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emilylovesbooks94's review
5.0
A spellbinding tale of romance and magic
I've never read anything by this author before, and wow am I glad I gave this story a chance. Jack and Reardon's romance was outstanding--with elements reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast that were elevated by wonderfully original characters and plot points. I was fascinated by the mysterious Ice King, and the more I learned about his curse and his kingdom the more enamoured I became with him. Reardon's initial quest was simply to rescue his closest friend from a perceived threat, but what awaited him was so much more than that. From that first terrifying encounter with Jack, Reardon impressed me with his bravery and persistence. As he adjusted to a reality that didn't match up with the stories passed down from his family, I really enjoyed seeing how he coped with all the unexpected changes. I loved watching Reardon win over all of Jack's closest friends with his positive attitude and hard work, and it was even sweeter to see Jack himself start to cave to Reardon's charms. Their romance built up slowly, over long days of feeling each other out and deciding if they could trust each other, but it was so worth it for the deliciously steamy nights they shared later in this story. When the Emerald Kingdom reappeared to steal Reardon away from the happiness he'd found with Jack and the whispers of a suspense plotline escalated into something much more tangible, I knew there was no way I could put this book down until I found out what happened. The last several chapters were riveting--with shocking betrayals, buildup to an epic final battle, and an emotionally devastating sacrifice that put everything into perspective. I thought I was so smart to have figured out one tiny piece of the puzzle, but Reardon and Jack's love story had a lot more depth than I ever expected. It was incredibly satisfying to see the character growth Jack and Reardon underwent in this story, and it made their happily ever after feel even more deserving.
**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.
I've never read anything by this author before, and wow am I glad I gave this story a chance. Jack and Reardon's romance was outstanding--with elements reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast that were elevated by wonderfully original characters and plot points. I was fascinated by the mysterious Ice King, and the more I learned about his curse and his kingdom the more enamoured I became with him. Reardon's initial quest was simply to rescue his closest friend from a perceived threat, but what awaited him was so much more than that. From that first terrifying encounter with Jack, Reardon impressed me with his bravery and persistence. As he adjusted to a reality that didn't match up with the stories passed down from his family, I really enjoyed seeing how he coped with all the unexpected changes. I loved watching Reardon win over all of Jack's closest friends with his positive attitude and hard work, and it was even sweeter to see Jack himself start to cave to Reardon's charms. Their romance built up slowly, over long days of feeling each other out and deciding if they could trust each other, but it was so worth it for the deliciously steamy nights they shared later in this story. When the Emerald Kingdom reappeared to steal Reardon away from the happiness he'd found with Jack and the whispers of a suspense plotline escalated into something much more tangible, I knew there was no way I could put this book down until I found out what happened. The last several chapters were riveting--with shocking betrayals, buildup to an epic final battle, and an emotionally devastating sacrifice that put everything into perspective. I thought I was so smart to have figured out one tiny piece of the puzzle, but Reardon and Jack's love story had a lot more depth than I ever expected. It was incredibly satisfying to see the character growth Jack and Reardon underwent in this story, and it made their happily ever after feel even more deserving.
**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.
lil_starshine93's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
geeknb's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic fairytale of curses and visions, magic and true love with a Beauty and the Beast vibe.
I loved Barclay with his sweet outlook on life and naive innocence. But watching Jack thaw was the greatest joy to me. Plus there's a great cast of supporting characters.
Highly recommended.
* curse
* magic
* monsters
* virgin MC
* found family
* fantasy
I loved Barclay with his sweet outlook on life and naive innocence. But watching Jack thaw was the greatest joy to me. Plus there's a great cast of supporting characters.
Highly recommended.
* curse
* magic
* monsters
* virgin MC
* found family
* fantasy
veradrixio's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It’s a cute fairy tail romance if you turn your brain off. It didn’t have much depth, the sex scenes were kinda mid, and the singing portions throughout the story made me cringe each time. Felt like I was reading a bad song-fic at times.
becky_mercer93's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
giro_revuescope's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Charming if a little overly wholesome at times in a 'oh no what if someone says this is toxic on Goodreads or something' kind of way. But more a taste difference than an actual problem.
alixgray's review against another edition
5.0
Électrisé.e dès les premières lignes!
Tout est intense pour moi ici, l’amitié, les épreuves, l’amour, tout.
Reardon, prince du Royaume d’Emeraude, perd son seul et meilleur ami lorsque Barclay est accusé de pratiquer la magie et envoyé en sacrifice au Roi des Glaces lors du solstice d’hiver. Au Royaume d’Emeraude, chaque criminel, déviant, ou utilisateur de magie est arrêté et parfois offert au mystérieux souverain du Royaume Gelé afin d’éviter… eh bien, en réalité personne ne sait vraiment quoi. Les légendes à son sujet sont tellement anciennes et variées qu’elles se sont perdues dans le temps. Et ne constituent certainement pas un obstacle à la volonté de Reardon de franchir la frontière afin de secourir son ami.
Jack, mieux connu comme l’imposant Roi des Glaces, est aussi chaleureux que son titre le laisse présager. Il accueille la venue impromptue de ce prince étranger dans son royaume avec toute l’affabilité d’une congère.
La malédiction qui le frappe, ainsi que son royaume, fascine Reardon dont le cœur bienveillant et l’honneur ne tardent pas à être impliqués dans ce nouveau plan de sauvetage.
Plusieurs intrigues s’entremêlent, l’histoire foisonne de personnages secondaires captivants et le lyrisme epic et chevaleresque chanté par les bardes est enchanteur. L’humour présent parmi tout cela est juste parfait, j’ai ris tellement fort au moment où Reardon fait le tour des chambres la nuit…
Croyez-moi, si vous aimez le fantasy/fantastique, les complots, la magie, les nobles quêtes, les rois maudits, les princes intrépides et entêtés, et les HEA, vous avez besoin de lire ce livre!
Tout est intense pour moi ici, l’amitié, les épreuves, l’amour, tout.
Reardon, prince du Royaume d’Emeraude, perd son seul et meilleur ami lorsque Barclay est accusé de pratiquer la magie et envoyé en sacrifice au Roi des Glaces lors du solstice d’hiver. Au Royaume d’Emeraude, chaque criminel, déviant, ou utilisateur de magie est arrêté et parfois offert au mystérieux souverain du Royaume Gelé afin d’éviter… eh bien, en réalité personne ne sait vraiment quoi. Les légendes à son sujet sont tellement anciennes et variées qu’elles se sont perdues dans le temps. Et ne constituent certainement pas un obstacle à la volonté de Reardon de franchir la frontière afin de secourir son ami.
Jack, mieux connu comme l’imposant Roi des Glaces, est aussi chaleureux que son titre le laisse présager. Il accueille la venue impromptue de ce prince étranger dans son royaume avec toute l’affabilité d’une congère.
La malédiction qui le frappe, ainsi que son royaume, fascine Reardon dont le cœur bienveillant et l’honneur ne tardent pas à être impliqués dans ce nouveau plan de sauvetage.
Plusieurs intrigues s’entremêlent, l’histoire foisonne de personnages secondaires captivants et le lyrisme epic et chevaleresque chanté par les bardes est enchanteur. L’humour présent parmi tout cela est juste parfait, j’ai ris tellement fort au moment où Reardon fait le tour des chambres la nuit…
Croyez-moi, si vous aimez le fantasy/fantastique, les complots, la magie, les nobles quêtes, les rois maudits, les princes intrépides et entêtés, et les HEA, vous avez besoin de lire ce livre!
mamabears_fabulous_book_finds's review against another edition
4.0
What a fantastic start to a series. This is a new to me author, and was gifted this entire series as part of an ARC opportunity for the third book. I am SO GLAD that I started with this one.
This is such a unique world, with magic and all sorts of creatures and humans. This is a very loose riff on Jack Frost, and was gorgeously done. If you enjoy a cinnamon roll human, a grumpy cursed Ice King, magic and betrayel from a source you didn't see coming, then definitely give this book a try. I am most definitely now hooked on Amanda's writing.
This is such a unique world, with magic and all sorts of creatures and humans. This is a very loose riff on Jack Frost, and was gorgeously done. If you enjoy a cinnamon roll human, a grumpy cursed Ice King, magic and betrayel from a source you didn't see coming, then definitely give this book a try. I am most definitely now hooked on Amanda's writing.
lupeism's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0