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A review by catsluvcoffee
The Ice Maiden: A Historical Adventure with a Paranormal Twist by Sara Sheridan
2.0
I debated whether to read this one. I'm not much on drama type historical books and that's what it seemed like from the cover and the blurb. Then I read the "A historical adventure with a paranormal twist" label that it has. Okay, now we are talking!
The story begins with Karina sneaking through the dark. We learn bits and pieces of her backstory as we go. Karina's husband, Thebo leaves her to go whaling. He doesn't make it home. She's hit rock bottom. She's alone. She's starving. She's asked her sister, who lives in Amsterdam with her merchant husband, to send her money so that she can join them there. The money never comes. Karina decides that her only option is to stow away. Any ship will do as long as it gets her out of there. She cuts her hair and dresses in her husband's boots and off she goes.
I loved the first 1/3 of this book. I liked Karina's character. She's not a dominant personality but she has grit and determination. She's not a complete doormat but still keeps her head low. Her life aboard the ship and her interaction with all her shipmates, even once her presence and her true identity were discovered, was an entertaining story.
The twist in the plot surprised me. I was excited to see where the paranormal skew would lead. Unfortunately, everything that followed was unsatisfying. I couldn't get into the ensuing tale. None of the new characters struck a chord with me. I didn't enjoy the metamorphosis of Karina's character. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the book more without the paranormal twist.
The story begins with Karina sneaking through the dark. We learn bits and pieces of her backstory as we go. Karina's husband, Thebo leaves her to go whaling. He doesn't make it home. She's hit rock bottom. She's alone. She's starving. She's asked her sister, who lives in Amsterdam with her merchant husband, to send her money so that she can join them there. The money never comes. Karina decides that her only option is to stow away. Any ship will do as long as it gets her out of there. She cuts her hair and dresses in her husband's boots and off she goes.
I loved the first 1/3 of this book. I liked Karina's character. She's not a dominant personality but she has grit and determination. She's not a complete doormat but still keeps her head low. Her life aboard the ship and her interaction with all her shipmates, even once her presence and her true identity were discovered, was an entertaining story.
The twist in the plot surprised me. I was excited to see where the paranormal skew would lead. Unfortunately, everything that followed was unsatisfying. I couldn't get into the ensuing tale. None of the new characters struck a chord with me. I didn't enjoy the metamorphosis of Karina's character. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the book more without the paranormal twist.