The Ice Queen

I was first drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover (I mean, just look at it!!), and then I read the synopsis, and I was imminently captured. Whilst reading, I was instantly hooked, and I could not put the book down. I constantly had to know what happened and ended up having a reading binge! I loved how the story was easy to interoperate and just read beautifully. I didn't need to stop and gather my thoughts or re-read parts because it was confusing, it just fell effortlessly into place, and I truly loved that about this book. The sci-fi and romance genre are two of my favourites, so of course, I knew I was going to enjoy my time whilst reading this. The characters have such wonderful depth and detail, which is what I always appreciate whilst reading. I loved that I felt like I was there with them, travelling their journey; it made the story all the more exciting! By the end of Book One, I was hooked, and I can't wait until the rest of the series is released so I can binge them all! Full review: https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/224930/review/764507

Same as other reviewers, I was drawn to this book because of the stunning cover. Once I got into the first few chapters, I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what happens next, not to mention, this is one insanely hot love story. The writing flows, and it is effortless to follow, yet the story itself is pretty unpredictable. This book is a mixture of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Romance, and I highly recommended it to fans of those genres. What makes it different, in my opinion, is the beautiful writing and the emotional depth of the characters. You really get to know them and be part of their journey. The story of Sia, The Ice Queen and the King of Tarrassia doesn't end in a cliffhanger but prepare to be hooked into the series. Other characters and their possible stories are very well hinted at. I am sure Natalia's book is next, but I hope the Sphinx will have his own story at some point.

On Earth, Sia is the Ice Queen, a lonely, broken model who just wants to keep the world out. Until she finds herself under the thumb of the King of Tarrassia, an alien planet that is desperate for the Ice Queen to solve their problems. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! It had me hooked from the very beginning, as I was dying to understand the alien worlds and figure out how the humans fit into everything. The plot and the world-building were revealed at just the right pace so that there was no information dump but I never found myself getting bored or too confused. The way in which the humans were worked into the story was really intriguing to me, mostly because in sci-fi we never see humans as being needed in the way that Tarrasia needs them! I also was pleasantly surprised by the relationship between Sia and Tars! I was weary of the "fated mates" trope at first, but I loved the way that their stories unfolded and they came to truly know and love each other. (Not to mention the amazing tension and spice between them!) Even with an alien mate, their love story really showcased the beauty of human life. Their relationship wasn't as forced as this trope sometimes causes things to become, and I really appreciated that! I have to say that I loved that this story wasn't just about the sci-fi aspects or the spice, but it got you to think deeper about human life and love. These themes were so well done that it was almost a passive thing throughout the book, and at the end, everything seemed to come together so well that it left me shocked! I greatly enjoyed this book, and I cannot wait to see where this series goes from here!

I was not sure what to expect when I requested this book, mostly I picked it because of the cover, but it's safe to say that it surpassed my expectations. I loved the writing. It just flowed so nicely and naturally. I read this in only a day, and I never tired of the author's writing style. This book has aliens and it play with the fated mates trope, and from that you can draw quite a few conclusions, and yet it was still unique. Not only did it have the Tarrassian lore to keep you interested, it also introduced other alien species. I'm actually really curious about the Sphinx and would love to know more about them. This book ends in a way that really makes you want to read more and if I had to guess I'd say the next books will be about Natalia. At least I hope it is as I would love to read her story next. Overall, a really enjoyable read. I recommend it for people who liked the Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon.

Great read! Could hardly put this book down... looking forward to the next one. Also, nice to see a British author take a stab at Epic Fantasy