Ice & Ivy
By J.D. Evans
Ice & Ivy is a story about lies. The lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell each other. Lies to protect. Lies to deceive. Lies as a shield, and lies as a weapon.
More than that, Ice & Ivy is also a story about love and kindness.
About how love breaks down walls of lies and fear. How kindness and hope endure in the face of hate and greed.
Ice & Ivy is about Nesrin, a peasant’s daughter made to impersonate a noblewoman and sent to marry a prince. It’s about her struggles to maintain the lie she lives while learning to navigate a world of backstabbing and intrigue completely alien to the honest, straightforward life she’s used to.
Obviously, there’s a dude as well – Ihsan – and while he’s interesting enough, Nesrin completely steals the show. In fairness, Ihsan is really well written. He’s been a character on the edges of the previous books, and it’s good to finally see him get some time in the spotlight. Even then, Nesrin outshines him by far.
Like the previous books in the series, Ice & Ivy stands both on its own and as part of a bigger picture. Each book has its own couple struggling to love, and each book has its own theme. In this one, it’s lies and kindness, and the mood is serious, but not outright dark, like in the third book. There’s hope and calm, and there are funny moments, but not straight up humorous, like the second book.
It’s been a long time since I read the previous book in the series, so it took me a while to pick up on the background story and who the big players are. At the same time, it took me next to no time at all to settle back into the world of Tamar and Narfour. It felt good to be back, and and the book welcomed me in.
What I’ll whine about
It’s very clear who the main antagonist is, and he’s a vile, despicable person. Unfortunately, it’s not quite clear to me what his plan is. He obviously acts in what he considers to be the best interest of the nation, and he wants to have the power for himself, but other than that, I don’t know what his plan is. I’m sure it was mentioned in an earlier book, and it might even have been mentioned at the start of this one, but I don’t actually remember. A reminder here and there would have been helpful.
What I’ll gush about
Sense of place. Something about how the story is written makes the world feel absolutely rock solid. Unlike so many other fantasy books, Tamar feels like a real place and not just something pulled out of the author’s imagination.
Nesrin. Our main character is the kind of heroine I can’t help but love. She’s kind and caring, and appears weak at first glance, but has an inner strength that comes out to face down the things she considers wrong, eventually. Much as I enjoyed the Aysel in book two, Nesrin is my new favourite in the series.
The romance. You can probably say a lot about arranged/forced marriages, and there’s some commentary on that in the book, but, let’s not go there. The relationship between Nesrin and Ihsan starts out slow, confused, and reluctant, but, despite everything, it grows, little by little. All the while, the lies, and their consequences, grow bigger and bigger, and the stakes higher. There were times I really wished for Ihsan and Nesrin to slow down and not go so fast, simply because I knew just how much each of them would hurt when the web of lies inevitably untangled. I don’t recall having encountered that in a romance before.
At the same time, I deeply wished for them to come together and be the best they could be for each other.
Final Words
A heartwarming, somewhat steamy fantasy romance, about how hope and kindness overcome lies and deceit.
Musical Accompaniment
While reading, I listened to the music of Boral Kibil and Mahmut Orhan, among others.
