A review by leahegood
A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen by Melanie Cellier
5.0
This is my third book of this series completed this month. Safe to say I'm hooked!
Celine is the youngest of seven and excited to finally be on an adventure of her own. With her natural spunk now supported by a belated gift from her godmother, she's ready to ferret out the mysteries of a kingdom being consumed by ice. Will her newfound powers and her desire to prove herself save the kingdom or seal it's fate?
I started this series by reading book two, [b:A Tale of Beauty and Beast|36199298|A Tale of Beauty and Beast (Beyond the Four Kingdoms, #2)|Melanie Cellier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504824056l/36199298._SY75_.jpg|57828635], because that's my favorite fairy tale to read retellings of. Book one retold the twelve dancing princesses, which I have some familiarity with. This book retold The Snow Queen ... a new story to me. It was fun to experience the story without a previous framework to guide my expectations. (Though now that I've finished it, I suspect [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353029077l/100915._SY75_.jpg|4790821] drew some inspiration from this fairy tale as well.)
I really enjoyed the way Celine and Oliver worked together, both of them relying on each other's strengths. Celine was a strong female character without straying into the overdone, over-competent zone of some I-don't-need-no-man characters. She learns to admit her weaknesses, own her mistakes, and ask for help. But she also refuses to give up, relinquish her determination, or doubt her ability.
Thumbs up and on to book four!
Celine is the youngest of seven and excited to finally be on an adventure of her own. With her natural spunk now supported by a belated gift from her godmother, she's ready to ferret out the mysteries of a kingdom being consumed by ice. Will her newfound powers and her desire to prove herself save the kingdom or seal it's fate?
I started this series by reading book two, [b:A Tale of Beauty and Beast|36199298|A Tale of Beauty and Beast (Beyond the Four Kingdoms, #2)|Melanie Cellier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504824056l/36199298._SY75_.jpg|57828635], because that's my favorite fairy tale to read retellings of. Book one retold the twelve dancing princesses, which I have some familiarity with. This book retold The Snow Queen ... a new story to me. It was fun to experience the story without a previous framework to guide my expectations. (Though now that I've finished it, I suspect [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353029077l/100915._SY75_.jpg|4790821] drew some inspiration from this fairy tale as well.)
I really enjoyed the way Celine and Oliver worked together, both of them relying on each other's strengths. Celine was a strong female character without straying into the overdone, over-competent zone of some I-don't-need-no-man characters. She learns to admit her weaknesses, own her mistakes, and ask for help. But she also refuses to give up, relinquish her determination, or doubt her ability.
Thumbs up and on to book four!