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review 2016-01-30 20:54
The Snow Globe by Jenna Nelson
The Snow Globe - Jenna Nelson

*NA Fantasy*

 

This book begins in 1875 London, but... like... in an 1875 London from a parallel dimension-one where there's magic and no one blinks twice kind of 1875 London.  The heroine, Sondrine, works for her aunt's curio/apothecary shop and is one day visited by a mysterious stranger wanting to trade an antique for herbs.  The antique in question is a snow globe which will impact her future and catapult her into a secret world she never knew existed.  Her journey is no accident though as the mysterious stranger is actually a bounty hunter sent by the king.  Turns out, Sondrine has been chosen to squash Winterhaven's evil queen.

 

I loved this book!  It was full of adventure and strong characters.  The plot was strong and I didn't always predict what was going to happen.  The writing was vivid and I loved the world(s) Nelson created.  I can't wait to see how Sondrine and Shán's relationship evolves in the next book.  =) 

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review 2015-10-17 00:18
Review: The Snow Globe
The Snow Globe - Jenna Nelson

Sondrine never expected to find herself in the middle of a war, seemingly the only hope to defeat an immortal queen. In fact, all that she wanted was to avoid an arranged marriage and to somehow continue practicing her magic. But when Sondrine leaves her aunt's emporium and apothecary shop in the light of a full moon, she finds herself transported from London to Winterhaven, trapped by an insane king who somehow knows her name.

 

The author has created a wonderful world that draws the reader into the middle of an adventure. This is a world where everyone has at least a touch of magic, where monsters and myths come to life, and where deception lurks in unexpected places. The author is really able to print the characters to life, developing them over the course of the book, allowing you to slowly peel back the layers to reveal personality and a fascinating history. Even the secondary characters are interesting enough that you’ll want to read more about them.

 

As this is a fantasy book, you expect certain things to be true. There will be magic, unlikely heroes (or heroines), villains, and adventure. All of this is true, but it’s just the outer trappings of the convoluted plot woven together. The author doesn’t just provide the answers to you, but instead drops hints and tidbits until you at some point realize that you somehow knew it all along. There are still questions left unanswered at the end, without being a cliffhanger, giving a deep desire to read the next book in the series.

 

Overall, this is a wonderfully fun book, full of humor and mischief, as well as danger. While this was my first book that I have read by Jenna Nelson, it certainly will not be my last.

 

I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

 

--------------------------------

 

If you enjoyed my review, please help me share it by marking it as "helpful" on Amazon. I have included the link to the Amazon review in the Source section at the bottom of this review.

Source: www.amazon.com/review/R1C9KGYLBE9AXV
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review 2015-10-14 16:06
Snow Globe by Jenna Nelson
The Snow Globe - Jenna Nelson

Description (Amazon):

 

By day, Sondrine Renfrew works at Cimmerian’s Curio Emporium, her aunt’s apothecary and antique shop in London, 1875. By night, she weaves fire, water, and air into both inanimate objects and living creatures. When a hooded stranger offers Sondrine a snow globe in trade for medicinal herbs, she accepts, enchanted by the castle, forest, and sea encapsulated under the glass. 

 

Her enchantment fades, however, when her deceitful aunt betroths her to one of London’s wealthiest men—a complete stranger. Determined to escape the marriage, Sondrine trades her corset for trousers and decides to run away. With one foot out the door, she falls down a veritable rabbit hole into Winterhaven, the haunting world inside the snow globe. 

 

Sondrine soon discovers her arrival in Winterhaven is no accident. There, she meets Shán, a man who broods more than the darkened sky above. Turns out Shán is not to be trusted. Not only is he the man who sold Sondrine the snow globe, he is a bounty hunter employed by the king. The beginnings of a sovereign war have been set in motion and an Immortal queen, one who uses fire as a weapon, is set on destroying Winterhaven. Because of her Elemental gifts, only Sondrine has the means to stop the queen. If Sondrine refuses the king’s request, he will behead her. If she rises to the challenge of killing the Immortal queen, her death is just as imminent. After all, an Immortal queen cannot be killed. 

 

Or can she?

 

My Thoughts:

 

This is the best book I have read this year. This book is amazing. I am in love with every part of it. I NEED the next installment NOW! There is no way I will ever forget the ending of this book. I will now be stalking this author's Web page eagerly waiting for news on the next book.

 

Dear Author,

 

Get to writing now! Please. 

 

Sincerely,

FANGIRL

 

I really expected the amount of time i spent reading about Cimmerian’s Curio Emporium to be more lengthy. Instead, at only 10% into the book, i was whisked into Iscaeld, the cold land inside a snow globe that the main female character had bought a the very beginning of the book. The author set a steady pace from the beginning and dove right into the adventure. I love a story that flows nicely and doesn't drag on. On every page something new and amazing happened.

 

The world that this is set in is rather unique. Iscaeld is a cold place ran by a strict king. The king rules with an iron fist. In this land there are many people with unique and extraordinary ablities. There are many mythical beings and beasts. This world is beautifully described and as I read the place became real in my mind. Again, perfect.

 

This is exactly what I expect and want from a fantasy book. A perfect book, for me anyways, needs to be properly portioned, and this is. What I mean by that is that if an author focuses too much on one subject and it becomes repetitive and annoying. One scoop action, one scoop world building, one scoop dialogue, etc., then blend.

 

As for the romance. Yes, we have a budding romance between Sondrine and Shán, but this is more fantasy/adventure than fantasy/romance. I would describe this as Frozen meets The Lord of the Rings. I don't now what book two will contain, but there were adult situations, not graphic sex, just situations. An example is a scene where the king tries to force himself on Sondrine after she tries to avoid her fate of marrying him.

 

The Characters:

 

I have never said this about any other book before, the characters are PERFECT. I have feelings of dislike and almost hatred towards the viilians, and will forever cheer for my team of good guys.

 

Sondrine is an elementalist who puts me in mind of Elsa from Frozen, but she can work with more than just ice. She is young, I think 18 or 19. Her character is amazing. She acts age and she is constantly learning from mistakes, experiences, and feelings. She is a very curious person and so eager to shape her life the way she wants. Her aunt has made the decision that she will marry a man who is just blah. He has a weird obsession with teeth, talks to her breasts instead of her face, and has an unhealthy love for food, his physique shows this obsession. To avoid this marriage, Sondrine decides to run away, but instead of gaining freedom she winds up stuck in a world where a king has basically claimed for his own. There is an Immortal queen who has vengeance against the king and it is believed that Sondrine is the only one who has the power to conquer it's queen.

 

Shán is a warrior for the king. He pissed the immortal queen off and she wants his head in exchange for what he did. He rescues Sondrine from the freezing wilderness, and out of self preservation, he hands her over to the king. He had no clue how bad it was going to be for her once she got there. He is witty, confident, humorous, and is very popular with the ladies. I like his character and feel that there is much more to him than we know as of now.

 

There are also some magical and mythical characters in the mix that play a huge role in the story; sylphs, alchemists, monstrous beasts that I can't remember what we're called (kindle battery dead), and more.

 

Excerpt:

 

Shán says to Zhang the Elder, "If you can stay with Lark for a moment, I will help Sondrine get cleaned up."

 

The old alchemist takes my place on the bed, and with his pipe smoke, he creates an incredible spectacle of jungle trees, swinging vines, and wild animals of every sort. When Lark seems thoroughly engrossed and distracted, Shán escorts meme into the culinary. The pagoda is a mass graveyard of glass. One of the rafter has detached itself from the ceiling and hangs unsteadily, like a half-assed evergreen ready to fall with one more good shake.

 

Recommendation:. 

 

I recommend this to EVERYONE! Especially if you are in the mood for epic fantasy. Honestly, this is one of my all time favorite books. Definitely my favorite of this year. This is fantasy done right. 

 

 

I recieved an ebook copy of this from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review. 

 

AMAZON:

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01580RTZA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_dp

 

 

 

 

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text 2015-10-14 14:14
Reading progress update: I've read 70%.
The Snow Globe - Jenna Nelson

"No one remains the same," Shán says more firmly.  "It's an impossibility. Some will change from bad to good, perhaps. More often, the opposite holds true."

 

 

 

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text 2015-10-12 21:48
Reading progress update: I've read 60%.
The Snow Globe - Jenna Nelson

Wrapped once again in the petals of the purple blossom, I stare at the cosmos as stars rain down like shimmering sparklers found at a traveling carnival. For the rest of the day in the Sacred Grove of Willeaux, no one spoke to me, not a single wordl, though I could hardly blame them. They were told I would somehow save them all.

 

 

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