cover image Cursed by Ice

Cursed by Ice

Jacquelyn Frank. Ballantine, $7.99 ISBN 978-0-553-39341-5

Immortal Garreth takes the protagonist baton from elder sibling Dethan (introduced in Cursed by Fire) in Frank’s formulaic second romantic fantasy about a war between the gods. While Dethan had been condemned to burn, Garreth was sentenced to spend every day of his ill-gained eternal life repeatedly frozen through, thawed, and then frozen again. But when Weysa, goddess of conflict, deems him a necessary addition to her army, she grants him a partial reprieve: he will only freeze for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, Garreth will lead an assault on the enemy city of Kith. There he encounters Sarielle, who is held captive by a cruel ruler because she possesses power over a gigantic dragon that bows to her every command. She is also wise enough to advise the brothers on matters of war and politics. Unfortunately, Frank never gets the fantasy and romance to mesh long enough to sustain a convincing story in this invented universe. (Apr.)