Of Ice and Snow: Fairy Queen, Book 1

This took me a bit to get into it, but I found it a little different than most others. I enjoyed the clans and their relationships. The betrayals and friendships. It's definitely an adventure which is described well.

The first book in the Fairy Queens series, Of Ice and Snow, is actually 0.5, a prequel novella. I personally feel that novellas are a required part of any series and should be included in someone's reading, so I'm happy the books and novellas were just numbered in order 1-7. I wouldn't have known to start here if the first full book was numbered 1 instead, and I would have missed this incredible backstory of Otec and Matka. I'm looking forward to starting Winter Queen right away to see how this prequel novella ties into the rest of the story and whose hero journey it will eventually lead to.I liked Otec's character. A fourth son of a clan chief, not expected to ever lead the clan, he is allowed to be a solitary shepherd who lives alone in the mountains with his flock half the year. His isolation causes him to be afraid of large crowds or being in the spotlight (but of course he'll have to overcome that since he is the hero of the story and a natural leader, despite his fears and doubts). He is fiercely loyal, especially to his family, and the only thing that makes him lose his temper and ignore his fears is when he is defending them. This quality is essentially what leads him into his journey to become the hero of the story and save everyone! (Come on, that's not a spoiler! Everyone knows that's how this main character thing works.)I'm hoping we'll learn more about Matka in the rest of the series. She has an interesting backstory that hints at additional characters we will likely see later in the coming books. She was trained as a soldier and a healer and a priestess of the Winter goddess, with an intimate knowledge of fairies and their "tricksy and cruel" ways. I hope we find out more about what she knows of the Fairy Queens, and why she and Otec are so vital to the fairies plans for the future. I can't say any more without spoilers, so I better stop there.Knowing this was a prequel novella which would be shorter, I think the length and depth of the story was just right. I didn't feel like anything was rushed or underdeveloped, there was enough backstory and world building to get a feel for the setting and basic state of the world. There was just enough character development for me to understand what drives them and keep this story progressing, and still wonder what this teaser will lead to in the next book. Some novellas are too short and cut the story just when it's getting good! This one could be read in just a few hours, and yet the story feels complete and well-rounded for its purposes. Novella well done, thank you! Starting Winter Queen right now...

I enjoyed reading this book, and the action came as expected, which was written with a great style. I will always read more of this author.

This is the prequel to Winter Queen and tells the story of Ilyenna's parents, Otec and Matka. Otec feels like he is overlooked by his family, and is simply a farmer, while all his brothers go to war to protect their home. When he comes back from the mountains with his flock, he meets Matka. She asks him to take her to the mountains in search for a rare flower. He agrees, but on their second day gone, Matka notices smoke coming from Otecs village. They see that his village has been attacked. Otec wants to run straight there to help, but Matka convinces him that he would be better off getting help from a nearby village. He knows she is right but what he finds on his way, rocks him to his core. Can he trust Matka, and just who is she?Even though this is so short, it packs so much into it. Otec is such a quiet boy and I loved seeing him go from the quiet, insecure boy, into the clan chief we know him to be. It was nice to see Ilyennas parents and who they were before she came along. Ilyenna is more like her mother than I thought!This was an intense, action packed, and fast paced read and a great addition to this series. This series is one of my favourites and I urge everyone to give it a go.Melissa Reizian Frank was amazing. She has such a distinctive voice and has a lot of different tones and voices, that it brought the story to life. I really enjoyed her narration.*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but was a little disappointed it had absolutely nothing to do with the Snow Queen, which, according to the blurb this story was supposed to be a retelling of.

I received a free copy of this book for a fair review and found it way worth my time and I look forward to continuing this story! It would be a great book for middle school children to help them toward the cost of growing up and becoming responsible caring adults in a world that no longer considers those two qualities first but at the same time it is a fun read and can be enjoyed by most anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. Love, family, war, and fairies! I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Otec was never meant to lead. He's awkward and shy - a throw away soon. He's content to live his summers chasing lambs through the mountains, and hunkering down in the winters with his family, transforming wood into beautiful carved animals. No one sees the details and beauty in the world like he does. No one, except for Matka. The brave and haunted woman the traveling highmen have brought to their borders. Their first encounter trips a series of horrific events that change everything Ortec is and knows. Though the darkness, he'll have to find a light. Can he find it in Matka? This was a gripping tale, full of love and loyalty, bravery and death. There were parts I cried. Though this is technically the first in the series, the books were written out of order. Matka's terror of the fairies makes total sense to me, but it may not make sense to those who haven't read other books in the Fairy Queen series. And if you haven't read them yet, GO READ THEM NOW!!

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I thoroughly recommend this book it starts slowly and builds beautifully until you're hooked. I can't wait for the next instalment.

I really enjoyed this book. Could not put it down and had to finish it before going to bed. Would recommend it. A very good read.

Even now not having read this with Winter & Summer Queen it still holds as a separate well written piece, but knowing the others helps all things slip into place, never disappoints does Amber, brilliant.

It's a book.....what do you think I used it for??? But well worth reading!!