Customer Reviews

Prince of Ice: A Tale of the Demon World

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Prince of Ice is a fairly traditional romance set in the Far East featuring young friends who have a close friendship and then are torn apart by one child's family. While it is marketed as a paranormal and the worldbuilding is based upon the creation of a different race, it reads like a fantasy historical. Yamas lived in isolation for centuries until they were discovered by human explorers. The setting is Victorian Earth but the yama are more technologically advanced. Their race values emotional control above all else. Those that show signs of unrestrained emotion are considered defective and not fit to rule. However, because emotions are forbidden, the yama are attracted to humans' emotions. Further, yamas can become addicted to imbibing human energy as it produces a drug like euphoria. While it is a well known secret, like drug addiction, that yamas have affairs with humans and imbibe the human chi, to have the affair known to the public is a great disgrace.

The interesting part of the yama lore is not the technological advances or the genetic enhancements but the societal structure. This story is much more about society, class and culture than it is about ghosts, demons, and otherworldly creatures. To some extent it is reminiscent of Slave to Sensation where the alternate reality world provide a backdrop but the story is carried by understandable and accessible conflicts.

Yama royals are the product of careful interbreeding and genetic matching. Honor and face are important concepts within Yama culture. The story is told of the Huon family, close to royalty, who was banished because the wife of the lord took a human to her bed and it was made public.

Then and there, with all the royal houses watching, the Huons' proud, long hair was shorn to chin length by the emperor's guards. Corynna remembered staring at the daughter's locksâ"Xoushou, she thought she was called. They had lain in a perfect sheaf across the marble pavers, black with a touch of rubies in the noonday sun.

While I don't want to give too much of the story away, I do want to comment on how much I liked the backstory of Corum and Xishi. I love the childhood friends to soulmates theme and thought that this one had all the makings of a keeper. Corum and Xishi are brought were brought up together from the age of 6 months and were inseparable until Corum's mother detects an inappropriate connection between the two. Xishi is sent to a foundling home and becomes a pillow girl, a geisha like creation. She is purchased by Corum without either knowing of their previous connection. Unfortunately, the human chi that Xishi possesses soon causes Corum to begin to act unnaturally, showing emotion and attachment.

The sexuality of the story is expertly woven throughout the story from the opening scene to the training sessions that Xishi undergoes to the passion that flourishes between Corum and Xishi. You are a master at creating believable, exciting and fully integrated sex scenes that advance the plot of the story.

Where this book fails to achieve keeper status is the last 50 pages or so. It's a shame, really, because parts of the story is told with such elegance and deftness that it makes the manhandling of the ending all the more disappointing. The conflict between Corum and Xishi is resolved with the use of a deux ex machina. It comes out of nowhere and seemed like a shortcut. The ending just didn't live up to the great backstory provided Corum and Xishi and the drama that was created from their seemingly inequal pairing. It is still heads and shoulders above much of the paranormal dross out there.

After reading the first in this series (Demon's Daughter), which I enjoyed, I bought two other Holly books. While the other stories were interesting and well-written, they were bit too X-rated for me. (Apparently, I am more of a prude than I thought.) However, because this book is a sequel to The Demon's Daughter, I decided to try one more time. I'm glad I did.

Prince of Ice is a continuation of the world Emma Holly created in The Demon's Daughter. More, it is wholly within the Demon's world, rather than the alternate human one this time, so we get to know their culture more completely. World building at its best, we learn who these people are, where they come from, and the plot centers on that culture as well as specific people within it.

Simply - I am a little impressed. Political intrigue, forbidden desires, revenge, danger, friendships, nasty villains, true love. A prince, a secret princess, how they find each other, how they lose each other, eventual reconciliation. Add interesting secondary characters and a side plot about another exiled prince that melds in beautifully, and you have a winner. An adult fairy tale, if you will, well written and captivating.

In short (I know, too late for that), this is a good story and an interesting premise. It is complete within itself, but leaves a door open so that we can visit this world again. Yes, the sex is extremely explicit, and there is a great deal of it, but, oddly, it doesn't feel especially gratuitous. The erotic scenes are an essential part of the storyline, even a character in and of itself. I will admit that some words habitually used in the erotica genre still tend to detract from the story for me, but that `s a personal problem. If you're okay with it, I highly recommend this book.

Yamas (demons) are superior in Emma Holly's Demon World; they are physically more beautiful, smarter, and stronger than human. They look down upon humans because they are emotional. Corum is a yama prince with a genetic anomaly that makes him more emotional than the average yama. Xishi, the courtesan renamed Buttercup is his perfect match, she is born of a secret tryst between a disgraced half-human yama noblewoman and the yama emperor.
They meet as infants and instantly have an unbreakable bond; one is not complete without the other. When they turn eight they are separated in order to make Corum more disciplined in his emotions. When they next meet he has become a prince of ice to hide his genetic anomaly and keep his family honor, but he cannot resist Buttercup so he buys her for his lover (pillow girl) and the chemistry and love between them explodes. They have not forgotten each other or the love they share.
This was a very sexy, sensual, return to Holly's demon world and it was very romantic to see two destined mates become one even against the rules of their society.

Corum is a yama prince and his is different from other yama prince's in the fact that he feels things deeper then his friends. Xishi is a courtesan who is Corum's natural mate but she is the product of a illicit mating between a yama prince and a half yama noblewoman. These two meet as babies and their bound is unmistakable. Years later when Corum purchases Xishi she is stunned by the man he has become. He refuses to face his emotions...instead he controls them earning him the moniker of Ice Prince. But the fires between him and Xishi are hot and if anyone can melt the ice around Corum's well protected heart it's her and since they've never forgotten each other...there is a chance for a happy ending...or is there?

Ms. Holly is the undisputed queen of the erotic genre in my opinion. No matter the sub-genre she chooses to write in she always delivers complex characters combined with the sensuality readers have come to love. This effort in her Demon World series is no different. If anything she raises the bar a little. Xishi and Corum's romance is spellbinding. I love reads where the protagonists already a deep connection. This story offers so many elements--political intrigue, secret princess, a taste of the forbidden which is always welcome. The sensuality of the story is not jarring nor is it used as filler in short it's important to the development of the story. If you are a fan of a well told tale with the theme of soul mate's finding each other then you will love this story! Kristi Ahlers for CK2S Kwips & Kritiques

Oh MY! Where to start? Synopsis. ::Excuse me while I breathe here. OK, now a sec for thinking.:: This is one of Emma's demon tales. We get a more in-depth look at the yama culture and world as seen from the highest court. Think alternate Victorian society. Intrigue, plots and murder.

We watch as Xishi Huon is conceived, raised and banished to an orphanage. As Prince Cor is born, raised and loses his best friend. We watch as Xishi is trained as a pillow girl and is sold to Prince Cor. Since you could get all of that from reading the book blurb, I'm not giving away any spoilers. What follows is a love story (of the very HOT variety! The kind Emma does so well.)

You'll love these two characters. They leap off the page through their emotions. You'll feel each and every one of them right along with the character. Emma will put you on slow burn starting on page one and build you to climax after climax right through to the very satisfying ending. You'll be jubilant and wrung out. And very impatient for the NEXT chapter in the lives of these characters.

Can I start yelling now? WOWWOWWOW!!!!! Hot enough to fry eggs and romantic enough to break your heart. Don't miss it!

I admit it--I'm an Emma Holly fangirl. Though in general, I prefer her non-mainstream stories, she's outdone herself here. This is the 3rd story (one was a novella) in this series about the Yama--what the humans in this alternative-Victorian-earth call demons.

Emma Holly's great at breaking rules, and she does so again here--starting a romance with the conception of the protagonists. It works, because that's where the story starts.

Heroine Xishi is conceived in a revenge plot--her mother is half-human, and her father is the emperor who exiled her mother's family for their impure blood.

Hero Corum has a genetic defect, discovered before birth, that will render him incapable of the strict emotional control common--and essential--to the Yama nobility. But his mother had been unable to conceive until now, and she refuses to abort the fetus, reasoning that she'll teach him control.

The two are raised together--both because of Xishi's mother's plot and because being around Xishi seems to be the only thing that calms young Corum. Then the time comes when Xishi is sent away, because she's too much of an influence on the young prince.

Xishi lives in an orphanage until she comes of age. Then, with no other alternatives, she enters training to become a pillow-girl, a courtesan.

Corum, meanwhile, learns control--such control that he's known as the Prince of Ice. Such control, in fact, that he's not at all interested in the young women the matchmakers are eager to pair him with, and his eyes have never turned black in the presence of any of them--this being a sign that the two would be genetically compatible. (It's like soul mates, but not quite, as it's not always a love match, nor is there necessarily only one match per person.)

So his father takes him to a brothel to get him a pillow girl, thinking that this will jump-start his libido. And Corum goes home with Xishi.

There's a wealth of world-building in this story. We learn much more about what makes the Yama tick, the structure of their society, and the political intrigues. The previous stories in this series were written from an outside perspective, but this is from the inside. I enjoy the way this world has been developed, maybe moreso because it's unusual to view the world first from the outside, then the inside.

There's also a wealth of sex and sensuality--a given in an Emma Holly book, but what's also a given is that it will be not only explicit, it'll be well-written and purposeful. There are no wasted scenes here, and nothing that makes me skim.

Best, though, is the story of Xishi and Corum: Corum's struggles with emotion; Xishi's loneliness when she's ostracized at the orphanage; the different paths their lives take them until those paths again intersect; and then the difficulties they go through, including life-and-death danger, to be together in the end. It's an epic romantic adventure.

Xishi is the daughter of the emperor and an exiled noble woman. When her mother is murdered she is given a home by Corum's mother a yama noble. She and Cor become playmates until they reach the age of 8 because she helps him calm himself. But she is sent away as it appears she is gaining too much influence over him, as he is a prince and she is a commoner. The plot really gets underway when Cor buys her as a pillow girl. It starts out pretty linear but about half way through the complications start showing up. Verry nicely done plot. Good characters and some humor as well as well written erotic scenes. One of Holly's best so far.

I can HONESTLY say that "Prince of Ice" is not only one of the hottest books I have ever read, but it is also one of the best romance novels I have ever had the pleasure of devouring!

WHAT AN AMAZING STORY!! This book doesn't have a single line out of place! It is incredibly well crafted! The story flows from page to page so very effortlessly, while keeping you completely engrossed in it. Not much could have distracted me while I was reading this book!

WHAT WRITING! Highly original - like a sexy fusion of Victorian darkness and Asian-inspired mystique! The story was so rich and detailed, it played out like a movie in my mind. I thought I could feel every texture, smell every scent and sense every heartbeat she described!

Outstanding work Emma Holly! I would give it more stars if I could!!!

SYNOPSIS:
Prince Corum was conceived with a "genetic defect" (the constellation of genes which would enhance his ability to restrain his emotions was not functioning properly) which meant that he should have been terminated before birth. His mother went against all custom in her land which refused to allow any expression of emotions to maintain the pregnancy. But she did pay a heavy price because her child was not behaving in the manner expected of a royal child. The orphaned infant girl Xishi seemed to calm the restless boy so she stayed with him until they were eight years old. By then Prince Corum's mother had decided that Xishi was having too much influence on her son's behavior so Xishi was sent away to Infinite Mercy Orphanage. From there, when she was 18, she went to Madam Fagin's school for courtesans where she would learn to be a pillow girl for sale to royalty. Xishi might have dreamed of seeing Corum again but it really wasn't very likely.

OPINION:
I gave this book a 3 star rating because it isn't a BAD book. I don't honestly know what I expected from this book, but whatever it was, I didn't get it. There is an author's note at the beginning of the book stating that what humans call demons are actually referred to by that other race as "yama". And that the races share an alternate Victorian Earth. I'm glad she said those things but I honestly don't see why she bothered. Why not just have a fantasy world running parallel with Earth? And why even bother to call these people demons in the first place? That terminology just confused the stew out of me.

So, forget demons but think fantasy beings. Forget Victorian times, think a fantasy world. Now that should have helped but it didn't because I wasn't very enamored of any of these characters. The Prince of Ice was a total misnomer because he was only hiding his true temperament behind a facade of control. Xishi was a really sweet character and the entire story actually revolves around her; her mother, her grandmother, her time learning to be a pillow girl, her relationship with Corum. There was lots of Palace intrigue, there were descriptions of the lessons Xishi and her fellow pillow girls and boys participated in at Madam Fagin's. There was lots of sex between Corum and Xishi once they found each other again and the mystery of why she was so different finally came to light.

In short, after I put the book down I just looked at it and thought, "What did I just read?". It is almost as if the phrase "demon world" is put in there as a hook to get people to buy the book but then doesn't deliver on what is expected. It certainly didn't deliver on what I had been expecting. Even after being told to exchange the word "demon" for "yama" I still expected some kind of demonic/different behavior. Why even mention the "human" world if there was not going to be even one single foray into that world? As far as I could see, the only things about "humans" to be avoided were their emotions. Well, that sure didn't work because everybody involved in the novel performed their functions based completely on their emotions! Whether it was greed, hate, envy, lust, love, sympathy, you name it, all of those are emotions. How were the yamas different from the human world? Beats me!

RECOMMENDATION:
Not really recommended. I came away feeling confused about what the deal was and I still can't quite put my finger on what purpose it served. I understand that there are other books in this Demon World series and, unfortunately for me, I've bought them. Believe me, I would be just fine if I had never read this book so the others will probably go into my to-go box unread. But remember, all of this is just my personal opinion. I would imagine that others have liked the book.

Since I had such a negative experience with this author and her last book, when I discovered this novel in a back pile of TBR I had small expectations. Wow! I was completely taken aback by the flat-out superior skill of the author is creating a complex and highly detailed world PLUS a love story to simply swoon over. Take your time when reading, because the details of the world the author builds are worth savoring and integral to the story. Then just revel in the delectible combination of explicit sensuality and deep emotional connection created between her two lead characters. This is as intense as only a first, true love can be when trust is absolute and devotion perfect. Just sigh and stack this one on your keeper pile for when all the world is cruel and a deeply moving love story the only cure.