Book Tour - THE THRONE OF ICE & ASH by J.D.L. Rosell

Out of This World SFF Reviews is pleased to be one of the many blogs participating in the Storytellers On Tour Book Tour featuring fantasy author J.D.L. Rosell and his book, THE THRONE OF ICE & ASH!  This book is Norse-influenced epic fantasy that evokes shades of John Gwynne and Joanne M. Harris.  I am incredibly excited to be part of the tour with all of the other amazing bloggers to discuss it.  I will be giving you a synopsis of the book as well as my official review, plus some additional links to connect with J.D.L. Rosell and his books.

Book Blurb

In the frigid storms of winter, leaders and warriors are forged...  Can the Jarl's heirs avenge their kin and protect their throne from ancient foes?

Bjorn, son of the Jarl of Oakharrow, has always felt more at ease with a quill than a sword.  Yet when tragedy strikes his family, he finds himself drawing a blade and leading a company of warriors into the cold, deadly mountains in pursuit of a mysterious enemy.  But vengeance comes at a high price...

Aelthena, Bjorn's sister, was born with the aptitude to lead, and she's eager to prove it.   But her society's rules for women, and her love for her brother, restrain her efforts to command.  As she walks the fine line between ambition and virtue, the city stirs in unrest, and even her allies question her right to rule...

Yet more than one city's fate hangs in the balance.  Mythic enemies emerge to conquer all humanity.  And the only way they can be overcome is for Bjorn and Aelthena to unite their feuding peoples and master mysterious powers few humans have touched before...

The Runewar is rising - and it begins with the fall of the throne.

The Throne of Ice and Ash is Book 1 of The Runewar Saga, a Norse-inspired series by the author of the bestselling Legend of Tal books.  Begin a new epic fantasy tale brimming with political intrigue, vast sojourns, grand-scale wars, and awakening magic...

Review

J.D.L. Rosell is one of those authors who continually impresses me book by book.  I'm a huge fan of his Legend of Tal series, which gave me the warm and fuzzy feels like I was coming home to the fantasy reads that enchanted me growing up.  When I heard that he was launching a new series that was based in Norse-mythology, I couldn't wait to check it out and see if he was able to pull it off.  Well, it didn't take me long into reading this book to come to the conclusion that this series may be even better than his previous one.

I really connected with the two main characters in this book, the siblings Bjorn and Aelthena.  Part of the reason is that their emotions come through so well as they struggle to unite their fellow clans and also repair the fracture that has occurred within their own family.  Bjorn has been thrust into a role that he does not want and Aelthena wants more than anything in the world.  However, they are both hamstrung by the laws and rules set down by generations of clan-members before them.  To see how they both rely on each other and put aside their own ambitions is truly inspiring and shows their close bond, even if they drive each other mad at times.

This world is so rich with Norse legend and history that I was reminded a lot of a book that I just read, The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne.  There are also slight glimmers of the Runemark books by Joanne M. Harris.  Yet this book also feels totally unique in its own right and relies on a strong and original story to propel the action while using Norse myths as the backbone.  There were times when I found myself mesmerized by the amount of knowledge that Rosell put forth and it is obvious that he has done his homework without it seeming like info dumps.

As with any good Norse-influenced tale, the action in THE THRONE OF ICE & ASH is aplenty and bloody.  Those who enjoy battles and military tactics will find lots to revel in here.  There is also a great deal of scheming involved in the story, which I personally love being a huge fan of fantasy with lots of political intrigue and backstabbing.  This is another reason why I felt that this book had more depth than just a simple retelling based on Norse history/mythology.   

Lastly, the bitterly cold and harsh setting was the perfect (and appropriate) setting for the events that lead up to the final few chapters.  This is definitely an ending that, although leaving the door open and setting up the next entry, has one heck of a finish that is completely satisfying and breathtaking.  That being said, it still made me want to immediately have the next one in my hands, that's how much Rosell tantalizes you in those last few pages.

THE THRONE OF ICE & ASH is such a fantastic read that manages to achieve an air of originality among a myriad of recent Norse-inspired fantasy releases.  Please do not be turned off if you feel like you've had your fill of Viking fantasy lately, as this one deserves to be read and enjoyed entirely on its own merits.  Do yourself a favor and pick up this first book in The Runewar Saga.  I was thrilled and entertained beyond measure and suspect that many readers will also feel the same.

Overall Rating:

You can purchase THE THRONE OF ICE AND ASH on Amazon.

Also check out the book on Goodreads.

Author Bio

J.D.L. Rosell is the author of the bestselling Legend of Tal series, The Runewar Saga, The Famine Cycle series, and the Godslayer Rising trilogy.  He has earned an MA in creative writing and has previously written as a ghostwriter.

Always drawn to the outdoors, he ventures out into nature whenever he can to indulge in his hobbies of hiking and photography.  Most of the time, he can be found curled up with a good book at home with his fiancee and two cats, Zelda and Abenthy.

Find out more and claim a free book on his Website.

You can also connect with J.D.L. Rosell online via Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, BookBub, Twitter, and Goodreads.

And that concludes my stop on THE THRONE OF ICE & ASH book tour!  Hope you enjoyed it.  I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Storytellers On Tour and author J.D.L. Rosell for the opportunity to participate.  There are many more awesome stops on this tour, so if you would like to check those out, below is the official schedule.

Thanks as always for stopping by Out of This World SFF and for your continued support.  It means a lot and is really appreciated.

-Nick