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Available
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Harlequin
Description
Falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, Aleksia, the ice fairy and Queen of the Northern Lights, realizing that a heartless imposter is ruining her reputation, sets out to face down a formidable foe.
User reviews
LibraryThing member titania86
Aleksia is the Snow Queen and a fairy godmother. Her job is to nudge (or bludgeon depending on how stubborn someone is) the inhabitants in her area so their respective fairy tale paths will end in happiness and prosperity instead of carnage and possibly death. The Tradition is an amorphous power
This is the fourth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series and I still can't wait to see more. I love this world where fairy tale characters are a part of everyday life. In many traditional fairy tales, women just sit, wait for a handsome prince to come rescue them, and look pretty. There are very few tales where a female character be active and try to solve her own problem. This world features a plethora of strong, driven women who aren't afraid to go on adventures of their own. It's a theme that goes through all of the books in one way or another and I really like this feminist updating of fairy tales. In this book, not only does Aleksia fight to overthrow her imposter, but a young woman named Kaari goes on a quest to rescue her love from the imposter snow queen. Mercedes Lackey is making fairy tales relevant to our time by making changes to them, just as the Brothers Grimm did in their time.
Even though I really like Aleksia and the world she inhabits, this is still my least favorite of this series. The pacing feels really strange. There would be long drawn out and unnecessary scenes of Aleksia hunting as an animal or inessential drama in the Sammi village. The major problem of the novel isn't even addressed until the last 20 pages. It felt incredibly rushed and tacked on. The same goes for Aleksia's romance. There was really no chemistry or tension or even remote interest between the two characters until the very last page of the book. There just seemed to be no reason for it to be there at all. Editing errors were present throughout the narrative. The most glaringly obvious ones were conflicting descriptions of characters. There was also one chapter that literally ended midsentence. I had never seen anything like it and I wondered how something like this could escape an editor. I contacted the book publisher and they sent me a hardcover version which did include the missing page. The paperback seems to be the only version with this problem.
Overall, the plot and numerous editing problems really disappointed me, but the characters and the universe were still interesting as with the previous books in the series. I hope the next in the series, The Sleeping Beauty, will be a decided improvement over this one.
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that emanates throughout the land that influences people in a path that is seen time and time again in folk and fairy tales. Aleksia must work with this power to ensure happy fairy tale endings. She lives in an ice palace far from everyone and feels very lonely. She has never been involved in any sort of adventure before and longs for more human contact. One day, Aleksia hears rumors of a witch impersonating her and destroying whole villages with her magic. In order to save her own reputation and the lives of her imposter's victims, she must embark on an adventure of her own. Unlike the people she observes, she has no idea where the Tradition will lead her.This is the fourth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series and I still can't wait to see more. I love this world where fairy tale characters are a part of everyday life. In many traditional fairy tales, women just sit, wait for a handsome prince to come rescue them, and look pretty. There are very few tales where a female character be active and try to solve her own problem. This world features a plethora of strong, driven women who aren't afraid to go on adventures of their own. It's a theme that goes through all of the books in one way or another and I really like this feminist updating of fairy tales. In this book, not only does Aleksia fight to overthrow her imposter, but a young woman named Kaari goes on a quest to rescue her love from the imposter snow queen. Mercedes Lackey is making fairy tales relevant to our time by making changes to them, just as the Brothers Grimm did in their time.
Even though I really like Aleksia and the world she inhabits, this is still my least favorite of this series. The pacing feels really strange. There would be long drawn out and unnecessary scenes of Aleksia hunting as an animal or inessential drama in the Sammi village. The major problem of the novel isn't even addressed until the last 20 pages. It felt incredibly rushed and tacked on. The same goes for Aleksia's romance. There was really no chemistry or tension or even remote interest between the two characters until the very last page of the book. There just seemed to be no reason for it to be there at all. Editing errors were present throughout the narrative. The most glaringly obvious ones were conflicting descriptions of characters. There was also one chapter that literally ended midsentence. I had never seen anything like it and I wondered how something like this could escape an editor. I contacted the book publisher and they sent me a hardcover version which did include the missing page. The paperback seems to be the only version with this problem.
Overall, the plot and numerous editing problems really disappointed me, but the characters and the universe were still interesting as with the previous books in the series. I hope the next in the series, The Sleeping Beauty, will be a decided improvement over this one.
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LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Meh. This did not exactly win me back over after the disappointment in the first book. It's a perfectly serviceable book, and it provides some interesting spin on a fairy tale I found bewilderingly mean-spirited as a child, but the ending was glurgetastic and none of the characters really won me
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over. Show Less
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
An interesting take on Andersen's Snow Queen. This one is good, one of the Godmothers who keep the fairytale Tradition from wreaking havoc on lives in the Five Hundred Kingdoms. A false Snow Queen is bringing unnatural winter to the Finland-analogue, and the real Queen must find and stop her. One
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of Lackey's better books. Show Less
LibraryThing member hailelib
Another of the books about The Five Hundred Kingdoms. Pretty good, but my favorite is still One Good Knight. The Snow Queen is one of the Godmothers, but an evil witch is impersonating her so naturally she has to track this witch down and stop her. More would have lots of spoilers. Recommended.
LibraryThing member hcanton
Fun, fast read. It definitely has some storyline consistency issues towards the end of the book, of things like characters being told something on one page only to cover the same ground again a few pages later or where the character knows something differently than what they'd been told; there are
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a number of glitches that should have been caught by the editor, things like the wrong name being referenced in a conversation; and the last few pages of the story are quite weak, but the story as a whole is light fun. I much preferred this book over "The Fairy Godmother" in that throughout the book M.Lackey always remembers that she is writing a fairy tale with a strong heroine, unlike in "The Fairy Godmother" where it seemed she would sometimes forget that she was writing a fairytale and not a bodice ripper. Thankfully, this book has none of the porn undercurrent that ruined "The Fairy Godmother" for me (which other than that undercurrent, I thought was a good tale). Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Aleksia's time as a Fairy Godmother has been challenging, but she's beginning to get just a wee bit bored and lonely with the routine of always being the "evil" snow queen. Given the location of her castle, she's a bit short on visitors (other than her "victims") as well. So when a real Snow Queen
A bit tame, actually. And it could have used just a touch more in the way of romance.
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threatens one of the neighboring kingdoms with perpetual winter, Aleksia decides it's time she has a hand in the adventure.A bit tame, actually. And it could have used just a touch more in the way of romance.
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LibraryThing member pacey1927
I have read and enjoyed all the books in Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series. "The Snow Queen" while enjoyable was still easily my least favorite.
The basic premise is the snow queen Aleksia is the Godmother over an icy territory called the Sammies. Like every good Godmother she watches over her
I like the character of Aleksia a great deal. Her peronality was very distinct and she has a very unusual sense of humor. However, the story of Aleksia would have been better if her background was expanded on. What happened to get her to the position of Godmother really had an impact that was lessened because Lackey didn't spend enough time on it.
On the other hand, there was a lot of parts of the book that seemed to drag. In my opinion that is rare in a 500 Kingdoms novel. For example there are at least two long examples of Aleksia in another form hunting for food. They added nothing relevant to the story and were boring on top of that.
The editing of the book was worse than in any mass market paperback I have ever read. Misspelled words, run on sentences and grammar problems were rampant. Chapter Four ends in this sentence: 'the look of terror in his eyes did not make up'. It stopped mid-sentence! The next chapter begins a fresh scene with a different character's perspective. I ofund this supremely frusterating!
There was much to enjoy about "The Snow Queen" however. The fairy tale bits were beautiful. The adventures and the questing party parts were entertaining and fun to read. The resolution was uplifting as any good fairy tale should be. Everyone gets their happy ending. I'd love to see Lackey write about Aleksia again, but in a crisper, well-edited story.
The basic premise is the snow queen Aleksia is the Godmother over an icy territory called the Sammies. Like every good Godmother she watches over her
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Kingdom and aids or hinders the magic of the Tradition on her people. "The Tradition" finds certain people in situations where they can be manipulated to follow a familiar fairy tale path. For example, a girl who suddenly inherits a not-so-nice stepmother can be manipulated into a Cinderella-like situation. Aleksia is lonely in her snow palace until she learns another sorceress is calling herself the Snow Queen and causing great harm. I like the character of Aleksia a great deal. Her peronality was very distinct and she has a very unusual sense of humor. However, the story of Aleksia would have been better if her background was expanded on. What happened to get her to the position of Godmother really had an impact that was lessened because Lackey didn't spend enough time on it.
On the other hand, there was a lot of parts of the book that seemed to drag. In my opinion that is rare in a 500 Kingdoms novel. For example there are at least two long examples of Aleksia in another form hunting for food. They added nothing relevant to the story and were boring on top of that.
The editing of the book was worse than in any mass market paperback I have ever read. Misspelled words, run on sentences and grammar problems were rampant. Chapter Four ends in this sentence: 'the look of terror in his eyes did not make up'. It stopped mid-sentence! The next chapter begins a fresh scene with a different character's perspective. I ofund this supremely frusterating!
There was much to enjoy about "The Snow Queen" however. The fairy tale bits were beautiful. The adventures and the questing party parts were entertaining and fun to read. The resolution was uplifting as any good fairy tale should be. Everyone gets their happy ending. I'd love to see Lackey write about Aleksia again, but in a crisper, well-edited story.
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LibraryThing member seekingflight
Overall, there was too much crowded into this story for my liking, but I enjoyed some of the elements very much – not least, Lackey’s original twist on the conventional tale of the Snow Queen, and her portrayal of the world of Fairy Tales as one where (as far as is possible) virtue is rewarded,
Upon reflection, I’m glad that I persevered to the end with this series, and I can see myself thinking back fondly on some elements of the stories. I suppose I went in with high expectations, and I was therefore a little disappointed.
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while wrong-doers are made to recognise and face up to the consequences of their actions, and perhaps even given a chance at redemption ...Upon reflection, I’m glad that I persevered to the end with this series, and I can see myself thinking back fondly on some elements of the stories. I suppose I went in with high expectations, and I was therefore a little disappointed.
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LibraryThing member calmclam
Light but ultimately unsatisfying, with a poor choice of narrator during the climax.
LibraryThing member Alliebadger
I'm a HUGE Mercedes Lackey fan. I got addicted to the 500 Kingdoms series and have been devouring the rest of her books ever since. The problem is, though, I didn't really enjoy Snow Queen as much as the other ones. She seems decline with each book in a series... If you're a Lackey fan/500 kingdoms
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fanatic, definitely read it. It's just as well-written and fun and exciting as the others. I was a little sad to discover that the big climactic ending happens in 10 pages, and the rest of the book is, while beautifully and creatively told, what leads up to it. Don't start here if you're new to her, but definitely work your way up to it. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
I like Aleksia almost as much as Elena - it's a fascinating take on the Snow Queen tale. I love her excitement at being allowed (required) to actually enter the story... Anukka is even more interesting, and Kaari is sweet (and unexpectedly determined). The men are less interesting (which fits with
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the standard Snow Queen tale - Kay is always pretty flat compared to Gerda. The romances aren't all that interesting - actually, I think Anukka has a better chance of real romance than Aleksia. The shape-changing is interesting, and the myths that aren't what I'm familiar with. Enjoyable, and rereadable (I suspect I'll find things I missed on a reread). Show Less
LibraryThing member empress8411
Once again, I was enchanted and delighted to read Lackey’s retold fairy tales, set in the Five Hundred Kingdoms. This one, in particular, involve three women who must gather their wits, find courage, and trust friendship, all to save the people they love and the people they are sworn to protect.
With a lovely Russian tone, Lackey gives us strong, well-developed characters, living in a world of rare and dangerous magic, and sets them on a journey in a fast-paced plot with lots of action and suspense. Our Fairy Godmother, Aleksia, who often plays the “Snow Queen” in the Tradition (usually to the benefit of those she encounters) must leave her Ice Palace and trek across the frozen tundra to find the person who is killing entire villages in her name. She will cross paths with heroes and witches, good-hearted girls, and frozen gods, and she will be forced to face her inner trials even as she struggles to turn the magic from evil to good.
For anyone with a love of fairy tales, particularly those of Russian origins, and who wants to read a story with strong female characters, this is your book!
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With a lovely Russian tone, Lackey gives us strong, well-developed characters, living in a world of rare and dangerous magic, and sets them on a journey in a fast-paced plot with lots of action and suspense. Our Fairy Godmother, Aleksia, who often plays the “Snow Queen” in the Tradition (usually to the benefit of those she encounters) must leave her Ice Palace and trek across the frozen tundra to find the person who is killing entire villages in her name. She will cross paths with heroes and witches, good-hearted girls, and frozen gods, and she will be forced to face her inner trials even as she struggles to turn the magic from evil to good.
For anyone with a love of fairy tales, particularly those of Russian origins, and who wants to read a story with strong female characters, this is your book!
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LibraryThing member LibraryCin
3.5 stars
Aleksia is the “Snow Queen” or “Ice Fairy”, one in a long line of snow queens – she took over for someone else in the position. This also makes her one of the Godmothers of the kingdoms. As she goes about her usual business, she discovers that someone seems to be impersonating
This actually had a few different storylines, which made it a bit confusing for me at the start. I enjoyed the second half much more after one of the storylines wrapped up (Aleksia’s “usual business”) and the other two storylines (including searching for the imposter) joined up.
Aleksia is the “Snow Queen” or “Ice Fairy”, one in a long line of snow queens – she took over for someone else in the position. This also makes her one of the Godmothers of the kingdoms. As she goes about her usual business, she discovers that someone seems to be impersonating
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her to do terrible things. She must find out who is doing this and put a stop to it. This actually had a few different storylines, which made it a bit confusing for me at the start. I enjoyed the second half much more after one of the storylines wrapped up (Aleksia’s “usual business”) and the other two storylines (including searching for the imposter) joined up.
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LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
As I do choose books by the cover, had I seen this cover I'd most likely not have read the book... too modern for my idea of the actual time frame....
The book does tell the story of Kay & Gerda, but from the view point of the Snow Queen, Aleskia, who in reality is a Godmother (human w/ the ability
All the while there is something else going on.... someone is using the name of "Snow Queen" to do terrible things to the Sammi people, freezing entire villages to death, thus giving Aleskia a very bad name. So Aleskia goes out to put a stop to the evil one by doing so with the help of two Sammi Wise Women.
The book was too long and the beginning was quite boring... where the two stories of the Sammi & Snow Queen came together was where my interest was peaked....
Because I didn't like the beginning, I'm cutting this down to 2.5
The book does tell the story of Kay & Gerda, but from the view point of the Snow Queen, Aleskia, who in reality is a Godmother (human w/ the ability
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to preform magic)... Her job is to teach callous, selfish, & uncaring people a lesson.All the while there is something else going on.... someone is using the name of "Snow Queen" to do terrible things to the Sammi people, freezing entire villages to death, thus giving Aleskia a very bad name. So Aleskia goes out to put a stop to the evil one by doing so with the help of two Sammi Wise Women.
The book was too long and the beginning was quite boring... where the two stories of the Sammi & Snow Queen came together was where my interest was peaked....
Because I didn't like the beginning, I'm cutting this down to 2.5
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LibraryThing member Rosemarie.Herbert
I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.
Aleksia is the Snow Queen, ruling and saving young boys from becoming Clockwork Artificers. Imagine her horror when she discovers that she has a duplicate - and her duplicate is
This book is considerably later in time since The Fairy Godmother. Elena is now a senior Fairy Godmother, and has multiple Kingdoms under control. When I looked this up on Mercedes Lackey's website to check the spelling of Aleksia's name, I discovered this is actually the 4th book in the Five Hundred Kingdom's series, when I have been rereading them as this being the 3rd book. Nevertheless, it didn't have a huge impact on my enjoyment because it doesn't depend on any characters from Fortune's Fool.
I felt a little like Aleksia was too cold for me! I did connect with her character, but not to the extent that I did with Elena. There were parts of her that didn't feel fleshed out (particularly her seemingly rational but out of proportion anger at the North Wind). More could have been done with her.
There is a section where two people are attacked by bandits, and it is briefly described how they get out of the situation and gain from it. A couple of pages later after swapping view points, this is repeated and expanded upon. It wasn't far enough away in the text hat I felt that the repetition was warranted.
Other parts of the novel didn't connect. No matter how many times I reread this, I can never remember which of the two men with Veikkio Aleksia is interested. I can understand using different sounding names to emphasis that this is taking part in another part of the world, but it's annoying to keep track of.
I loved the concept of the Runes foretelling what a person is good at for the Sammi. For such a practical people, I couldn't understand how their afterlife could be so boring though! I would like to see more stories about them, because the end of this book didn't feel finished for Aleksia at all. I wanted to know more about how she would bring more friendly people (not just children!) to her castle.
Recommended for adults and teenagers as there are no 'sex scenes', only a great story! Highly enjoyable, even if I feel that is isn't quite as good as the others in the series. There are more new fairytales from other parts of the world that European readers may not be familiar with which adds an extra level of interest.
Aleksia is the Snow Queen, ruling and saving young boys from becoming Clockwork Artificers. Imagine her horror when she discovers that she has a duplicate - and her duplicate is
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actually putting spears of ice into young men to destroy them. Aleksia has to prove that she is true, while also trying to overcome her own isolation.This book is considerably later in time since The Fairy Godmother. Elena is now a senior Fairy Godmother, and has multiple Kingdoms under control. When I looked this up on Mercedes Lackey's website to check the spelling of Aleksia's name, I discovered this is actually the 4th book in the Five Hundred Kingdom's series, when I have been rereading them as this being the 3rd book. Nevertheless, it didn't have a huge impact on my enjoyment because it doesn't depend on any characters from Fortune's Fool.
I felt a little like Aleksia was too cold for me! I did connect with her character, but not to the extent that I did with Elena. There were parts of her that didn't feel fleshed out (particularly her seemingly rational but out of proportion anger at the North Wind). More could have been done with her.
There is a section where two people are attacked by bandits, and it is briefly described how they get out of the situation and gain from it. A couple of pages later after swapping view points, this is repeated and expanded upon. It wasn't far enough away in the text hat I felt that the repetition was warranted.
Other parts of the novel didn't connect. No matter how many times I reread this, I can never remember which of the two men with Veikkio Aleksia is interested. I can understand using different sounding names to emphasis that this is taking part in another part of the world, but it's annoying to keep track of.
I loved the concept of the Runes foretelling what a person is good at for the Sammi. For such a practical people, I couldn't understand how their afterlife could be so boring though! I would like to see more stories about them, because the end of this book didn't feel finished for Aleksia at all. I wanted to know more about how she would bring more friendly people (not just children!) to her castle.
Recommended for adults and teenagers as there are no 'sex scenes', only a great story! Highly enjoyable, even if I feel that is isn't quite as good as the others in the series. There are more new fairytales from other parts of the world that European readers may not be familiar with which adds an extra level of interest.
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LibraryThing member NineLarks
I liked the idea of this book, but honestly there wasn't enough plot. It was fun reading about Aleksia, another Godmother.
But the ending and the premise of the story was just not really existent.
Even the side characters were pretty boring. Although it's usually fun to read a redone fairy tale, Kay
I also wish there was more time put into Kari and the idea behind the symbols given because there is potential in that premise and that village. But it all just ended up with her thinking about Viekko and love very hard.
... cool.
A fairly flat novel.
2.5 rounded up. I think it starts to go downhill from here.
But the ending and the premise of the story was just not really existent.
Even the side characters were pretty boring. Although it's usually fun to read a redone fairy tale, Kay
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and Gerda went pretty flat because it didn't have any change from the original story. I also wish there was more time put into Kari and the idea behind the symbols given because there is potential in that premise and that village. But it all just ended up with her thinking about Viekko and love very hard.
... cool.
A fairly flat novel.
2.5 rounded up. I think it starts to go downhill from here.
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LibraryThing member Linyarai
Absolutely loved it. One of my favorites out of all of her works.
Original publication date
2008-06
ISBN
9781488078606
Local notes
Tales of the 500 Kingdoms, 04
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Lackey |