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A review by bookhaulin
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
4.0
Okay, I went into this book with my fingers tightly crossed because of some of the reviews I read, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I didn't have any trouble with the pacing or info-dumps at all. They probably could have been better incorporated, but it never bothered me enough to jog me out of the book (I also have a knack for quickly skimming some of the denser sections). The traveling and the inns didn't take up too much time, and most of the time things were always --happening--. One reviewer complained about the repetitiveness of the hair brushing and the red haired maids, but honestly that only happened once (and I was on a lookout for it too), and with all the explosions and fighting taking place every time they stopped I wasn't bored at all.
With that said, the world-building really is very rich (I'm writing this review after having read the entire trilogy, so), and I do love the characters. Despite some mary-sue qualities of Bee and Cat (not with the way they were written, but the who they actually are), the girls are written exceedingly well. They're both special, yes, but so are a lot of other characters, and I never felt overwhelmed by the sense that either of them are "special-snowflakes". The love-interest, Andevai, is also realistically portrayed and have a distinguishing personality beyond brooding, dark, and hot, and there was no insta-love or anything either. In addition, I really appreciate how the trilogy at least tries to tackle issues like women's rights and the rights of the oppressed. Overall, I was just really pleased with the depth of the novel and the scope of its world and politics.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heftier YA fantasy fix. I really hope Kate Elliot does more with this world.
With that said, the world-building really is very rich (I'm writing this review after having read the entire trilogy, so), and I do love the characters. Despite some mary-sue qualities of Bee and Cat (not with the way they were written, but the who they actually are), the girls are written exceedingly well. They're both special, yes, but so are a lot of other characters, and I never felt overwhelmed by the sense that either of them are "special-snowflakes". The love-interest, Andevai, is also realistically portrayed and have a distinguishing personality beyond brooding, dark, and hot, and there was no insta-love or anything either. In addition, I really appreciate how the trilogy at least tries to tackle issues like women's rights and the rights of the oppressed. Overall, I was just really pleased with the depth of the novel and the scope of its world and politics.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heftier YA fantasy fix. I really hope Kate Elliot does more with this world.