Book Review: Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley

Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city's illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.

If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.

As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.

GENRE: Gaslamp Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Emma Sterner-Radley is an ex-librarian (with the student debt and caffeine addiction to prove it) turned fantasy author. Originally Swedish, she now lives with her wife and two cats in Chester, Great Britain.

She spends her time writing, reading, daydreaming, lifting weights, hanging out online, and watching the gayest TV shows she can find.

Review

This book had some interesting elements. The protagonists weren't romantically connected in any way, for a change. The setting was pretty intriguing, and while it wasn't as Norse or Viking as I'd seen it pitched originally (and thus led me to picking it up), the few elements they did use were pretty cool. There was political intrigue too, which involved the different social classes in the city.

It could've been a lot shorter though, I think. The bantering got exhausting real quick, and everyone seemed to be spending an inordinate of time talking and bantering, even during crucial action scenes (or what I'd expected to be action scenes). For assassins who were supposed to be deadly and dangerous, the fight scenes didn't really reflect that? (Sometimes they even came off as quite incompetent.) And I didn't feel like the plot really picked up until about 85% through.

But if you like character-focused stories, this book should be for you! A lot of time is spent getting to know Valour and Petrichor (even Ingrid, actually, who's rather interesting), and the ending is quite satisfying.

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read this #IndieApril, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.