The Ice Queen

A Novel

By: Alice Hoffman

Narrated by: Nancy Travis

From the bestselling author of The Rules of Magic, a miraculous, enthralling tale of a woman who is struck by lightning, and finds her frozen heart is suddenly burning.

Be careful what you wish for. A woman who was touched by tragedy as a child now lives a quiet life, keeping other people at a cool distance. She even believes she wants it that way. Then one day she utters an idle wish and, while standing in her house, is struck by lightning. But instead of ending her life, this cataclysmic event sparks a strange and powerful new beginning.

She goes in search of Lazarus Jones, a fellow survivor who was struck dead, then simply got up and walked away. Perhaps this stranger who has seen death face to face can teach her to live without fear. When she finds him, he is her perfect opposite, a burning man whose breath can boil water and whose touch scorches. As an obsessive love affair begins between them, both hide their most dangerous secrets -- what happened in the past that turned one to ice and the other to fire.

A magical story of passion, loss, and renewal, The Ice Queen is Alice Hoffman at her electrifying best.

Brother, Sister, and Mother - a Grim Fairy Tale

This novel has the deliberate feel of a Grimms' Fairy Tale, including a young woman who believes that her wish brought about her own mother's death, several characters who have survived lightning strikes, and a brother with a dark secret that is not revealed until the very end of the story. Alice Hoffman's books hold my attention and are not afraid to explore the dark and painful events of life.

Didn’t like the narrator.

I LOVE Alice Hoffman, but the narrator made the protagonist so completely unlikeable for most of the book. I can’t help but feel I would have enjoyed the main character so much more if the narrator didn’t sound so sour and bitter the entire book.

Wonderful

This is one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite writers. It never ceases to make me feel.

The Ice Queen (Unabridged)

This is a great book that really held my interest. I have an hour commute to work and I was wishing that it didn't have to end just so I could listen a little more. I caught myself talking to the narrator at times. "Don't make a wish!" This book is well written. It has many small details that are intertwined in the overall story. I wanted to absorb it all so I would know what was coming next. The author kept me on my toes and I never really figured out what was going to happen before it really did. This is a great title to buy to let your mind wander and enter the fantasy world for a while.

Not impressed

My professor is crazy about Alice Hoffman, so I bought this book based on her recommendation. Maybe I just bought the wrong book, maybe I am not getting something but the story and the style feels flat to me.