Customer Reviews

Prince of Ice

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

 

 

I was looking forward to this book after the last one introduced two intriguing characters. Cahira and Aren's abilities were special and unlike any of the other mages. Cahira's ki, her magical essence or ability, was erratic and unusual, and I was looking forward to this book to see her come in to her real powers. Aren was not really a mage but showed mage like abilities far stronger than anyone else's. One of the many things I found so frustrating about this book was that we never see Cahira's power develop and we never see Aren discover his abilities as the book progresses. The most interesting thing about this book-their abilities- never gets explored. Instead, we are told abruptly why they are different, and to say it's disappointing and anticlimatic is an understatement.

Another reason why I disliked this book so much is the character Shaen. She was so transparently evil in the first book of this series that I couldn't understand why any of these supposedly intelligent characters didn't see through her years ago. Instead, she continues to plot and nag and harass the good guys throughout the entire book, and in doing so makes the others look incredibly stupid for not getting rid of her. I couldn't stand reading about her any longer so I started skimming her dialogue. I just wanted someone to yell at her to shut up.

Also, how many times do these people need to go up against and beat Cheveyo, the dark mage? Apparently, three times is the charm because we have that to look forward to in the next book as well, but seriously, it wasn't at all interesting this second time. It was just . . . boring. I lost interest after twenty pages and it was torture, forcing myself to read the rest.

Overall, I was really disappointed in this book because not only was I expecting more from this sequel, but I was expecting more from this author, whose work I usually enjoy reading. This is not even close to Stobie Piel's best work. Don't make my mistake: save your money. Rent it from the library if you must read it.

The mages of Woodland in Amrodel have been caught unaware from the evil of the Arch Mage who has put many of them into a comatose sleep. This is the first step by the malevolent being to escape his tomb incarceration.

The last hope in the Woodlands rests with Cahira. She is provided with the dragonfly sword, the only know weapon that can kill the Arch Mage, and a shield containing what little is left of magical prowess by the mages. Her quest is to find the Warrior of the Light, the only person who can use the sword. However, by seeking this champion she has also provided the Arch Mage the second step in his resurrection. When Cahira meets Aren, chief of the Norsk she feels she has found the hero to battle the Arch Mage. They, accompanied by his men, begin the journey to the catacomb of the Arch Mage for the final confrontation.

PRINCE OF ICE is a fun coming of age fantasy in which the young champions are learning on the job while fighting an invincible opponent with the stakes being the world (talk about pressure). Cahira and Aren is an interesting paring as their respective people have an adversarial history while the Arch Mage is cleverly kept in the shadows making him seem even more powerful and sinister. Fans of quest fantasies will find this tale quite appealing.

Harriet Klausner

This is the sequel to Strange Brews, it continues years later. It is the story of the coming of age of Cahira, daughter of the previous king of Amrodel and a powerful woodland mage in her own right. It is her quest to free the Dark Mage from his prison and destroy him once and for all. But to do that she will need the help of the one person who is able to wield the only sword that can destroy him, the person whose soul is pure light. Aren is Chieftain of the Norsk people and the Prince of Ice. He is also not a mage, he has no magic.

This is the story where Cahira and Aren find and understand the love that they have always had for each other and also come to trust and understand the source of their previously unexplainable powers. The author does indeed explain the source of both Cahira and Aren's power. It is not the more traditional type of power, from magic or the ability to create something from nothing by manipulating nature or matter. But rather a power that comes directly from the purity of the soul. It is something much stronger than magic, because it is something magic has no power over.
Ms. Piel combines Cahira and Aren with a hosts of traveling companions who provide humor and intrigue, which makes the story more interesting and adds flavor to the journey. If not for these traveling companions the story would not have been as compelling. The ending to this story was unexpected and completely delightful, I won't say what to ruin it for you. She does set you up for the next book and I for one can't wait. Ms. Piel's work is not true to formula and that's a good thing.

This is my first novel by Stobie Piel. I thought it was an excellent romance novel and funny. I enjoyed reading it sooo much. I was really suprised when I got to the final battle and the villian turned out to be a good guy. It was an unexpected twist. I just wish that I would have read 'Strange Brews' first. I am going to read it any way. Look for there to be a third novel soon.

This book was far more rich and interesting than I expected. This is probably due to the fact that I wasn't interested in Strange Brews. I loved the characters, the plot and the settings. This book was fun and sweet and genuine. I will definitely be waiting for the next book in line because it sounds just as good.

i love this book and i cant wait for the next book in this series i have read her other series and all her books are great

Prince Of Ice was a fantastic read, Cahira was a strong heroine I very much liked and admired. Aren was a wonderful hero, caring and very male. The plot twists in this book were enough to make me grin the whole way through. I admit I figured out who Felix was almost halfway through but the knowledge only made me grin even more. I love knowing something even the characters don't know *makes it so much more fun* Shaen was a great villain, I figured her out early on, very early on. She wasn't as IRRITATING as most villains though, for which I am glad, mostly because Cahira didn't take her seriously. I would have felt Cahira sorely lacking in judgment had she not seen through Shaen, even partially. In all, this was a great futuristic paranormal romance novel, full of actual ROMANCE and a great suspense as well. I loved this book, as I do most of Ms. Piel's work. I hesitated to buy it because of the blurb on the back, but I am so glad I did. Its on my keeper shelf!!! I can't wait for the next novel!!! In all, the book was very well written, aimed to market for those who enjoy romance novels with paranormal, futuristic, fantasy, science fiction, suspense leanings. If you enjoy these types of books, pick up a copy, you'll surely enjoy it.

Although my fellow PNR reviewer has stated that reading STRANGE BREWS (Damir and Eliana's story) first is not required to follow this story, I rather wish I had. I felt that the first half of PRINCE OF ICE went rather slowly for me because I had a constant feeling I was missing background details and character information that was being alluded to frequently. Having said that, my attention was definitely captured once the romance and the current plot became more active.

The Arch Mage (a powerful and evil sorcerer) who had been temporarily defeated in STRANGE BREWS now has reached out to cast a spell putting all of the mages of Amrodel into stasis. Long ago he had sought to steal the power of their Queen, but she had thwarted him by taking her own life. Now the Arch Mage sought another of her line in order to do the same. Eliana, having married and borne a child was no longer eligible, since her power was divided. This left Cahira, daughter of the late King of Amrodel, or Eliana's infant daughter.

Cahira has been hearing the Arch Mage calling to her in her mind to come to him. She knows that while he lives her people will never be safe, she will never be safe. As the darkness swept over the land stealing the consciousness from her fellow mages, Damir grants Cahira his shield which will protect her from the darkness, leaving her the alone among the Woodland mages to defeat the Arch Mage. Before he loses consciousness, Damir also gifts Cahira with his Dragonfly sword. He instructs her to go to the Norsk lands to find the one of true light. This warrior alone would be able to wield the sword that could defeat the Arch Mage and restore life to her people. Aren, the leader of the aggressive Norsk people is the man she seeks. Cahira had seen him once when they were both children and had felt a strange connection. But the grown warrior is not what she expected at all, nor is he very willing to take up her quest. He and his warriors do not trust mages and fear that Aren will be sorcelled by the witch as his older brother had been.

Aren concedes to join his band with Cahira's but he still considers her plan to be suicide and secretly hopes to find an alternative plan elsewhere. Still, he too feels the strange connection between himself and Cahira. Tempers clash as those loyal to one or the other try to dominate the group. Not all of among them have loyalty however, which creates further conflict. Still the pair has one very special advantage. Their company is joined by a talking bat with amazing wisdom and foresight. Although the reader may discern the bat's identity before it's actually revealed, it's rather fun to watch the by play between him and the rest of their little band as he leads them toward the proper resolution.

As Cahira and Aren are beginning to realize that they are very old souls and that they had been "one before they were two", they journey to Damir's homeland and what they find there gives them the last piece of the puzzle that is required to defeat the Arch Mage. Conditions there leave the door open for a future story as does the resolution of Cahira and Aren's final battle with the Arch Mage, the conclusion of which was most unexpected. Without spoiling the tale I can only say that the ending of PRINCE OF ICE contains an extremely satisfying twist. Information is also imparted regarding Cahira and Aren's future child which also leads me to believe that another tale could be forthcoming. I enjoyed this tale of timeless love and truly hope that the saga will continue in the near future. In the meantime I expect I will be seeking out STRANGE BREWS in order to fill in some of the blanks. From what I gleaned Eliana was quite a terror. Sounds like fun!

Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch for PNR Reviews