Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

Book blurb:

" It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world."

My review:

I enjoyed reading the first book so I was excited to keep reading the series. I wanted Meira to act like a Queen in this book and sometimes she was acting as such but other times I couldn't believe how she could be so stupid (at least at first), especially concerning Theron and the keys. Also, I couldn't really stand Theron in this book. Mather's chapters were interesting at first (but I ended up skimming some of them). In the end it still feels like their relationship isn't going to happen anytime soon. 

Overall, the pace was slow except for the last 30% of the book where a lot more action happened than in the entire book. Here we get to know other kingdoms (Seasons and Rhythms) and it was a lot more focused on the politics and the betrayals some people could face. You might enjoy it, but for me too much politics gets a little tiring in the end.

I am still curious about the next book, and I want Winter to be able to stand up for themselves and be their own kingdom. I hope Meira will be able to achieve that. 

***I wanted to thank Balzer + Bray for letting me read and review a digital copy of this book.***

You can find it here on Goodreads.