što sam očekivala, kao da me progutala oluja munja. I zato što je bio više, osjetila sam se malenom kad smo se nespretno razdvojili i ustuknuli, oboje zbunjeni. Lice mi je gorjelo. On je izgledao tako ukočeno i bahato da sam znala da je i njega potreslo."
2:
„Kad sam te vidio kako silaziš niz stepenice one večeri, kao da sam vidio drugu polovicu svoje duše kako mi dolazi u susret.”
Je, ima tu neke hladne magije no od treće stranice počinje sa strašnom dilemom "koji je zgodniji" u školi, zlatofrčkavi ili crnkasti??
Zatim nas čeka strašno okrutno iznenadno prisilno vjenčanje, a tri stranice dalje nesretna supruga već razmišlja kakav bi poljubac bio s groznom spodobom koja joj je tako nasilno uletjela u život.
Tako da ja jesam to sve skup nabrzaka pročitao do negdje oko 65%, a onda se masirao i gnjavio do kraja koji je naprasan s cliffhangerom (ovo bi valjda trebala biti trilogija)
Naravno tko konzumira romantiku ove vrste može i ovo ako mu ne smetaju magijski dodaci (kojih ima gotovo pa ništa, uglavnom se radi o stalnoj jurnjavi kočijama, trčanjem i hodanjem)
Podloga je malkice steampunkasta s alternativnom povijesti.
e, da - prvi put su trolovi predstavljeni kao velike pernate kokoši - to mi je bilo zanimljivo.
evo još malo produhovljenih citata:
Poljubiti muškarca i uživati u tome ne znači da ga voliš.
Neki ljudi, poput Bee, lijepi su jer su tako puni života da privlače poglede kad god su u blizini; neki su se naviknuli da im hvale ljepotu i očekuju da će svi oko njih biti zahvali što su u njihovoj sjeni.
Lako se diviti onome što ne moraš trpjeti
Dosadnjikavo - 1.5 ocjena
Pozitivno - niti jednog jedinog vampira, da se slučajno pojavio odmah bih zbrisao knjigu...
March 4, 2017
Cold Magic is an alternate history fantasy, but unlike any I’ve read before. It takes place in England in the 1800s - I think, since there isn’t really an England or a Victoria as far I can tell. Some aspects of both Regency and Victorian society are there, including an alternate Industrial Revolution. All of Europe is still frozen in an extended ice age. There are mage houses and princes in conflict with serving classes and technology, and there is just a tiny bit of steampunkishness to it - there’s an airship, but that’s about it so far.
There are still Romans running around and Latin is still a spoken language, although their empire was defeated about 800 years earlier. There are also Carthaginians who have become a clan of spies, and a Napolean-like liberator who is imprisoned on an island. A version of America is hinted at - oh, and there are trolls! Trolls are apparently sentient descendants of another species that didn’t die out, just as there are still wooly rhinos in this world. It is fascinating, and also cold. You can really feel the cold.
Honestly, the world-building was one of the worst info dumps I’ve read in a long while even though the world is an imaginative one. I had to concentrate so hard for the first half to try to absorb all of the altered names and altered countries, wars, history, etc. It was almost harder having slightly familiar events than a completely new world would have been because my mind was trying to translate everything and register all the changes. And it was mostly conveyed through conversations. It was rough, but there was just enough atmosphere and interest in the main character to keep me ploughing through it, and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.
Once things started really happening, I kept being surprised by the turns events took. My expectations were constantly challenged as the story went off in new directions and unexpected adventures. I also started to put together how the world - and magic - worked in real situations and what parts of the history were important for understanding the immediate story.
I don’t know how, but once the plot started moving, this world got under my skin and I found myself wanting to get back to it while I was at work, and wanting to pick up the sequel without taking a break. Strange. It's not easy to get into and is not without its faults once you do, but I do recommend it if you enjoy a bit of a challenge, as well as alternate history / steampunk sort of fantasies.
If only the world-building had been less like being buried under a mountain of foreign terms! This is why I'm struggling with a rating, because I think I would give the story itself 4 stars, but the massive info dump is dragging it down. It was way more work to get into than it needed to be. 3 stars it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Initial Review 9/27/2014:
I'm going to have to think about this one for a while. I ended up liking it, but have no idea how to describe it or even rate it right now.
There are still Romans running around and Latin is still a spoken language, although their empire was defeated about 800 years earlier. There are also Carthaginians who have become a clan of spies, and a Napolean-like liberator who is imprisoned on an island. A version of America is hinted at - oh, and there are trolls! Trolls are apparently sentient descendants of another species that didn’t die out, just as there are still wooly rhinos in this world. It is fascinating, and also cold. You can really feel the cold.
Honestly, the world-building was one of the worst info dumps I’ve read in a long while even though the world is an imaginative one. I had to concentrate so hard for the first half to try to absorb all of the altered names and altered countries, wars, history, etc. It was almost harder having slightly familiar events than a completely new world would have been because my mind was trying to translate everything and register all the changes. And it was mostly conveyed through conversations. It was rough, but there was just enough atmosphere and interest in the main character to keep me ploughing through it, and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.
Once things started really happening, I kept being surprised by the turns events took. My expectations were constantly challenged as the story went off in new directions and unexpected adventures. I also started to put together how the world - and magic - worked in real situations and what parts of the history were important for understanding the immediate story.
I don’t know how, but once the plot started moving, this world got under my skin and I found myself wanting to get back to it while I was at work, and wanting to pick up the sequel without taking a break. Strange. It's not easy to get into and is not without its faults once you do, but I do recommend it if you enjoy a bit of a challenge, as well as alternate history / steampunk sort of fantasies.
If only the world-building had been less like being buried under a mountain of foreign terms! This is why I'm struggling with a rating, because I think I would give the story itself 4 stars, but the massive info dump is dragging it down. It was way more work to get into than it needed to be. 3 stars it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Initial Review 9/27/2014:
I'm going to have to think about this one for a while. I ended up liking it, but have no idea how to describe it or even rate it right now.
May 20, 2016
My first Kate Elliott book. I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES. *_* Things this book has:
- awesome diverse cast!
- lady friendships that are incredibly important to both ladies AND THE PLOT!
- examination and critique of colonialism and other terrible social ills, BY CLEVER HEROINE and company
- kissing!
- magic!
- a complicated romance with a dude that doesn't come with an easy resolution that both people have to work for!
More thoughts (with spoilers): https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2...
- awesome diverse cast!
- lady friendships that are incredibly important to both ladies AND THE PLOT!
- examination and critique of colonialism and other terrible social ills, BY CLEVER HEROINE and company
- kissing!
- magic!
- a complicated romance with a dude that doesn't come with an easy resolution that both people have to work for!
More thoughts (with spoilers): https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2...
August 25, 2024
DNF 20%
No, I just couldn't... I tried to like it or just understand what was happening but it was horrible, seriously it was too much. There was too many descriptions that I couldn't keep up. I was like if anyone could explain to me how could all of this fit together, I would definitely appreciate it !
Plus, the size of this book, enormous!! I felt it was too long for nothing.
No, I just couldn't... I tried to like it or just understand what was happening but it was horrible, seriously it was too much. There was too many descriptions that I couldn't keep up. I was like if anyone could explain to me how could all of this fit together, I would definitely appreciate it !
Plus, the size of this book, enormous!! I felt it was too long for nothing.
May 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this alternate world Regency fantasy - great world-building, characters, and peril. My main complaint is that I think it needed to be pared down - parts got a bit repetitive.
March 2, 2011
I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be but, whatever it was, what I got wasn't it. I think I expected more historical relevance, more political intrigue, perhaps less romance, though I'm certainly not opposed to romance in a story, and more, well - I think what I expected was for the world-building and the history to be more important to the actual story than it was.
There are times when the history becomes relevant to the story line, like the not travelling abroad during Samhain and things like that, but there were a lot of times where the history was given in info-dumps where I felt more like I was sitting in history class and less like these were actually relevant to what was going on. But there was a lot of aspects of the world-building that felt like it could be part of any generic fantasy setting.
Now - I'm willing to concede that part of this might be because a lot of fantasy is sort of based on our world and our history, with the names changed and magic thrown in, so maybe that's what it is, but I never felt like the fact that this was an altered version of our own world ever really mattered.
I also felt that the characterizations were perhaps too modern. I like to feel immersed in a time and place when I'm reading historical fiction - language and expressions and mannerisms which are part and parcel of that world/time - but I didn't really get a lot of that from this book.
On the other hand, I don't usually have a problem with the backdrop of a story being, well, backdrop - so maybe that's not all that bothered me.
The pacing was slow. From the very outset I was sort meh about the whole thing, and I didn't have a real initial connection to Cat or Bee, so I was wondering why we should care about them. And, truth be told, Cat never really grew on me. I mean, I guess she was likable enough and everything, but I never really related to her - perhaps because I was often wondering why she would react or say certain things, though I can't think of any specifics off the top of my head (aside from her random moonings about Andevai at weird and inappropriate times).
But it wasn't just her. I often found myself wondering how trains of conversations got from A to Z, and would oftend flip back and see if I missed something. People reacted in odd ways to what was happening or what was said. I also hard a hard time visualizing what was happening a lot of the time.
As to Andevai, he's the type of character I usually love, but, again, he never really clicked with me. I liked his development as the story progressed, but I wished we would've perhaps seen more from his point-of-view. I'm not a huge fan of first person perspective, as a rule, but I feel like, for this book in particular, it hampered the telling more than it helped it.
But, overall, I found the romancey bits just sort of odd. I sort of liked the Pride & Prejudice vibe I got from some of their interactions, but I think both characters, and their relationship, would need to develop a lot to make it really believable.
I did like Rory, and wish he was in more of it. I also really liked the one line where Rory says to Cat something like "You're not stupid, so stop acting like you are," because I did get frustrated with Cat a lot for just that very thing.
This is another book where I feel like there was just so much squandered potential. I'm glad I got it from the library.
But, for all that, it wasn't terrible, and I might consider continuing on with the series if I hear good things about it - especially if I hear a) the writing gets better and b) the history and backdrop become more actually important to the overall story.
(BTW - this is a story I would usually give a 3-star "meh" rating, but I am trying to modify my ratings to match goodreads' system, so I rate it as 2-stars being "OK".)
There are times when the history becomes relevant to the story line, like the not travelling abroad during Samhain and things like that, but there were a lot of times where the history was given in info-dumps where I felt more like I was sitting in history class and less like these were actually relevant to what was going on. But there was a lot of aspects of the world-building that felt like it could be part of any generic fantasy setting.
Now - I'm willing to concede that part of this might be because a lot of fantasy is sort of based on our world and our history, with the names changed and magic thrown in, so maybe that's what it is, but I never felt like the fact that this was an altered version of our own world ever really mattered.
I also felt that the characterizations were perhaps too modern. I like to feel immersed in a time and place when I'm reading historical fiction - language and expressions and mannerisms which are part and parcel of that world/time - but I didn't really get a lot of that from this book.
On the other hand, I don't usually have a problem with the backdrop of a story being, well, backdrop - so maybe that's not all that bothered me.
The pacing was slow. From the very outset I was sort meh about the whole thing, and I didn't have a real initial connection to Cat or Bee, so I was wondering why we should care about them. And, truth be told, Cat never really grew on me. I mean, I guess she was likable enough and everything, but I never really related to her - perhaps because I was often wondering why she would react or say certain things, though I can't think of any specifics off the top of my head (aside from her random moonings about Andevai at weird and inappropriate times).
But it wasn't just her. I often found myself wondering how trains of conversations got from A to Z, and would oftend flip back and see if I missed something. People reacted in odd ways to what was happening or what was said. I also hard a hard time visualizing what was happening a lot of the time.
As to Andevai, he's the type of character I usually love, but, again, he never really clicked with me. I liked his development as the story progressed, but I wished we would've perhaps seen more from his point-of-view. I'm not a huge fan of first person perspective, as a rule, but I feel like, for this book in particular, it hampered the telling more than it helped it.
But, overall, I found the romancey bits just sort of odd. I sort of liked the Pride & Prejudice vibe I got from some of their interactions, but I think both characters, and their relationship, would need to develop a lot to make it really believable.
I did like Rory, and wish he was in more of it. I also really liked the one line where Rory says to Cat something like "You're not stupid, so stop acting like you are," because I did get frustrated with Cat a lot for just that very thing.
This is another book where I feel like there was just so much squandered potential. I'm glad I got it from the library.
But, for all that, it wasn't terrible, and I might consider continuing on with the series if I hear good things about it - especially if I hear a) the writing gets better and b) the history and backdrop become more actually important to the overall story.
(BTW - this is a story I would usually give a 3-star "meh" rating, but I am trying to modify my ratings to match goodreads' system, so I rate it as 2-stars being "OK".)
October 25, 2015
I don't often find a book I want to read again after the first initial inhalation of its story and characters. I don't want to pore over events that shape the narrative, linger over the words spoken and the feelings felt by the different characters. It's a rare book that engages me to the extent that I will read and reread because every time I do, I find something more to take away from it.Cold Magic, the first book in the Spirit Walker trilogy, is one such rare book. I found myself reading as slowly as I could so that the pleasure that came from reading it would last a longer time. And when I did finish the book, I immediately went and looked up the author to see when the next installment is coming out because I don't know if I can wait until it does and...well, there is no release date yet. Boo.
Cold Magic fascinates because of the detail with which the alternate world is created. The history, the people, the mythos - it is all so exquisitely detailed that the reader will find herself swept away with it but at the same time, in some detached manner, breathless at the superb skill of the author. The story is not built on a shaky foundation which is loosened by a logical question or attempts at reason. It is solidly woven, binding together different parts of the world to create a gorgeous tapestry, a setting in which the wonderful characters of the book can exist.
There are two women: Cat and Bee. Girls, really. Both twenty. Usually when you have two characters, there is a lack of balance between them. One is deemed more important than the other. It is a testament to Ms. Elliot's writing that despite the story being told in the first person (Cat), Bee is just as much intriguing and an equally strong character as Cat. Neither of them are perfect but both have been characterized in a manner that transcends their otherworldliness and makes them relatable to the ordinary reader curled up by a fireplace (or not). The other characters are just as strongly hewn. Their individuality, whether they are present for a chapter or two, is very present. I've said it before, side characters and their characterizations are very important to the success of a novel and Ms. Elliot delivers wonderfully on those counts. The romance is surprising with its presence and all the more compelling for its element of unexpectedness.
Another strength of the novel comes from its pacing. The entire novel is like a race. Tensions increase as the finish line is approached, the sense of danger skitters across your skin and you (no matter how much you try not to) read as fast as you can in desperation to see what happens next. The story has many layers, it's a complex interweaving of different dynasties, different times and different hopes. It is unpredictable to its last page and I'm so running out of superlatives right now.
This was a brilliant premise to what promises to be an awesome trilogy. If you are interested in steam-punk, strong heroines, friendship and sizzling romance, read this. Even if you aren't interested in any of those things, read this anyway. It's too good to miss.
Cold Magic fascinates because of the detail with which the alternate world is created. The history, the people, the mythos - it is all so exquisitely detailed that the reader will find herself swept away with it but at the same time, in some detached manner, breathless at the superb skill of the author. The story is not built on a shaky foundation which is loosened by a logical question or attempts at reason. It is solidly woven, binding together different parts of the world to create a gorgeous tapestry, a setting in which the wonderful characters of the book can exist.
There are two women: Cat and Bee. Girls, really. Both twenty. Usually when you have two characters, there is a lack of balance between them. One is deemed more important than the other. It is a testament to Ms. Elliot's writing that despite the story being told in the first person (Cat), Bee is just as much intriguing and an equally strong character as Cat. Neither of them are perfect but both have been characterized in a manner that transcends their otherworldliness and makes them relatable to the ordinary reader curled up by a fireplace (or not). The other characters are just as strongly hewn. Their individuality, whether they are present for a chapter or two, is very present. I've said it before, side characters and their characterizations are very important to the success of a novel and Ms. Elliot delivers wonderfully on those counts. The romance is surprising with its presence and all the more compelling for its element of unexpectedness.
Another strength of the novel comes from its pacing. The entire novel is like a race. Tensions increase as the finish line is approached, the sense of danger skitters across your skin and you (no matter how much you try not to) read as fast as you can in desperation to see what happens next. The story has many layers, it's a complex interweaving of different dynasties, different times and different hopes. It is unpredictable to its last page and I'm so running out of superlatives right now.
This was a brilliant premise to what promises to be an awesome trilogy. If you are interested in steam-punk, strong heroines, friendship and sizzling romance, read this. Even if you aren't interested in any of those things, read this anyway. It's too good to miss.
September 15, 2011
http://www.rantingdragon.com/cold-mag...
Cold Magic is the first book in the new Spirit Walker trilogy by Kate Elliott, established author of both the Crown of Stars and the Crossroads series. As the result of a family obligation, Catherine Hassi Barahal is forced into an arranged marriage to a young noble, an enigmatic cold mage. She is immediately torn away from her home and her education in the technology of the impending industrial age, only to find that marriage into a mage house is far from safe or secure. Cat is thrust into a world where magic and science naturally conflict, and the mysteries of her family’s past tie her to the forces of revolution.
A (surprisingly) likeable protagonist
I was concerned that I wouldn’t connect with Cat, Cold Magic’s young, female protagonist. Fortunately, Elliott’s delightful storytelling effortlessly breached my cynicism. Cat is a vulnerable and conflicted heroine who is able to find the strength to endure her circumstances—she is not the typical strong female with token weaknesses. This distinction is vital because Cold Magic is essentially a coming of age story. There is uncertainty over the motives of Cat’s deceased father, and she is confused about her unusual link with the spirit world and what implications that bears upon her heritage. Cat’s growing understanding of her identity is intricately tied to the epic and world-shaping events that unfold as the story continues.
As in many fantasy tales, our heroine is initially aware of the forces that exist in her world, but is in no way enmeshed in them. After a few chapters, the scale of events and the sense of urgency in the narrative ramps up drastically, but it makes sense! Cat’s transition from student to endangered heroine happens rapidly and unpredictably, but still believably. I was hooked. Other characters display similarly genuine motivations, and relationships endure realistic complications with no convenient resolution of fractures.
A certain level of quality
Cold Magic is undoubtedly a book produced by an experienced and professional author at the top of her game. Elliott makes subtle use of fantasy tropes to create red herrings which probably exist as much in the mind of the reader as on the page. The layering of the narrative is so clever that even those who feel that the story best suits young adult readers will be sucked in by the quality of the story telling. The complications that propel Cat into high stakes events frequently caught me off guard. In fact, I regularly had my expectations overturned by Cold Magic’s intertwining mysteries.
A touch of the historical
Elliott effortlessly builds a detailed alternate history through the action and characters without ever resorting to tedious information dumps. The point of historical divergence is Rome’s failure to defeat the Carthaginians at Zama, coupled with a prolonged ice age. This event has genuine geo-political ramifications. The world doesn’t continue on otherwise untouched, and other events that bear similarities to our history also play out differently. The Roman Empire lasted hundreds of years longer and is still influential in Cold Magic’s 19th Century setting. There was no real Dark Age, presumably due to ongoing empire and the existence of magic. The eponymous ‘cold magic’ derives from a mysterious combination of Celtic druidism and African shamanism, brought to Europa with the refugees from a ‘ghoul plague’ in North Africa. By the time Cold Magic begins, Europa is itself recovering from an attempted revolution led by the general Camjiata.
Taking steampunk to the next level
One of the major themes of Cold Magic is the clash of industry and magic. Technological advancement, theoretically irrelevant in a world with magic, exists because the cold mages aren’t particularly eager to share their gift. In fact, the Mage Houses lord it over the people. The cold mages actively seek to cripple and hold back industrial revolution. Elliott brilliantly sets these forces up as diametric opposites – cold mages literally extinguish fires, including those of industrial furnaces, by their mere presence. The imagery is simple but powerful.
Why should you read this book?
Cold Magic is a fun and engaging tale from a great storyteller. As a teacher, I would happily recommend Cold Magic to my school librarian. I would also recommend it to my 30 year old friends with equal confidence. With the book available in paperback and the sequel due in weeks, treat yourself to a delightful tale.
Cold Magic is the first book in the new Spirit Walker trilogy by Kate Elliott, established author of both the Crown of Stars and the Crossroads series. As the result of a family obligation, Catherine Hassi Barahal is forced into an arranged marriage to a young noble, an enigmatic cold mage. She is immediately torn away from her home and her education in the technology of the impending industrial age, only to find that marriage into a mage house is far from safe or secure. Cat is thrust into a world where magic and science naturally conflict, and the mysteries of her family’s past tie her to the forces of revolution.
A (surprisingly) likeable protagonist
I was concerned that I wouldn’t connect with Cat, Cold Magic’s young, female protagonist. Fortunately, Elliott’s delightful storytelling effortlessly breached my cynicism. Cat is a vulnerable and conflicted heroine who is able to find the strength to endure her circumstances—she is not the typical strong female with token weaknesses. This distinction is vital because Cold Magic is essentially a coming of age story. There is uncertainty over the motives of Cat’s deceased father, and she is confused about her unusual link with the spirit world and what implications that bears upon her heritage. Cat’s growing understanding of her identity is intricately tied to the epic and world-shaping events that unfold as the story continues.
As in many fantasy tales, our heroine is initially aware of the forces that exist in her world, but is in no way enmeshed in them. After a few chapters, the scale of events and the sense of urgency in the narrative ramps up drastically, but it makes sense! Cat’s transition from student to endangered heroine happens rapidly and unpredictably, but still believably. I was hooked. Other characters display similarly genuine motivations, and relationships endure realistic complications with no convenient resolution of fractures.
A certain level of quality
Cold Magic is undoubtedly a book produced by an experienced and professional author at the top of her game. Elliott makes subtle use of fantasy tropes to create red herrings which probably exist as much in the mind of the reader as on the page. The layering of the narrative is so clever that even those who feel that the story best suits young adult readers will be sucked in by the quality of the story telling. The complications that propel Cat into high stakes events frequently caught me off guard. In fact, I regularly had my expectations overturned by Cold Magic’s intertwining mysteries.
A touch of the historical
Elliott effortlessly builds a detailed alternate history through the action and characters without ever resorting to tedious information dumps. The point of historical divergence is Rome’s failure to defeat the Carthaginians at Zama, coupled with a prolonged ice age. This event has genuine geo-political ramifications. The world doesn’t continue on otherwise untouched, and other events that bear similarities to our history also play out differently. The Roman Empire lasted hundreds of years longer and is still influential in Cold Magic’s 19th Century setting. There was no real Dark Age, presumably due to ongoing empire and the existence of magic. The eponymous ‘cold magic’ derives from a mysterious combination of Celtic druidism and African shamanism, brought to Europa with the refugees from a ‘ghoul plague’ in North Africa. By the time Cold Magic begins, Europa is itself recovering from an attempted revolution led by the general Camjiata.
Taking steampunk to the next level
One of the major themes of Cold Magic is the clash of industry and magic. Technological advancement, theoretically irrelevant in a world with magic, exists because the cold mages aren’t particularly eager to share their gift. In fact, the Mage Houses lord it over the people. The cold mages actively seek to cripple and hold back industrial revolution. Elliott brilliantly sets these forces up as diametric opposites – cold mages literally extinguish fires, including those of industrial furnaces, by their mere presence. The imagery is simple but powerful.
Why should you read this book?
Cold Magic is a fun and engaging tale from a great storyteller. As a teacher, I would happily recommend Cold Magic to my school librarian. I would also recommend it to my 30 year old friends with equal confidence. With the book available in paperback and the sequel due in weeks, treat yourself to a delightful tale.
November 10, 2016
Several years ago, I read this author’s Crossroads trilogy, beginning with Spirit Gate. My memory of it is really fuzzy, but I remember it as being a fairly complex story, with multiple points-of-view and storylines. I also remember that I really enjoyed it, and I’ve wanted to try some of her other books.
This book was a little different from what I expected based on my fuzzy memory of Crossroads. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but there were some aspects of the writing that seemed amateur to me, and I also felt like the story was written for a younger audience. The “younger audience” aspect probably would have been less of an issue for me if I hadn’t expected something more adult, and it was also partly explained by the author’s Acknowledgments at the end of the book. As it turns out, she had collaborated on the story with her three children who were in high school at the time. This doesn’t explain some of my complaints with the writing, though, since she did all of the writing herself. I briefly wondered if this book was one of her earlier works, but it was in fact published a little bit later than the final Crossroads book.
The setting is kind of interesting, set in an odd alternate version of our world in which there are both mages and an industrial revolution. I’m going to be vague about the story line, because it’s a bit of a slow build-up and I don’t want to spoil any surprises. Cold Magic is told from the first-person perspective of Cat, a nineteen-year-old girl whose parents were killed in an accident when she was six. She’s been raised, and well-treated, in the home of her aunt and uncle where she has a great relationship with her similarly-aged cousin, Bee. Cat has some special abilities, and one of her only memories of her mother is her warning Cat not to ever tell anybody what she can do. So there’s a bit of a mystery about Cat’s past, but mostly she just lives her life as a normal girl. Until everything changes, of course. :) One night a visitor shows up at Cat’s home to demand that a certain bargain be upheld.
One of the main reasons I thought this was an earlier work was because the author used dialogue clumsily, particularly in the beginning, to convey background information. The dialogue was usually well-written and interesting, but there were several passages that completely dragged me out of the story because it was just too obvious. For example, at one point Cat is pretty much lectured by Bee on her own life history. People just don’t talk like that. When they have shared stories and histories, they use shorthand. They would say, “Remember that time in the elevator?” as opposed to, “Remember that time in the elevator when [long monologue about a story both parties already know]?”.
Another one of my complaints is about the romance. Fortunately it’s a bit sparse and doesn’t overwhelm the story, but I did think it was very obvious from the beginning how the relationship would develop. It was also pretty unrealistic, such as the random “oh wow, look at those lips, I really want to kiss him” (I’m paraphrasing!) thoughts at absolutely ridiculous moments. The friendship between Cat and Bee, on the other hand, was very well done. I also really enjoyed the character of Rory and his interaction with Cat.
The story has a little bit of repetitiveness and a few excessively coincidental occurrences, but mostly I did enjoy the story. We’re given several questions at the beginning and then the answers are slowly revealed while giving us more questions along the way, and I enjoyed speculating about the answers. This is the first book in a trilogy, so it doesn’t wrap up all of the story lines, but we do get answers to some of the major questions by the end. There’s an interesting, if not terribly surprising, twist near the end that sets the stage for the next book and I look forward to seeing what will happen next. I’m giving this 3.5 stars on BookLikes, but rounding up to 4 on Goodreads.
This book was a little different from what I expected based on my fuzzy memory of Crossroads. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but there were some aspects of the writing that seemed amateur to me, and I also felt like the story was written for a younger audience. The “younger audience” aspect probably would have been less of an issue for me if I hadn’t expected something more adult, and it was also partly explained by the author’s Acknowledgments at the end of the book. As it turns out, she had collaborated on the story with her three children who were in high school at the time. This doesn’t explain some of my complaints with the writing, though, since she did all of the writing herself. I briefly wondered if this book was one of her earlier works, but it was in fact published a little bit later than the final Crossroads book.
The setting is kind of interesting, set in an odd alternate version of our world in which there are both mages and an industrial revolution. I’m going to be vague about the story line, because it’s a bit of a slow build-up and I don’t want to spoil any surprises. Cold Magic is told from the first-person perspective of Cat, a nineteen-year-old girl whose parents were killed in an accident when she was six. She’s been raised, and well-treated, in the home of her aunt and uncle where she has a great relationship with her similarly-aged cousin, Bee. Cat has some special abilities, and one of her only memories of her mother is her warning Cat not to ever tell anybody what she can do. So there’s a bit of a mystery about Cat’s past, but mostly she just lives her life as a normal girl. Until everything changes, of course. :) One night a visitor shows up at Cat’s home to demand that a certain bargain be upheld.
One of the main reasons I thought this was an earlier work was because the author used dialogue clumsily, particularly in the beginning, to convey background information. The dialogue was usually well-written and interesting, but there were several passages that completely dragged me out of the story because it was just too obvious. For example, at one point Cat is pretty much lectured by Bee on her own life history. People just don’t talk like that. When they have shared stories and histories, they use shorthand. They would say, “Remember that time in the elevator?” as opposed to, “Remember that time in the elevator when [long monologue about a story both parties already know]?”.
Another one of my complaints is about the romance. Fortunately it’s a bit sparse and doesn’t overwhelm the story, but I did think it was very obvious from the beginning how the relationship would develop. It was also pretty unrealistic, such as the random “oh wow, look at those lips, I really want to kiss him” (I’m paraphrasing!) thoughts at absolutely ridiculous moments. The friendship between Cat and Bee, on the other hand, was very well done. I also really enjoyed the character of Rory and his interaction with Cat.
The story has a little bit of repetitiveness and a few excessively coincidental occurrences, but mostly I did enjoy the story. We’re given several questions at the beginning and then the answers are slowly revealed while giving us more questions along the way, and I enjoyed speculating about the answers. This is the first book in a trilogy, so it doesn’t wrap up all of the story lines, but we do get answers to some of the major questions by the end. There’s an interesting, if not terribly surprising, twist near the end that sets the stage for the next book and I look forward to seeing what will happen next. I’m giving this 3.5 stars on BookLikes, but rounding up to 4 on Goodreads.
July 3, 2010
This is going to be a longish review and also a rambling one, so I’ll ask you to bear with me.
Despite having purchased the third volume in Kate Elliott’s amazing Crossroads trilogy close on three months ago, I’ve not yet started reading it. This is due, in large part, to the originality of her worldbuilding; and I mean that as a compliment. Being as I am a devout mythology and history geek and also a lifelong fantasist, there are certain narrative cues to which my interests make me sensitive. When a fantasy author borrows from particular human cultures, like ancient Egypt, or from known myth-forms, like the Norse tradition – and more, if they do so with the intention that a similarly well-versed audience will be able to note the relationship, and appreciate it – the way I read their stories changes. Automatically, I infer background details about the world, the society, the religion, which is less presumptuous than it is natural, because to a certain extent, that’s what I should be doing. Rather than explaining every little thing, the author is allowing me to fill in the gaps with my own knowledge, which in turn allows them to get on with the business of telling a good story. The first Kate Elliott series I encountered was Crown of Stars, which, while featuring several original societies, took place primarily in a more familiar medieval setting, albeit one shaped with certain fascinating and significant alterations. The point of mentioning this is that, when the first Crossroads book came out, I more or less assumed that its worldbuilding, too, would contain comparable levels of familiarity to Crown of Stars, and that I would therefore be able to navigate the narrative in my usual fashion, strengthening my grasp on what the characters were doing and where they were headed by comparing the rules of their world to what I know of ours.
What actually happened was that I found myself in a setting completely outside my experience, blind to the sorts of cues which, had they been anchored in a mythos comparable (say) to that of ancient Rome, I would have pounced on in a heartbeat. Not only was I unable to predict the actions of the characters or the twists of the plot, but I couldn’t piece together the shape of the higher magical story. A sidenote at this point, by way of demonstration: consider the average vampire novel. In this day and age, an author can reasonably assume that, if they drop hints about a character who is pale, unfond of direct sunlight and possessed of a tendency to stare at necks, their audience will think, vampire. There is no tension on our behalf as to this fact, even if the characters are, of necessity, slower to catch on. But imagine you, the reader, had never heard of a vampire. The hints would still be there, but harder to spot; without having a creature in mind possessed of all three traits to signal that this was a cluster of important facts, you could easily be forgiven for dismissing certain pertinent information – such as the paleness – as mere background detail, there to flesh things out, but not, of itself, significant. Given the current popularity of fantasy stories, particularly urban fantasy, even non-mythologists use their knowledge of certain monster-and-magic types to guide them through each successive story.
Kate Elliott’s writing is unique to my experience, in that she can borrow from known cultures, mythologies and settings and yet reinvent them so completely that the reader is, utterly and truly, transported to a new world. From the smallest social details to the higher magical, social and political destinies of her characters, Elliott challenges her readers to work without the usual safety nets. Which is why, midway through the second Crossroads book, I suddenly realised that everything I’d been assuming about the world was wrong, because – shamefully – I had been dismissing relevant information out of a self-inflicted inability to recognise it as such. The Crossroads mythology was so different to anything I’d read before that even when presented, time and again, with the key stories about the gods and their behaviours, I failed to make the connection between those invented myths and the hints as to their significance strewn throughout the plot and actions of the characters. I was being a lazy reader; I was not paying attention. By the end of the second book, I’d made up my mind: before embarking on the third, I’d have to read the first two again – only this time, I’d keep my eyes open and refrain from making assumptions.
Which brings me to Cold Magic, the first volume in the new Spiritwalker trilogy. The setting is an alternate past-history Earth, but with so many inventive differences that any attempt at trying to intuit the shape of the narrative on that basis simply won’t work. There is something utterly fascinating about being dropped into a world to which one feels an automatic sense of ownership – it is still Earth, no matter how altered, therefore I should still comprehend how it works – and realising that, actually, no. Elliott has a gift for detail: instead of leaning on turns of phrase appropriate to our own reality, her narrator is provided with ample world-appropriate alternatives, so that, even where we might deem one new saying to be the equivalent of a particular old one, we are still forced to consider its meaning anew. Small social niceties and behaviours are observed by the characters, but we must learn these, too, such as the fact that shaking hands is considered a politically radical way of greeting someone else, because of the equality such a tactile gesture implies. There are flashes of known mythological concepts, particularly as relates to Celtic traditions, but renamed and altered so skilfully that even trying to compare them to the Earth originals doesn’t quite work, because the new names have properly come to mean something quite different. Elliott has described the work as a mash-up, which it technically is, but also, in a more literal sense, isn’t. Despite the disparate elements drawn together to build the world, the story, the society, its peoples and their magics, there are no stitches in evidence at the juncture of this and that. The skin of the whole is smooth and unblemished, the gait fluid, the eyes sharp, and what the tongue seeks to describe, it does not miss.
Narrated by Catherine Hassi Barahal, known as Cat, the eldest daughter of a Kena’ani family, who are also called Phoenecians, the story follows her travails after the aunt and uncle by whom she has been raised are forced to hand her over in marriage to a haughty cold mage. Cat’s world is shaped by the struggles of an industrial civilisation: common folk are rebelling against their masters, both magical and political, desiring to change society through new technologies such as rifles and airships, which the cold mages despise. The political landscape is fraught with ancient tensions, too: old Roman lies about the nature of Phoenecians, the history of the mage Houses, and the comparatively recent uprising of Camjiata, a would-be emperor whose defeat and subsequent island imprisonment are reminiscent of Napoleon’s captivity on Elba. Separated from her beloved cousin, Bee, Cat is forced not only to consider her own place in this world, but her options in navigating its dangers, whether through her cold mage husband, the laws of the Europan principalities, the writings of her father’s diaries, or the revolutionary words of radicals. Cold Magic is an incredible novel that blends questions of culture, society and humanity with enthralling mythologies, heated politics and strong, compelling characters: in other words, it was written by Kate Elliott, and you should go read it. Now.
Despite having purchased the third volume in Kate Elliott’s amazing Crossroads trilogy close on three months ago, I’ve not yet started reading it. This is due, in large part, to the originality of her worldbuilding; and I mean that as a compliment. Being as I am a devout mythology and history geek and also a lifelong fantasist, there are certain narrative cues to which my interests make me sensitive. When a fantasy author borrows from particular human cultures, like ancient Egypt, or from known myth-forms, like the Norse tradition – and more, if they do so with the intention that a similarly well-versed audience will be able to note the relationship, and appreciate it – the way I read their stories changes. Automatically, I infer background details about the world, the society, the religion, which is less presumptuous than it is natural, because to a certain extent, that’s what I should be doing. Rather than explaining every little thing, the author is allowing me to fill in the gaps with my own knowledge, which in turn allows them to get on with the business of telling a good story. The first Kate Elliott series I encountered was Crown of Stars, which, while featuring several original societies, took place primarily in a more familiar medieval setting, albeit one shaped with certain fascinating and significant alterations. The point of mentioning this is that, when the first Crossroads book came out, I more or less assumed that its worldbuilding, too, would contain comparable levels of familiarity to Crown of Stars, and that I would therefore be able to navigate the narrative in my usual fashion, strengthening my grasp on what the characters were doing and where they were headed by comparing the rules of their world to what I know of ours.
What actually happened was that I found myself in a setting completely outside my experience, blind to the sorts of cues which, had they been anchored in a mythos comparable (say) to that of ancient Rome, I would have pounced on in a heartbeat. Not only was I unable to predict the actions of the characters or the twists of the plot, but I couldn’t piece together the shape of the higher magical story. A sidenote at this point, by way of demonstration: consider the average vampire novel. In this day and age, an author can reasonably assume that, if they drop hints about a character who is pale, unfond of direct sunlight and possessed of a tendency to stare at necks, their audience will think, vampire. There is no tension on our behalf as to this fact, even if the characters are, of necessity, slower to catch on. But imagine you, the reader, had never heard of a vampire. The hints would still be there, but harder to spot; without having a creature in mind possessed of all three traits to signal that this was a cluster of important facts, you could easily be forgiven for dismissing certain pertinent information – such as the paleness – as mere background detail, there to flesh things out, but not, of itself, significant. Given the current popularity of fantasy stories, particularly urban fantasy, even non-mythologists use their knowledge of certain monster-and-magic types to guide them through each successive story.
Kate Elliott’s writing is unique to my experience, in that she can borrow from known cultures, mythologies and settings and yet reinvent them so completely that the reader is, utterly and truly, transported to a new world. From the smallest social details to the higher magical, social and political destinies of her characters, Elliott challenges her readers to work without the usual safety nets. Which is why, midway through the second Crossroads book, I suddenly realised that everything I’d been assuming about the world was wrong, because – shamefully – I had been dismissing relevant information out of a self-inflicted inability to recognise it as such. The Crossroads mythology was so different to anything I’d read before that even when presented, time and again, with the key stories about the gods and their behaviours, I failed to make the connection between those invented myths and the hints as to their significance strewn throughout the plot and actions of the characters. I was being a lazy reader; I was not paying attention. By the end of the second book, I’d made up my mind: before embarking on the third, I’d have to read the first two again – only this time, I’d keep my eyes open and refrain from making assumptions.
Which brings me to Cold Magic, the first volume in the new Spiritwalker trilogy. The setting is an alternate past-history Earth, but with so many inventive differences that any attempt at trying to intuit the shape of the narrative on that basis simply won’t work. There is something utterly fascinating about being dropped into a world to which one feels an automatic sense of ownership – it is still Earth, no matter how altered, therefore I should still comprehend how it works – and realising that, actually, no. Elliott has a gift for detail: instead of leaning on turns of phrase appropriate to our own reality, her narrator is provided with ample world-appropriate alternatives, so that, even where we might deem one new saying to be the equivalent of a particular old one, we are still forced to consider its meaning anew. Small social niceties and behaviours are observed by the characters, but we must learn these, too, such as the fact that shaking hands is considered a politically radical way of greeting someone else, because of the equality such a tactile gesture implies. There are flashes of known mythological concepts, particularly as relates to Celtic traditions, but renamed and altered so skilfully that even trying to compare them to the Earth originals doesn’t quite work, because the new names have properly come to mean something quite different. Elliott has described the work as a mash-up, which it technically is, but also, in a more literal sense, isn’t. Despite the disparate elements drawn together to build the world, the story, the society, its peoples and their magics, there are no stitches in evidence at the juncture of this and that. The skin of the whole is smooth and unblemished, the gait fluid, the eyes sharp, and what the tongue seeks to describe, it does not miss.
Narrated by Catherine Hassi Barahal, known as Cat, the eldest daughter of a Kena’ani family, who are also called Phoenecians, the story follows her travails after the aunt and uncle by whom she has been raised are forced to hand her over in marriage to a haughty cold mage. Cat’s world is shaped by the struggles of an industrial civilisation: common folk are rebelling against their masters, both magical and political, desiring to change society through new technologies such as rifles and airships, which the cold mages despise. The political landscape is fraught with ancient tensions, too: old Roman lies about the nature of Phoenecians, the history of the mage Houses, and the comparatively recent uprising of Camjiata, a would-be emperor whose defeat and subsequent island imprisonment are reminiscent of Napoleon’s captivity on Elba. Separated from her beloved cousin, Bee, Cat is forced not only to consider her own place in this world, but her options in navigating its dangers, whether through her cold mage husband, the laws of the Europan principalities, the writings of her father’s diaries, or the revolutionary words of radicals. Cold Magic is an incredible novel that blends questions of culture, society and humanity with enthralling mythologies, heated politics and strong, compelling characters: in other words, it was written by Kate Elliott, and you should go read it. Now.
April 17, 2020
As with a lot of books where I don't quite "get it" - I feel like I should reread it, but I also don't want to waste my time.
The Good
- The world-building was really cool. I'm always down for alternate histories.
- Cat. Bea. Rory.
The Bad
- Was I supposed to like the husband? What an insufferable ass. And as far as Cat could describe, it seemed the only thing that attracted her was his physical attractiveness, which, no.
- It felt too long and repetitive in spots.
The Weird
- The characters seem to speak in proverbs. Oooookay.
- Trolls? I can get behind djeli and even dragons in the spirit world, but trolls in the real world? Hm.
BOOK, LET ME LOVE YOU.
March 23, 2011
Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/01/b...
Catherine Hassi Barahal (or Cat to all that know her) has always taken pride in her family’s rich history. The Hassi Barahals are a storied Phoenician clan of merchants, spies and traders of information, tracing their roots back to even before the height of Rome’s ambitious empire. When she was six Cat’s father, the scholarly wanderer Daniel Hassi Barahal, and her mother, the Amazonian warrior Tara Bell, perished in a river crossing accident, leaving sole survivor Cat an orphan. Taken in by her Aunt, Uncle and her beloved cousin Beatrice, Cat has lived a happy, if quiet, life.
But onne day Cat’s world is shattered when a remorseless Cold Mage of the powerful Four Moons House comes to her Uncle’s home and demands the hand of the eldest Hassi Barahal daughter, as payment of a family debt incurred years earlier. Forced into a magically binding marriage – one that can be severed only by death – Cat is cruelly yanked from her home and whisked across the unforgiving, frozen countryside to Four Moons House, for reasons unknown to Cat. What she does know, however, is that her whole life and home was a lie, and she realizes that the only reason she had been taken in by her relatives was for this specific moment in the future; because Cat’s birthday rests a few months earlier than that of her beautiful and much loved cousin, Bee. And this is just the first of the many revelations that Cat makes on the road to her destiny – where she encounters death sentences, betrayals, magic, and closely guarded secrets at every turn.
Cold Magic is only the second novel I’ve read by Kate Elliott (despite her pretty impressive backlist), and, as I’ve said before, I was worried when I started the book due to conflicting reviews. Plus, as it’s marketed as a pseudo-steampunk fantasy novel, I was even more hesitant to dive in (since steampunk is becoming the new vampire – and by that I mean played the eff out). Thankfully, I did suck it up and make the purchase, because Cold Magic is one *really* darn good book.
Although set in the early Victorian era in an alternate world, Cold Magic is about as steampunk as that one episode of NCIS: Los Angeles (which is to say: NOT AT ALL). No, Cold Magic is proto-steampunk if it’s anything to do with the subgenre (yes, there’s ONE airship but, as Ana and I always say, a single dirigible does NOT a steampunk novel make), and it’s actually much more of a traditional fantasy novel – magic, carriages, taverns with lots of mead and cheese and tough bread, etc. Where Cold Magic excels is with the book’s worldbuilding – I loved the alternate/revisionist history with its strong Roman, Celtic and African tones, the different creatures (like trolls and enu) and hierarchy of magic (from wise djelis to the ruthless Cold Mages). Cat’s world is a beautifully textured and incredibly well-conceived place – clearly, I need to read more of Ms. Elliott’s work, because I am a sucker for intricate histories and worldbuilding.
In addition to the solid foundation of the book, Cold Magic has adventure and revelations in spades, as well as a dash of romance. Although the book isn’t perfect and the first third is deceptively mundane and hard to get into (I found my interest wandering as the story seemed as though it would head in a very pedestrian direction, i.e. Cat falling in love with her bridegroom despite his purported cruelty and they both struggle against the constraints of the Cold Mage House and live happily ever after), there is a big WTFPOLARBEAR moment that totally changes the direction of the book and makes it AWESOME.1 Add to this wonderfully executed twist some solid (if slightly unoriginal) characterizations, and you’ve got the makings of an excellent book.
As a heroine, Cat is resourceful, brave and stubborn, and although some of the romantic trappings are trite (Cat’s complete ignorance of her effect on certain male characters, for example), her narration lends a strong, believable voice to the novel. Cat is put to the test harshly in this book as everything she has known about her past is challenged, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her and root for her all the way. Of course, the other half of the equation is Andevai, Cat’s imperious, cruel, powerful Cold Mage of a husband – who could have easily become a usual romantic lead type of stereotype, but turns out to be surprisingly complex, with layers of conflict and nuance with his family, the mages that have taken him in, and his own power. And while, yes, the romance is utterly predictable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to read. Almost all of the characters in Cold Magic are similarly well-written and layered – in fact the only character I wasn’t crazy about was Cat’s sister-cousin Beatrice (who only irritated me because of her character as the beautiful powerful one that everyone desires, and her tendency to say annoying things to Cat about Cat’s choices – which is to say, her character is written brilliantly, and my distaste is not because of a failing of the author’s but a justifiable bias!). I also loved Rory, but I’ll refrain from digging into his character, as that way lies spoilers.
Now, while I did love Cold Magic, there were a number of things I wasn’t crazy about. As I mentioned earlier, the book’s first act plods along at a slow pace and feels extremely pedestrian (I’m sure this is where the book loses most readers, who probably wonder what the hubub is all about). Also, there is an abundance of awkwardly repetitive phrasing (e.g. Cat’s fixation with Andevai’s distinguished jawline), and before the big WTF POLAR BEAR moment (which totally revitalizes and changes the direction of the book), I was losing interest with all the taverns and the eating of food, since Cat is both freezing and constantly ravenous for the first half of the book and eats a lot of tough bread and sharp cheese and cold chicken and… you get the picture. Also, there’s a disproportionate amount of time spent on descriptions of Andevai’s wardrobe, which struck me as kind of silly.
But, these are for the most part overlookable flaws in what is a solid start to a new trilogy. I really, really liked this book. Heck, I loved it. Maybe I’m not *quite* head over heels in love…yet. But I’ll DEFINITELY be back for more (and had I read this in 2010, it would have made my honorable mentions list because it is so wonderfully detailed and I heart Cat). Absolutely recommended for fans of fantasy in the style of N.K. Jemisin, Sharon Shinn and Sherwood Smith.
Catherine Hassi Barahal (or Cat to all that know her) has always taken pride in her family’s rich history. The Hassi Barahals are a storied Phoenician clan of merchants, spies and traders of information, tracing their roots back to even before the height of Rome’s ambitious empire. When she was six Cat’s father, the scholarly wanderer Daniel Hassi Barahal, and her mother, the Amazonian warrior Tara Bell, perished in a river crossing accident, leaving sole survivor Cat an orphan. Taken in by her Aunt, Uncle and her beloved cousin Beatrice, Cat has lived a happy, if quiet, life.
But onne day Cat’s world is shattered when a remorseless Cold Mage of the powerful Four Moons House comes to her Uncle’s home and demands the hand of the eldest Hassi Barahal daughter, as payment of a family debt incurred years earlier. Forced into a magically binding marriage – one that can be severed only by death – Cat is cruelly yanked from her home and whisked across the unforgiving, frozen countryside to Four Moons House, for reasons unknown to Cat. What she does know, however, is that her whole life and home was a lie, and she realizes that the only reason she had been taken in by her relatives was for this specific moment in the future; because Cat’s birthday rests a few months earlier than that of her beautiful and much loved cousin, Bee. And this is just the first of the many revelations that Cat makes on the road to her destiny – where she encounters death sentences, betrayals, magic, and closely guarded secrets at every turn.
Cold Magic is only the second novel I’ve read by Kate Elliott (despite her pretty impressive backlist), and, as I’ve said before, I was worried when I started the book due to conflicting reviews. Plus, as it’s marketed as a pseudo-steampunk fantasy novel, I was even more hesitant to dive in (since steampunk is becoming the new vampire – and by that I mean played the eff out). Thankfully, I did suck it up and make the purchase, because Cold Magic is one *really* darn good book.
Although set in the early Victorian era in an alternate world, Cold Magic is about as steampunk as that one episode of NCIS: Los Angeles (which is to say: NOT AT ALL). No, Cold Magic is proto-steampunk if it’s anything to do with the subgenre (yes, there’s ONE airship but, as Ana and I always say, a single dirigible does NOT a steampunk novel make), and it’s actually much more of a traditional fantasy novel – magic, carriages, taverns with lots of mead and cheese and tough bread, etc. Where Cold Magic excels is with the book’s worldbuilding – I loved the alternate/revisionist history with its strong Roman, Celtic and African tones, the different creatures (like trolls and enu) and hierarchy of magic (from wise djelis to the ruthless Cold Mages). Cat’s world is a beautifully textured and incredibly well-conceived place – clearly, I need to read more of Ms. Elliott’s work, because I am a sucker for intricate histories and worldbuilding.
In addition to the solid foundation of the book, Cold Magic has adventure and revelations in spades, as well as a dash of romance. Although the book isn’t perfect and the first third is deceptively mundane and hard to get into (I found my interest wandering as the story seemed as though it would head in a very pedestrian direction, i.e. Cat falling in love with her bridegroom despite his purported cruelty and they both struggle against the constraints of the Cold Mage House and live happily ever after), there is a big WTFPOLARBEAR moment that totally changes the direction of the book and makes it AWESOME.1 Add to this wonderfully executed twist some solid (if slightly unoriginal) characterizations, and you’ve got the makings of an excellent book.
As a heroine, Cat is resourceful, brave and stubborn, and although some of the romantic trappings are trite (Cat’s complete ignorance of her effect on certain male characters, for example), her narration lends a strong, believable voice to the novel. Cat is put to the test harshly in this book as everything she has known about her past is challenged, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her and root for her all the way. Of course, the other half of the equation is Andevai, Cat’s imperious, cruel, powerful Cold Mage of a husband – who could have easily become a usual romantic lead type of stereotype, but turns out to be surprisingly complex, with layers of conflict and nuance with his family, the mages that have taken him in, and his own power. And while, yes, the romance is utterly predictable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to read. Almost all of the characters in Cold Magic are similarly well-written and layered – in fact the only character I wasn’t crazy about was Cat’s sister-cousin Beatrice (who only irritated me because of her character as the beautiful powerful one that everyone desires, and her tendency to say annoying things to Cat about Cat’s choices – which is to say, her character is written brilliantly, and my distaste is not because of a failing of the author’s but a justifiable bias!). I also loved Rory, but I’ll refrain from digging into his character, as that way lies spoilers.
Now, while I did love Cold Magic, there were a number of things I wasn’t crazy about. As I mentioned earlier, the book’s first act plods along at a slow pace and feels extremely pedestrian (I’m sure this is where the book loses most readers, who probably wonder what the hubub is all about). Also, there is an abundance of awkwardly repetitive phrasing (e.g. Cat’s fixation with Andevai’s distinguished jawline), and before the big WTF POLAR BEAR moment (which totally revitalizes and changes the direction of the book), I was losing interest with all the taverns and the eating of food, since Cat is both freezing and constantly ravenous for the first half of the book and eats a lot of tough bread and sharp cheese and cold chicken and… you get the picture. Also, there’s a disproportionate amount of time spent on descriptions of Andevai’s wardrobe, which struck me as kind of silly.
But, these are for the most part overlookable flaws in what is a solid start to a new trilogy. I really, really liked this book. Heck, I loved it. Maybe I’m not *quite* head over heels in love…yet. But I’ll DEFINITELY be back for more (and had I read this in 2010, it would have made my honorable mentions list because it is so wonderfully detailed and I heart Cat). Absolutely recommended for fans of fantasy in the style of N.K. Jemisin, Sharon Shinn and Sherwood Smith.
March 16, 2013
Boring, long and it desperately needed a good editor.
Also, Cold Magic was very poorly researched. It felt as if the author set up a dart board with the names of ancient cultures and just started throwing darts. Whatever names the darts hit, she'd use in her story without actually trying to make their usage be coherent or research the cultures customs, languages or anything. Sort of like a child who decided to wear all of his or hers best clothes at once. The result is cute for a while, but if done repeatedly it starts to grate. The characters were rather like walking encyclopedias full of nonsensical information that did little to further the story line.
Also, this book suffered from the "world-wright syndrome" that is so common in the fantasy genre, it has a great deal of world building and plot, but the story line is rather weak. Worst of all, the denouement felt rushed, just as we started to actually get to know the characters motivations and have them be something other than an outline, the book ends; which is another reason why I gave this book a one star rating. It is unpardonable for authors to do this to their readers, every book must stand on their own and have a complete story line. As it was Cold Magic felt incomplete, rushed, as if we were reading a first draft send to an editor for feedback.
I'd recommend people skip this one.
Also, Cold Magic was very poorly researched. It felt as if the author set up a dart board with the names of ancient cultures and just started throwing darts. Whatever names the darts hit, she'd use in her story without actually trying to make their usage be coherent or research the cultures customs, languages or anything. Sort of like a child who decided to wear all of his or hers best clothes at once. The result is cute for a while, but if done repeatedly it starts to grate. The characters were rather like walking encyclopedias full of nonsensical information that did little to further the story line.
Also, this book suffered from the "world-wright syndrome" that is so common in the fantasy genre, it has a great deal of world building and plot, but the story line is rather weak. Worst of all, the denouement felt rushed, just as we started to actually get to know the characters motivations and have them be something other than an outline, the book ends; which is another reason why I gave this book a one star rating. It is unpardonable for authors to do this to their readers, every book must stand on their own and have a complete story line. As it was Cold Magic felt incomplete, rushed, as if we were reading a first draft send to an editor for feedback.
I'd recommend people skip this one.
May 21, 2016
This feels, for some reason, like it skims the surface of a story. It lacks density and heft. It is kind of cute at times. I like Cat and her relationship with Bea but so much of this is so light.
March 17, 2014
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
The positive things I've heard about Kate Elliott's books, especially praise for her Crossroads trilogy, have always piqued my curiosity and made me feel like I'm missing out for not having read any of her work. So when I saw the Cold Magic ebook on sale a few months back, I snapped it up and didn't even hesitate for a second.
From its description, the book sounded like it would be right up my alley. Dawn of a new age? An Industrial Revolution which heralds inventions and technologies never seen before? Throw in a young, educated heroine caught up in the middle of this movement, and I thought it was going to be a winner for sure.
In many ways, I was correct. This is undoubtedly a good book. The story is an intricate web of political intrigue and hidden truths, taking place in a world that is practically overwhelming with its multiple facets. And Catherine "Cat" Hassi Barahal is a headstrong protagonist, embarking on a perilous adventure to find out who she really is. All in all, I was quite enchanted by this novel and all the wondrous magic, people and creatures Cat encountered on her journey.
And yet, I can't shake the feeling that this book could have been so much more. I wanted it to be great; I wanted to be amazed, but something always stopped me just short of getting to that point. After a while, I was finally able to pin down why I felt this way. Essentially, everything I mentioned before -- the fascinating characters, setting, and plot -- all started out on the right track, but ultimately never seemed to reach their potential.
Perhaps the most frustrating of those for me is the setting, which had everything going for it with its steampunky flavor and even an alternate spirit realm. I was intrigued by the idea of a clash between magic and science, between the old and the new, but unfortunately what I'd hoped for never really materialized. Don't get me wrong; it's a complex and imaginative world, but it somehow lacked coherence. Incidentally, I felt much the same way about the story, which started losing its momentum after a strong introduction, in part due to the lack of clear direction.
I also felt ambivalent towards Cat. I didn't dislike her but I didn't like her either, and therein lies the problem. It's hard to fully appreciate a book when the protagonist fails to interest me. Even now I can think of very little to say about her, except that I didn't really care for the way she was drawn to Andevai. Among my biggest pet peeves is when heroines fall for men who treat them badly, and Cat dances dangerously close to that line. Here's a man who snatches her from her home, speaks to her gruffly, and is an all around cold, arrogant jerk. By all rights she should want nothing to do with him, and yet he is shaping up to be the love interest.
I guess I'll just have to wait to find out what happens. Though I liked this book well enough, I'm also not in any hurry to pick up the sequel. I'm certainly not writing this series off yet, but I have a feeling my next Kate Elliott book will probably be something else. After all, I have heard that her Spiritwalker series is very different from her previous work, and who knows, perhaps I'll check out the Crossroads trilogy first.
The positive things I've heard about Kate Elliott's books, especially praise for her Crossroads trilogy, have always piqued my curiosity and made me feel like I'm missing out for not having read any of her work. So when I saw the Cold Magic ebook on sale a few months back, I snapped it up and didn't even hesitate for a second.
From its description, the book sounded like it would be right up my alley. Dawn of a new age? An Industrial Revolution which heralds inventions and technologies never seen before? Throw in a young, educated heroine caught up in the middle of this movement, and I thought it was going to be a winner for sure.
In many ways, I was correct. This is undoubtedly a good book. The story is an intricate web of political intrigue and hidden truths, taking place in a world that is practically overwhelming with its multiple facets. And Catherine "Cat" Hassi Barahal is a headstrong protagonist, embarking on a perilous adventure to find out who she really is. All in all, I was quite enchanted by this novel and all the wondrous magic, people and creatures Cat encountered on her journey.
And yet, I can't shake the feeling that this book could have been so much more. I wanted it to be great; I wanted to be amazed, but something always stopped me just short of getting to that point. After a while, I was finally able to pin down why I felt this way. Essentially, everything I mentioned before -- the fascinating characters, setting, and plot -- all started out on the right track, but ultimately never seemed to reach their potential.
Perhaps the most frustrating of those for me is the setting, which had everything going for it with its steampunky flavor and even an alternate spirit realm. I was intrigued by the idea of a clash between magic and science, between the old and the new, but unfortunately what I'd hoped for never really materialized. Don't get me wrong; it's a complex and imaginative world, but it somehow lacked coherence. Incidentally, I felt much the same way about the story, which started losing its momentum after a strong introduction, in part due to the lack of clear direction.
I also felt ambivalent towards Cat. I didn't dislike her but I didn't like her either, and therein lies the problem. It's hard to fully appreciate a book when the protagonist fails to interest me. Even now I can think of very little to say about her, except that I didn't really care for the way she was drawn to Andevai. Among my biggest pet peeves is when heroines fall for men who treat them badly, and Cat dances dangerously close to that line. Here's a man who snatches her from her home, speaks to her gruffly, and is an all around cold, arrogant jerk. By all rights she should want nothing to do with him, and yet he is shaping up to be the love interest.
I guess I'll just have to wait to find out what happens. Though I liked this book well enough, I'm also not in any hurry to pick up the sequel. I'm certainly not writing this series off yet, but I have a feeling my next Kate Elliott book will probably be something else. After all, I have heard that her Spiritwalker series is very different from her previous work, and who knows, perhaps I'll check out the Crossroads trilogy first.
August 20, 2015
Three and a half stars.
I loved: the setting. Roman Empire continued a lot later than in "our world", and the society Elliott depicted is fascinating.
I didn't love: the setting. It probably didn't help that I read this while (re)-working on a section of our book to do with alternate histories, and this almost is and isn't quite an alternate history. Little things kept niggling at me about that - why should there still be so much hatred against the Romans - even to the point of one character's saying that the British tribes still potentially have animosity among themselves over which ones supported the Romans and which didn't. But this Roman Invasion of Britain happened 2000 years before and even in our world with the Roman Empire disintegrating a lot sooner, the identification of British tribes certainly didn't carry on into the 1800s. There was quite a lot of characterisation along racial lines, which annoyed me a bit. Even though the Celts and the Africans who fled Africa centuries ago have intermarried, there are still things about typical Celts and the proud Kena'ani (don't dare call them Phoenicians, like the lying Romans!) that I found almost as irritating as comments about our-world racial types.
I loved: the prose. Some of the descriptions were just fabulous - the school Cat and Bee went to before everything went pear-shaped, the spirit world, the way the mages' cold magic drained the heat from everything.
I didn't love: the prose. Really, sometimes the imagery was way too much for my taste. And there were regular but not consistent uses of semi-archaic language that were not pleasing at all: "If I do not mistake my ears, a host of mounted troops approaches".
Fantastic ideas in abundance, but enough that I didn't enjoy to bounce me out repeatedly. I'll probably wait for some of the people I know have liked this to read the rest of the trilogy and then decide whether to carry on myself.
I loved: the setting. Roman Empire continued a lot later than in "our world", and the society Elliott depicted is fascinating.
I didn't love: the setting. It probably didn't help that I read this while (re)-working on a section of our book to do with alternate histories, and this almost is and isn't quite an alternate history. Little things kept niggling at me about that - why should there still be so much hatred against the Romans - even to the point of one character's saying that the British tribes still potentially have animosity among themselves over which ones supported the Romans and which didn't. But this Roman Invasion of Britain happened 2000 years before and even in our world with the Roman Empire disintegrating a lot sooner, the identification of British tribes certainly didn't carry on into the 1800s. There was quite a lot of characterisation along racial lines, which annoyed me a bit. Even though the Celts and the Africans who fled Africa centuries ago have intermarried, there are still things about typical Celts and the proud Kena'ani (don't dare call them Phoenicians, like the lying Romans!) that I found almost as irritating as comments about our-world racial types.
I loved: the prose. Some of the descriptions were just fabulous - the school Cat and Bee went to before everything went pear-shaped, the spirit world, the way the mages' cold magic drained the heat from everything.
I didn't love: the prose. Really, sometimes the imagery was way too much for my taste. And there were regular but not consistent uses of semi-archaic language that were not pleasing at all: "If I do not mistake my ears, a host of mounted troops approaches".
Fantastic ideas in abundance, but enough that I didn't enjoy to bounce me out repeatedly. I'll probably wait for some of the people I know have liked this to read the rest of the trilogy and then decide whether to carry on myself.
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