The Ice Princess, by Camilla Läckberg

The Ice Princess
Camilla Läckberg

Publisher: Free Press
Release Date: March 29, 2011 (1st: 2002)
Series: Patrik Hedstrom (#1)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: Paperback, 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 3/5)

The American debut of internationally bestselling Swedish writer Camilla Lackberg’s haunting first novel. Returning to her hometown of Fjallbacka after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice-cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life.

Erica conceives a book about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their own shared past. While her interest grows into an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case. But it is only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about a small town with a deeply disturbing past.

I don't get to read mysteries and thrillers much anymore. When I do, I hold them to a standard a little higher than I set most books. I think that it's safe to say The Ice Princess lived up to that obligation.

This was an enjoyable read. It held everything that a good mystery should. There was a lot of plot, a good deal of suspense and just the right amount of background to help the story move along, as well as setting up information for the next book. Not only was the story well-written, but the characters really popped for me. They had dimension, complete with their own personalities that set them apart from others in the book. The main character was great. You really felt as though you were right there with Erica the entire time.

From the crime to the mystery, almost everything in this book was good. The only place I felt that it fell short was when things really started falling into place - it almost felt a little stale at moments. Stale or not, it wasn't enough to make me not finish the book. This was definitely a nice read to sit down to on a dreary day.

Review: Heavenly, by Jennifer Laurens

Heavenly
Jennifer Laurens
Paperback, 296 pages
Grove Creek Publishing
August 15, 2009

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

It took me a few pages to actually get into Heavenly, but once I was snagged - I was there for the rest of the book. Heavenly was a great read with real-life issues packed into the story to make it relatable to anyone that may pick up this book.

I think the best part for me was the characters. They were flawed and sometimes made the worst decisions ever, but their actions and solutions were all very realistic. I loved Zoe and could definitely relate to her. I don’t know if I agreed with every decision she made, but I know why she made the decisions that she did. I wasn’t too fond of her overall obsessive thoughts of Matthias that constantly flooded the pages. HOWEVER, she is a teenager and teens typically are very dramatic over their first loves. I’ve been through it, so I know. Plus, her keeping Matthias on her mind at all times helped her make better life choices, and that’s something to be grateful for. Matthias … oh, how I love thee! It’s nice to see an angel that can love, yet not completely abandon his duties and responsibilities for that love. As far as Britt and the guys, I think we’ve all known people like that in our lives before. I think I was the most empathetic toward Luke and his addiction. Actually, I feel for their whole family - dealing with a disability is never really an easy thing, but I think at the end there was a good compromise and hopefully the family has completely pulled together.

Speaking of the end: It’s so bittersweet! I don’t want to give anything away, but the entire last couple of chapters was nothing but an endless roller coaster ride of emotions for me. It’s not a bad thing, and there’s always the sweet happily ever after ending that’s not completely happy - but it’s the best ending for this book, I think.

I think the beginning was a little slow, but once it picked up the pace it stayed constant. Heavenly was a pretty easy read and had a wonderful premise. It’s definitely on my list of great reads.

Source: Won, Author

Avg Rating: 4.0