Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes Series #2)

by Sara Raasch

Overview

Game of Thrones meets Graceling in this thrilling fantasy, the heart-pounding sequel to New York Times bestseller Snow Like Ashes. This action-packed series is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. The last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders Meira and Theron on a mission to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans on using the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, Mather decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken Kingdom and protect his people from new threats?

As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062286963
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/30/2016
Series:	Snow Like Ashes Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	54,715
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, These Rebel Waves, and These Divided Shores. You can visit her online at www.sararaaschbooks.com and @seesarawrite on Twitter.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for SNOW LIKE ASHES: “Snow Like Ashes is a thrilling story with unforgettable characters set in a stunning fantasy world that had me quickly turning pages. I want more!

Morgan Rhodes

Lush and poetic

Booklist

Lush and poetic

Booklist

Will have readers needing the next one, now.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Lush and poetic” %COMM_CONTRIB%Booklist

09/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—This sequel picks up right where Snow Like Ashes (Harper, 2014) left off. Indeed, the novel makes no effort to refresh background from the first book. The world we are in (a map is included) is divided into provinces, which are categorized as Seasons or Rhythms. Meira, the protagonist, has been placed in an arranged marriage unifying her seasonal province, Winter, with a Rhythm province. Despite the romantic sparks between the couple in the previous volume, the embers here are neglected, as the two teens work against each other to recapture the magic in the kingdoms. The magic for each province is housed in a conduit (necklace, crown, etc.). If the item is destroyed, then the sovereign becomes the conduit. Meanwhile, there is additional untapped magic housed in secret chasms, which are tricky to find and trickier to open. Magic can be used for ill, like duping all the slaves in a province to think they are content. In the first installment, Meira is presented as a tough chakrum-master. In this entry, she struggles with trying to act like a proper sovereign. However, readers who hang in there will be treated to an epic showdown as the tough girl returns. This sequel is ambitious and assumes a great deal of background knowledge; even the characters are difficult to keep straight. That being said, hard-core fantasy fans will eat this up and clamor for the conclusion. VERDICT A required purchase anywhere the first was popular.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

School Library Journal

2015-06-23
In this sequel to Snow Like Ashes, Winter's queen, Meira, struggles to forge a new life for her recently liberated people.Meira feels smothered by her role as queen, and her narration makes her rocky adjustment to the immense responsibilities of ruling a kingdom achingly sympathetic. Noam, king of Cordell (who has loaned Winter aid), has ordered Meira to reopen Winter's mines in hopes of finding the powerful magical chasm of legend. However, when it is found, Meira vows to keep it shut; she is distrustful of magic after learning about the Decay, a byproduct of magic used incorrectly. She embarks on a journey to meet the rulers of other kingdoms in Primoria as a cover for finding the keys necessary to open the chasm. Interspersed with Meira's are chapters from Mather's perspective, in which he defies Noam when left in Winter while Meira travels. Always a likable character, Meira's insecurities in her new role make her appealing in a way that invests readers in her storyline as well as her character. Additionally, with such a high page count, it's especially noteworthy that the story is so well-paced. Unanswered questions will have readers awaiting the third book and hoping that it brings Meira and her people peace at long last. (map) (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews