A mature woman, a librarian by trade, orphaned as a child, lives with the guilt that her last words to her mother were a brush with fate. Angry at her mother leaving, she wished never to see her mother again, and she never did. This sole incident was the catalyst for turning her heart to ice. If she felt nothing for anyone, she could never be hurt again. But fate strikes again years later with another wish… and her subsequently being struck by lightning.

Now she is unable to see anything the color of red and finds herself obsessed with the effects of lightning. When she hears of another survivor, a man named Lazarus Jones, who came back to life after being dead for more than 40 minutes from a strike she is determined to find him. Thus begins a torrid affair full of heat, quite literally that will change her life. But both of them are hiding dark secrets. What will become of them when those secrets come to light?

“Be careful what you wish for” has a whole new meaning in The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman. We see how those wishes thought to be harmless actually can wield a lot of power, turning someone into a cold-hearted, unfeeling woman. But those same wishes that can turn someone cold, can also have the opposite effect, making our female protagonist, who is never named, aware of everything she’s taken for granted. Who would have thought the color red could hold such importance in life?

The story also takes a slightly erotic bend with the love affair between the key players. Their relationship is hot, quite literally, since one of Lazarus’ side effects is an extremely elevated body temperature, burning every single thing he touches with his inner fire. The details of their relationship are very detailed, without ever quite crossing into being too explicit. The details are more about feelings and images, than graphic details of their actions. This is tempered however, by the more tender love of Ned, the librarian’s brother and his relationship with his wife. We are given a glimpse into their lives as well, through the eyes of his sister, and it is everything her relationships are not.

Alice Hoffman obviously did her homework for The Ice Queen. I personally don’t know much about types of lightning and the effects of them, so it was fascinating to read these details in the novel. Some of them I can only assume are fictional, but they add a slightly paranormal touch to the story. Real or made up, this book if not already a fascinating story, would have been worth reading just for the information on lightning.

Nancy Travis brings her talent as a stage and screen actress to The Ice Queen. She does a fantastic job performing the novel and her distinctive voice is perfect for our librarian. Oftentimes I do not like reading books performed by professional actors as many times their talent on the big (or small) screen does not carry over well into this medium. I am happy to say I was very impressed with Nancy Travis’ performance and would happily read other books she has narrated.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2007. All rights reserved.