A Dream Within A Dream: Crown of Ice Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Crown of Ice blog tour! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Crown of Ice

Author: Vicki L. Weavil

Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retelling

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Description:

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.

Crown of Ice is a mesmerizing reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, "The Snow Queen." The story follows Thyra Winther, who was orphaned when she was a young girl and later taken away by a sorcerer to become the Snow Queen. Thyra's beautiful, immortal, and can do magic. But there's one catch - she must finish reconstructing a special mirror before her eighteenth birthday. If she fails, she will be doomed to wander the halls of the palace as a mere wraith. Knowing her birthday is coming fast, Thyra decides she needs the help of a human who's as smart as she is. She can only come up with one name - Kai Thorsen - who lives in the village she grew up in. Thyra snags Kai into her plan to find the missing mirror pieces, only to find that there are new issues in her way - Gerda, a childhood friend of Kai's, a wolf pup who is completely devoted to her, and her growing feelings for Kai. Will Thyra be able to reassemble the mirror in time? Will she fail and be condemned to the fate of those before her? Or will she discover that her humanity and her heart are her strength - and weakness?

I was enchanted by this book from the opening paragraphs. The story is told from Thyra's point of view, making it very personal and conversational in tone. By using this method, the reader gets to know Thyra on a deeper level than normal. We are able to hear her inner thoughts, fears, hopes, and emotions throughout the book. I loved Thyra as the lead character in the story because of the first person point of view that the author used as well as how incredibly detailed and descriptive everything in the book was. That amount of vivid imagery is employed in every facet of the story - from the characters, the setting, the plot, and everything in between. I easily slipped into the world that the author created and felt as if I was beside Thyra during the whole story, experiencing everything that she did. Each character was very well rounded - especially Thyra and Kai. They have distinct personalities, flaws, strengths and weaknesses - which made them quite realistic and easy to identify with. I have never read the original story of the Snow Queen, but I absolutely loved the way the author reimagined it in this book. It's full of the things you typically find in fairy tales - a handsome young man or prince who comes to rescue the heroine, the heroine herself who believes she is one thing until her eyes are opened; the quest that they must undergo - full of obstacles and revelations; and the happily ever after along with a nice moral to the story. All of these were present in the story along with interesting characters, an incredibly detailed setting, and a fast paced narrative. I fell in love with this book from the very beginning and I ended up devouring it in one sitting. Very highly recommended for fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings. Don't miss out on this one!

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumbler