Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch {Yomna's Review}

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 to use 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?

As the web of power and deception weaves 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.

Spoilers!

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My rating: 4/5

I literally just finished this book five minutes ago and am writing this review. Oh my god. That ending though. For those of you who've read this book, you know what I'm talking about. 

In the beginning: I think a lot of people were tempted to stop reading this book in the beginning because they thought it was slow but I actually didn't think so at all. It hooked me from the beginning and made me read for the pleasure of it, not just to find out what happens next. I admit the first book was more fast-paced but since this book is a lot more political it makes sense. 

Switching Teams: by the end of the first book, I was Team Theron, because that was who Meira had gotten the closest to in Snow Like Ashes. However now I find myself leaning more towards Mather, because we see some chapters in his point of view and you grow to love him much more as a character. 

"The most powerful magic of all is choice."

Changing POV: this was very important for the story to be told efficiently, and I really liked it. You know those books you read that keep switching POV and you feel like skipping them because that character's life was more interesting than the other character's life. But anyways, in this book, this wasn't the case. You see into the hearts and minds of two favourite characters and it was pretty cool and interesting to read. Also what was nice is you still have a main character, rather than two, because Meira gets more chapters, as I think it's kind of annoying when you have to talk about several main characters instead of one. 

Getting rid of magic?: this will probably not happen because this series is a fantasy and what is a fantasy without some sort of magic. I think what will happen in the last book is that we will see Meira find a balance between what Theron wants (magic to be shared with everyone) and what she wants (no magic at all). Although I will say for the record that deciding that the world is better without magic will probably make for a much more dramatic ending. And maybe that's the lesson, that we don't need that power. 

Romance: In the beginning, there were a few cute moments with Theron but then you see Meira getting frustrated when he doesn't support her so you don't see that much romance between them. However, what I really enjoyed was those two hugs with Mather right at the end. It was very heart-warming to feel their connection. I think it was wonderful to see them just comforting each other. 

“I close my eyes, back straight, face impassive. When I look, I will see someone capable and composed, a warrior and a leader all in one.”

The order: ever since I read Ruby Red, I've been kind of fascinated with secret societies. Now we don't really know much about the order from this book but I am certain in the next book we will be introduced to them. Also, Rares is such a cool name.

Ceridwen: Good books have main characters that have cool best friends. In this case, Ceridwen. And let me just say for the record that I love that name. I've never heard it before but I love it. It sounds so cool. Also Ceridwen herself is a pretty awesome character, and I admire her for her strength.

Looking forward: 

Thoughts on the cover: I LOVE this cover. It's so beautiful and perfect. It's simply stunning. I love the frost effect around the chakram, it's just so haunting. 

Mather: Mather all the way. I love him so much. He is strong when Meira is not and will be able to support her.

Kickass final battle: I'm dead excited for a kickass final battle with Angra, Ceridwen, Mather, Theron, and Meira. It's going to be epic!

Furthermore, I am so excited and I loved this book. Looking forward to owning the next one!

"I'll pretend to be an obedient little queen until I can CRUSH you."

Love,

Yomna