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laurasbookmarks 's review for:
Snowblooded
by Emma Sterner-Radley
Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc.
The story of Snowblooded follows two assassins, Valour and Petrichor as they are tasked to hunt down and kill a powerful drug lord dealing in a dangerous tonic. This, however, isn’t your average run-of-the-mill assassin story, Valour and Petrichor are a part of the Order of Axsten, a state-approved guild made to keep their city of Vinterstock clean.
I first rated this book a 3.5, but after taking time away from it, I decided to up the rating. I enjoyed this book, and the story was very interesting. I adored the relationship between Valour and Petrichor and their split point of view. The rating comes about because of a few small things and the pacing of the first half of the book.
Valour and Petrichor, my loves. I loved their relationship, how they hated each other completely, would argue every minute of every day but would also kill and die for each other. They had a true sibling-like bond which developed over the book. Although Valour had a romantic relationship with Ingrid, it felt like the main purpose of this book was about these two and their friendship which I loved. Their personalities are such stark contrasts and having the split point of view helped show that and gave the reader a brief respite from Valour’s energy and Petrichor’s need to be perfect.
The romance between Valour and Ingrid was a bit fast-paced for my liking. Although there had been some moments between them before the book, it felt like they were introduced and then suddenly clothes were off. I understand that this was how Valour usually rolled, not wanting to dive deep into feelings so to speak and rather keep it physical. I did like how their relationship developed after that though and how they slowly but surely opened up to each other. Something else I enjoyed was how Valour didn’t immediately forgive Ingrid for what she had done. They spent the night together and would work together, but it would take time for them to get back to what they had. I’m sure they would get there, even through a door.
I did not see the ending coming. Ingrid being the Brandquist was completely unexpected and yet I loved it. She was portrayed as a sweet lady, who may have had a bad streak but just wanted to run her hotel with her father. Then out comes that actually, she’s a crime boss trying to tear down the production and selling of ‘Ness from within. Badass. I also was shocked that Valour and Petrichor had had their memories erased and that the actual end-game villain was a past member of their order. It had gorgeous storytelling and beautiful points that made you hit your head in an ‘of course’ way.
The first half of the book did seem to take forever, but it could be down to having to explain the city, the rules of the order, and what ‘ness is. Either way, I did struggle to get through that first half. Once things got going though, it was a breeze, and I couldn’t wait to continue.
To finish, Snowblooded is a gorgeously dark Scandinavian story about love, loss, and what you truly want out of life and living it. It’s about friendship, moving on from the past and most importantly; being the change you want to see in the world. With incredible storytelling and the ability to visualise scenes easily, Snowblooded is a perfect read if you want something cunning, dangerous and something a little sexy.
The story of Snowblooded follows two assassins, Valour and Petrichor as they are tasked to hunt down and kill a powerful drug lord dealing in a dangerous tonic. This, however, isn’t your average run-of-the-mill assassin story, Valour and Petrichor are a part of the Order of Axsten, a state-approved guild made to keep their city of Vinterstock clean.
I first rated this book a 3.5, but after taking time away from it, I decided to up the rating. I enjoyed this book, and the story was very interesting. I adored the relationship between Valour and Petrichor and their split point of view. The rating comes about because of a few small things and the pacing of the first half of the book.
Spoiler
Valour and Petrichor, my loves. I loved their relationship, how they hated each other completely, would argue every minute of every day but would also kill and die for each other. They had a true sibling-like bond which developed over the book. Although Valour had a romantic relationship with Ingrid, it felt like the main purpose of this book was about these two and their friendship which I loved. Their personalities are such stark contrasts and having the split point of view helped show that and gave the reader a brief respite from Valour’s energy and Petrichor’s need to be perfect.
The romance between Valour and Ingrid was a bit fast-paced for my liking. Although there had been some moments between them before the book, it felt like they were introduced and then suddenly clothes were off. I understand that this was how Valour usually rolled, not wanting to dive deep into feelings so to speak and rather keep it physical. I did like how their relationship developed after that though and how they slowly but surely opened up to each other. Something else I enjoyed was how Valour didn’t immediately forgive Ingrid for what she had done. They spent the night together and would work together, but it would take time for them to get back to what they had. I’m sure they would get there, even through a door.
I did not see the ending coming. Ingrid being the Brandquist was completely unexpected and yet I loved it. She was portrayed as a sweet lady, who may have had a bad streak but just wanted to run her hotel with her father. Then out comes that actually, she’s a crime boss trying to tear down the production and selling of ‘Ness from within. Badass. I also was shocked that Valour and Petrichor had had their memories erased and that the actual end-game villain was a past member of their order. It had gorgeous storytelling and beautiful points that made you hit your head in an ‘of course’ way.
The first half of the book did seem to take forever, but it could be down to having to explain the city, the rules of the order, and what ‘ness is. Either way, I did struggle to get through that first half. Once things got going though, it was a breeze, and I couldn’t wait to continue.
To finish, Snowblooded is a gorgeously dark Scandinavian story about love, loss, and what you truly want out of life and living it. It’s about friendship, moving on from the past and most importantly; being the change you want to see in the world. With incredible storytelling and the ability to visualise scenes easily, Snowblooded is a perfect read if you want something cunning, dangerous and something a little sexy.