This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
From USA Today Bestselling Author K Webster, comes a dark, fantasy romance standalone novel!
In a cold, empty castle, a young queen is dying.
Weak. Fragile. Disgraced.
But Queen Whitestone is not alone in her final days.
She has her beloved sister.
Until a wicked king rides onto her land.
Arrogant. Insufferable. Demanding.
King Bloodsun has come with an offer…peace in trade for a bride.
He wants the princess.
The fiery king won’t take no for an answer.
He vows to keep the cold queen captive until she gives in to his demands.
A queen bows for no one, though.
Not even when she’s frail and fading away.
She’ll tap into her strength, protecting the only family she has left.
The king is about to learn why they call her the cruel one…
So close to death, my queen. You simply needed a dark king to bring you back to life.
My Review
First Impressions
I have been meaning to get more of this author’s works, and when I saw a favorite booktuber raving about this one, I just knew that I needed to pick this one up. I am so happy that I did that. Because this story just was everything that I didn’t know that I needed in my life. It is such a beautiful dark romance that is a retelling of Frozen. I have NEVER read a retelling of Frozen before actually, and it’s loosely a retelling, and those who have read this one probably know to which I am referring. BUT it also has one of my favorite sub-genres which is epic fantasy and I adored how K Webster wrote this one. It had such a mix of darker themes, the perfect setting, an alpha male, and a heroine that is turning into a butterfly. It definitely had its share of Frozen feels (even though I am not a fan of Frozen) we finally get a story that I can get behind and a beautiful epic romance that won my heart so quickly. And as a plus, it’s a super-fast read. This romance is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet and you will be more than happy to go along with the ride.
This woman has power over me—power I didn’t even know existed in this world. Making a powerful man like myself feel powerless is a very dangerous move.
Summary
Elzira, Queen Whitestone, Ruler of the North Icelands, is dying. When she lost her father at a young age, she had to harden herself and become the queen she was born to be. But she is slowly dying and she knows she doesn’t have much time left. Her magic is starting to fade, and the cold is more of a curse than a blessing. But now she has to deal with a neighboring King that wants her sister for his own and wants to unify their forces to fight the nomads that are invading their lands and are like locusts that need to be stopped. Then we have King Ryke Bloodsun, ruler of the Souta Volcanoes and the Truthseeker. He is a formidable warrior and one that sees much more going on with Iceland’s kingdom than their own queen does. Including the fact that Elzira may have power but that power and strength is dwindling with every hour. He begins are taking over the kingdom and while seen as an enemy at first, there is more to Ryke than meets the eye, and the chemistry building between him and Elzira is tearing down the walls that Elzira has built for herself. Because while she knows she can’t trust him, there is something more to Ryke than meets the eye and when he starts to care for Elzira and slowly brings her back to life and power, a fierce love will blossom between the two but is their power enough to defeat the enemies that are both seen and unseen?
From the moment I saw her, I knew she was mine. I never planned on taking her sister or leaving her. No, I was going to make her my queen in every way possible. And that’s my truth.
What I Loved
The Cold Queen was such a breathtaking story that won me over so quickly. And I definitely think if you are looking to get into Dark Romance and you want something that is edgy, I can’t recommend this one enough here. It definitely has so many positive factors to it. I just love the way that this hero surprised me in how he cares for the heroine. As a truthseeker, he can see the truth and the lies and deceptions and I love that he sees all the enemies that surround them and pay attention to the little details, and cares so much for Elzira. Elzira was a heroine that I could definitely get behind and I don’t say that too often with alpha females, but K Webster wrote this heroine in such a way that just worked for me so well. She was so relatable and had vulnerabilities I could get behind. There is such a good balance that grows between these two. I also liked seeing the growth in the heroine and seeing her really come into herself and her abilities. And it’s such a plus when the hero is encouraging her to become who she was meant to be. The sex scenes are pretty hot and there is some mild BDSM. But it’s not extreme or anything. I normally don’t go for short books like this, and even though I could have hoped for something a bit longer as I am selfish and didn’t want this story to end, I also couldn’t get enough of this one either. It had so many elements that worked so well for me. And if you like epic fantasy, and want to see how a Frozen retelling would work…..you definitely need to give this one a chance.
“If I die today,” I rumble. “Know that every second with you was the ultimate gift.”
What I Struggled With
The only thing I can think of is the length …..there could have been more length in this story
Overall View
Cold Queen is a superb read that swept me off my feet, it was packed with a powerhouse of elements that blend together so flawlessly. It’s a story of self-discovery, of renewed hope, standing by the ones you love, and fighting for what matters. Its boldness will win your heart with each chapter and charm your socks off.
Heat blazes through me, my eyes searing into hers. “I’ll burn the whole damn world to the ground. If you can’t exist in my world, then no one else is allowed to.” My cruel queen smiles. “Our love is destructive.” “Only for those who attempt to step between it.”
Book Details
Title: Cold Queen
Author: K. Webster
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Length: 202 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 5
Story Itself: 5
Character Development: 5
Writing Style: 4.5
World Building 5
Feels + The Romantic Heart 5
Pacing 5
Plot 5
Cover Art 5
Ending 5
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
About The Author
K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.
This sounds fantastic! I like that it is a frozen retelling. Great review!
I always find new authors to check out from you.
I loved this book and I’m so glad it was a winner for you 🙂 Fantastic review xox