Summary: (EXCERPT, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY BELOW)
In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that
could destroy an entire kingdom…
Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves.
It's a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…the glittering palace of the
Skojare.
The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that's been
threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself,
it's also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss
Ridley Dresden is overseeing the mission, but as their undeniable attraction
heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level--one neither
of them is prepared for.
As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a
long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about
to come to light, and it'll change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone
she loves.
ICE KISSED
Buy Links:
Bio: AMANDA HOCKING is The New York Times bestselling
author of the Trylle trilogy and a lifelong Minnesotan. After selling over a
million copies of her books, primarily in eBook format, she became the exemplar
of self-publishing success in the digital age.
EXCERPT:
FOUR
compunction
The wind had calmed down some, so I left my jacket open, letting the air freeze the sweat that still stuck to me. After we'd finished training for the day, Ember had insisted that I join her for a treat at the bakery in the town square, saying we'd earned it. Tilda had to finish up some paperwork, and then she planned to meet us so we could talk more in depth about her wedding plans.
My muscles already ached and my right wrist cracked loudly every time I moved it, but I wasn’t sure I felt like I’d earned anything. The day left me feeling more like a failure than I already had.
Several inches of snow had piled up while we’d been
working. Although there were still tracks from people and animals braving the
weather, the streets were mostly deserted. The Kanin could handle whatever the weather
threw at them, but that didn’t mean they were masochists. Most of us knew when
it was worth it to stay in by the fire.
But Ember didn’t seem to mind. She just pulled her hat
down over her ears and trudged through the snow banks.
“You were awfully quiet today,” Ember commented as we
made our way down to the bakery.
I shrugged. “I was just training.”
“It’s more than that.” She paused before adding, “You
know no one blames you.”
“Some people do.”
Ember scoffed. “Those people are stupid. Everyone who
knows you knows that you did everything you could to stop Viktor Dålig and
Konstantin.”
We’d been outside long enough that the cold had
started to get to me, but I didn’t zip up my jacket. I just clenched my jaw,
refusing to let my teeth chatter.
An oversized white husky was digging through the
garbage outside the butcher shop. Large snowflakes clung to his thick fur. He
looked at me as we passed by, his bright blue eyes seeming to look straight
through me, and a chill ran down my spine. I quickly looked away.
“What if I didn’t do everything I could?” I asked.
Ember was so startled that she halted. “What? What
are you talking about?”
“I mean, I did.” I turned back to face her, since I
had walked a few steps after she’d stopped, and behind her I saw the husky had
returned to rooting through the trash buried beneath the snow.
Ember narrowed her eyes. “Then
what are you saying?”
“I don’t know.” I let out a deep
breath, and it was shaky from the cold. I turned my head toward the sky,
blinking back the snowflakes that hit my lashes. “I did everything I could, but
it wasn’t good enough. So then . . . what does it matter?”
There was something more to it than that, though.
Something I couldn’t explain to Ember.
Viktor Dålig had beaten me, that was true. The sight
of him had been like encountering a ghost, and I’d been in shock, so he’d been
able to get the best of me. That didn’t mean I hadn’t wanted to stop him, but
it had been my fault for letting myself be caught off guard, even for a moment.
But Viktor had wanted to kill me. When he’d smashed
my head into the stone, he’d been trying to execute me—I knew that with
absolute certainty. But he hadn’t succeeded, and I had a feeling that I had
Konstantin Black to thank for being alive.
Run, white rabbit, as fast and far as
you can, he’d
whispered when I came upon him in the dungeon. Even though he’d been escaping,
he’d looked so defeated then—his gray eyes soft and mournful, his entire body
sagging, his olive skin going pale beneath the shadow of his beard. Konstantin
hadn’t wanted me to get hurt.
I’d been convinced that Konstantin had been working
for someone, that his attack on my father and his plots to go after changelings
weren’t his idea. In Storvatten, he’d even said as much to me, telling me that
he’d done it all for love. Whatever that meant.
“What happened in Storvatten?” Ember stepped closer to me. “You never even told me
about Viktor Dålig. I’ve had to hear everything through other people,” she
added, trying not to sound hurt that I hadn’t confided in her more.
“What have you heard?” I tilted my head, curious to
know what people were saying.
“That he surprised you and overpowered you, and then
he escaped with Konstantin,” she explained with a weak shrug. “Is there
anything more to it than that? Did Viktor say anything to you?”
The butcher leaned out the back door of his shop and
banged loudly on a metal pan, scaring the husky. The dog gave one hungry glance
in my direction before running off and dis- appearing into the snow.
“No. He didn’t say anything.” I
shook my head. “But...”
“But what?”
The wind came up a bit, blowing my blond waves of
hair in front of my face, and I brushed them back absently. Ember pulled her
jacket tighter around her, but she kept her dark eyes locked on me.
“I can’t help but feel like if I’d found the Queen,
I’d have some answers,” I said finally, deciding that part of the truth was
better than admitting that I didn’t think Konstantin was as evil as I once had.
“The Skojare Queen?” Her brow pinched, not
understanding. “I thought she was dead.”
“That’s the theory,” I said. “I wanted to look for
her more, but the Skojare King called off the search, and Ridley said there
wasn’t anything left for us to do.”
“If the Skojare King doesn’t want you looking
anymore, then Ridley’s right,” Ember said.
“I know, but . . .” I chewed my
lip. “If I could find Linnea, I think I could find out what Konstantin is up
to.”
“If you find her, and that’s assuming she’s even alive,”
Ember pointed out. I lowered my eyes but didn’t say anything. “And you have
direct orders to stay here and prepare for war. You can’t go off on some kind
of wild-goose chase at a time like this.”
“I know.” I let out a reluctant sigh. “I just hate
feeling so useless.”
“Everything that’s happened lately has to have been
rough on you.” Ember looped her arm through mine and started leading me away,
toward the bakery. “But that doesn’t mean you’re useless. You’re strong and
you’re smart. You’re a great soldier, and that’s important too.”
We rounded the corner, and the sweet scent of
pastries wafted through the air. My stomach rumbled, and I realized I’d skipped
lunch that day. I’d been so focused on my training that I’d completely
forgotten about it.
I began fantasizing about a delicious blackberry
tart—a wonderful combination of sweet and bitter, with an emphasis on the
bitter. But my momentary good mood immediately soured when the door to the
bakery opened, and Juni Sköld stepped out into the snow.
It wasn’t exactly the sight of her that made me
freeze in my tracks. Juni worked at the bakery, so I shouldn’t have been that
surprised to see her here. She had to be one of the nicest people in all of Doldastam, and her luminescent skin
literally radiated with happiness and kindness.
It was who she was with, and what she meant to him,
that made me stop cold. Following right behind her was Ridley Dresden. He still
wore his uniform, so he’d come here right from work to walk his girlfriend
home.
“What’s wrong?” Ember asked. Since her arm was looped
with mine, she’d been forced to stop alongside me.
Juni was laughing at something Ridley had said, but
then she turned, and as soon as she spotted us her smile widened. Ridley, on
the other hand, looked stricken at the sight of me.
I’m certain that part of it was because he was still
angry at me. But another part was probably because he’d kissed me— twice—since he’d been dating Juni.
The first time was only a few short blocks from here, and it had been so
passionate and so intense that even thinking about it now made my pulse race
and my stomach swirl with butterflies.
“Bryn!” Juni exclaimed, walking over to me while
Ridley trailed several slow steps behind her. “It’s so good to see you! How are
you holding up?”
“I’m . . .” I couldn’t even muster a fake smile.
Seeing her sheer delight and genuine concern for my
well- being made me recognize that I had to be one of the worst beings who ever
lived. And that was combined with the way Ridley was acting right then—shoving
his hands in his pockets, avoiding looking at me at all costs. When his eyes
finally did manage to land on me, his gaze was so harsh I felt about two inches
tall.
“We’ve had a long day,” Ember supplied, since it
seemed that I would stand there forever without saying anything.
“I’m just cold,” I said suddenly. “I think I should
get inside.”
“Well, you stay warm,” Juni said, but she looked
puzzled. “And take care.”
“Thanks, you too.” I ducked my head down and hurried
toward the bakery as fast as I could.
“Why didn’t you say anything to her?” I heard Juni
ask Ridley as I pulled open the door. “Are you two fighting?”
I practically ran inside the bakery so I wouldn’t
have to hear his answer.
My Review:
3/5 stars
I
want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this
ebook for review. These are my own thoughts and opinions and receiving a copy
for free has not influenced them.
I really enjoy Amanda
Hocking. This is my third series that I’ve read by her. Her books are something
you want to pick up if you want an easy read into a great world for a few
hours. This world is no different. The covers alone will make you pick this up
and check it out. They are beautiful. Now onto the good stuff…
Bryn is an independent
outcast in a way. She’s got a different look and is constantly being reminded
of that. It’s one of the reasons that she’s such an awesome character. She’s
constantly trying to prove everyone wrong and working so hard. At the same
time, she has a romance that is blooming. I really enjoy most of the characters. I can't wait to see how things play out with Ridley
This book we get to
learn more about her Skojare heritage but at the same time there’s a million
more questions. It is one of the reasons for the 3 stars. I do like that we got
more about her heritage and we get a bigger picture of the Skojare. I feel like
I have more questions than answers in this book. I’m hopeful that the next book
will answer them but I would have liked more clarity from the second book. The
pace is a big slow and the plot doesn’t develop as much as I would have liked. I
feel like there’s so many times that Konstantin Black is mentioned and we don’t
even see him in this book.
I feel like this book
was a little too much of a filler book. I would have liked more of an adventure
in this one. The last 30 pages or so really picked up and there are some twists
but it took that long to get me really interested. Maybe I had too high of
expectations after the first book. It just fell short. I will still be reading
the third book because I love Amanda’s world. I just hope it has more answers
and more of a meatier plot! Not a bad book overall, just fell short of what I expect
from a sequel/second book!
GIVEAWAY!!!
Enter to win your very own paperback copy of Ice Kissed!
To win all you need to do is leave a comment on this post
along with your email address by midnight on SATURDAY, May 9th. This
giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only (one entry per person) and the
winner will be picked by random. I will announce it on Sunday, May 10th!
The book will be provided by St. Martin’s Press.
