Review: Of Ice and Promises

My latest ARC from Beyond the Bookery's Twist of Tales series is Of Ice and Promises by Jenny A. Bee. This book is a gender-bent, magicless retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," which sounded like a pretty big challenge. Fortunately, she was up to the task and wrote a convincing story that drew enough elements from the fairy tale to be familiar while replacing all the magic and trolls with real objects and people. I have to admit I was impressed with how well this story worked under such rigid guidelines.

The premise of this book works well as a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," but the circumstances of the male protagonist also reminded me of a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear" also known as "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers." Both stories are about a boy who agreed to stay in a stranger's mansion under mysterious conditions in exchange for a reward. The main difference is that Theodore isn't doing it to learn about fear, but to help his family. Instead of encountering monsters, he encounters a sad girl in a polar bear costume who was forced to set up the challenge to get out of an unwanted marriage.

Na'omi, the polar bear girl, must follow a series of strict rules to earn her freedom. She is not allowed to speak or remove the polar bear costume during daytime hours. At night, she must sleep next to Theodore in pitch darkness. If he sees her, she fails the challenge and must marry her tormentor. These rules form a strong parallel with "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," making the polar bear transformation something that could exist in the real world. Na'omi's silence is the biggest obstacle between her and Theodore, but he finds other ways to communicate with her through their shared love of reading.

This book has an elegant narrative style, filled with lush descriptions to make up for the lack of dialogue from Na'omi's vow of silence. Theodore befriends a hawk on the way to the mansion, who becomes a beloved companion throughout the book. The prose is so lovely that the ending almost feels like a let-down when the ethereal world of the mansion with the silent polar bear is replaced with regular people and corruption in the real world. Still, the book provides a satisfying overall experience for readers who enjoy magical realism.

Overall, Of Ice and Promises is a poetic retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" with a silent heroine and a sympathetic protagonist. It strips the fairy tale down to its most basic roots, forming a timeless love story filled with mystery and intrigue. The polar bear costume, the vow of silence, and nightly visits all translate surprisingly well into a grounded story about coercion, survival, and found connection. I recommend this book to fairy tale fans who prefer magical realism over epic fantasy retellings.