4 Wine Glass #Review of Snow Maiden by Amanda V. Shane

Title: Snow Maiden
Author: Amanda V. Shane
Format: Kindle, 228 pages
Published: December 1st 2017 (Amazon Digital Services, LLC)
ISBN: 1981171460
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

A commoner and the outcast of her village, Nika is forced to flee her home to keep the dark secret of her birth. When she is hunted by a rugged Northman, she finds herself lost in a land of spells and curses. His kisses start to melt her cold, lonely heart, her secrets are laid bare and she finds herself in a magic war for the man and the kingdom she loves.

King of a cursed winter kingdom...when Vasilli first lays eyes on Nika stealing bread at a fair, he knows he has to have the fair haired beauty. The legends surrounding his kingdom tell of a snow maiden who will break the curse of the Northern Kingdom but he wants Nika for his own.

From a land of winter, ice and snow comes a tale of enchantment and romance.
Mages and sorceresses, omens and curses - this spellbinding grownup fairytale is a story of magic in an ancient land and a legendary love that will heat up even the coldest night.

A fairy tale romance – perfect for the holiday season and beyond!

Your Thoughts:
“This is, indeed, a place where magic happens…”

Snow Maiden by Amanda V. Shane is a delicious, enchanting fantasy romance. The cover is stunning and ensnared me first. Then, the blurb sealed the deal as I love re-imagined fairy tales. Per the author’s notes, her inspiration for this story was “the Snow Queen and King from the Nutcracker ballet and also the Russian folktale of The Snow Maiden, about which there is also a ballet.” Amanda is a former dancer and, in the future, she aspires to bring to life some of the great fairytales from ballets.

This tale features a beautiful winter wonderland swarming with danger, a hot king, a lovely innocent maiden with hidden magic, an evil mage and his minions, an anguished and vengeful sorceress, benevolent fairies and an abundance of woodland creatures. The primary characters are likable and genuine. King Vasilli is knightly, caring and noble. Nika, our heroine, is first introduced as an innocent outcast in a desperate situation. She quickly evolves into a take-charge, quick-thinking champion. Their saga is a classical tale of good vs. evil with a magical, steamy slant. You won’t want to put it aside until you’ve devoured every word.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Snow Maiden:

“Great King Vasilli,” one of the fairy women said, “we know that you come from the Northern Kingdom. We’ve seen you and your men journey through here before to the lands outside. This night we found a wayward traveler….”
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“You’re going to turn me into a beast, fair one.”
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“Oh, fairling,” he breathed, “you light up the dark.”

Snow Maiden is the author’s published debut and a standalone read. I am incredulous that this work is her first as it’s very good! Her writing is creative and teems with descriptive imagery making the story come alive. It kept me turning the pages into the early morning hours. Kindle Unlimited subscribers can currently read Snow Maiden for free.

Her website states that she is currently working on a Tides of Atlantis series about the super hot lost kings of Atlantis. The first installment is entitled Moontide. I can’t wait to read it!