Review: Crown of Ice by Vicki L. Weavil

Crown Of IceCrown of Ice
by Vicki L. Weavil
YA Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Paperback, 300 pages
September 9th 2014 by Month9Books, LLC


Summary

Thyra Winther's seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can't reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she's doomed to spend eternity as a wraith. Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal. A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai's childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra's willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts -- to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup's devotion and the fire of a young man's desire, the thawing of Thyra's frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.
     

My Review

I have read several versions of The Snow Queen. I was curious to see what direction Crown of Ice would take on this classic fairy tale. It was the first story that I've read from the point of view of the snow queen herself. I found the story to be interesting and well written. Enjoyable overall.

I haven't ever seen math come into play so strongly in a fairy tale. I thought it was an interesting aspect of this story, one that I don't think I would ever have thought of, but that made sense as Thyra and Kai attempt to put back together a magical mirror. They must figure out where the pieces would be and how each piece should be fit and use calculations to help them in doing so.

I also am used to the male protagonist in the story always being saved by the female protagonist, who is usually the girl who loves him from the village and who will not let him go. However, in this tale, the female protagonist is the snow queen (Thyra), so immediately there was a different feel to this tale. You see things through the snow queen's cold and distant eyes, until her heart begins to thaw little by little. I wasn't sure if Gerda was going to save Kai and if that was the right ending to his story or to Thyra's. I liked that the story evolved as I read and so did the characters.

Overall Crown of Ice was an enjoyable tale of friendship, sacrifice, hope, desperation, and love. If you enjoy the classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen, or fairy tales, then you may enjoy Crown of Ice.


Content: Clean

Source: From the tour host, which did not affect my review in any way.


The author is stopping by today to talk about the storybook world of Crown of Ice. Go check out her post and enter the tour giveaway here!

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