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elementarymydear 's review for:
Temple of Ice
by Christian Cura
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Temple of Ice is an epic polar fantasy adventure, following Tama, an almost-qualified winter mage, as she realises her destiny and saves her realm from the corrupting power of Malsumi, a vindictive goddess. Not everything is as it seems, however, and along the way Tama is confronted with scheming and betrayal from those she trusted.
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The two stand-out things in this novel for me are the character of Tama and the world Christian Cura has created. Tama is a great protagonist. She’s brave, strong-willed, and mischievous, but also vulnerable at times. I love having queer characters in fantasy where their sexuality is not an issue in their world and Tama was a perfect example of that. She is bisexual, and has two love interests in this book, both women. The way she handled and dealt with her romantic feelings towards other characters was painfully relatable! We’ve all been there, Tama…
The blossoming of a romance in the second half of the book gave the story some extra drive, and although the relationship developed quite quickly it was very believable as we watched the two characters from when they first meet to when they become companions. You couldn’t help but root for them! I did find myself cringing slightly at the writing of some of the more (ahem) intimate scenes though.
It was really clear that Christian Cura has a very clear, detailed vision of Khione, the world Tama lives in, and when that came across it added so much depth to the story. That being said, the first few chapters felt quite rushed, as if he couldn’t wait to get to the meat of the story, and I would have loved to explore the world and the set-up a bit longer before we got to the main event. It’s a shame when there’s clearly so much there that it felt like we were only getting the tip of the iceberg sometimes. Once the story got underway, though, the pacing was much better and I could easily lose myself in the story. It’s almost a shame it’s a stand-alone (as far as I’m aware) because it feels like there’s so much more of the world to explore!
Temple of Ice is quite a short book, coming in at just over 200 pages, and it’s perfect for when you need a little bit of adventure to lose yourself in for a couple of hours. If you’re looking for polar fantasy, queer characters, or diverse casts, you can’t go far wrong with this one!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Find this and other reviews on my blog!
The two stand-out things in this novel for me are the character of Tama and the world Christian Cura has created. Tama is a great protagonist. She’s brave, strong-willed, and mischievous, but also vulnerable at times. I love having queer characters in fantasy where their sexuality is not an issue in their world and Tama was a perfect example of that. She is bisexual, and has two love interests in this book, both women. The way she handled and dealt with her romantic feelings towards other characters was painfully relatable! We’ve all been there, Tama…
The blossoming of a romance in the second half of the book gave the story some extra drive, and although the relationship developed quite quickly it was very believable as we watched the two characters from when they first meet to when they become companions. You couldn’t help but root for them! I did find myself cringing slightly at the writing of some of the more (ahem) intimate scenes though.
It was really clear that Christian Cura has a very clear, detailed vision of Khione, the world Tama lives in, and when that came across it added so much depth to the story. That being said, the first few chapters felt quite rushed, as if he couldn’t wait to get to the meat of the story, and I would have loved to explore the world and the set-up a bit longer before we got to the main event. It’s a shame when there’s clearly so much there that it felt like we were only getting the tip of the iceberg sometimes. Once the story got underway, though, the pacing was much better and I could easily lose myself in the story. It’s almost a shame it’s a stand-alone (as far as I’m aware) because it feels like there’s so much more of the world to explore!
Temple of Ice is quite a short book, coming in at just over 200 pages, and it’s perfect for when you need a little bit of adventure to lose yourself in for a couple of hours. If you’re looking for polar fantasy, queer characters, or diverse casts, you can’t go far wrong with this one!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.