Iced
Dude! Where to fe***ng start?
Okay, I’ll go with the simplest part of my review first: Iced is one of the best books I’ve read in a good while.
The reason for this is that it’s made up of a whole heap of different components.
It has: intelligence; wit; twisted hot guys; a kick-a$$ yet 100% vulnerable MC; awesome characterisation; descriptions that leave you in no doubt as to what’s happening or with no trouble visualising; imagination; originality; mystery & intrigue; action; sexiness; surprises; and to top it all, a GREAT voice.
Let me just chat about that last component for a second. Because it’s no secret a lot of KMM fans were a little concerned about the MC chosen for Iced. After all, Dani could be a bit of an irritant during her scenes in the Fever series, always giving it the big ‘I am’. However, I cannot possibly put into words just how impressed I am with KMM for pulling off a believable voice, one full of teen angst and attitude, alongside Dani’s constant self-proclamations, without pissing the reader off. Because, yes, in Iced, Dani is—to steal a Dani term—‘the shit!’ In fact, I believe it’s wholly possible that I prefer Dani’s voice to Mac’s. She’s fun, she’s sarcastic (and I love sarcasm), aaaaaaaaand she make even the toughest and self-composed dudes laugh. Loved her. Seriously.
So let’s chat about the twisted hot guys a mo. To be honest, I didn’t know which way to be tugged when it came to the dudes. Because Dani has not just one but three with their eye on her—I suspect, all for different reasons, too. Ryoden kinda left me confused and frustrated. He’s an infuriating guy who you can’t help but be mega intrigued by, but his interest in Jo? Yeah, not getting/buying that. Though, let’s not forget the very subtle shift in her demeanour toward him down in that cellar once ‘contracts’ were on the table. Underhanded is the first word that springs to mind when I delve deeper in that relationship. And then we have his most unusual interest (and almost soft spot) for Dani. I honestly believe his taunting of Christian is exactly that. I’m not convinced Ryoden wants Dani for something as base as sex. I believe there is WAY more to Dani than meets the eye, and I think Ryoden sees it. Either that, or there is some kind of prophecy that Ryoden just happens to know of—because, let’s face it, the dude knows everything, right? Of course, this is mere speculation, which I rarely ever do in reviews—but then this book leaves you with a whole lot to speculate if you look beyond the mere happenings of this title and search for the bigger picture. As already mentioned above, we also have Christian. Though he was somewhat creepy at times, he was also incredible hot in his own right, and incredibly vulnerable (andentertaining). I don’t believe he has any underhanded agendas—at least, not that he is himself aware of—but I do think there is much more going on with him and Dani needs to watch out. His intentions might seem pure to himself, but I’m not 100% convinced he’s the one pulling his strings. Finally, there’s Dancer. The mere human. The one seen as weaker by the other two, but can knock them dead with his brain power and proved exactly that, as well as not being an ounce of afraid of the bigger two. I loved his relationship with Dani, loved their interactions, and whilst my heart is telling me he is totally the right guy for our young heroine, my more sensible brain is telling me to never assume and never believe that anything will ever be that simple.
Anyway, I think that might be enough spoilers for one review in my character opinions alone. But I do feel I have to mention the plot at least a little bit. Because, despite the pace of the book seeming a little slow, it didn’t feel slow as I was reading. It felt more as though I was working vigilantly alongside Dani—and one must stay vigilant if they’re to take it all in—to solve the mystery (or all of them) at the exact pace she did. Did I see anything coming? Tiny little bits maybe. Like the idea Ryoden comes up with for the grand finale, though I didn’t anticipate just how the actual occurrence of such would play out. But I didn’t pre-amp much.
So, drawing the review to an end, I’ll wrap up with a mention of the ‘dreaded cliffhanger’. Some folk hate cliffhangers. Personally, I’m pretty ecstatic there was one in Iced, and I am seriously hoping for a good five books or so to this series, because KMM style, I suspect it will take at least that long for all my questions to be answered. And, boy, am I left with a shed-load of questions. About Cruce & Mac & Ryoden & Christian—okay, pretty much everything and everyone—but to list them here would be the biggest spoilers of them all. So I’ll just end by saying: gimme more!
