This review contains spoilers for Beasts of the Frozen Sun!


In this installment we rejoin Lira and Reyker in the war against the Dragon. Both believe the other to have died and are fighting with everything they can muster. They both are changed irrevocably from book 1. 

It took me a bit to get into this book for some reason, but once I did I could not put it down! This was a hell of a ride and I cannot wait for Book 3 to come out!

This book was really enjoyable! I loved the pace of this, and I loved the plot. It was a bit predictable for me, however. Also: can we talk about Reyker? Oh my gosh I love him.

I was absolutely enraptured by this book. It only took me a few pages to be invested in the story and from that point forward I read every chance I could. Jill Criswell's storytelling ability was such a pleasure to read. She wrote the characters beautifully and with a delicate complexity. Every character was filled with a sense of good and evil and a desire for love. These characters are what brought the story to life.

Another part of Kingdom of Ice and Bone that I loved was the unique world-building and ties to some mythological aspects. Iseneld, where Reyker is from and Lira ends up, was such a beautiful and complex place. There were seers, Gods of all kinds, and skrikflaks (giant rams with ancient powers). The world-building was so well put together that nothing seemed to stand out in a way that was jarring or unexpected, but rather in a way that made sense and was appealing.

Kingdom of Ice and Bone is a tale of adventure, duty, and the power of love. The ending tore me apart but it was so worth it to have traveled with Lira and Reyker until that point.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Let's start with the things I enjoyed. I really liked that we got to see more of the world, especially the land of the Frozen Sun. There has been a lot of talk about this land so it was nice to spend some time there. We got to see more of the gods in this one as well. With more of the gods came a better understanding of the magic Lira wields, as well as the Dragon's magic. 

Here are some thoughts that I had throughout reading this:
"Ok, so that was painful"
"Gah! Maybe they'll catch each other next time."
"REALLY?!?! Again??!"
"OMG y'all are blind"
"That was even more painful!"
<screams in pain into the void>

Seriously though, the amount of turmoil in this book is just unreal. Lira and Reyker spend the entire book, minus maybe 10 pages, just circling each other and assuming the other is dead. At one point they are in the same town, and same battle and STILL miss each other. Then things happen, and we end up in the land of the Frozen Sun, home to Reyker and the Dragon. As you can guess from the above reactions, more tension and painful things happen. Then the end comes and you're just praying for a glimmer, just a SLIVER OF HOPE....do you get it? No you do not! The ending takes your bruised and battered heart and just rips it clean to shreds! I would have thrown this across the room, but it's an ebook on my phone..so I was left screaming at everyone. I'm also afraid there may be a love triangle (or square) on the horizon. Normally.even with emotional pain, I would probably rate this highly, however this honestly felt almost excessive. There could have been plenty of tension even with Reyker and Lira being somewhat together. I am conflicted. 3.5 maybe??

Kingdom of Frozen Sun is the second book in the Frozen Sun saga. This sequel was exciting yet frustrating as hell. The romance was heart wrenching. The author took star crossed lovers to another level. Nonetheless, I really had great time reading it. So many aspects were explained in depth in this sequel such as the characters backstories, the world, and the magic. So you'll not find much action, but you're still going to love it.

After the events in the first book, Lira and Reykar find themselves on the opposite sides. They're both unaware of each other still being alive and tries to mourn for their loss. Alongside her exiled brother and his band of refugees, Lira fights with the forces that conquered her island. On the other side, Reykar once again becomes the dragonman and he must feign loyalty to the warlord aka the draki. While fighting the battle madness, he tries to help Lira's people by joining with the renegade soldiers. When both of their paths collide, they desperately try to find a way back to each other.

Lira grows more mature and powerful in this book. Even though she's heart broken, she still stood strong and helped her people to fight against the Draki. Reykar is complex, and very intriguing. Even after getting captured by the dragon. He's not given up hope and tries his best to defeat his brother. The character development of both of these characters were well done. The romance was emotional and heart wrenching. There're so many obstacles between the main characters. The ending left me sad. Draki was an interesting addition to the plot. He's kind of a morally grey type of character and an interesting villain. Even though he's a bit dark and twisted, I really enjoyed his backstory. The secondary characters were also pretty good.

The plot was engaging throughout! The pace was perfect, and things get pretty intense in the last part. FYI Lira and Reykar doesn't meet until the end of the book, and it killed me especially at the near miss scenes. There are so many surprising plot twists, and they kept me hooked till the end. The writing was pretty good. The story was shifted between Reykar and Lira's POV. The world building was amazing. The book was set in Iseneld, Reykar's hometown. I enjoyed the Icy landscape, the magic and the myth about the Fallen Gods.

Overall, It was a great read! Even though I was a little bit disappointed with the bittersweet ending, I can't wait to know how the story unfolds in the next book.

After the train wreck of book one. I am not sure how I got this one. BUT!! I am so glad we did!! Because I dived right in thinking that I was going to hate it. But I was happily surprised to find out that where book one was jumping all over the place and felt more like an adult fantasy this one was so much better.  The writing felt more fleshed out and the story felt like it was well on its way.  If you got through book one with a sad heart this one will blow you away!  I hope we get more!

This was such a hard good book. I spent most of it reading furiously and trying not to throw my kindle across the room. The ending of it killed me and I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lira and Reyker are separated, each believing the other to be dead. But they are determined to complete their missions: to defeat Draki and save their homelands. Reyker could not save Lira, but he is determined to honour her memory by protecting her people by doing the one thing he never thought he’d do – return to being a Dragonman. Lira on the other hand, takes a different path. Imbued with the power of the Fallen Gods, she accepts the chance they offer her to take down Draki and sets off on a journey that takes her to Iseneld. Though they don’t know it, Lira and Reyker’s paths are destined to cross once more, but the cost of defeating Draki will be higher than either of them have imagined.

I really like that the mythology of this world continues to play such a large part in this story because honestly, that was the more interesting part for me. Much of this book takes place in Reyker’s homeland, Iseneld and it was nice to get a glimpse into the country, its people and their ways. There weren’t as many action scenes in this book and much of it was centred around the magic of the Fallen Gods, their goals to free themselves from their imprisonment. Lira’s experiences combined with the magic from the Fallen Gods has changed her a lot, and this is evident in her character growth which was very well done. Reyker on the other hand, while as central to the plot, just felt pushed to the background in contrast, because all the interesting stuff was happening in Lira’s arc.

While the pacing and presentation is much better than the first book, it would have been nice to see more of Lira and Reyker than the number of near misses they kept having, not knowing that the other is so close, or indeed, even alive. I actually missed their scenes, considering how interesting their dynamic has been so far. Considering the number of dreams Lira keeps having though, I thought she should have figured it out much earlier. Draki’s backstory was an unexpected addition, but it makes him a very interesting villain, now that we know his motivations. A villain with depth is a pretty rare thing and makes the story that much better.

The ending kind of ruined things for me though. Memory loss is a trope I’m not too fond of. As I said with the ending of the first book, hopefully this is resolved quickly in the story going forward, as I find it to be rather frustrating, but I can’t really complain about a cliffhanger. I think the author did a good job of avoiding the second book syndrome and kept the story interesting. This was a definite improvement on book one and I’m looking forward to reading the finale in this series.

Kingdom of Ice & Bone was a much anticipated sequel for me. I adored Beasts of The Frozen Sun. Unfortunately I did not fall in love with Kingdom of Ice & Bone. I appreciated the romance that continued because I loved that in the first book. Reyker and Lira continue to be strong willed, badass characters that kept me turning the pages. There was action, there was excitement... But there was way too much politics. It took away from the entire book for me. I loved the idea behind this book and it just unfortunately fell short because of the politics. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest. I’m really pissed at this book. A CLIFFHANGER! This book just made me mad. It was full of gut wrenching heartache. I wish I had never read it. It just felt like the whole of all the Game Of Thrones series in a book. Draki is the Night King basically.  There were too many similarities. It kept me in its thrall but I wish I had never read it.

Kingdom of Ice & Bone is the follow-up to Beasts of the Frozen Sun, which I liked way more than anticipated. Lira was a headstrong character, the worldbuilding was fascinating and the historical influence was one not used too often.

Unfortunately, Kingdom of Ice & Bone didn't work for me. 
I don't usually need much to be happy about a book. The first one had a lot of it: gods being dicks, people getting murdered, magic, all that good stuff! And I really liked Lira and Reyker, even when I usually can't see the appeal in the "romances" that get forced in YA and NA novels. It's just a whole ass genre I do not care about. 
The romance was still as strong in this one as it was in the first book, even when Lira and Reyker think the other's dead for a big part of the book. 
Lira's powers get stronger and she turns into a very morally-grey character and I was here! for! it!
We also got to meet new characters (Alane, for example, who I adore and really hope gets to become the bamf I know she can be!)

What killed my joy was the politics. 
I don't have the patience to deal with political intrigue and subtlety. 
Action? Absolutely. 
A few pages taking place in a royal court? Sure. 
A book that's 80% of political intrigue? Absolutely not.

But, if you enjoy, say, And I Darken for example, this book might be the thing for you! Morally grey-ish characters, trauma, murdering, political intrigue, this book has it all! It just really didn't work for me!


@Blackstone and Netgalley: Thank you guys for this ARC!

(Could have spoilers for book 1)
This is the 2nd book in the Frozen Sun Saga.,

I loved this book and am loving this series! Picking up where Beasts of the Frozen Sun left off, we think we get some answers to the questions: Did Reyker and Lira survive? Are they together? Will they get their happily-ever-after? Things are never as they seem, are they? (It's what makes a story great!)

I have come to hate Draki. His manipulative, self-serving torture is almost too much to bear at times. He is the perfect villain. He's relentless, treacherous, and evil. I don't know of any other character that I've ever wanted to see get what's coming to him more. Then, guess what. That villainous armor slips for half a second. No! I don't want to care about this guy. Oh, but there it is.

The love story between Reyker and Lira is becoming one of my favorites. They are up against impossible odds and each does the unthinkable for the other. The sacrifices they make in order to maybe, one day, be given a chance at love together make me shake my head in disbelief. But, that is what love does to us, isn't it?

The battle scenes are intense. The world-building is fantastic. The characters have become real with their flaws, faith, beauty, and their ugliness. 

The only complaint I would have (and it's a very small one) is that this seems to be a damsel-in-distress story with the woman waiting to be saved by her conquering hero. I'm not opposed to this trope as long as the damsel isn't a powerless little mouse that can't do anything for herself. So far, Lira is not that kind of character. I hope this continues in the next book.

Speaking of book 3, I need it now! I gave this book 5 stars and would highly recommend it to any fan of fantasy.

(4.5/5⭐️) “I dropped into his soul, light as a petal, steady as a root. His essence was a mosaic: loves and losses, victories and sins, memories, thoughts—everything that made him who he was. I drew it toward me, calling his soul as if it was a creature, and it bowed to me, its mistress. His soul was mine to control. I commanded it to shatter.”

What an absolute transformation our hero takes from the woman she is in book one, to now. Lira has lost everything, including Reyker. She watched her home burn and her family slaughtered at the hands of the Beasts of the Frozen sun. She wants vengence. Filled with the essence of the Fallen Gods, she embarks on a quest into enemy territory, to the frozen mountain of fire. But the Dragon is waiting for her, and no matter how hard she fights, he is always one step ahead. He is determined to claim her, to take her as his consort, and she must give everything to resist him. Reyker is fighting too, living under the false belief that Lira is dead. Only their love has the power to bring them back together. Even that might not be enough.

Wow! What a wild ride! The amount of suspense Jill Criswell employed by flipping between Lira and Reyker kept me turning pages at an insane speed. The story was FAR from predictable, so I was constantly trying to chart a path through the plot each time I set it down, ever unsatisfied by my own theories, which drove me to pick it right back up again. 

Jill’s writing paints a portrait of a Viking inspired society that is both beautiful and brutal. I love the realism she brings to the pages. These warriors are deadly and flawed. Most of the characters are morally gray. Yet, the depth to which she has constructed them is outstanding. Case in point: I found myself relating to the Dragon in more than one instance. I still hate him, but I hope there might be some redemption for him in the third book. This is just an example of Jill’s talent with his character. 

“...just as desire and morality do not exist on the same plane, neither does hate live alone in its castle.” (Spoken by the Dragon)

This quote really resonated with me. It was one of my favorite lines from Draki. He made a difficult but valid statement when he said this. I liked it.

Regarding the plot, Reyker and Lira are frequently crossing paths, but just a second too late. That frustrated me in a good way. I found myself practically yelling at them. No! Wait just a moment longer and you’ll see her! But they always barely missed each other. This technique kept me on the edge of my seat for the first half of the book. Then, when Lira comes to the Dragon’s lair, I was eager to learn more about her magic, and thrilled by the powers she developed. 

“Just like that, I made my choice. Damn the god of death and his serpent-bitch sister. Damn the twisted monsters Veronis and his brethren had become. Whatever choices I made from here on would be to right the wrongs that had been done to the first gifted girl of Glasnith, a girl who’d been betrayed by her family and her gods just as I had, whose life and love were stolen from her as mine were. The woman my mother named me after.”

As a character, Lira’s growth is insane. She goes from a helpless woman stuck in her father’s clan, controlled by his decisions, to a woman who takes matters into her own hands. And there are times that she makes brutal decisions to kill. This is NOT this same woman we saw in Glasnith. I loved the changes. I loved the morally gray decisions she made. Her character thrilled me.

Reyker was...well, Reyker. He does the best he can, but when the battle sickness takes him, there’s not much he can do to stop it. He makes one questionable decision in the second half of the book that really challenges his morality. I liked that. No one is perfect, and he’s been thrust from one extreme circumstance to the next. 

The love between Reyker and Lira endures. It drives each of them throughout the plot. I was sad that they got so little time together. But the moments were beautiful.

“These scars tell the story of our love. What we fought through and sacrificed to be together. If you erase them, you erase us.”

My only qualm with this story was the ending. I felt like after two books of hunting the dragon, there should have been more closure. Lira and Reyker are no closer to defeating him. If anything, their plight seems more hopeless than it did at the end of book one. I felt as if I was being dangled at the end of a string. The cliff hanger was great, but I’m mildly frustrated at this point. So I’ll have to trust Jill. Book three had better bring things to a resolution or I’m going to have trouble continuing after that. My patience will certainly run out. That being said, I can’t wait to see how Jill handles Lira’s character and the change we witness at the end of the second book.

I can’t wait for book three!

Kingdom of Ice and Bone

Sequel to Beasts of the Frozen Sun, I couldn’t wait to read this next segment of Lira and Reyker’s journey. I wondered how they’d find their way back to each other and how they’d be able to defeat Draki, the Dragon war lord set to conquer the world.  

This being the second book in a trilogy, I knew that at the end of this novel I would be left with more questions than answers. I also knew that there wouldn’t be a resolution or happy ending to this story, because our hero and heroine would need to be at the bottom of the barrel emotionally to be able to rise up and overcome  adversity, but I wasn’t expecting the actual way this book ended. I wasn’t anticipating how sad I would be to read how things played out. How will we come back from this!?!

The beginning of Kingdom starts with Lira and Reyker separated and both assuming the other is dead. They both believe theyve watched each other’s demise. They make promises to the other in their mind to live for them and to protect and help their people. On their separate paths they start to learn that maybe the other is alive, which sets them on a journey to find each other. Reyker works with the Dragon’s enemies to attempt to overthrow him, while Lira is with the Dragon and resisting his advances and trying to figure out a way to escape his control. 

Jill Criswell does a really nice job creating new worlds and helping readers visualize her scenery through words. I wish I had Wraith and Vengence of my very own, and to be able to visit Stony Harbor or the glacier in Iseneld. 

Kingdom did start a little slow for me, and took me about 20% to actually get hooked into the story. There wasn’t much of a recap from Beasts, so if you’re reading this with a gap you may want to reread the last few chapters of book 1 to ensure you’re caught up on the small details.  I also, selfishly, wish there was more romance in this book because I love love. This book focused a lot more on getting to know Lira, Draki, the Gods and their gifts, and how they work on different lands. 

Also, format wise, this ebook was hard to read. The first half of the book didn’t seem to have good formatting which made my eyes work harder and made me tired and not want to keep reading. Hopefully this is a pre-publishing issue and will be fixed prior to release. 

Can’t wait for news of book 3 and to hopefully see a happy ending for Reyker & Lira, and the demise of the Dragon.

A solid 3 star read. I found myself, just like with the first one, that I was bored. The overall story is so cool but it falls into the pitfall of slow pacing and lackluster characters. I really wanted to love this one more than the first but...

“A man is nothing without his morality. My father taught me that.”
•
•
Is it legal to end a book in such a shocking and heartbreaking way? I think it shouldn’t and I can bet the next book will be absolutely awesome. But let’s speak about this one. Lira and Reyker are sure the other is dead and for the greatest part of the story they are not together and I seriously missed their scenes. They are misled and  deceived very easily in ways that sometimes annoyed me. They both have their missions to saver their own countries from Draki and find a way to be reunited, even in the afterlife. The story is really captivating and I adored how the lives of the gods are intertwined with the ones of the main characters, as in the first book. I found Draki to be a very interesting villain, we get to know him better and we can see his motivations. I mean, I still hate him but it must be difficult to be the undesired son, the less loved... this can make you do despicable things. The problem is that in many cases possession and devotion are confused with love, and only the ones who have been truly loved can see and feel the difference. Draki is sure that what Reyker and Lira feel make them weaker because they are vulnerable, but if you don’t have a reason to fight, a reason to be good, then what can prevent you from becoming a villain? 
I’ve been able to ready a copy in advance thanks to Netgalley.

I was so excited to dive back into the Viking world with Lira and Reyker again. This book was one of my top-anticipated sequels this year! Before I go on, I have to warn you that this review may contain spoilers for the first book, Beasts of the Frozen Sun. Read at your own risk!

This book picks up where BOTFS left off: Lira and Reyker are separated, and they each think the other is dead. But they both have the same goal to defeat Draki and restore peace to their lands. Lira grows a lot in this book, especially with her magic, and I loved learning about a new land with new gods. There weren't as many fight scenes in this book; it was more of an exploration of Iseneld, magic from the gods, and the characters' goals. However, it still remained tense and entertaining throughout! There were a few things that bothered me, but Jill Criswell is a fantastic writer. I can't wait for the third and final book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Jill Criswell, for the review copy!

Captivating and thrilling. This book left me breathless with twists and turns I never expected. I cannot wait to read the next installment in this saga.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

⭐⭐⭐

I did not enjoy this volume as much as the first.  It felt like a book-length interlude that could have easily been cut to a novella.  The action-packed plot from book one was lacking here. There were action scenes, but there were SO many dream-sequence scenes cutting them up.

The main characters spent the majority of the book apart, only to have a momentary reunion that felt so pointless. I wanted to see more of their relationship development in this book, and there was almost none. 

The interactions between Lira and the character she spent most of the book with made me feel extremely uncomfortable. That was the point of them, but I honestly just wanted to shower. I did not like certain decisions Lira made towards the end of the book. I hate memory-erasure as a plot point, just as I hate rape as a plot point. Both violations of different types and, frankly, I am sick to death of reading about them.

I do plan on reading book 3, and I'm really hoping it will turn around my opinions of this trilogy as a whole.

Wow, this book was an emotional rollercoaster!  From anger, to joy, to frustration, to pain, to hope--Jill Criswell forces you to feel all these and more as you bond with her dynamic characters!  Can this really be her first book? Her dialogue, world-building, character development, and plot are so well-written I cannot believe this is a debut! I want more! As I read this story, I felt a hint of Thor/Loki dynamic as well as a touch of "Wicked Saints." 
I have so many questions! Does Criswell believe love can survive? Can hope last? Or are we all doomed to be controlled by the whims of fate? I want to root for Lira and Reyker so bad! 
I predict a POWERFUL series in Criswell's future--if Kingdom of Ice & Bone was THIS good, I expect nothing but the best in the coming books.  
Expect blood, expect steam, and expect to be blown of your feet and spending hours nose-to-book as you read this novel and get hooked on folklore, power, control, loyalty, and love.