Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce

Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce
Release Date – November 5, 2013
Publisher Website –  Little Brown/Hachette
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 323 pages
My Rating- 3/5
**received from publisher for review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Kai and Ginny grew up together–best friends since they could toddle around their building’s rooftop rose garden. Now they’re seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora–a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved–and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Jackson Pearce, author of the acclaimed SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS, has returned with a unique vision of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” one about power and redemption, failure and hope, and the true meaning of strength.

Jackson Pearce's fairytale retellings are always unique and provide some twist on the classic tale. Cold Spell is no exception. She takes the Snow Queen legend, and shapes it to compliment the previous novels in this series, and allows the reader to feel each and every icy blast along the way.

When I heard that this would be tied into the other novels in this series, I was skeptical. The mythology, however, is woven in beautifully. The allusions to the previous novels, and how this particular novel's lore fits into the over all arc of the series is this series strong point. It's this over all arc that has me invested in these books. Each ties into the next and yet allows Jackson Pearce to focus on completely different characters. 

The relationship between Kai and Ginny is built on the fact that they share a history. We're told the emotions are there, and we get to see it from time to time, but I wanted more from it. I would have liked just a little more development considering it's the catalyst for Ginny's journey and the entire story. It was refreshing to see a romance that was built on a different foundation than is typically written about. This was a friendship that switched with ease to something more. The friendship is never doubted, neither is the fact that they care for one another. I just had a harder time buying into the 'epicness' of their romantic love.

Ginny's transformation from someone who doesn't know who she is without Kai, to someone who can stand on their own was both agonizing, and needed. It was maddening to see Ginny reduce herself to nothing beyond Kai. As character after character called her on it I was able to see where the story was eventually heading, but the message pushed me away at first. Ginny needed to learn who she was. She needed the chance to reflect on herself. He mission to save Kai allowed an introspective look that she hadn't allowed herself before.

Mora, and her motivations are directly tied to the mythology of this particular novel. I don't want to give away the secrets, so I will only say that I was pleasantly surprised by her backstory. Her character was detailed enough to be both a villain, and someone you understood. The way she ties into the previous mythology was also well plotted.

A tale of love, and forgiveness that compliments a cold winter's day. Jackson's Pearce's trilogy when put together is greater than each individual novel when looked at individually, and Cold Spell adds another layer to it's deep mythology.