Review: Ice and the Elves

Ice and the Elves is the latest book in Anabelle Raven's Elves & Legends series. Like the other books in this series, it is an extremely loose fairy tale retelling that is essentially an original story. This particular book draws inspiration from "Sleeping Beauty" by incorporating themes of dream magic. It takes place in the same high fantasy world as the other Elves & Legends books, in which there is a rivalry between humans and elves. This book directly follows the events of Nolan and the Elf, in which an elf and a human fall in love, and explores the fallout of their actions. It is a dark story centered around a war setting, which may not be every fairy tale fan's cup of tea.

Ice and the Elves is a second-chance romance that begins after a lot of important events have already taken place, which requires the reader to catch up through expository dialogue and description. Kendrick is an elf prince seeking revenge for his parents' murder by a king and queen from another elven kingdom. Aneira is the princess of that kingdom and does not approve of her parents' actions. Before the book begins, Kendrick met Aneira and fell in love with her, but determined that they couldn't be together due to their conflicting positions. The story starts with their tepid reunion, in which they must settle their differences in the midst of a massive war taking place between multiple factions.

For me, the strongest element of this book, as well as the series, is the worldbuilding and magic system. Anabelle has created a rich world of elven kingdoms that feels authentic, flawed, and believable. The racism between humans and elves is a common theme in fantasy as well as, unfortunately, real life, and was handled well in this book. Aneira is so convinced that her sister would never choose to marry a human that she sends an entire army to rescue her from her loving spouse. This stubborn pessimism plays into her refusal to believe that Kendrick still has feelings for her after their previous dalliance.

The story takes place in the middle of a war and is packed with action. Although there is no gratuitous violence, it might not be ideal for readers seeking a cozy romance. However, the war setting feels more like a background character for a large portion of the book, as a lot of time is spent with Aneira and Kendrick alone together, facing their inner demons of the past. The fighting tactics used throughout the book are fascinating. They stem from the individual magical abilities of the characters. Aneira has ice magic that she uses to freeze her enemies, while Kendrick can manipulate other people's dreams, a useful tactic for sending messages and gathering information.

Ice and the Elves expands upon the richly detailed and complex world of the Elves and Legends series. Its war-torn backdrop will appeal to fans of darker fairy tale retellings like Once Upon a Time. The backstory of the characters was very interesting, and I would have loved to read more about their first meeting. Maybe these scenes were included in another book from this series, but all of their references to their earlier relationship in this book narrated through dialogue. With its unique magic system and nuanced exploration of racism and second chances, it is a compelling read for fans of fantasy and romance.