A review by km_reads_and_edits
A Touch of Stone and Snow by Milla Vane

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 "... if she ran again, he would likely soon discover how many times a man's heart could be ripped from his chest. But being with her again would be worth every one."

Even though Yvenne from book 1 will always hold a special place in my heart, this second instalment of Milla Vane's A Gathering of Dragons series is my favourite so far! I absolutely loved the two main characters, Lizzan and Aerax, and how their tumultuous history was built into the present-day narrative. Their friendship and affection for one another felt very real to me and, overall, their path towards reconciliation was heartwarming to read.

Furthermore, Lizzan is a badass warrior. In the world of A Gathering of Dragons, female warriors are just as common as male warriors - and I love that. It is always refreshing to read high fantasy that doesn't subscribe to the limitations and assumptions we so often place, based on gender, in our real world.

"Never did Lizzan like to be left to her own thoughts. Too quickly they became jagged knives trapped within her skull, sawing away at everything inside her.

I know some reviewers take issue with Milla Vane's style of writing. Her prose has a somewhat "ye-oldy", other-worldly feel to it. Personally, I really enjoy it. Sometimes, when I read a medieval fantasy where the characters are speaking in a really modern way, it can break the fourth wall for me. Whereas Milla Vane's characters speaking "differently" to how we converse now helps me to fully immerse in the world she has created.

"And as always, her gaze found Aerax before she saw anything else."

If you DNF'd book 1, A Heart of Blood and Ashes, based on that particular "not-so-meet-cute" scene between Maddox and Yvenne - IYKYK -then fair enough. I'll admit I found it slightly confronting, too, even though I wound up loving the book anyway. But what I will say is that the romance in book 2 is very different to that of book 1.

A Touch of Stone and Snow is much more of a "childhood sweethearts meets second chance romance" vibe, so that might be more your thing, and the smutty scenes have a lot more love and trust behind them than the early encounters between Maddek and Yvenne. (However, the non-romantic elements of this book - i.e. the impending war against the Destroyer - might not make much sense if you pick up book 2 without having finished book 1).

"... she had marched in here with her gut on fire, ready to loose arrows from her tongue. Now the burning in her throat made ash of every volley that she would have sent."

All in all, I loved the characters in A Touch of Stone and Snow the most, but also I am really enjoying the overarching fantasy plotline that provides the thread between each book in the series. I can't wait for book 3 to be released next year! 
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