A Cavern Of Black Ice

Set in the same world as her bestselling The Book of Words trilogy, A Cavern of Black Ice is the first book in the separate Sword of Shadows series. This gritty novel follows the stories of its two stubborn main characters, Ash, and Raif, both of whom are a little different from the world in which they live. Ash is locked away by her adopted father, tormented by reoccurring nightmares for which she has no explanation. Meanwhile, Raif is a fiercely loyal member of the Hailsmen tribe who begins to question that loyalty as certain things come to light about his clan. The novel unravels slowly in a stark, cold climate, the perfect backdrop for the types of visceral scenes that Jones describes in often agonizing detail. Readers will enjoy the dark magical elements, multiple characters (Raif's sister and uncle also play prominent roles) and sweeping epic fantasy not normally written by a female author. Although Jones isn't as well-known as some of her fantasy counterparts, her work is well worth a read, and has even been compared to the likes of popular fantasy authors George R.R. Martin and Robin Hobb. Read if You Like: deep world-building, epic fantasies, magic, multiple character plotlines, heroes who suffer a lot