"Ice" by Sarah Beth Durst [5]

When Cassie was a little girl,

her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother,

who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make -believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back - if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her - until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magically realm of Ice.

This is such a beautiful book and I'm not just talking about the cover ... it is based on a fairy tale from Norway, which I haven't heard of but is really lovely.

So basically Cassie has grown up with her grandmother telling her this fairy tale and in a round about way the death of her mother. As she becomes older she doesn't believe in this fairy tale any more until she actually meets a bear who talks and her world explodes around her. She makes a deal with the Polar Bear King to rescue her mother and then she will wed him. Through spending time with him she starts to fall in love with him, but all doesn't go smoothly and Cassie has to use all her survival skills to rescue the love of her life.

This lovely fairy tale reminds me a little of 'Beauty and the Beast' but with a few slight twist. A beautifully written story about friendship and love and the lengths you would go to rescue those you love. It is a fast moving story and one you can read in just one sitting, flows beautifully and easy to read, Cassie and the Polar Bear King are the main characters and you fall in love with both of them. I loved this novel and hope the author might write a second to continue the story of Cassie and her Polar Bear King. A lovely book for the 13-14 year old range or even us adults. Pick it up for a light read and fall in love with the magic of Ice.

I rate this book 5 stars.