Lira and Reyker have lost everything. Including each other.Lira of Stone watched her home burn and her clan fall beneath the sword of the warlord known as the Dragon. She believes the man she loves, a warrior who defected from the Dragon’s army, is dead. Alongside her exiled brother and his band of refugees, she will fight the forces that conquered her island. But the greatest danger may come … from Lira herself—with the blood of banished gods running through her veins, she’s become a weapon, and no one is safe from the power of her wrath.Reyker Lagorsson thought he was done being a Dragonman. That was before he saw Lira leap from a cliff and vanish into the sea. Determined to honor her memory by protecting her people, Reyker must feign loyalty to the warlord, undermine him at every turn, and seek alliances with renegade soldiers—without succumbing to the battle-madness that threatens to possess him once more.When the Fallen Ones offer Lira a chance to defeat the Dragon, her quest leads her to a place she never expected—Iseneld, the warlord’s homeland. Her journey into the heart of the Frozen Sun will put her on a collision course with Reyker, costing both of them more than they ever imagined, and leaving her with a terrible choice: to save their countries, she must forsake everything she loves.
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** spoiler alert **
Rating: 3.5/5
Kingdom of Ice and Bone is the second installment in the Frozen Sun Saga and picks up right where we left off at the end of book one (Beasts of the Frozen Sun). I have tried to sit on this for a little while since finishing earlier today due to uncertainty about how I felt about this one. Overall, I did enjoy it, in some ways more than the first book and in some ways less.
What I Liked:
Draki: I personally enjoy getting a villain backstory and getting to see their other side/what made them who they are, so the Prologue and overall getting to spend more time with Draki, seeing his gentler side at times and his care towards both Lira and Reyker, were awesome for me. It might make me seem twisted and be an unpopular opinion, but I was actually rooting for Lira to develop affections for Draki, especially with where her character growth was headed.
Character Growth: I loved the character development in this book. Seeing Lira grow so strong, intelligent, independent, and powerful, and expanding on her magic powers was one of my favorite parts of this book. It was also nice to see Reyker spend less time imprisoned and getting beaten. In this book we get to see what a strong warrior he is, as well as his softer side through his compassion towards his people, the Daughters of Allira, and Quinlan.
Split Perspective: It was great spending more time in Reyker’s perspective. It gave the plot more angst and depth.
Justice: I hated Madoc and all his trouble, and the scene where Lira gets her revenge is AMAZING!
World Building: As with the first book, I love this world and its mixed Scottish-Viking vibes. We got so much more expansion on what we learned from book one, getting to explore Iseneld and their Ice Gods/Goddesses. It was also nice to see Reyker in his homeland.
What I Didn’t Like:
Pacing: First of all, this book for me was a bit slower than the first. While BOTFS was fast paced and action packed, I felt this book focuses more on character development and Iseneld world building/exploration. I’m not saying it was slow or bad by any means, just less going on than book one.
Quinlan: So I did like the storyline with Lira and Quinlan, and the reality of her not being able to fall in love with someone so easily while grieving her believed loss. I also enjoyed seeing more of their relationship – in the first book I did not believe Quinlan’s emotions (show me, don’t just tell me things) and in this book it was so perfectly clear how much Quinlan cares for Lira. It was sad when he died, but at the same time I didn’t feel emotionally connected to this character enough when he died and I wish I did.
Missing Eachother: I personally am not a fan of the whole continuing to miss each other by seconds over and over, which dominated the first half or so of this book. I was reluctant and mildly intrigued by him getting there too late just as she jumps over the cliff, but after that I was often thinking, really? They didn’t put that together? Lira is really told that someone saw Reyker at the battle at Selkie’s Quay and she finds it easier to believe it was a ghost than that he was alive? And all those times in their dreams? And especially when Reyker finds the Daughters of Allira and they are awoken by skoldor – who else would have known to do that but Lira?
Ending: Similarly, I’m not a fan of the whole forgetting memories thing. I get that it is supposed to create the sense of hopelessness for the reader, leaving us wondering how our heroes could possibly win and find each other’s love again, as well as create a yearning for the next book. I just personally do not like it.
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Thank you to Favourite Pages Book Club, Blackstone Publishing, and Jill Criswell for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest. I’m really pissed at this book. A CLIFFHANGER! This book just made me mad. It was full of gut wrenching heartache. I wish I had never read it. It just felt like the whole of all the Game Of Thrones series in a book. Draki is the Night King basically. There were too many similarities. It kept me in its thrall but I wish I had never read it.
dom of Ice and Bone Review
written by Cynthia Bujnicki July 14, 2020
An incredible sequel, Kingdom of Ice and Bone, keeps up the energy of Beasts of the Frozen Sun.
Kingdom of Ice and Bone was such an excellent novel. Criswell has done such an excellent job of continuing her series and expanding on the magic and history of this world she has built. In the previous novel, readers only understood the gods of her homeland and the gods of the northern realm as the enemies, but there is more to it.
“Ah!”-mazing Writing
That is part of the charm of the novel. The rising tension surrounding the Fallen Ones and their vendetta against the eater of souls, Draki’s mother. However, their time in darkness has corrupted them, making them just as evil as Draki’s mother.
However, with the gifts of the Gods running through her blood, Lira has to face the gods’ wrath. Lira has to decide if giving into this god will save her country.
It is such a compelling story, and the momentum continues to rise. Lira is on the edge of falling into darkness. She is on a downward spiral almost, her grief and anger drowning whom she was, changing her. It makes for a great show of characterization and character growth, and as Lira enters Draki’s home, new challenges face her daily.
There is such fantastic tension in these character dynamics and it is interesting to see Draki as more than just a villain.
Strong Dynamics
Yes, Draki is a villain, but there is more to his character than that, something that makes him worth reading. He has the love of some of his people and the respect of others and as twisted as he is, he is a darker shade of gray. Draki may be evil, but there is such a sharp contrast to who he was in the previous novel that gives the reader pause. This gives him more depth; it allows him to be a multidimensional character instead of a generic villain.
This play on dynamics, this new development between Lira and Draki, makes the story so addicting.
Criswell executes her story amazingly. She pushes the reader at the edge of their seat with all the moment’s Lira and Reyker almost reunite only to be torn by fate yet again. Their relationship changes drastically in this novel, twisted by fate and tension, putting the reader on an emotional roller coaster.
Final Thoughts
Kingdom of Ice and Bone is the second novel in Criswell’s Frozen Sun Saga, and it is emotional, action-packed, and tension driven. Coupled with terrific characterization, this is one novel one will not be able to put down.