Reviews

Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce

emgrbr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jessajeanette's review

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Was definitely a book!

shhchar's review

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3.0

I liked Cold Spell a lot, but not as much as Fathomless. Cold Spell was fairly average plot-wise. It was light on lore, and the clear cut goal didn't leave much room for unexpected plot twists. I thought it was very anticlimactic. Of course, I've never read the original Snow Queen so I can't compare it to that.

For the people who have read the other books in this series, you'll be happy to know that there are references back to them!

I liked all the supporting characters, but I didn't feel too empathetic for Ginny or Kai. I supported Ginny, but I didn't really sympathize for her if that makes sense. I wasn't upset with any of the choices she made but everything about her was a bit blah. I appreciated her development when she realized she could live without Kai, but she still didn't actually grow--she just realized she could live without him if she absolutely had to.
SpoilerAnd the fact that she gets him back in the end kind of messes up the whole development.


I liked Mora but I thought her backstory was a little confusing for the average reader. I wish there had been more of her PoV, and more explanation of the Fenris.

I found this book to be fairly average. Pearce has a wonderful writing technique and if you read the other novels, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

missbookiverse's review

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3.0

3.5 Sterne

± Im Gegensatz zu Jackson Pearces anderen Märchenbüchern sind Ginny und Kai bereits von Anfang an ein Paar. In den anderen Büchern verliebt die Hauptfigur sich immer erst Stück für Stück. Einerseits erfrischend, andererseits fehlte mir dadurch der Zugang zu Kai und das Gefühl für die Beziehung der Beiden. Ich glaube Ginny zwar, dass ihre Beziehung wirklich toll ist und sie schon viele wunderbare Momente zusammen erlebt haben, aber mir wäre das ganze näher gegangen, wenn ich dabei gewesen wäre. Doof ist natürlich auch, dass Ginny und Kai den Großteil des Buches über voneinander getrennt sind... trotzdemm flammt diese tiefe Liebe in Ginny, die sie dazu antreibt die Suche nach Kai nicht aufzugeben. Diese Liebe hätte ich gern mehr gespürt und ich glaube das wäre möglich gewesen, wenn ich die Erlebnisse der beiden und die Entwicklung ihrer Beziehung mehr miterlebt hätte.

± Nicht weiter tragisch, aber schade ist, dass es in Cold Spell keine besondere Geschwisterbeziehung gibt. Vor allem Zwillinge spielen in der Reihe eine große Rolle. In Sisters Red haben wir Rosie und Scarlet, in Sweetly haben zwei Figuren ihren Zwilling verloren und in Fathomless gibt es sogar Drillinge. In diesen Büchern wurde die Beziehung zwischen Geschwistern immer sehr genau erforscht und realistisch dargestellt, deshalb fand ich es schade, dass sowas in Cold Spell fehlt.

+ Richtig gruselig fand ich die Szenen, in denen plötzlich die Fenris auftauchen. Davon gab es mehrere und mir ist jedes Mal Angst und Bange geworden o.o

+ Jackson Pearce hat perfekt zahlreiche Motive des Originalmärchens eingewoben. Sie erzählt nicht die Geschichte nach sondern bedient sich nur verschiedener Elemente. Es gibt Gerdas rote Schuhe (High Heels von Ella), einen Prinz (Lucas) mit seiner Prinzessin (Ella) in einem prunkvollen Schloss (Villa), eine Räuberbande (die travellers) samt Räubertochter (Flannery) und natürlich die Schneekönigin selbst.

- Ella und Lucas waren mir ein bisschen zu glatt. Die beiden sind einfach soo nett und Ella ist übertrieben doll nicht das dumme Püppchen nach dem sie aussieht sondern eine Beauty Queen mit Köpfchen. Keine Frage, ich mag die beiden, sie sind so nett, aber sie kamen mir auch ein wenig random vor. Sie konnten immer genau das und waren dann zur Stelle, wenn man sie gerade gebraucht hat. Überhaupt hat Ginny auf ihrer Reise unheimlich viel Glück gehabt und immer von überall Hilfe bekommen. Ihre Geschichte hat sich nicht so recht von allein fortbewegt sondern wurde etwas von erzwungenen Geschehnisse voran gezerrt.

- Was mich schon am Märchen stört, ist Kais total passive Rolle. Er wird von der Schneekönigin entführt und sie verzaubert ihn so, dass er Ginny nicht mehr wiedererkennt und sich nicht an seine Liebe zu ihr erinnern kann. Gleichzeitig setzt Ginny Himmel und Erde in Bewegung, um ihn zu finden und zu retten. Ginnys Reise und Stärke ist so beeindruckend und sie wächst so über sich hinaus, dass sie am Ende eigentlich jemand Besseres verdient hat. Nicht einen Jungen, der nach ein bisschen Zauberei ihr Gesicht vergessen hat. Klar, ist irgendwie unfair so zu denken, Kai kann ja nichts dafür, aber ich mag es einfach nicht, dass er diese "damsel in distress" ist, die gerettet werden muss.

+ Ginny macht auf ihrer Rettungsaktion eine fantastische Wandlung durch. Am Anfang ist sie nichts ohne Kai, sie hat keine richtigen Interessen und Hobbys, hat ihren Weg einfach noch nicht gefunden. Durch die Erlebnisse im Buch findet sie immer mehr zu sich selbst und merkt, dass sie auch ohne Kai kann (auch wenn sie nicht will).

- Es wird nie aufgeklärt wie Mora es eigentlich geschafft hat, dass
Spoilerihre Werwölfe so anders sind. Das fand ich echt blöd, das ist kein unwichtiges Detail, das man sich selbst ausmalen kann sondern ein wichtiger Fakt über die präsentierte Werwolfthematik.


± Ich möchte noch mehr Fairytale Retellings von Jackson Pearce!! Am besten eins aus der Sicht der Fenris. Die sind bisher nur so einseitig böse, die haben bestimmt mehr zu bieten.

ameserole's review

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4.0

OMG! The synopsis of this book already had me intrigued before I was even writing the reviews for the three other books!

Cold Spell was a fantastic ending to this series! The characters in this book were awesome, kickass, hilarious, and overall enjoyable/lovable! Ginny, reminded me of Harry Potter, but I loved this character! She was awesome! Then there was the adorable yet hilarious Lucas, Ella the sweetheart that will surely kick your ass, Flannery, who was smart, strong, and overall pretty awesome. Last but not least, Callum and Kai were both awesome, amazing, and freaking adorable.
I
Before I dive into the review, this is a retelling of The Snow Queen! I absolutely love this fairy tale so I was really interested in reading this retelling. I enjoyed most of this book but really didn't like the unnecessary flashbacks. They just felt so out of place. Besides all of that, it honestly was a really quick and easy read to fall in love with. Sometimes I wish I could understand or love Kai's character more.. but I quickly overlooked that and ended up loving the character anyways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. I'm sad it's over because there are so many fairytales Jackson could've covered but I did enjoy the ones I read. I will definitely look into other series written by this author!

melg14's review against another edition

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4.0

I was not sure about this book. It seemed like a hit or miss type.

In the beginning it was kind of lame and boring so I stopped reading after the third chapter, I think. I decided that I didn't want I read it anymore and just to read the last chapter to see how it ended. The last few chapters got me hooked again. So I started to skim through the chapters and was surprised even more that I liked it. Sure it was sort of disappointing when she met the other characters because I thought I would like them more when I read how they interacted.
I thought I would like Mora like everyone else, but I couldn't she was a hypocritical, whiny.... Girl. She reminded me of Katherine from The Vampire Diaries.
I think Flannery was my favorite because she reminded myself of me, but rude and with more backbone.
Ginny was actually a fine character. I didn't really see her as dull, just dependent and selfpitying and it was understandable. She grew as a character through all the experiences trying to get to Kai.
They romance was cute.

The book had some pretty poetic writing in it. And it was overall great... With the exception of grammatical errors.
I enjoyed it even though I skimmed through it.

I do have a few questions:
Spoiler1. Is Kai still immortal?
2. How the heck did Callum meet up with them? He seriously came out of no where at the start of the fight with everyone and Ginny didn't even question it.
3. Why was Grandma Delia a freaking bitch to Ginny? Because she had a feeling Kai would be taken if he had a lover? Freaking leave the cold statethat'll save him!

pantsreads's review

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4.0

A bit surprised at how much I loved this. I've not read any of the other Fairytale Retellings, but I sure plan to now.

moorealexa's review

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3.0

**3.5/5** This was really fun!! Glad I picked it up

aylea's review

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2.0

Kai and Ginny were best friends for most of their lives, but now they are more than friends, in love, and have every intention of running away together. One night, however, Kai goes off with a stranger named Mora. Ginny discovers that Mora is the Snow Queen through the help of Kai’s grandmother who had an encounter with her when she was a teenager. Ginny decides to do whatever it takes to go after Kai and get him back, but she soon realizes that even in the United States there is a world of monsters and villains that she never expected. With the help of new friends Ella, Luke, and Flannery, future queen of Kentucky, Ginny chases down Kai, fights the snow queen, and learns about the mysterious wolf creatures that follow her in her quest.

While it had so much potential with intriguing ideas and worked to retell a fairy tale that is not as commonly known, Cold Spell didn’t live up to the possibilities. The characters weren’t particularly well rounded. Ginny has no identity outside of her boyfriend, and Kai is not developed much more than that either. Other characters are more interesting than they are. In the book Ginny is supposed to be discovering herself and that she is capable on her own, but it is not convincing. Some of the things could have been more interesting, but were not developed enough to show the readers why they should care. It is in a series, but it also works as a stand alone book. The plot should have been exciting with the chasing the Snow Queen, but it was mostly just dull. While the take on the Snow Queen could have been interesting, overall the story and characters are too underdeveloped and uninteresting.

withthebanned's review

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3.0

Probably the best of the series, but nothing that blew me away. Entertaining, but left a lot of things unanswered.