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    Ice Like Fire
    Ice Like Fire
    Ice Like Fire
    Audiobook12 hours

    Ice Like Fire

    Written by Sara Raasch

    Narrated by Kate Rudd and Nick Podehl

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Game of Thrones meets Graceling in this thrilling fantasy filled with shocking twists and heart-pounding action, the highly anticipated sequel to Snow Like Ashes. This action-packed series is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

    It's been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring's king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

    Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria's lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm's secrets, Meira plans on using the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

    Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell's growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter's security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken Kingdom and protect them from new threats?

    As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2015
    ISBN9780062395948
    Author

    Sara Raasch

    Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, These Rebel Waves, and These Divided Shores. You can visit her online at www.sararaaschbooks.com and @seesarawrite on Twitter.

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    Reviews for Ice Like Fire

    3.5/5

    174 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It would have been nice to have some more action like the first book, but it's still good. On to the 3rd.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This is the middle book in the trilogy that began with SNOW LIKE ASHES. As a middle book, we are left searching for resolution. However, the journey is exciting and we get a chance to see three of the other kingdoms on Primordia.The story begins in Winter, Meira and her fellow survivors from Angra's captivity are back home trying to restore a country that has been neglected for at least sixteen years. They are being helped by King Noam of Cordell. His son Theron was once engage to Meira and was a fellow prisoner of Angra. He and Meira are at odds because they want different things for Winter. Theron wants magic to be available to everyone and Meira wants to end all magic.King Noam is demanding repayment for his assistance and is requiring Winter to reopen its mines. He is really looking for a chasm of magic that he believes is hidden in one of Winter's mines. When a door to the chasm is discovered, it is guarded by three locks.Clues lead to three neighboring kingdoms. So Meira, Theron, and their companions set off to find the keys. Meira is also looking for allies in her quest to throw King Noam out of her country. Theron is looking for rulers to sign a treaty to foster peace. They have all sorts of adventures and Meira learns that on old enemy isn't nearly dead enough and is still creating havoc. After reading this one, which leaves our heroes in very perilous positions, fans will be very, very eager to read the final book in this trilogy.
    • 4/5
      Oh my. Where do I even begin? Sara Raasch continues to leave me in awe! Her ability to build such an amazing world is nothing short of mind blowing. The new lands that we get to explore and the new characters that we get to meet in Ice Like Fire are so VIBRANT, I can't even. . .Just. Wow.The only reason this book didn't receive all of the stars (like its predecessor) is because I kept oscillating between completely sympathizing with the characters to being completely annoyed by them, and back again. The war between the two emotions was not unlike that of a very lively tennis match. . .and I'm sooooo not a fan of tennis.That ending, though --- SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! I didn't see, like, half of that coming! To say that I'm dying for Book 3 would be an understatement of epic proportions ;)
    • 3/5
      At long last, rebel fighter Meira has succeeded in regaining her country of Winter from the oppressive hold of Angra, the King of Spring. However, given the stranglehold her ally Cordellan King Noam has on the struggling country, it seems Meira - Queen Meira - has no choice but to watch her beloved kingdom fall again beneath another tyrant.

      Overwhelmed with doubts as to her identity, wary of her magic, and all too uncertain of who to trust, Meira heads a desperate mission to find answers and allies in other kingdoms. While his Queen navigates the political territory, Mather finds his own purpose remaining amongst the commoners in Winter.

      If it's been a while since you've read the first book, I highly recommend at least a brief refresher of the side characters. The supporting cast didn't seem quite up to par in Snow Like Ashes. They seemed more like convenient props than distinct personalities. Of course, part of this may be due to my initial confusion: "who's this again? *skims Ice Like Fire * oh right."

      Meira's internal doubts were the main focus of the book, as her band wound its way across the continent. It just was not compelling. In a way, it brings to mind the first section of Mockingjay: a bit of moping, isolation, and weariness of personal relationships. However, as this is the second book, hopefully Meira will hold onto what conviction she finds for the final installment.

      Interestingly, Mather and Theron flip roles in a way for this book, compared to the first. No, this is not a reference to the romantic tension. At first, we watched Mather slide from confident heir to lost soldier, stripped of his main identity in the midst of turmoil. Compared to his clear cut character, Theron was introduced as a warming presence, lovable for his conviction, intriguing due to his wavering political affiliations. Now, imagine this reversed. Theron becomes a reactive character, following the plot obediently. Oh, he definitely has his share of secrets and trouble, but overall his actions are reasonable. Explainable. On the other hand, Mather becomes the transformative personality. Alongside his homeland, the Once King must rebuild his confidence, rekindle a sense of purpose, and reconcile as best he can with his parents and political betters.

      Final verdict: it's manageable, but hopefully the concluding book will be more like the first.
    • 5/5
      Oh my goodness. I have so many emotions right now with this book but that is all I will say.
    • 1/5
      I don't think I'll ever be able to finish this book nor series for that matter
      This is the fourth time I pick this book up and try to read it but I simply can't
      It's just too slow for my liking
      I think the story would've been better if it just ended in Snow Like Ashes because this just won't do for me
      I'm not entirely sure what is it exactly that made me not like this book but I just couldn't find it in me to finish reading it or be excited about it :/
    • 5/5
      This definitely didn't disappoint. The plot and world building in these books are incredible. This book just makes your heart scream!!4.5/5 Stars
    • 4/5
      A decent follow-up to Snow Like Ashes. It look me a while to get into this book, but it did finish strong, with a few good (if a little predictable) plot twists. I would have appreciated more development in Meira's relationships, but as she spends most of this book traveling and meeting new people, I supposed there's only so much that could be expected.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the first book a little more, I think because it was action packed from start to finish. This one seemed to drag a bit, there wasn't enough excitement for me and sometimes the story was very predictable. The characters are still very likable, but going in different directions. Theron was fighting for magic, Mather was fighting for freedom and Queen Meira was fighting for everyone. Sara Raasch did a great job of writing the story and the descriptions were awesome. I could almost visualize the grand palaces as they visited them on their journey. The last 100 pages finished with a flurry and contained few surprises. I will be looking forward to the final book when it comes out later this year.
    • 4/5
      Summary: It's been a few months since King Angra of Spring has been defeated, leaving the citizens of Winter free to return to their home country after a generation of slavery. The teenaged Queen Meira is trying to reconstruct her kingdom as best she can, but she's hampered by demands from the king of Cordell, whose help was instrumental in defeating Spring. When the Winterians uncover the Magic Chasm - the source of the magic of all of the kingdom's conduits - the Cordellen king sees it as a source of power, and his son, Prince Theron, sees it as a chance to bring about peace throughout Primoria through magical means, but Meira fears the evil Decay that would arise from so much free use of magic. Theron and Meera take a journey throughout the other Primorian kingdoms - Theron looking for clues to open the chasm, Meera looking for ways to keep it shut - and for allies to help her take her kingdom back from it's Cordellen "protectors".Review: A lot of the things I really enjoyed about Snow Like Ashes were present in this book as well. The writing is smooth (and the modernisms that bothered me in the first book were either gone or at least not as noticable this time around.) There's a complex plot that's not a typical good-vs-evil quest, and which contains plenty of action and a few number of twists and turns (several of which I saw coming, but oh well.) Kate Rudd's narration is once again spot-on. But most notably, I really like Meira as a character, and I really like that she's complex and believable and that her primary motivation is something aspirational (doing right by her kingdom and her people while staying true to what she believes in). It's refreshing to have a YA main character who thinks about boys and relationships as being of secondary importance relative to her main goals, not because of any trauma or damage, but just because she's got other, more important things to worry about. The primary downside to this book was that it seemed like Meira did start worrying about boys. Quite a lot, unfortunately. The love triangle aspect was even more to the forefront, and Theron, who I had rather a crush on by the end of the first book, starts being kind of annoying in this one. Annoying for understandable reasons, but annoying nevertheless. So it looks like Raasch is steering Meira back towards Mather, who I *also* find annoying, albeit also understandably so. Meira spends a lot of the book (while she and Theron are out visiting the other countries, looking for clues) thinking about how to manage Theron's reactions. And while this was okay from a political standpoint (he is the son of the Cordellan king, after all), it did kind of bother me when it started shading into her worrying about it from a romantic standpoint. But, on the whole, I did quite enjoy this book - it feels very original, it's got a quick-moving plot, and its main character is strong and interesting and believable and likable. I'll be looking forward to the next (last?) book in the series. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Raasch does a pretty good job of reminding readers what happened in the first book, but I'd still recommend starting with the first one first. If you like YA fantasy in the vein of Graceling or Finnikin of the Rock, this series should be right up your alley as well.
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A dense first third made it a rocky start for me going into this novel, but soon, the action and intrigue I had so enjoyed in Snow like Ashes returned.Opening Sentence: Five enemies.The Review:Meira did it – she freed her people, brought together a kingdom, and retrieved the Winter conduit. She now knows that she is the rightful queen of Winter, and the weight of that responsibility is hard to manage. Winter’s problems are far from over, however; Cordell, and its king Noam, has Winter under its debt after it helped them escape from Spring. They demand most of what is made in the reopened, dangerous mines as tribute, and have the weak Winterians working hard to find the magic chasm. Meira thinks this last pursuit is futile until they do discover the chasm, and all the problems it implicates.Noam wants it open, but that will require following a trail of clues across numerous kingdoms, and Meira isn’t so sure she agrees with Noam’s plans. On their journey, she prepares to plea for help and alliances to rebel against Noam’s hold on Winter, while looking for the keys. Theron wants unity, peace, and draws up a treaty that seems like a daydream to the realistic Meira. But nothing is as it seems in any of the kingdoms, and more questions begin forming about her magic and how to truly save her people.Anyone who followed my reviews on the blog last year, or saw my “top ten books of 2014” list, knows that Snow like Ashes was one of my favorite books of the last year. The unique idea of perpetual seasons was executed in a way that made me crave more. It was incredible enough that I raced over to my local fabulous indie Mysterious Galaxy Books to purchase their signed copy. That being said, I had pretty high expectations going into the second novel, and I was ready to be blown away once again. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what happened. This book and I got off to a really rocky start.I found Meira’s character a little harder to enjoy this time around. She had so much stress, which was understandable, but it was also difficult watching her wrestle with the different parts of herself. One part of her, rebellious warrior Meira, wanted to take risks and be reckless. The other, Queen Meira, had to hold her tongue and be responsible, letting herself drown in harsh court politics. It wasn’t really the character I had trouble with, to tell you the truth, however. The first third of the book was just – dare I say it – boring. The politics was dense and the story was a lot more implication than action. It sped up towards the middle, and I began to enjoy it, and by the end I did want more. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the intense, action-packed sequel I had expected or hoped for.Altogether, the book was decent, if you’re able to push through the dense first third and get to the good stuff. I did like the surprise of having a chapter narrated by Mather, who was a much more complex character than originally I had thought. I also liked how she focused more on helping her kingdom than her love interests. It seems that the love triangle wasn’t truly over, ugh, but it was by no means the primary part of the plotline. I think that lovers of the first book will enjoy this, if given enough time to get past the more boring bits and get to the exciting ones!Notable Scene:“My queen!” he says, and I don’t know how long he’s been calling to me.The carriage door flies open. The servant teeters just outside, his dark eyes sweeping over me before he levels a gaze at me again – but instead of studious, its sad. Sympathetic.Poor, broken Winter queen, the look says.FTC Advisory: Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Ice like Fire. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      The sequel to Snow Like Ashes starts soon where the first book left off, with Meira and her allies rebuilding Winter and opening the mines in accordance with their agreement with Cordell. When the source of magic is discovered, Meira and Theron go on a journey to the other Season and Rhythm kingdoms to make alliances - but with opposing goals. Theron wants to free the magic for everyone to use equally, while Meira wants to lock it up and make sure no one can use it, and add to the Decay.I have such mixed feelings about this series. The author weaves in details from the first book in a natural way that reminded me what had already happened. I enjoyed the worldbuilding in the first book, but in this one I felt like some of that was torn down or turned on its head in order to add twists to this story, and I'd really rather that the rules stayed the same, you know? Meira's indecision annoyed me at times, especially with the whole Theron (prince of Cordell) and Mather (Meira's oldest friend) triangle. But the main thing was having to read fast and turn my inner editor off. It was mostly word choice, if I had to put my finger on it, times when I read a sentence and thought to myself that there must be a better way to put it: "Summer's only redeemable trait is Ceridwen" (can a person be a trait? p. 248) or earlier on the same page when she said she "took it on herself" and I'd much rather she'd taken it upon herself. Some of this is, I'm sure, a stylistic choice and I'm definitely one to prefer a direct and short description over a wordy one. I did like Mather's story in this one, and thought it was interesting getting his perspective mixed in (though oddly it's third person while Meira's is first). Not without flaws, but check it out if it interests you.
    • 4/5
      Having not read the 1st book in this trilogy, I was piqued with interest in how well the author was able to weave in main plot points from the first book and carry the plot line along in this second installment and still keep the reader interested and involved. Result: well-done and made me want to pick up the first book because I wanted to learn more about the intricacies of the overall plot. Plenty of relationship issues and war and ruling a kingdom issues to keep a teenager interested. Particulars that were interesting: color of hair for each kingdom, magic conduit lineage and heirs, the choice of evil and the masking of it to bring peace.End result: I will pick up the last book in the series when it is published in the next year or so. I did feel a little "behind" when reading about why and how Meira was the ruler and not Mather, each kingdom's special attributes, and Meira and Theron's relationship, but I feel that some of these issues were also not revealed to a large extent in the first book. So, that is why I would rated this "well-done." If I were recommending this to a person, I would suggest they start with the first book.
    • 4/5
      Game of Thrones meets Graceling in this thrilling fantasy filled with shocking twists and heart-pounding action, the highly anticipated sequel to Snow Like Ashes. It's been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring's king, Angra, disappeared - thanks largely to the help of Cordell. Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria's lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity - with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses - the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm's secrets, Meira plans on using the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe - even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves? Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari - leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell's growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter's security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken Kingdom and protect them from new threats? As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom - and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world.
    • 3/5
      I think most readers will either love ICE LIKE FIRE or hate ICE LIKE FIRE after reading SNOW LIKE ASHES. I happen to fall in the middle. What I liked about ICE LIKE FIRE: I liked how Meira stepped into her leadership role. She has a lot of people to think about as she makes decisions and I felt like she took that seriously. I liked seeing more of the Snow Like Ashes series world. There are a lot of kingdoms and with Meira searching for the keys we get to see what they and the people of those kingdoms are like. We get to meet a few great secondary characters. One of which I am hoping to see more of in book 3.Some things that didn't totally pull me in to ICE LIKE FIRE: Theron, he annoyed the heck out of me. I definitely wasn't rooting for him and although I was really happy with how things ended up with him and Meira, it was painful to have him along on the trip. Mather. He is of course part of ICE LIKE FIRE and even had his own POV, but he isn't with Meira and I wanted to see them together and working as a team. The pace, it was a bit slow and I wanted more action.So, although ICE LIKE FIRE wasn't a home run for me, I still enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what Meira and her allies will do in book three.* This book was provided free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to read Ice Like Fire because I enjoyed the first book. I remember liking Meira as a main character, how strong she was and how much she was doing to help save her kingdom. The romance was okay for me because of the love triangle type set-up. I remembered a bit, and there was basic recap, but there were things mentioned that I had forgotten about. Now, I know that I have a bad memory, but there is usually a recap that catches us up on the big moments. But it felt like she just started writing and assumed that everyone would have good memory or had a chance to read back to back. That aside, I finally was able to get into the romance a bit, and that helps. Meira and Theron seemed like they had a good thing going, even though their engagement was called off. He still wanted to protect her and be with her. He was being a strong protector but still managing to respect the power and strength she has all on her own. We see Meira's people beginning to recover in some ways, but her heart goes out to them because Cordell is pushing hard for the mines, and discovering the magical chasm. That would make him even more powerful than she already is, and Meira is keeping the secret that she is the conduit, its not an object, its her. This is actually one of the things that was recapped and triggered some memory. I don't remember if it is this way in the first, but the point of view is split between Meira and Mather. It is interesting to get his view since in this one of course, the triangle shifts again. Ice Like Fire was slower paced, and I found myself skimming at times. There were some action and character development but the politics was just slower for me, and there was a lot of maneuvering as Meira tries to gain allies, and find out the keys to the chasm before it comes in the wrong hands. Towards the end of the book, it picked up and the plot really moved along. I am not sure if I will be finishing the series, but I am curious how it will go. Bottom Line: Slower, case of middle book maybe?
    • 5/5
      This is the 2nd book in the Snow Like Ashes series, I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review. This was an absolutely wonderful continuation of the Snow Like Ashes series; I absolutely loved it. We see so much of this complex world and learn so much more about these intriguing characters...I just adored it.Meira’s people are free and safe and have been for the last three months thanks to Cordell. However now Cordell wants the Winterians to open more and more of their mines digging and searching for something. The result is that the Winterians aren’t that much more free than they were before. Things change when the Winterians stumble upon something in their searching, unearthing Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. The King of Cordell immediately orders his son, Theron, and Meira to journey to the other Rhythms and Seasons in search of answers to how to open this chasm of magic. However, Meira is afraid...the last time the people of Primoria had access to this sort of magic they made Decay magic. So Meira has her own agenda on these visits; she wants to amass allies so that the Winterians can stand up to Cordell at last.We get to see a lot more of this amazing world in this book. I am amazed and in awe of Raasch’s world-building skills. We journey through many more of the Seasons and Rhythms here and get to meet their rulers and citizens.There are also many more new and amazing characters in this book. Some of them were incredibly fun to read about and I can’t wait to learn more about them.Of course there is still a bit of a love triangle between Meira and Theron and Mather. I was a huge Theron fan last book, well let’s just say times are a'changing. Although I still enjoyed Theron as a character, he has an agenda of his own. Mather’s isn’t in the story much in the beginning but he makes his entrance in a big way later on. All of these characters just have so much depth and are so complex, they are incredibly engaging and interesting to read about.There are a lot of politics, some magic and action and mystery in the story as well. The books take on a bit of a treasure hunting feel to it as Meira tries to track down these keys that are supposed to open the chasm of magic. We also see a lot more as Meira as a Queen in this book; she has grown and changed quite a bit from the first book.Overall this was an absolutely amazing story that I really loved. This is fantasy at its best and is an excellent blend of awesome world-building, intriguing and engaging characters, and a plot that is so engrossing you won’t want to put the book down. This is a somewhat lengthy book but I read it in a couple days...just like the last one. Fans of this series will not be disappointed. I would recommend to those who enjoy fast-paced fantasy books featuring strong heroines. I would also recommend fans of this series pick up Sarah Maas’s Throne of Glass series or Rae Carson’s Fire and Thorns series.