Cold as stone, sharp as chipped edges. A life filled with ice and the struggle to survive in a world readying for the darkest of nights. What a series.

I have few words to describe how easily these books drew me in, wrapped me in fur warmth and then left me reeling in the blizzard of hope and hopelessness. In the past week I devoured four books in this series like a man left in a storm starving and cannot wait to read more. ( )

I thought this was a good start to this series. While it is very standard fantasy, I thought the characters were good and the plot is interesting. The world itself may be the weakest part, it didn't feel original or convincing. ( )

This was too graphic for me. Not necessarily brutal violence graphic, but everything negative, from emotions such as hate/fear/anger, to the descriptions of frozen/broken/battered flesh, to bad habits [ie, curd chewing, crass talk] just left me feeling very yucky. Which is unusual.
I finished it, but nothing in it makes me want to read another book by J.V. Jones. ( )

I read this book (first in the Sword of Shadow series) many years ago and stalled after the second book because Jones hadn't finished writing the series. I remember really loving this story arc, and was surprised to find it even more enjoyable the second time through.

This first book is an excellent introduction to a long story arc. (In fact book 5 is due to be released this fall (2012). It is too bad that there are such long delays between book releases.) With that said, this is a wonderful fantasy series. I liked it as much as Goodkind's Sword of Truth early books and Jordan's Wheel of Time. The descriptions are rich, the setting in a cold climate unique, and the primary and secondary characters very interesting.

I highly recommend this book to those who like fantasy stories with a big story arcs with plenty of interesting characters. Magic, so far, plays a very small role, but that may change further down the story line. This story relies more heavily on character development and relationships.

Hats off to Jones for this wonderful start to a potentially very interesting series. Looking forward to the next installment of Sword of Shadow! ( )

A Cavern of Black Ice is the first novel in the Sword of Shadows series by J.V. Jones. The central plot revolves around Ash March, the almost-daughter of Surlord Penthro Iss. Ash was found as a newborn abandoned at the gate of her foster-fathers city, Spire Vanis. Ash was born with a deadly, incredible power that she little understands and others will give anything to control.

Raif Severance grows up in one of the outlying clan holds. The clans are rough and tumble places that are always at war with each other, where honor is placed above all. Treachery in the form of his clan’s new chief, Mace Blackhail, forces Raif to be cast out of his clan. Raif and his uncle Angus Lok come across Ash after she flees from her foster father. Recognizing Ash for what she is, Angus convinces Raif to help him get Ash to the Cavern of Black Ice, the only place where her powers can be discharged safely.

The action is a bit slow paced at first. But the story is compelling and the characters wonderfully drawn. Readers should be aware that as this is the first book in a series, it ends on a cliff hanger. There are lots of loose threads that need to be tied up, but A Cavern of Black Ice is definitely worth the time of any dedicated Fantasy reader. ( )