"fun coming of age fantasy"

The mages of Woodland in Amrodel have been caught unaware from the evil of the Arch Mage who has put many of them into a comatose sleep. This is the first step by the malevolent being to escape his tomb incarceration.

The last hope in the Woodlands rests with Cahira. She is provided with the dragonfly sword, the only know weapon that can kill the Arch Mage, and a shield containing what little is left of magical prowess by the mages. Her quest is to find the Warrior of the Light, the only person who can use the sword. However, by seeking this champion she has also provided the Arch Mage the second step in his resurrection. When Cahira meets Aren, chief of the Norsk she feels she has found the hero to battle the Arch Mage. They, accompanied by his men, begin the journey to the catacomb of the Arch Mage for the final confrontation.

PRINCE OF ICE is a fun coming of age fantasy in which the young champions are learning on the job while fighting an invincible opponent with the stakes being the world (talk about pressure). Cahira and Aren is an interesting paring as their respective people have an adversarial history while the Arch Mage is cleverly kept in the shadows making him seem even more powerful and sinister. Fans of quest fantasies will find this tale quite appealing.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 25, 2006

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Summary

The power of the Arch Mage has grown strong enough to immobilize the defenders of Amrodel, woodland kingdom. Only one hope remains: a girl, the would-be sorceress Cahira. Upon her shoulders lies the fate of her people.

Cahira's task is to find the prophesied man of "pure light" and arm him with the Dragonfly Sword. She saw him once as a youngster, but Aren is one of her people's ancestral enemies. All Cahira loves lies in the balance, and she and her friends are being sent into the cold north to find a barbaric rogue. North to danger, north to salvation, north to find the...Prince of Ice.