Customer Reviews

Adventures of an Ice Princess

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This was one of those books I kept reading just waiting for it to "get good". Well, I just finished the last page and it never did. Too bad, it had potential... I really wanted to like it!

I was on the ice a few years before the author and got a very occasional chuckle from events that I recall happening but overall this book was more fluff than actual story.

Less dialogue and more story would have made the book move along faster. There was so much conversation that significant parts of the story were left hanging. What happened with Clarry's new found love interest?

I can not recall the last time it took me 3 weeks to get through a 260-page book.

I was really looking forward to this story - what a great premise - to relocate to Antarctica after being dumped to get a new lease on life.

Clarissa has been with Kieran for eight years. On the night she assumes he is going to propose, he instead dumps her. Out of her home, with no job, she moves back with her folks until she and her 2 friends come up with the idea to move to Antarctica to start over.

There were a couple parts of the book that were hilarious - particularly the necessities that they packed, and all the mistakes Clarissa made. But there were far too many extended conversations among the three, and I just could not get into the dialogue - as it droned on and on. There were so many other areas that could have been further expanded on, particularly the post-Kieran relationship with Mitchell, and perhaps some background on why she stayed with him so long in the first place.

I was really disappointed in the story. In the right hands, it could have been so much better.

Clarissa has lived with Kieran for eight years and thinks he is about to propose. Her best friends Delilah and Kate agree and even throw an engagement party, but Kier fails to give her a ring. Instead he breaks up with her after she quits her job to become a housewife to him. She returns to her mom's place with her tail dragging.

While Clarissa mopes, her friends try to cheer her up without success. Her mom wanting her daughter back on her feet and happy gives a brochure on Antarctica to Kate. Before Clarissa knows what is happening she is on her way to Antarctica for employment accompanied by her two buddies. There the male to female ratio is 4:1 with most of the men being single.

Though the heroine is in her late twenties-early thirties this is a coming of age chick lit tale. Readers will have to adjust to decisions that flaky Clarissa makes but will find the time worth doing. Antarctica serves as a terrific backdrop even if plunging into the icy water seems cold for even a polar bear. Chick lit fans will appreciate this fine tale of a woman trying to find herself in the frozen Antarctic tundra.

Harriet Klausner

I just cannot agree with the previous reviewers about the quality of this books. Liz Maverick boggles down her characters in so much boring detail that I get to a point where I just don't care about what happens to any of them.

Sure, this is chick lit, but there is so little action going on and so much blah, blah its not worth the price of the book. If you like pages and pages of detail this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't bother.

This is a pass.

Clarissa Schneckberg needs to make some life-altering changes. After leaving her Silicon Valley job, and getting dumped by her long-time boyfriend, she knows something truly outlandish is in order. So, her and her friends head off to an adventure in Antarctica, where there are no designer shops and nothing is exactly what it seems.

Adventures of an Ice Princess is a funny, sassy and thoroughly enjoyable tale that will have you turning the pages and staying up late. Clarissa is a worthy heroine, with intelligence and wit. Liz Maverick has spun a great chick lit and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Trade PB/I've read Maverick's futuristic fantasy & fantasy books and I really enjoyed most of them. This one did not have any guts to it. There was no real plot: somewhat competent woman is jilted and joins her two laid-off friends to an adventure to the Antarctic where she loses all her backbone. She doesn't really grow as a person; her friends do. Her exploits and mistakes would have gotten her thrown off the continent.

Ever been dumped by your boyfriend and decide to brave Antarctica with your two best friends? I know I haven't, so I was intrigued by the story premise enough to pick up a copy of this book.

Clarissa Schneckberg, our main heroine, had just given her notice to her company that she was going to quit and become a homemaker. After all, she was positive that her boyfriend Kieran was about to propose. Instead, Kieran ends up giving her the old heave-ho, insisting that he wanted to see other people. Clarissa is devastated, and decides to head for Antarctica with her two best friends Kate and Delilah.

Antarctica turns out to be not quite as easy as Clarissa had hoped. It is downright freezing, she seems to be making ridiculous mistakes, and she just wants to go home. Will things get any better for her? Will the handsome Mitch step in and welcome her with open arms? Will the three girls ever make it in such rough terrain? Find out by reading the book!

I'm usually intrigued with a far-fetched story line in a chick lit novel if it's done right, but unfortunately this novel didn't really leave much of a good impression. Too much detail was given to the characters, but not near enough to the story or setting. I found myself a bit bored and annoyed through most of the novel. I had been hoping for an interesting portrayal of Antarctica at the very least, but I didn't even get that. (Granted, there were some descriptions, but they weren't near enough). The characters were endearing though - I did like Clarissa and her friends.

Overall, I'd have to sum up this novel as being generally boring with lackluster storytelling. It certainly has a cute and eye-catching enough cover, but unfortunately what is inside doesn't measure up.

Clarissa's adventures are fun and funny--I laughed out loud several times. My favorite Clarissa moment was when, as a determined team leader for Snow Survival Camp, she valiantly led her blindfolded team to the designated flag. Unfortunately it was the pee flag (no outhouses in a frozen wasteland, folks), which she only discovered after tromping around in yellow snow.

I read this book in one sitting. Clarissa and her two best friends, Delilah and Kate, are very likeable. It was worth the price of the book just to see three very girlie girls succeed in a harsh environment. I enjoyed Adventures of an Ice Princess very much and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy women's fiction.

Adventures Of An Ice Princess should bear the subtitle "A Fairy Tale." I've certainly never known people like Clarissa, Kate and Delilah in real life, and many of the situations they get into seem farfetched. And the description of these three friends bringing frivolous clothing and copies of Cosmo while on a tight weight allowance for baggage doesn't ring true, either.

While this story is on the silly side, it IS amusing reading. I give Liz Maverick credit for not going the traditional "chick lit" route at the end, which would be to have all three girls walking off into a glorious Antarctican sunset with their Mr. Rights. The setting is also a plus to those of us who would love to visit Antarctica for real, even if we have to leave our designer boots and sunglasses at home.

It was very hard to get into this book because the premise of three young women leaving Northern California does not seem plausible as they go on their adventures. The writing was stiff and I put it down after 2 chapters...luckily it was a loan from a friend!!