Ice

by Sarah Beth Durst

When Cassie was little her grandmother would tell her stories about the Arctic...stories about snow and ice, about a beautiful castle made of ice, and about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth to become a prisoner of the trolls. Cassie is older now and has no time for fairytales and talking animals, or lies about her dead mother. Living with her father at the Arctic research centre, she is determined to become a leading scientist and researcher. But when Cassie comes face to face with a mysterious polar bear, one that defies all scientific fact or knowledge, she begins realise that the fairytales could actually be true. Armed with the knowledge that her mother might be alive, Cassie makes a deal with the Polar Bear King, and embarks on a dangerous journey against time to save her. But her agreement with the Polar Bear King comes with consequences she never bargained for, and before her journey's end Cassie will discover the true meaning of love and family, and loss. A compelling romantic fantasy set in the beautiful frozen Arctic.

• ISBN10: 1416986448
• ISBN13: 9781416986447
• Publish Date: 12 October 2010 (first published 1 October 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Edition: Reprint ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Ice is an enchanting story and is a mish-mash of genres and combines a ton of elements that I love (and some I hate). It all starts with Cassie, an eighteen year old girl who lives in the Arctic at a research station with her father. She grew up believing that her mother was dead, but it turns out that the fairytale her grandmother told her about her mother being held captive by trolls was true. Cassie is reluctant to believe this until she meets the Polar Bear King who is meant to be her husband after a deal her mother made with him before she was born. What follows is a journey of finding yourself and pushing your self to the limit for those you love. There's plenty of adventure, magic and romance, which makes Ice a great read.

I loved how Cassie's very scientific view of the world is challenged once she learns that her grandmother's fairytale is actually true. Everything that she believes was up to science and has a definitely explanation, might actually be magic. The aurora borealis is no longer just an amazing light show, it could be thousands of lost souls. I also loved how the possible extinction of polar bears played a large role in the story. Bear (the Polar Bear King aka Cassie's husband) is a munaqsri, which is a kind of soul keeper. He's in charge of collecting the souls of dying bears and giving them to new borns in order to keep the population going. It's a stressful job and he can't always make every birth in time. Cassie who wants to be an equal in their relationship, takes the initiative to take her scientific knowledge of the birthing dens and makes it possible for Bear to reach more of them. I think this was my favorite part of Ice, actually. Science paired with magic is always a winning combination.

The romance was...interesting. It was a little strange at first, since Bear is a polar bear and Cassie is human, but it was very Beauty and the Beast. She learns to love the man inside, and he loves her enough that he'll let her go if she wasn't happy with him. This doesn't happen overnight of course. She spends weeks, then months at the castle with him and eventually she can't imagine her life without him or his magic. It was all very sweet. Cassie's love for him was also the driving force for the second half of the book where she must come to his rescue, since the same trolls who had her mother, now have her husband.

There are a few things about Ice that bothered me. A big one was something that Bear does to Cassie. I can't say what without spoiling a big part of the book, but he manipulates her in a really creepy and bizarre way, and I was not okay with it. He was well meaning, but he still should have talked to her about it first. Cassie's journey to rescue him was also a bit repetitive. Every munaqsri that she comes across says they won't help her, then they offer to help her, then take it back, she puts in life in danger, and finally gets help. Some variation in her interactions with them would have nice.

Ice was a surprisingly fast read. The plot is pretty straightforward without being juvenile, which I liked. There are also some interesting twists on some well known creatures, like what trolls really are. With a sweet romance, danger, and polar bears, Ice was a delight to read. Fans of fairytales should definitely check it out!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[wyvernfriend]

I did read this in a sitting and it kept my interest, however it did leave me feeling that that there wasn't enough there for me to recommend it. Normally this sort of thing would make me very happy but the romance wasn't there. It just didn't come across as real, it came across as if she was almost doing the quest out of some sort of token-filling, and while she was in peril during it, and the being pregnant situation does reflect earlier myths and a lot of her travails are hard work they don't seem to really affect her in a serious way, or in a way that made me feel she was in real peril or under real stress.

I didn't think I'd say this about many books, but it needed more romance. For an example of how a romance slowly unfolds I suggest Beauty by Robin McKinley which also has some of the same themes built in.

[reveriesociety_]

It was a very odd book, but I enjoyed it.

[Stephanie]

I read this book around the same time last year and fell in love with it. I'm writing this review after reading it for the second time. And I must say that I loved it the second time just as much as the first time.

After going through a week of humid 90 degree weather, I was in the mood to read about a colder climate. And what better to do than pick up one of my favorite books.

Cassie lives with her father at a research station in the arctic, where they track polar bears. Cassie's grandmother always told her a fairy tale, when she was younger, about a Polar Bear King and her mother, who got swept away to the troll castle after defying her father's wishes. Cassie always figured it was just her Grandmothers way of telling Cassie that her mother died. But then Cassie meets the Polar Bear King and realizes that the fairy tale her Grandmother always told was true. Now Cassie has the chance to bring her mother back, and finally meet her. She just has to marry the Polar Bear King first, and live with him in his ice castle.

This is a retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I didn't know what I was going into when I first picked up this book, but I loved every moment of it. This book was the reason why I picked up two other books that were a retelling of the same fairy tale. (East by Edith Pattou and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George)

Sarah Beth Durst takes an old tale and works it into modern times, which I thought worked out nicely and made the story much more interesting and enjoyable for me. The Munasqri part was a wonderful twist to the story. That was what really made me love the book. I won't go into detail of what a Munasqri is though because I don't want to spoil too much.

I was attached to this book as I read Cassie's magical travels through the ice, tundra, bogs, and forests and all the creatures and people she met along the way. I even stayed up till 5am to finish it.

The book does move Bear and Cassie's relationship quickly. Three months jump by with a few sentences. Cassie goes from being afraid of Bear to being his best friend, which might bother some people, but didn't phase me one bit. I fell in love with Bear as soon as we meet him. He was such a loyal character and always had the best intentions.

Overall, I really love this story and is one of my favorites. It will be one of the books I revisit often.

[Jo]

I really liked Ice! An updated version of the fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, it was different from what I expected, but I’m not entirely sure what I expected. A girl who falls for a polar bear? Yeah, right, there’s going to be a twist there somewhere. And yes, there is a twist, but it does happen; a girl falls for a polar bear.

There is a whole lot more to this polar bear than meets the eye though. His magic abilities, for instance; how he can make food appear on a whim, how he can travel super fast, and his actual reason for being – to transfer souls from the dead to the newly born. He really is a great guy, is ol’ Bear, as he is called.

Then there’s Cassie, who just wants her Mum, who was taken away from her when she was very small. Bargains are made to save her life, but after a while, life happens, and things don’t go according to plan. Cassie’s life is turned upside down, and she finds herself on an unimaginable journey.

I cannot believe the strength of this girl. Seriously, first she has to accet fairy tales are real, and get used to that idea, and then when things go pear shaped, she has to go through so much, emotionally and physically. Her strength and determination are awe-inspiring. This is one tough chick!

As I said, I really liked Ice! At first, it reminded me a lot of Beauty and the Beast, where Beast is actually really nice. The novel is separated into three parts, but for me, it seems more like two; the first where deals are made regarding Cassie’s mother and then her time with Bear, and then the second part when things end up not so great. What happens? You’ll just have to read!

The book feels a lot like a fairy tale, even though it’s written to seem like this could actually happen. This is no bad thing, but it’s just not as urban fantasy as I thought it may have been. I equated a fairy tale that has been updated and modernised with urban fantasy. I suppose Ice could be in a way, the fairy tale elements are still there which make the story more like a cozy read that will leave you smiling than a story that will have you buzzing. It’s a nice cup of tea to urban fantasy’s glass of pop.

It really was a beautiful story, and at times, so much goes on, and it really does leave you wondering how on earth the story is ever going to get round to an end – you’ll understand when you read it. I highly recommend this book, it’s lovely, and such an great page turner. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Sarah Beth Durst’s novels.