A
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Theme: Dragons, Friends to Lovers, Road Trip, Second Chance
Archetype: Royalty
I try not to be overly hyperbolic in reviews and recommendations; after all, “this is the best book I have ever read!!!!” loses its impact if it’s my go-to phrase for any enjoyable read. So when I say that Milla Vane’s A Touch of Stone and Snow is the best fantasy romance I have ever read, I’m not exaggerating. It is perfect from chapter one and — defying all known logic — continuously surpasses itself to reach new levels of perfection. At one point, I set my e-reader down and decided to take a break; clearly the book would go off-the-rails sooner or later. I needed to savor the perfection of the first half before breaking my heart on a shitty ending (I am a deeply pessimistic person). I was wrong, and it’s the happiest I’ve ever been to be wrong.
Generations ago, Anumith the Destroyer razed through the Western Realms and left behind tears, a trail of dead bodies, and broken populations. No realm was spared — except for the northern island of Koth. No one knows why the Destroyer ignored Koth, but Kothans swear that their founder Varin’s blessing ensures that no outside magic will harm the island. The Destroyer continued his rampage across the ocean, and so the Western Realms spent over thirty years rebuilding and surviving a trauma that has barely started to heal. But there is no more time for healing: the moon goddess Vela has confirmed that Anumith the Destroyer is returning to the Western Realms. He seeks to repeat past atrocities with his massive armies. These armies contain soldiers that were taken as children from the Western Realms thirty years ago. But no matter how difficult and heart-wrenching it will be to face this enemy, everyone agrees that the Western Realms need to form an alliance and face the Destroyer together.
That alliance is the Gathering of Dragons (the series name), and the formation of that alliance to defeat Anumith the Destroyer is the overarching storyline of the first three books. A Touch of Stone and Snow features Kothan exile/ex-soldier Lizzan and her childhood-best-friend-turned-lover-turned-worst-enemy Aerax, the bastard prince of Koth who exiled her. Yep. That’s the level of angst we’re dealing with here, so grab a glass of water while reading because your throat will be sore from all the weeping.
After desperately trying to avoid Aerax when their paths cross, Lizzan is forced to accompany Aerax’s alliance-building mission after divine intervention by the goddess Vela. It’s somehow both the worst and best thing that could’ve happened to Lizzan. Worst because she wants nothing to do with the villain who broke her heart. Best because she’s still hopelessly in love with Aerax, and he feels the same way.
While A Touch of Stone and Snow is book two, you don’t need to read the first book A Heart of Blood and Ashes or the prequel novella The Beast of Blackmoor. There are some secondary characters who first appeared in book one, but the second installment works as a stand-alone (I should know — this is my first book by Milla Vane). I recommend jumping into A Touch of Stone and Snow straight away if my review intrigues you.
Y’all. This book. This fucking book. I wish I was a good writer because then I could pen glorious poetry in honor of A Touch of Stone and Snow (we all know any attempted poetry from me would look like what the saber-toothed snow cat dragged in). Let me start with the heroine Lizzan, aka soft-hearted, murderous, cat-loving warrior who deserves everything good in the world and has received the exact opposite. Lizzan is in a terrible place at the start of the novel. She’s been exiled for a transgression she didn’t commit. Koth law decrees that Kothans aren’t allowed to talk or acknowledge the existence of an exile, so her family carries her shame and endures ostracization. Lizzan’s trials are difficult to read: she drinks mead to numb her pain, her memories of Aerax’s betrayal rip her heart out, and strangers shun her at the sight of her facial scars (the scars resemble the mark of the goddess Vela, who only marks those who fall out of her favor). Lizzan is lonely and reviled by everyone — most of all herself.
But it doesn’t matter how low her circumstances bring her down. Her spirit is filled with generosity toward everyone, even those who might condemn her. Even at her lowest, her selflessness compels her to petition the goddess Vela and ask for a quest to redeem her family’s honor. When Vela gives her a worn pink cloak to mark her quest, Lizzan fiercely defends the gift to unimpressed acquaintances (the goddess usually gives a plush red cloak to her questers).
“This one suits me.” Threadbare and frayed, just as she was. “I only wish it were not so faded. But while on this quest, I intend to redden it with the blood of my enemies.”
And then there’s Aerax, the irredeemable hero I was prepared to hate. Who the fuck is dumb enough to break Lizzan’s heart? Then I got to his first point-of-view scene and burst into sobs. The man is in even worse straits than Lizzan. He has REALLY good reasons for what he did to his beloved, and bitterly thinks of himself as a villain. I can’t talk much about his incredible character arc because spoilers, but trust me on this. He loves Lizzan desperately, so desperately that he sees her in every single person he meets. Lizzan consumes Aerax’s every thought, night and day. Aerax also carries a pouch with Lizzan’s braid in it (it’s not as weird as it sounds. Kothan soldiers cut off their hair and give it to loved ones. Lizzan gave it to Aerax years ago). We’re only on chapter two and I’m a hiccupping ball of tears.
Hope constricted through his chest. He urged his mount to the edge of the clearing, calling himself a fool. Everywhere he saw her. Because everywhere he wanted to see her. Yet this was no trick of his eyes. Here was a print of a bare foot, and he would have known it was Lizzan by the shape of the heel alone. Or by the curve where the arch met the ball of her foot. Or by the sweet dimples that were impressions of her toes.
How can I hate someone so in love that he thinks he can identify Lizzan by her footprints?! It’s one thing to identify a masked heroine by poison ivy scented perfume or something (I kid, I kid), but looking at a days-old footprint in the mud? Honestly, I have to stan.
My resolve to hate Aerax died a sad death after three pages. I hold grudges for a long time, especially against heroes who have wronged heroines, so my easy capitulation is remarkable. Also, he says something moving and romantic every two pages, so I was helpless. I never forgive a hero before a necessary grovel, but apparently my usual rules go out the window for this book.
Aerax laughed harshly and crouched before her again, cupping her nape in a firm grip, making her gaze meet his. “If I have to become a monster to save you, that is what I will do.”
So basically we have two characters desperately in love with each other from the start, and a terrible unforgiving world that continuously spits out reasons to keep them apart. Well, fuck you, terrible unforgiving world because this is a romance novel and we’re fighting tooth and nail for our happily-ever-after. Yes, there are wraiths and demons and pesky Destroyers along the way, but these are minor details. This is a book where two broken people fall in love again and they save the day and all becomes right with the world!
Ahem. Need a second now to calm down before I descend into feral review incoherency. Hmm, what next? Oh yes, how could I forget? Probably because my President of the I Love Caeb Fan Club t-shirts haven’t arrived yet. Dear SBTB readers, meet Caeb. Caeb is Aerax’s most loyal companion in these dark times, and is the most dangerous character in the book. Caeb loves Lizzan as much (if not more, let’s be real) than Aerax. Caeb is also a saber-toothed snow cat.
Caeb prowled out of the tangled foliage and onto the road. The silver on his harness glinted in the sunlight, powerful muscles rippling under white fur dappled with pale gray.
“There he is,” said Lady Junica, before adding with a soft laugh, “It seems that he was unlucky in his hunt—and you are spared a bath.”
Amused, Aerax grunted his agreement. Usually after a hunt, Caeb returned with his muzzle and chest covered in blood. But no washing would Aerax have to give him this time.
Standing in the road, the big cat looked back over his shoulder and regarded the periwag. Nearly as tall as Aerax’s horse, with a powerful chest and forelimbs combined with explosive speed, Caeb could easily take down even a beast of the periwag’s size—and had, when he’d encountered herds of the untamed animals. Yet this one he could not eat.
Aerax gave a small shake of his head and the cat turned away as if he’d never given a thought to devouring Lady Junica’s mount. Instead he batted a clump of grass, then leapt straight upward in an attempt to swat a brushfly from the air, its segmented body as long as Aerax’s arm.
Caeb seemed more like a kitten than a fully grown snow cat on this journey.
Caeb is the best damn character in this entire book. He adores Lizzan, and simply does not understand why these foolish humans are determined to be apart. Lizzan and Aerax have nursed Caeb since he was a little baby piece of fluff, and Caeb frequently acts like a kitten (much to the amusement and frustration of his humans). Caeb thinks it’s funny to splash people with a deluge of water and watch them sputter. Caeb enjoys being spoiled and having his meat cut up for him by Lizzan. Caeb is completely uninterested in his humans engaging in, ah, adult activities but he also won’t leave them (it’s… memorable reading a sex scene while knowing a lion-sized creature is nearby, but I got over it. Typical cat behavior). Caeb is the bright spot in Aerax and Lizzan’s lives — no matter how low they feel, this big, growly snow cat adores his humans and never lets them forget it. Usually with his tongue, which is encased in frighteningly large teeth. In conclusion, there are only a limited number of spots available for the I Love Caeb Fan Club, so please email me if interested.
And oooh, I have many spoilery things to say about the lies molded into propaganda by governments. Koth, the dreamlike untouchable island kingdom, isn’t as it seems from the outside or the inside. Not only do we have complicated diplomacy struggles, culture clashes, and political infighting between the Western Realms seeking an alliance, we also have complex folklore for the pantheon of gods and mythological beings. My fantasy-loving heart soared constantly. Careful attention to detail is the difference between good and bad worldbuilding, and this series has it in spades.
I’m afraid that this review will turn into a dissertation if I’m allowed to type anymore. It’s been twenty-four hours since I finished A Touch of Stone and Snow and I am consumed with a cascade of emotions. Pure, unadulterated joy as I flail on my bed and swoon over this book. Annoyance that my 2020 plans have been put on hold because I need to glom Milla Vane/Meljean Brook’s backlists (Brook and Vane are the same author writing under different pen names). Pre-emptive grief for when my spurned TBR murders me in revenge because I abandoned them (you laugh, but it could happen!).
Since I’m starting to spiral into delighted incoherency again, I’ll end with this. A Touch of Stone and Snow is my new gold standard for fantasy romance. The palpable yearning wrecked me to the point of tears. The sexual heat scorched my fingertips. The angst bled out of the ink on every page. I devoured every single bite with a spoon and went back for seconds. Please, I’m begging you — if you’re someone who loves fantasy/PNR settings, give this book a try. I love A Touch of Stone and Snow with all my heart and then some; I think you might, too.
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There’s an absolutely delightful article in Glamour about the shooting of this cover—I was hooked when I read the intro passage:
At first I thought someone was shrieking. Commotion muffled the sound, yet the wail managed to break through the noise. But as I got deeper into the room, the cry became unmistakable: It was the howling of a wolf. “Don’t worry about that,” publicist Erin Galloway told me. “We put it on to help the model get into character.”
https://www.glamour.com/story/on-set-at-a-romance-cover-shoot
As I tend to be a completionist, can anyone say if they would also recommend the first book of the series. I am clearly going to read this one, but I’m wondering if the first is also worth it (my TBR pile is ridiculously large at this point.)
@MoonJewel I really loved the first book. It‘s settled in a gritty, harsh, brutal world, which justifies each and every trigger warning. That‘s usually not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it nevertheless very, very much – especially the way the women were pictured.
I DNF’d book 1, but this review is so enthusiastic I will get book 2. I loved the Brooks Iron Seas books, and the change in tone and move to a true Fantasy setting were both outside my comfort zone (I also didn’t like the hero 🙁 ).
I read book 1 and really liked it. I read A Touch of Stone and Snow and absolutely loved it! I felt like it surpassed the first book. Everything just clicked together perfectly. I’m a big fan of second chance romance, and this book set the standard for how all second-chance romances should be.
I loved the prequel novella (years ago, and again recently), and the first book. Of course I’m a Meljean fan back about a decade. I’m really glad she is back to amazing world-building and fabulous epic love stories, although I understand the shift in pen name.
Great review — enjoy the back list! Oh, and sign me up for that Caeb fab club!!
I’ve been a fan of Meljean Brook ever since I read The Iron Duke. I was sad when she experienced book writing burnout. When she announced that she was coming back with her barbarians series, I was ecstatic. This book is in my TBR pile and I can’t wait to read it!
Hmm, what to do… I liked the writing and the world of the first book, but hated the hero with such a passion that I had to DNF once it became clear there wouldn’t be sufficient groveling to redeem the asshat.
But this book’s hero sounds different, and I really would like to go back to that world and see what happens with the Destroyer plotline. Does the guy grovel to the heroine? Does she learn his good reasons for what he did to her? Or is this another one of those books where she forgives him and falls in love again before she even knows he’s not the villain she thought he was for banishing her? Because I can’t stand the “he ruined my life, why can’t I stop wanting to see him naked” books. If someone took everything from me and caused my family to be ostracized, I don’t care how good-looking they are. The only reason I’d want to see that guy naked is if he’s tied to a target for more realistic shooting practice! (sorry, bad day, really over jerks today).
I finished the first book yesterday and loved it with all my heart! Now I’m even more excited to read book 2 and then I’m going to have to devour Brook’s backlist.
AToSaS, you were pre-ordered with SUCH expectation; I literally stayed up until midnight for this to appear magically on my e-reader at the witching hour of ‘release day’.
I.. did not love you. In fact, I struggled to finish it. While Book 1 of this series I devoured and have reread to an almost ridiculous point, I truly struggled with this book. The world-building is stellar. The writing and lyricism of the pages are WONDERFUL. And I earnestly want more books from this writer, please for the love of Tom Hardy’s jawline, keep writing you amazing artist you.
But I did not love this book. I don’t even really like it, and that is mostly based upon my preferences as a reader for tropes and archetypes. I love me a second-chance romance, but this one fell flat for me, mostly based on the hero and heroine who’s personalities I just could not find likable, or even that interesting.
I felt the heroine’s reasons for alcohol and sword based martyrdom to be naive, something I would have expected from a tween, not someone supposedly mature and who had held a leadership role in the military prior to her BS exile. I kept waiting for her to snap and go all Red Sonja, but was disappointed by her decision to abide by the BS exile decree. Sister, unleash some hell, please! The hero I was just underwhelmed by, I found him uninteresting in almost every way, but again, my reader preference. But Lizzan, I was holding out for her to burn some sh*t to the ground, and she just felt so flat of where I selfishly wanted her to be.
I will also say I had troubles with the pacing, which felt super slow in the grand scheme of actual physical world progress. It felt based around campfire talks and other incredibly mundane settings. I know, champagne problems people… I found myself bored with lengthy conversations and inner monologues hashing and rehashing what was said, what was not said, who told who what, why didn’t you believe me, I can never reveal my true feelings because REASONS that you mainlanders cannot understand because we’re from the Great Isle of Snow-doom-ia…
Aarya’s review is super well stated so if any/all of the points she brings up is your catnip, please enjoy your jam and ignore my ramblings.
All that being said, did I pre-order Book #3? You’re god damn right I did.
Mayyybe I’ll borrow this book on the strength of the cat, but I couldn’t get past the halfway point of the first book. And I really like the author when she writes as Meljean Brooks, which was why it was incredibly weird to me I dislike her writing as Milla Vane so much. I know it’s a tough skill to be able to write with a completely voice, but Vane’s particular voice is just so “GRIMDARK, everything is GRIMDARK, like Joe Abercrombie, but a romance where the male lead talks even worse to the women around him.” Videogames also have phases of grimdark popularity, but people make fun of them when they take themselves way too seriously, and that’s pretty much how I felt about Milla Vane’s writing -_-
I didn’t like the first book at all — I found the writing to be incredibly stilted and awkward. Judging from the excerpts you posted (“But no washing would Aerax have to give him this time.” Uh????), that problem persists with this book, so I’ll give it a pass. Thanks for the review!
I’ve read the whole series (including the prequel novella). Much as I enjoyed aspects of it finishing Book 1 was a bit of a slog and I had to take regular rage breaks as the hero was an uncommunicative a-hole. Book 2 was so much better, so for those of you who DNF’d Book 1 (assuming it was largely because you couldn’t slap the hero round the head hard enough) I can reassure you that Book 2 does not have that problem. Yes there is holding back information but more from a ‘I don’t want to tell you hard truths that will hurt you/shatter your illusions’ thing than Book 1’s whole ‘I don’t want to know the real truth and you can’t make me’ a-holery.
I’ve read and enjoyed the prequel novella – but it IS VERY dark. Example CW/TW for the novella (Child rape, child born of rape, rape of adults (men and women), rape as corporal punishment, death/torture of family members, death/torture/kidnapping of children, and other (somewhat justified) violent deaths).
And apparently dark is not my preferred type of tea. I suggest a sample, as YMMV is very true for the author’s works as Milla Vane.
The Kraken King which Meljean wrote as a serial is a fantastic book, with a little less darkness (also I devoured all of her steampunk series). So if Milla Vane isn’t for you, try Meljean’s steampunk books instead. Either way you won’t be disappointed.
When the first book came out, I was initially excited until I got to actual excerpts, and then I had the same reaction as @Ellie: incredibly awkward and stilted writing with completely unrealistic dialogue. It read a lot like someone trying to write in an older register of English without actually being familiar with the rules of that register, but also with some extremely modern conventions mixed in (the breaking of one grammatical sentence into multiple orthographical sentences is extremely modern), which was quite jarring. I can’t get past unnatural prose like that, so I guess this author is just not for me.
It’s interesting to see people’s reactions to this series so far. Very much a mixed bag. I am in the camp of those who liked the first book (despite the stupidity of the hero who refuses to listen to the heroine for way too long) but I found the second one a bit of a slog. It took me ages to get into it. I liked the hero but not the heroine so much this time and since we spent a lot of time in her head at first that explains why I had trouble! I will probably buy the third. It may be third time lucky.
I loved the Meljean Brooks books, all the ones with Mina and the Iron Duke and the Kraken king especially but they are all good!
I’m reading the comments and wow, ok, most of the reasons why it didn’t work for others are the exact same reasons why it worked for me lol. I personally found the world building, the characters, the romantic conflict along with the overarching plot with the Destroyer more intense compared to some rom fantasies I’ve read this year. And yeah, definitely dark but there’s also a lot of hope and it’s not grim dark the way I understand grim dark to be. There was never any doubt that Aerax loved Lizzan and vice versa which made their reunion fitting just based on how the characters were written.
Also, I’m glad Lizzan didn’t go nuclear because of her exile. I was personally leery because I didn’t want another GoT season six Danearys Targaryen rampage. So Lizzan maintaining her compassion and goodness despite the wrongs done to her felt like a deliberate subversion of the vengeful female trope, which I really appreciated.
I loved this book, but one thing always has really bugged me. If he really loved her and wanted better for her than for himself, then WHY THE HELL DIDN’T CAEB GO WITH HER. He could have insisted the big cat go into exile with her, thus taking on the loneliness she suffered for himself. But no. And all the while pitying himself more than her.
Once again, loved the book. But it’s just another example of the Grovel not being equal to the Fuck Up.