Scan barcode
A review by hrjones
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
5.0
This is a rich and delightful fantasy with an extremely alternate historical setting and several different layers of magical presence. The geography is recognizable as a Europe distorted by lower sea levels (due to plot-relevant extensive ice caps); the setting of the story has the look-and-feel of an analog to the early 19th century; and the defining feature of the historical background (other than the presence of magic and some sentient non-human species) is silently shaped by the absence of post-Roman Germanic migrations. (This is not something the story ever points out explicitly, but it was interesting to note that the gaping holes in the parallels to our history tended to revolve around this point--although the presence of a few Germanic personal names either point to some trace presence or authorial slip-up.) The major cultural threads are the remnants of the Roman Empire, extensive Celtic cultures, and various cultures from the northern Africa--all interwoven while remaining distinct--though hints and mentions of many others are scattered about. The world-building is deep and detailed and is best appreciated by a reader who has at least a passing familiarity with European history and geography.
The story revolves around two young women--cousins--who each has a rather unexpected magical talent that makes them unwitting players in a larger political game. One of the most delightful aspects of the book is that their friendship and loyalty is the primary personal bond that drives the story. There are men; there are hints of potential romantic entanglements (to be explored further later in the series). But these never push the primacy of that friendship aside. We follow Cat (Catherine) as she finds herself a pawn in a bargain made when she was a child and abruptly becomes married to a Cold Mage, a member of one of the powerful magical clans, and is dragged off amid a confusion of sabotage and rioting to an unknown fate. Cat is not exactly a passive victim and the story becomes a cat-and-mouse game through this world and the otherworld as Cat--in proper questing hero mode--picks up friends and allies and tries to solve the riddle of both her unexpected abilities and why her new husband is trying to kill her. We get enough bits and snippets of the immediate political history of the world that when Cat and her cousin end up in the midst of the intrigues (in a not-quite-cliffhanger of an ending) it seems the only natural thing to have happened.
Overall I found this a very enjoyable book. I loved the woman-centered story and the detailed world-building. The writing is flawless and the characters engaging (even the villains). If I were still in the period of my life when I was reading a couple books a week, I’d probably vacuum up every book Elliott has written (of which there are quite a few).
The story revolves around two young women--cousins--who each has a rather unexpected magical talent that makes them unwitting players in a larger political game. One of the most delightful aspects of the book is that their friendship and loyalty is the primary personal bond that drives the story. There are men; there are hints of potential romantic entanglements (to be explored further later in the series). But these never push the primacy of that friendship aside. We follow Cat (Catherine) as she finds herself a pawn in a bargain made when she was a child and abruptly becomes married to a Cold Mage, a member of one of the powerful magical clans, and is dragged off amid a confusion of sabotage and rioting to an unknown fate. Cat is not exactly a passive victim and the story becomes a cat-and-mouse game through this world and the otherworld as Cat--in proper questing hero mode--picks up friends and allies and tries to solve the riddle of both her unexpected abilities and why her new husband is trying to kill her. We get enough bits and snippets of the immediate political history of the world that when Cat and her cousin end up in the midst of the intrigues (in a not-quite-cliffhanger of an ending) it seems the only natural thing to have happened.
Overall I found this a very enjoyable book. I loved the woman-centered story and the detailed world-building. The writing is flawless and the characters engaging (even the villains). If I were still in the period of my life when I was reading a couple books a week, I’d probably vacuum up every book Elliott has written (of which there are quite a few).