Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice

Ice and Fate Duology, Book 1

By: H.L. Burke

Narrated by: Rena Gail

To save a kingdom, she must lose her heart.

Born a princess in a land where the sun never sets, Arynne longs for the freedom to use her inborn magic. When an emissary from the dark side of the world requests an alliance sealed by marriage, Arynne jumps at a chance to escape the rules of her homeland. Even if it means marrying a prince she's never met and never seeing the sun again.

The starlit kingdom of Frorheim believes that only a marriage of a Solean sun princess to their star prince will thwart the return of a feared sorcerer. Arynne meets the qualifications, but the journey is perilous. Even more dangerous to Arynne, however, is her growing attraction to the roguish Frorian soldier, Kajik.

In the throes of true love, Arynne rues her betrothal to the unknown prince. Can she follow her heart knowing that if she forsakes her vow, Frorheim is doomed, and herself along with it?

©2019 H.L. Burke (P)2019 H.L. Burke

Engrossing

I read this after reading book two! I think I enjoyed it even more than if I’d read it first, as I could now see how all the threads wove together. I really enjoyed this tale of a princess who longed to become more than just a bargaining chip to cement an alliance. I loved watching her grow as a person, and being willing to sacrifice happiness for love. Wonderfully narrated by Rena Gail. I received a free audiobook, with no obligation.

Solid performance, good fantasy story

4 of 5 stars Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice by H.L. Burke
Ice and Fate Duology, Book 1
Narrated by Rena Gail
*Will attempt to keep spoiler free, but read at your own risk if you loath anything that could be considered a spoiler if you squint at it wrong.
Summary:
Arynne is fetched from her home kingdom of Solea to fulfill a prophecy by marrying the Star Prince of Froria. (Basically the perpetually light side of a planet. There are some hints that this is still Earth, just in a future where magic reigns.)

Additional Comments:
• The journey between the two kingdoms takes up a very large section of the book. I’m divided on whether that many pages (or minutes of the audiobook) were needed to get from point A to point B, but you do get to learn a bit about the dangers in the world. With even an abbreviated journey, the book would have been at least 2.5 hours shorter. At least one part of the long journey just seems too convenient.
• World building is good. The rules of magic aren’t crystal clear but there’s enough detail to get a feel for some of the dos, don’ts, and in between info.
• Magic system is cool. There are Minders (mental gifts also healers) and Travelers (teleportation), fire magic, and those who can wield star magic.
• Main Characters are okay. Arynne and Kajik are the sort you can root for even though they make a lot of dumb decisions.
• Side characters can be summed up in short phrases: The perfect prince, the evil king, the scheming aunt, the lady’s maid, and so on.
• I’m hoping more happens with Arynne’s magic in book 2 because right now it’s sort of a nuisance. She hasn’t trained in it. That’s kind of the point.
• The only thing that wasn’t well sketched out is the dangers facing the kingdom on the dark side of the world. We do get the back story but it relies on quite a few huge assumptions and blind faith in a prophecy body truly understands. I’m guessing it gets fleshed out more in book 2. (This is probably why most epic fantasy is just Brandon Sanderson long by the end.)
• The twists are mostly predictable, especially near the end of the book. I believe there as one that fooled me, thanks to some really heavy-handed hint dropping. Still, even the predictable twists are satisfying.
• It’s essentially part one of a larger story that pretty much ends with a TO BE CONTINUED sign.
• Is it worth seeking out book 2? Well, you’ll have to if you want a complete tale. This story does not stand on its own. I think I have book 2 lurking around here somewhere.
• Rena Gail’s performance is fine. She fits the main characters well and uses different voices to distinguish between the various major and most minor characters. I think she has done quite a few books by this author.
Conclusion:
If you intend to read both, this is an interesting fantasy world to explore. If you’re looking for something complete by itself, I’d say search elsewhere.

*I received a copy of the audio from the narrator. I have freely chosen to review the story. All thoughts are my own.

A tale of two climates.

I greatly enjoyed this production of H. L. Burke's Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice. As great as Burke's prose is it's narrator Rena Gail who truly shines. She goes far beyond simply reading aloud.

She differentiates voices from one another, and adds effects such as two people actually talking in unison.

She sings.

The story spans two nations with different languages, allowing the narrator to play with accents to distinguish each.

Fans of Marvel movies will particularly enjoy this story as the voice actor basically does Thor for Kay and Suri for Ayran.

I recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for an entertaining escape. And I certainly hope that this narrator returns for the second book in this series.