we enjoyed this book! lots of fun fantasy elements, great world building, and loveable characters!

I received an ARC for my honest opinion. First, check out the cover! Who doesn’t like a strong female character holding a bow-and-arrow? My mind instantly went to the success of Katniss Everdeen. And when I learned that this young female character named Valor intentionally got herself thrown into prison, I was like “What? Who does that?” and HAD to read the story to see how she conducted herself within the prison walls.

Ruth Lauren wove a great tale of deception that kept me guessing. The story is fast-paced with a character full of courage. Valor vows to break her sister out of Demidova’s prison where no one has escaped in centuries! Oh yeah, I should mention her sister’s serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family. I frequently cringed when Valor talked to another prisoner, worried she’d be exposed for her plans to escape. Punishment within Demidova’s prison were beyond harsh, often ending in a prisoner’s death. And oh my goodness, Ruth painted such a wintry picture of the prison, I stayed bundled in my quilt while reading. Seriously, this is a great read that’ll leave you rooting for Valor and her sister to escape Demidova! (And hoping she’ll wallop a few heads on her way.)

Valor is the daughter of two powerful members of the queen of Demidora's trusted elite-- her mother is the head game keeper. When her sister Sasha is arrested and imprisoned for the theft of a jewel box meant to end the threat of war between their country and Magadanskya, Valor foolishly pretends to attempt an assasination of Prince Anatol in order to have herself thrown in the same prison. She is successful, and takes poor street urchin Feliks down with her. THe prison is brutally strict, even the section for children, most of whom are serving time for thievery. Rations are meager, children work constantly, and punishments are swift and severe for the most minor of infractions. Valor maintains her outspoken ways, to the consternation of her roommate, but makes contact with her sister, Sasha. Sasha is appalled that her twin thinks she would have stolen the jewel box, and Valor is even more motivated to break her sister out when she discovers she was framed. No one has broken out of the prison for 300 years. Can Valor, along with her rag tag band of criminals, not only escape the prison, but find the real thief and restore peace to the kingdom and honor to her family?
Strengths: Well written, with an accessible fantasy adventure, this should appeal to fans of Frozen as well as 7th grade girls who want depressing books. I have a lot of readers working through Pierce's Alanna right now, and this might be a good stand alone to follow that. This had lots of good girl power-- the kingdom is a matriarchy, which is why Anatol's sister Anastasia plays such a big part. 
Weaknesses: Valor was not a likable character to me. Anastasia is downright despicable, but there's no good motivation for her deviousness, other than some jealousy. The plot seemed very predictable, and the fantasy world was standard. 
What I really think: This will be very popular with readers who like action/adventure fantasy. I just didn't like it personally.

This review will post on my blog on 4/4/17.

A solid middle grade fantasy about sisterhood and friendship.  The ending was a bit rushed, but the atmosphere of the creepy prison was really well done.

Prisoner of Ice and Snow is Ruth Lauren's fantasy, middle grade debut and it's sure to be a bestseller. I genuinely loved this book so hard. Like, if I ever happen to find myself in prison (because I've snapped, working in retail, and killed all the customers), it wouldn't be Michael Schofield that I'd be ringing to break me out. Nuh-uh, he's been replaced. By Valor. Who is Valor, you ask? Well, she's the thirteen-year-old heroine of Prisoner of Ice and Snow who gets sent to prison on purpose - and not just by robbing a bank, Schofield-style, nope, Valor decides to assassinate Prince Anatol! That actually sounds more dramatic than it is, as she only *attempts* to assassinate him; he was in no danger. The girl has more arrow skills that Katniss and Oliver Queen put together. And it's all in an attempt to save her twin sister, Sasha. All together now, "Awwww."

I absolutely loved Prisoner of Ice and Snow, it's set in the world of Demidova, and it seems to come across quite Russian, with the names and the biting, unrelenting cold that seems to be the norm and y'know the whole ice and snow thing. It wasn't really about the world, though, even though it was written fantastically well; this book is just about one sister willing to do anything to free her sister, it's as simple as that and that's what made this book even more fantastic. Valor's sole mission was Sasha, right from the very off and everything she does - getting thrown in prison in the first place, memorising maps of routes out, making friends to help aid their escape, it's all about getting Sasha away and clearing her name, proving that she didn't steal the musical box which was why she was in the prison to begin with.

Despite the relatively simple plot: go to prison, break sister out of prison, live happily ever after, etc, the book is just chock full of emotion. I remember seeing I had 53 minutes to go in the book, just as a big thing was about to happen and I was like, "No, it's too early". I was just so worried for Valor, for Sasha, for Feliks, for Katia. I was suspicious of Prince Anatol and what he wanted from Valor and I was suspicion of the Warden who creeped the living daylights out of me. I never felt secure whilst reading the book, I always felt like I wanted to look over my shoulder, because Valor was trying to do something no one had done ever, or for well over 300 years, and I was so anxious reading every single page.

I absolutely loved this book so much. It had my heart from the very start, and any sister willing to do what Valor does for Sasha makes me just want to weep for her bravery, her heart, her warmth, everything about her made me so proud to be reading her story. The whole plot of the book was fantastic and Ruth Lauren has written such an amazing book, I genuinely enjoyed every page, despite the anxiety practically rolling off me in waves, in fear. I am in desperate need of a sequel, and the ending of Prisoner of Ice and Snow very much left the door open for a potential sequel, should Ruth Lauren feel the need (PLEASE RUTH LAUREN FEEL THE NEED!!!!!!!). If not, it did end well, don't get me wrong, but I am itching for more from the world of Demidova, in particular with Valor and Sasha. And even Feliks! My little heart adored Feliks!

Valor knows exactly what she's doing when she breaks the law of Demidova, the kingdom where she lives; her sister Sasha is imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit, and Valor wants to be imprisoned too, so she can help her sister escape.  However, Valor's plan may end up being more complicated than she thought, because to help Sasha escape, she's going to have to figure out why she was imprisoned in the first place.  Lauren starts her story with a magnetic character and a quick pace and never lets up; the combination of mystery and fantasy works extremely well.  Recommended for readers looking for a different take on royal families and kingdoms.