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A review by millennialbookreview
Ice Crown by Kay L. Moody
2.0
I was given an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was way too short. That made it feel very rushed.
It tells the story of Talise, a girl who can bend the elements to her will. Being a citizen of the Storm, the crime-laden area of her civilization, the only way she can escape her life there is by becoming a Master Shaper. From a young age, she's placed at a school to learn how to bend the elements and prepare for the competition that could earn her the role of Master Shaper.
The premise itself reminded me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender, but if all of the nation trained together and not apart. There's also the distinction of people not being mostly confined to shaping just one element.
So, at a young age, Talise earns a spot at a school for shapers. When she graduates, if she doesn't become a Master Shaper, she has to return to the Storm, which no one thinks she'll survive, including her.
As I said earlier, the story is short and feels rushed. Ten years of time is pretty much glossed over in like three sentences and we're never told much about Talise's backstory. She's from the Storm because some earlier ancestor of hers broke the law and saw exiled there. This society has an unjust law that basically says if you mess up, you and everyone descended from you, will be punished for it. So, we have no idea why Talise needs to win the competition in the first place.
There isn't much info given about the world as a whole other than the Storm is bad, the Crown is good, people can shape elements and the law I mentioned earlier. I think some effort should've been put a little more into how the world works.
My biggest issue though, is the climax. Instead of the competition itself being the climax of the story, the actual climax is the prep for this big competiton? And the story ends on the way heading to the competition with Talise getting another, more well-connected student, who is her biggest threat, disqualified for breaking a very minor rule This didn't feel like a good conclusion or well-executed one at all. It feels unfinished.
This book was way too short. That made it feel very rushed.
It tells the story of Talise, a girl who can bend the elements to her will. Being a citizen of the Storm, the crime-laden area of her civilization, the only way she can escape her life there is by becoming a Master Shaper. From a young age, she's placed at a school to learn how to bend the elements and prepare for the competition that could earn her the role of Master Shaper.
The premise itself reminded me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender, but if all of the nation trained together and not apart. There's also the distinction of people not being mostly confined to shaping just one element.
So, at a young age, Talise earns a spot at a school for shapers. When she graduates, if she doesn't become a Master Shaper, she has to return to the Storm, which no one thinks she'll survive, including her.
As I said earlier, the story is short and feels rushed. Ten years of time is pretty much glossed over in like three sentences and we're never told much about Talise's backstory. She's from the Storm because some earlier ancestor of hers broke the law and saw exiled there. This society has an unjust law that basically says if you mess up, you and everyone descended from you, will be punished for it. So, we have no idea why Talise needs to win the competition in the first place.
There isn't much info given about the world as a whole other than the Storm is bad, the Crown is good, people can shape elements and the law I mentioned earlier. I think some effort should've been put a little more into how the world works.
My biggest issue though, is the climax. Instead of the competition itself being the climax of the story, the actual climax is the prep for this big competiton? And the story ends on the way heading to the competition with Talise getting another, more well-connected student, who is her biggest threat, disqualified for breaking a very minor rule This didn't feel like a good conclusion or well-executed one at all. It feels unfinished.