A Touch of Stone & Snow | Blog Tour
A Touch of Stone & Snow (A Gathering of Dragons #2) by Milla Vane
Berkley – July 21, 2020
*Book Review copy provided by Berkley via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This week I’m back with the second book in Milla Vane’s A Gathering of Dragons fantasy romance series! It’s safe to say this was a highly anticipated release for me! I read and thoroughly enjoyed Vane’s previous book, A Heart of Blood and Ashes, which was released earlier this year (Wow. That seems like ages ago and before the quarantine!) [If you’d like to read my blog post about it – read it here]
These books really bridge my long-standing love of fantasy with my new found appreciation for romance. Romances in fantasy series also made me shrug and take a hard pass on it. With lackluster romance tropes, major male gaze in male -authored works, and honestly not very well written sex scenes made romance in fantasy not something I looked for. (The jury is out on YA fantasy romances, however I’m open to persuasion).
Although, I used to boohoo romance in fantasy, I think when done well it can be fabulous! Grace Draven’s Dragon Unleashed (2020) and A Heart of Blood and Ashes both showed me the wide variety of fantasy romances as well. Draven’s novel, which is also part of a series, was much quieter, softer, and – dare I say – comforting. Whereas, Vane’s first novel in the series has an alphahole, intense intimate scenes, and felt much more angsty.
This all leads to the July 21st release of A Touch of Stone and Snow!
About the Book
Danger lurks in the western realms. Though an evil king has been defeated, a sorcerer warlord has risen and nobody is safe. This demon-possessed warlord creates magical terrors, attacking nations with the ultimate goal to weaken and demolish them before the Destroyer’s imminent return.
When Lizzan leads the Kothan army against these terrors, only to see her soldiers massacred and to emerge as the only survivor, she is called a coward and disgrace. Shunned from her home, Lizzan now wanders in solitude through the lands as a mercenary for hire, until she encounters a group of warriors seeking new alliances with the northern kingdoms–a group that includes Aerax, the bastard prince of Koth, and the man who sent her into exile.
Though they were childhood friends, Aerax cannot trust the woman whose failure led to the fall of a kingdom. But when fate binds them together, Lizzan and Aerax must find a way to overcome their painful pasts. Or there will be no future for the western realms.
My Thoughts
As mentioned previously, the first book in the series had a harder edge to it and from what I’ve gathered about the genre, a sort of throwback alpha hero and seemingly weak heroine, however Vane plays with these tropes a bit. Meanwhile, in this second novel, I feel like she pushed these trope boundaries more by creating a heroine who at her core is a soldier who’s lost her way and a hero that’s completely devoted to her.
I like that the plot features a ‘second-chance’ at love in a very different way… because barbarians, and magic, and epic battles. I found that I appreciated the continued world building, understanding the different kingdoms that make of the western realm, and the cultural differences between these groups which feels fresh and a time prescient.
I read this novel in two days and I cant’ wait for the third book to release this fall! There are also two novellas out as well to hold you over until the next release! I think if you like fantasy or paranormal romances with badass characters that find love in tough times, you’ll enjoy this!
About the Author
Under a pen name, Milla Vane is also an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of steampunk and paranormal romance. Milla currently resides in Oregon.
