Received ER book.
I read this a while ago but somehow the review fell through the cracks. I mention this as it's not a fresh review straight after reading. My memories of the book are that it was a political fantasy- machinations of the world get a lot of detailing and I also remember thinking I would have liked a little more time spent on the bow-making. I used to do archery and competitions so that was appealing to me. Good read. ( )

A very complicated book. It deals with different people and politics and ideas. The author is gracious and insightful. Thank you. ( )

I received a copy of this book through LT early reviewers. The following review is spoiler free.

First, a technical note. The ebook copy I downloaded didn't work quite properly on iBooks on my iPad - there were no breaks between chapters (not that there are many), resulting in a chapter list that simply stated "FMI". Also some dialogue, which I assume was supposed to be intended (or maybe written in cursive?) mostly just looked like normal paragraphs - not that it was too difficult to figure out when something wasn't spoken aloud. However, together with a few other minor details (the weird capitalisation "From Mountains of ice" at the top of each page and the lack of cover art) it didn't give a good first impression about the publisher.

The story however, once it properly starts, kept me captivated to the last page. Although it starts out in a very general setting and at first seems to mostly concern politics and economies of imaginary countries that try to find balance between power struggles and trade, it also introduces a world that feels both familiar (with clear references to Mediterranean cultures) and fantastical (communing with death ancestors through their bones). Descriptions were vivid and although some outcomes were quite predictable, there was never a really dull moment. Actually I would have wished to know a bit more about the world and the cultures that seemed to be hovering on the edge on modernity, having discovered antibiotics but apparently not firearms. The other thing I would have wanted to read more about was Carmelo, whose viewpoint we only see at the very beginning of the book. As far as I could gather, there was nothing unusual about his behaviour at this point, and I think the scene should have continued a bit further to better explain the crucial change in him that is only described by other characters later on and which is the basis for everything that happens. I also wished there had been a map, even though the geography wasn't too complex. I just like maps. ;) Another minor gripe was the constant "kneeing" of horses to run or turn - this would be like driving a car with your elbows!

I also have to mention two things that I really appreciated: first - there are real physical and emotional consequences to the characters who suffer physical trauma. Secondly, the book was easy and quick to read and didn't require me to reference a long character list or delve into the lives of characters of no consequence to the plot, like so much of the genre today - refreshing.

All in all a good and entertaining read. ( )

In From Mountains of Ice we meet Sylvio. He is a bowyer and a bonespeaker (a person who can speak to the dead through the bones of the deceased). Ten years ago Sylvio got banished from the court of Simare by Prince Carmelo. Now the same Prince has asked Sylvio to attend the yearly marked in Breena, the capitol of Simare. Has this someting to do with the rumors of unrest near the borders? Or is it somthing else completely?

After finishing the book I was not entirely sure what it was all about. Both the story and the characters suffered from a lack of debth. I want more meat on the bone, more juicy details to sink my teeth into. The world of Simare felt like a light mix of Italy, France and Spain in a medievalish setting. Again, no debth and no history despite that a major part of the plot was connected to the ancestery of the Simarians.

Sadly it is the same story with the characters. Even when Sylvio is on the brink of death all I get to know about him is that he treats the people around him worse than they deserve (why he does this we never get to know). What makes him behave the way he does? Why does he never show his gratitude to people? Why does.... I could go on forever but you know where I'm going.

All in all it was an OK story, but the lack of bacground, of history, of a "meaty" plot makes it hard to connect with the story and its characters. It ends up being a bit too superficial. ( )

I received an Early Reviewer copy of this book but am sorry to report that I can't get past the first chapter. The prologue was quite promising, but the first chapter dumps such a load of arcane matter, unexplained politics and undeveloped characters on the reader that even after several tries I had no desire to continue further. It was almost if this book was the second in a series, and I should have read the first one to know what was going on in this one. It may be that these issues are resolved in subsequent chapters. If so, my apologies. Usually I am quite patient in allowing a fantasy world to unfold, but not this time.