The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review:

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst


Rating: 4.8/5.0

Re-read? Ice was such a joy to read, that I can definitely see myself re-reading it!

Recommend? Yes! To everyone! Though, there is some mature content, but nothing too bad.

Release Date: October 6, 2009
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 320

Synopsis:

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

My Thoughts:

Ice is an inspiring tale about a headstrong girl and her Polar bear, Bear. A re-telling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Sarah Beth Durst took a unique spin on the classic tale and truely made it feel like something new, but familiar all at the same time. She brought new life into a story that it seems most people have forgotten.

I had only heard of East of the Sun, West of the Moon once or twice as a child, and I had never read it. I just knew the basic plot. So it was so wonderful when I read Ice to be able to recognize some similar plot lines from my childhood memories. I was always "Oooh! I remember that!" or "That's new!" I had a grand ol' time explaining differences to my roommates who were familiar with the tale.

Ice was wonderfully written and kept me reading well past midnight. I found Bear extremely interesting-- despite Cassie's attitude, he held strong and I really respected him for that. It was also interesting to read about the developing love story between Bear and Cassie. I never thought I would read a love story between a Polar Bear and a human! It was definitely a different and unique experience, but one Sarah Beth Durst executed very well.

I loved Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and I cannot wait to read another book by her. Her writing style was very easy to read and her pacing was done very well. I hardly had a time in the book where I actually wanted to put the it down. This was a huge plus for me because it is really easy to get distracted at my dorm. I also loved the ending, which I won't spoil for readers. :)

Details:

Cover: 4.5
Plot: 5.0
Characters: 5.0
Writing: 4.5

38 comments:

  1. I love anything that twists a fairy tale, and this one has been getting raves, so I know I'll adore it. Can't wait to pick up my own copy!!! Great post, too. :)

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  2. Sounds great! I'm going to try it!

    http://fantasysink.blogspot.com/

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  3. The polar bear/human love thing is kinda bizarre, but I loved East by Edith Pattou, and this one sounds so good and different! I love that she's on an expedition, so cool! And that it's an Arctic research expedition is a huge plus. I love that kinda stuff.
    This is going on my Christmas list.
    Great review, Eli. =)

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  4. Hmm this is in my TRB pile (I should really stop getting books), I will try to read it as soon as possible.

    Great review girl ^^

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  5. I had no interest whatsoever in this book. But your review now has me sold!

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  6. I looked for this book at the bookstore yesterday and they didn't have it :( I want to read it so bad!

    Great review!

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  7. They might have this at my library. Now I want it @____@. I'm interested to see how Cassie falls in love with Bear, a bear. xD

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  8. Ice sounds like a really good book. I loved your review.

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  9. I looooooove polar bears, I want to read this book so much:)
    Thanks for the review.

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  10. I'm glad you enjoyed this book! I really want to read it.

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  11. This story just sounds so amazing, how fun is it to read about polar bears. :)

    The cover is cute

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  12. i've got east on tbr pile and been wanting to read it now it seems that i have add ice too.

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  13. It sounds like a great book, I like that its a retelling of another story.

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  14. Have heard so much about this book, and your review has definitely added to the voices in my head, prompting me to buy it when it reaches NZ!!

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  16. This sounds extremely interesting!

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  17. My gosh, this makes me want to read the story now.
    I had never heard or read the story East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but I have heard of it. As of now, I am determinedd to read that story, and the novel (marrying polar bears? FTW! Hahaha :P)

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  18. I've read mixed reviews about Ice, so I'm happy to see that you love it! I can't wait to read this book.

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  19. Had never heard of East of the Sun, West of the Moon before. Anyway, it sounds interesting, so maybe I should check out it as well as Ice.

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  20. I'm not really familiar with the story East of the Sun, West of the Moon. But this sounds good and I love anything with a touch of fairy tale! :)

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  21. Great review. I loved the cover and would love to read it. I'm not familiar with East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but this book still sounds wonderful: )

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  22. It sounds great, very interesting and a nice cover too ^^

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  23. this one sounds really good! adding to my wishlist. thanks for the review

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  24. When I first read about this book, it made me stop and go HUH? It sounds interesting, but still unsure LOL. Great review.

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  25. Nice review! I love reading fairytale-like stories! I'm going to check out this book!

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  26. Thanks for the great review! I've been looking at this one for some time because of the interesting fairytale aspect to it, and I really want to see how Sarah Beth Durst develops the relationship between polar bear and girl. :)

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  27. It sounds awesome! Great Review. :)

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  28. What a wonderful review. The book sounds fantastic. I love fairy tale books :) Can't wait to read it!

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  29. I love fairy tale retellings and this book has only gotten rave reviews! I hope to read it soon :) Thanks!

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  30. I love fairy tales, and I've read the tale 'East of the sun, West of the moon' Lili Wilkinson had it in her novel Scatterheart.
    I cant wait to read Ice it looks awesome :D My kind of book!

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  31. Ice has been on my wishlist for ages (or, it feels that way). There's a Norwegian fairytale called Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon or White-Bear-King Valemon that my mother used to tell me when I was younger. The concept is somewhat similar to what supposedly caused Cassie's mother to disappear although White-Bear-King Valemon is far happier in the sense that the Princess doesn't end up imprisoned at the end of the world.

    I know (or I think I read it at some point) that Ice is based on a fairytale as well, a different one that I can't for the life of me remember what is called, which is enough to gain my interest (I'm a sucker for fairytale-inspired books).

    The plot itself seems very interesting and I'm in love with the cover (that might in part be due to my love of Polar Bears... <_<). It sounds like one of those books I'd cuddle up in my favourite chair with a blanket and a cup of cocoa to read. In short, it looks really nice :)

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  32. i'd love to read this book! cover looks gorge and the plot's interesting

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  33. This sounds like a really interesting book. I'm glad you liked it so much, Eli!

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  34. The book has captured my attention both in cover and in plot. Seems like it would make a very nice winter read under the covers with a cup of hot chocolate and freshly baked Christmas cookies. Great review and I like the way you rated each category. Happy Holidays:)

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  35. This book sounds really really good, I love twists on fairy tales. =) Great job!

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  36. Great review. The polar bear/human paring had me questioning if I wanted to read this book, but after reading your review I do want to read it. Thanks!

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  37. Great Review, sounds really interesting!

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  38. I'm definitely going to have to read this at some point, probably will pick it up for J. Kaye's 2010 YA Challenge! I loooove books about headstrong people :-D

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