Cassie loves ice. She was raised on it and has very little inkling of or interest in the world outside the Arctic research station that has been her home for the past eighteen years. As a little girl raised by her dedicated researcher father, she lived for those nights when her grandmother would tell her the story of her mother. Even though she knew it was only a fairy tale, Cassie never tired of the story of the rebellious daughter of the North Wind who defied her father and escaped an arranged marriage to the Polar Bear King to run away with her father, only to be blown away to the land of the trolls for her transgressions. To a little girl desperate for her mother, this story serves as a precious dream about what life would have been like if it had all gone well. But when she turns eighteen, Cassie's life changes. An ancient and enormous polar bear shows up and talks to her. He tells her her time is up and he is there to collect on his end of the bargain her mother made with the North Wind. He will have Cassie for his bride and carry her off to his ice palace. Being the smart cookie that she is, Cassie makes her own deal. If the bear rescues her mother from the trolls in that land east of the sun and west of the moon, she will marry him. The bear achieves the impossible and off they go.
Somehow the end of the year is here. And we're all here. And I still feel like placing this post in this space. So I shall. With gratitude and a certain wistful hope. For us all. But especially for these books, the people that walk them, their words, and their creators. (listed in the order in which I read them) Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian You Were Made to Be Mine by Julie Anne Long Impossible by Sarah Lotz Book Lovers by Emily Henry Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher The Bodyguard by Katherine Center The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary Fire Season by K.D. Casey Husband Material by Alexis Hall Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood Lore Olympus, Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 6 by Beth Brower Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots by Cat Sebastian Scattered Showers
Darn it! I was hoping you were going to say, "This is it! Go read this book right now!" I've had similar feelings around all retellings of Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun, and Psyche and Cupid. That third is the one I set out to rewrite for my first novel, but I wasn't satisfied with my own retelling, either, so I shelved it. Maybe you're right that it's simply a problematic story. :(
ReplyDeleteGood review, I'm going to give this one a try. I enjoyed "East" and "Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow"...so it will be interesting to see Durst's take on things!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame you didn't get the buzz you were after from this one! It was my first experience of this tale and I was just so pleased with the setting and the non-passive heroine and the unfairness of Cassie being held against her will for her baby's best interest. I hope Durst has more books coming out soon, she seems to like the fairy tale stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhat timing! I just picked this one up at the library...
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that even though it's not a rave review, it wasn't terrible.
I enjoyed this book, but had an issue with the abrupt ending. The cover of it is awesome! Polar Bears rule. Te-he!
ReplyDeleteIt was a nawesome book even though the ending was like bam! Out of nowhere! I love it so much I am giving it away at my bog. If you want to check it out I will leave the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://catholickittie.blogspot.com/2009/11/ice-by-sarah-beth-durst-review.html
. I enjoyed "East" and "Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow"...so it will be interesting to see Durst's take on things!
ReplyDeleteWork from home India
I really enjoyed the first half of Ice - particularly the bit when Cassie decides she must have an actual purpose rather than lying about like a limp dishrag (go her!). But I, too, felt like the adventure end of things was just missing something.
ReplyDeleteI still really enjoyed reading it, though, not least because I'd never heard of East of the Sun, West of the Moon before!
I've linked to your excellent review here.
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ReplyDeleteHi, like the thoughtful review. For another Beauty and the Best retelling, if you haven't already read it, you could check out Juliet Marillier's HEART'S BLOOD, a fantasy set in ye olde Britain. The hero doesn't have to change from beast to animal physically, but the themes are really similar, and Ms Marillier said it was based on Beauty and the Beast. Not a brilliant story, but a good one, I thought - would be interested to hear your opinion!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I reviewed ICE a little while ago - wasn't a huge fan either, for much the same reason as you (although I didn't like the developing relationship as much - it seemed very sudden going from living together to having Bear's baby. I get that it wasn't actually sudden, a season passed in the book, but as a reader I didn't get any sense of that time passing).
Anyway, thought I'd link to your review from mine, hope that's OK with you! Cheers :)