Review Detail

Reader reviewed by WilowRaven

I have to say, it took me a few chapters to really get into this story.
It very much has the feel of an old fairy tale. Our protagonist,
un-named by her mother at birth, is called Lass by her affectionate
older brother Hans Peter. They live together, with the rest of their
large family, in the frozen north. On the day the great bear, an
isbjorn, comes to take Lass away, the family's fate is sealed. Lass
must spend a year and a day in the Ice Palace - full of fantastical
creatures and a mystery night time visitor.
There are many layers to
this tale and Lass is a wonderfully strong young girl. I really liked
this book. A few points did bother me though. The ending was rushed - I
loved the time Lass spent in the Palace of Ice and would have liked the
telling of her time in the palace east of the sun and west of the moon
to have been more detailed. Also, I felt that the troll queen and
princess weren't quite as horrible as we were led to believe.
All in all, a great YA fantasy - 3.5 out of 5 stars