I have read many books by Melanie Karsak (you can see them all here) and have greatly enjoyed them all. My latest read from her, Ice and Embers: Steampunk Snow Queen, is no different. She writes fantasy and romance in a way that I just love but I’ll get more into that below. This review will be spoiler free.

I like to give a heat level rating for all books with romance. If you’re curious about my rating system, you can check it out here.

Synopsis:

It takes more than passion and pixie dust to thaw a frozen heart.

With the 1814 London Frost Fair in full swing, actress Elyse McKenna’s performance in A Midwinter Night’s Dream thrills the crowd. But Elyse’s backstage has life is beginning to take on a distinctly Shakespearean flavor.

When she fell in love with Lord John Waldegrave, Elyse was prepared to keep their affair secret. But she wasn’t ready for her new love to rock her relationship with her dearest friend, Doctor Kai Murray.

Everything Elyse thought she knew about her feelings for her old friend is flipped upside down when an enchanting ship captain turns her attention to Kai.

If Elyse hopes to escape the Thames with her heart intact, she must discover the truth about the captain, Kai, John, and her own feelings–before it’s too late.

Ice and Embers is a retelling of the classic Snow Queen fairy tale set in a steampunk universe. Journey to gaslamp London during the 19th century to see how Melanie puts a steampunk spin on this reimagined fairytale.

My Thoughts:

• Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Heat Level- 

I find books that I rate five stars to be the hardest to review. I’m not sure what to say about Ice and Embers other than I loved everything about it. I wanted to read a specific kind of story during the winter season and this book checked all my boxes. The setting of the London Frost Fair gave the perfect chilly winter vibes. Karsak always does an excellent job of transporting you to wherever her story takes place and this time was no different.

The romance, while not surprising, was so good. I am a big fan of the childhood friends to lovers trope so obviously I was rooting for Kai and Elyse to end up together. There was the perfect amount of drama to keep me on the edge of my seat and I was LIVID during a certain scene with a certain ship captain…

Another aspect of Karsak’s writing that I always enjoy is how she incorporates fantasy. This is a retelling of the Snow Queen and while it does deviate from the original, it still has the same magical vibes. The fairytale aspects are kept more on the periphery of the story. There’s one instance where Elyse thinks she sees a small fairy in the snow but then she blinks and its just the snow glimmering. It’s written in a way where we, as the reader, know that there’s some magical, fairytale things going on but the characters really don’t and I love that. 

Final Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a quick winter read with magical vibes and a great romance, this is the book for you. Melanie Karsak has written so much and I hope to read more from her in the coming year because she is a fantastic writer. I would love to know if this sounds like a story you’d enjoy! Thanks for reading and have a great day!