Shattered Reflection, by Madisyn Carlin, has quickly climbed its way into my favorite books. A non-magical, NA(New Adult) fantasy retelling of The Snow Queen, filled with a dazzling snowy settling, amazing characters, and wonderful scenes.
PLOT:
Can hope be found for four shattered souls?
Princess Nordica Icerri’s crown will be purchased with blood—her blood. Now the sole heir to the throne, she is determined to be the queen the Snowlands deserve, but that comes with a price: a numbed heart and soul. Only when she meets kidnapped physician Loren Alocer does Nordica allow herself to hope she can become queen without completely losing herself. But not everyone wants what’s best for the Snowlands, and Nordica’s upcoming rule is compromised at every turn. Can the criminal physician—and his faith—thaw Nordica’s heart, or is she destined to be the heartless queen she is being forced to become?
War shattered not only Breac Finson’s heart, but his faith as well. Tired of fighting, Breac only wants to be left alone, but his efforts are for naught when a friend calls in a favor. He soon finds himself in an unexpected alliance with Layree Alocer, a woman determined to find her wrongfully-kidnapped brother at all costs. Can a broken soldier help right a wrong—and find his faith again in the process?
Sides must be chosen and loyalties will be tested as a new war approaches. Can broken lives be mended in time to help save the Snowlands, or is evil already too deeply embedded?
The plot moved a little slowly for me, but that may have been—ehem—because I—ehem—somehow found out about most of the spoilers beforehand. But otherwise the storyline was great. Intriguing, full of lively characters, settings, and impatience as a certain character’s chapters didn’t come soon enough.
VIOLENCE/WATCH OUT:
There is quite a bit of violence (wounds, talk of torture, and the like) and mentions of death that may bother a more sensitive reader. And as this is a NA book, the author recommends it for readers over 15 or 16.
ROMANCE:
The end of the book does have romance, but it was written in a clean, tasteful way that one can read and enjoy without having to cringe or skip a page. Madisyn Carlin is one of the very few authors that writes romance in a way that I both can read and enjoy. It in no way takes the full attention of the book, and is just a sweet little side plot.
THEMES/MESSAGES:
This book is absolutely filled with themes of both holding strong in faith and the strengthening of shattered faith. It tells the story of salvation and Christ’s redeeming power in a really beautiful way.
MY OPINION:
As this was the first NA book I’ve ever read, I was slightly hesitant when I first set out to read it. But it exceeded my expectations in every way possible—did I end up reading the entire thing in one sitting? Maybe.
I love fairy-tale retellings, and Shattered Reflection can easily be counted as one of my favorites. The characters, the story, the themes, the way the no-magic retelling was pulled off—all amazing.
Lulu’s Library 