Shattered Ice

Kaia has lived her entire life in the ice caves deep in the glacial underground of the planet Eirlys. Her future seems set in stone: continue to work in the mines and try not to die of an unfortunate accident. But when the mysteriously advanced Solon medical team arrives at her village a web of secrets starts to unravel around her. Kaia is forced to run from everything she has ever known, fighting for her life, and battling with unending guilt and shame. She must learn the uncomfortable truths about herself and the people she loves the most to survive.

Shattered Ice is full of action packed chase scenes, fights and the ever popular deadly sports competition, but it really shines in it's realistic portrayal of a young girl suddenly confronted with the knowledge that secrets have been hidden from her for her entire life. Kaia's is a realistic character with flaws and hang-ups and it is heart wrenching to watch her battle herself and the world around her.

There were parts of this book where the pacing dipped and my progress with the story slowed down, but thankfully this was a temporary issue that disappeared in the last portion of the story. Kaia's characterization is the best part about this book. The plot is still great and fun, but I am glad that a lot of focus went towards a realistic portrayal of how a young person would deal with the number of traumatic events that Kaia has to experience. I know that the entire premise for this book is that she has to participate in the iceboarding competition to survive, but it was honestly my least favorite part of the entire story. I massively preferred Kaia's escape sequences and the story surrounding the iceboarding competition. It felt a little out of place in the overall story. Which is a shame since that was a major pull in the description of the book.

Overall, this is a really strong debut novel and the ending made me genuinely upset that I have no idea when the next book in the series will come out.

Teenage aged and up fantasy. There’s a lot more to this story than the title and first chapters suggest. The exciting action and secrets soon ramp up. Nice story, good characters. This seems to be the first book in at least a duology. Looking forward to finding out more. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Shattered Ice was a fun read, and a great debut for a YA series. Kaia is not without her flaws, but it was entertaining to read, and I think as the series progresses the story and characters could polish themselves more. I liked the world building and the unique environment, and would certainly recommend this to someone looking for a fun sci-fi read. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thanks to Rebekka Strand, Netgalley, and Victory Editing for giving me the opportunity to read and review “Shattered Ice”!

“Shattered Ice” is a YA sci-fi fantasy novel that tells the story of Kaia, an adrenaline junkie young girl with blood that is revealed to have a genetic code that was sought for centuries. With was thought to be impossible makes the mystery illness curable— and now, she’s being hunted. In a series of incredible twists and turns, Kaia makes friends along the way to help her cause: defeat the mysterious healer company, Solon. In order to escape, she must enter a deadly ice boarding contest. As the contest gets closer, Kaia realizes everything she knew is not as it seems and her reality shatters.

I could not put the book down from the moment I started it. It’s fast-paced and full of action from the get-go, but not overwhelming whatsoever. The characters are relatable and one is able to empathize with Kaia as she makes her way through the story, searching for answers and fighting for her life. Kaia is a great heroine; she’s strong-willed and imperfect, smart and stubborn, all at the same time. The anxiety representation is done with finesse and allows the reader to really feel for Kaia and what she is enduring. Additionally, the characters each have their own voice and it’s easy to picture the details of the story, the setting, and events in your head.

“Shattered Ice” is an incredible beginning to a riveting series. I give it a thumbs up and 5/5 stars!