Audiobook Review: Feathers of Snow by Alice Ivinya

In Brianna’s new world of ice and snow, the coldest things by far are the eyes of her betrothed...

Brianna bears a deadly secret: she’s not the princess she is pretending to be. If the prince finds out, her life will be forfeit and her country plunged into war.

But there is more to the icy prince than meets the eye, and Brianna slowly unravels the secrets of his dark past while surviving in a strange culture.

However her goodness and wit will only get her so far. Terrifying beasts stalk the border and a murderer is at work in the town. They know the truth of Brianna’s identity and will stop at nothing to destroy all she has fought for.

GENRE: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alice is a USA Today bestselling author who loves to write low spice young adult fantasy and fairytales.

She lives in Bristol, England. She is wife to Sam, mummy to their son and owns the best dog in the world, Summer. She has loved fantasy all her life and grew up on Robert Jordan and later, Brandon Sanderson. When she's not off galavanting in other worlds, she loves walking the dog and spending time with her church family.

Alice hopes to change the world for the better, one word at a time. Follow Alice on Facebook for all her books: www.facebook.com/sarahsfootsteps

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Review

I love fairytale retellings, so I was excited to dive into this one — especially because The Goose Girl is not a common one to write retellings about! For those who are unfamiliar, this is how that fairytale starts:

A widowed queen sends her daughter to a faraway land to marry. Accompanying the princess are her magical horse Falada, who can speak, and a waiting maid. The queen gives the princess a special charm that will protect her as long as she wears it.

This book, too, begins with that... but it delightfully subverts many things. A whole new world is also created around the fairytale, one filled with creatures called Spirit Beasts and the threat of war looming over everyone's heads. It almost has an epic fantasy feel to it... kind of like Game of Thrones (show only alas, I haven't read the books yet), but if it was focused on the Wall and the Wildlings?

We get an interesting ensemble of characters, and I thought it was quite refreshing to have a character who was just nasty and not a misunderstood tortured soul to be redeemed later. The FMC, Brianna, kind of annoyed me at times, but I just had to remind myself that this is YA and she's still maturing and learning how to deal with her past trauma.

Surprisingly, my favorite part was the romance. I'm a sucker for slowburn romances and this one was particularly glorious. I can't wait to read what happens next, though I might have to content myself with the ebooks of the next installments as the author said the audiobooks wouldn't be out for a while.

CW/TW: Death, animal cruelty

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.