Black Ice Burning (Pale Queen, #3) by A.R. Kahler

Black Ice Burning (Pale Queen, #3) Reviews

• 
  Kayla

  
  This review was originally posted on The Review Court
  
  My Review:
  
  I enjoyed The Immortal Circus series, which was the first series I read by A.R. Kahler. It had a little bit of everything, that’s what I like in a book. The Pale Queen Series is a bit different. There are some similarities in terms of characters and some of the setting. But that’s where the similarities end.
  
  I think I would have liked if I was warned about that before I read the series. Don’t get me wrong, now. I did enjoy the series overall, but I think that I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t expect it to be like The Immortal Circus. Most of the characters you liked [loved] are now on the back-burner. Some are even discarded like left-overs. This was one thing that was hard for me.
  
  As you may know from my review of
  book two in this series, I was disappointed in how little a role Vivienne plays in this series. I was upset about how her character had evolved since the end of the last series. I think, perhaps, my expectations walking into this story, wasn't where they needed to be. To better enjoy this story, just don’t expect it to be like the previous one.
  
  Now, let’s talk about the story. The book was very action-packed. There was an interesting twist, which if you read the previous series you could have figured out. I did appreciate that we got a little more page time with some of the beloved characters of the circus, but the story doesn’t end well for them, although it is necessary evils to keep the story going.
  
  I really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Eli. I like his sense of humour and that he is loyal to Claire, even if he’s under contract to do so. The end is a bit interesting but not really where I wanted it to go, although, the story would have had to continue in order to go differently. It was still a satisfying ending to some extent.
  
  The only thing I would have liked to see gone differently, is having Claire’s transformation be a little deeper. It just felt a little forced. I mean, the whole story takes place over a couple days. Perhaps if the story took place over a few weeks, it would have been a little more believable.
  
  Final Thoughts:
  
  If you like a bad-ass heroine, this one is for you. It’s fast paced and action-packed. It’s purely fantasy with a hint of soul searching and minimal romance – if any.
  
  The Verdict:
  
  Liked It.
• 
  The Drowsy Bookworm

  2.5 stars
  
  I’m bummed I can’t give this book more stars, because I really liked the first one. It was a great start to a series and introduction to the Pale Queen’s world. I love the idea of the faerie world with the winter and summer kingdom. I like the way they collect “Dream” from humans and use it to fuel most everything they do. I liked the crassness of the main character Claire. And I liked Eli, her frequently summoned demon buddy.
  
  The second book was hard to get through. It was long and drawn out, and the action picked up only in the final pages as a lead-in to this, the conclusion. So my hopes were a little higher for this book, that it would be more like the first one as far as excitement and action went.
  
  I’m not sure where exactly it lost me. Was it the hundreds of mentions of faerie contracts, and how the changes made to these contracts apparently explain everything? Was it the annoying way all the other characters seemed to gang up on Claire after she unknowingly helped to summon the Pale Queen in book one and killed her mother in book two? Was it the fact that she never stood up for herself to these characters, despite being this supposedly steel-hearted assassin? (I mean, I felt myself becoming increasingly annoyed every time Claire was verbally attacked by Kingston, to the point where I was having a physical reaction. Just punch him in the face or tell him to fuck off already, or something, Claire! ) And speaking of assassins, how many times throughout the series did we hear about Claire being one for a living, and how many times did we actually get to see her assassinate anyone? Sure, there were kills here and there, but she apparently has a very interesting professional history and I would’ve loved to read more about that than the existing storyline.
  
  I still don’t really understand certain things, like how the Pale Queen betrayed the circus? I don’t know if that question was truly never answered, or if I just lost interest during that part of the audiobook and didn’t hear it. But apparently she did betray the circus, and that’s what caused Queen Mab to send her to the depths of hell, but the Pale Queen was still tied to the faerie world via her contract, which is ultimately how she managed to become resurrected, etc. etc. I don’t really know…
  
  It just felt like rules kept changing based on what was convenient to the story; anytime there was a discrepancy or something out of the norm it was chalked up to the damn faerie contract: it was in the contract, or something had changed the contract, or the contract had been negated, etc...
  
  That being said, I liked the last few pages and where they leave our MC. I liked the ending to this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as a whole.
  
  The author created a great world and interesting characters, but for me the storyline was weighed down with too many factors and ultimately couldn’t support itself.
• 
  Carol Palmer

  Good ending
  
  The first book in this series was great. The second book was so-so. So glad the author upped his game for this final book
• 
  Dave Olsher

  Great ending to a very unique series
  
  . After six books, it would have been easy to stumble at the finish line, but this is a four-star book with a five-star ending
• 
  Diana Hurwitz

  I love A R Kahler and started with his Immortal Circus Trilogy. I love everything he has written. His prose is delicious. His characters are beautifully rendered and his story world magical. I high recommend Starting with The Immortal Circus 1, Act Two, and Act 3. Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—because forever means something quite different at the Cirque des Immortels. Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his sarcastic assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for. The show's just beginning. Step right up...Continuing in the Immortal Circus world, Pale Queen rising follows the royal assassin, Claire, who is used to moving between the mortal world and the Winter Kingdom. When the queen commands her to kill, Claire does the job and doesn’t ask questions. Her deadly skills and loyalty are soon tested when Claire is sent to the Immortal Circus, one of the many places where “Dream” is harvested from the imaginings of mortals, and someone is causing it to mysteriously disappear. Claire’s job is to find the culprit before the Winter Kingdom’s supply of Dream is depleted enough to threaten its very survival. But when she meets Roxie, a beautiful mortal singer with a strange link to the Dream thieves, Claire quickly recognizes an odd and unexplained connection that may cloud her judgment. As each new clue unveils another secret, Claire finds herself confronting the riddle of her own buried past—and a dangerous illusion that, as part of the Immortal Circus, is just another act in the show. Highly recommend Book Two Cold Dream Dawning and Black Ice Burning. And every other title by this amazing writer.
• 
  Tori

  No I'm not crying, you're crying. Gods, I loved this book and this world so much, since I picked up The Immortal Circus all those years ago. I'm so happy to see it end (?) and yet so incredibly sad. This book might of been my favorite out of all the books, it was just so dark and heart breaking and yet paragraph after paragraph, I was fueled by hope. I loved all the characters. I loved meeting new ones and spending so much time with the old ones. I loved getting some of the backgrounds of them and see what fueled them in more detail. I loved seeing them happy and sad and mean. It made them all so much more real to me. This book just made my heart so emotional and happy. Now I need to find something to fill my book hangover that this was caused.
• 
  Colleen

  LOVE THE SERIES! & NARRATOR!!
  
  I rarely take time to write reviews but people considering this series (and the one prior) need to know the flow is PERFECT. It has every attraction you may want in a fantasy storyline and it is easy for the reader to absorb the essence of the main characters. Just enough spread of character building and interaction throughout. Best book I've read in a long time. The narrator in the audible version is PERFECT as well. She speaks with such perfect intonation that you don't even realize there is a narrator. You know what I mean.....their tone is monotonous, the different characters ridiculous and the accents a joke.) NOT here. LOVED the entire series. Can't say enough. Fantastic.
• 
  Jess - The Hexed Library

  3.5
  
  To be fair, I probably would have liked this better if I had read it closer to when I read the first two books in 2016. The pace was a little off for me but I did enjoy seeing the characters again. The plot was decent, I liked how things wrapped up and how we got there. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed putting myself back into that world.
  
  Also I should note that I never read the Immortal Circus trilogy because I didn't find out about it until I was already through the first book so it felt kind of pointless. That too may have attributed to me not loving this conclusion because the end of this book definitely does some fan-service to fans of the first trilogy.
  
  I do plan to read more of Alex's work in the future.
• 
  Crystal

  I hate when a series ends
  
  The entire trilogy was a pleasure to read...a actually just binged on reading the first book again. A new twist on the world of faerie, love and loss, rising of power and fall from grace, toss in demons, assassins multiple planes ld existence you have this series. Hopefully we get a prologue down the line these characters are ones just would like to re visit
• 
  Steven Allen

  This was an intriguing and good series to read from a local author. Good writing with great characters. I did guess correctly the ending for the most part, but there were a few surprises.
  
  I am glad that I finished this series, but I doubt that I will read more from this author.
• 
  Heather Walker

  I loved this series! I'm almost a little sad to finally have the final book in the series. A.R. Kahler did a fantastic job of neatly wrapping up the story while still leaving you wanting more. This series is one I would absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys Fae inspired tales.
• 
  Rebecca

  Great way to end it
  
  Love this book and the series! Such a great read. Characters are fun and believable. Will be looking for more from this author!
• 
  La

  I really like how this ending.
  Claire's still dumb sometimes lol
• 
  Melissa

  Far, demons and magic fun.
  
  Nice wrap up to the trilogy of the pale queen. The characters were interesting to follow and their quirks kept the fun moving forward.
• 
  Natasja Hellenthal

  Black Ice Burning was not what I expected it to be, but that was good in my case as I love to be surprised! What an adventure! Great plot and well told. I love the characters and how real they were.
  
  I would recommend this book to my friends.
• 
  C. Erani Kole

  *voluntarily and honestly reviewed this ARC I acquired via NetGalley*
  
  So I didn't realize this was a book already several installments into the series, but I went with it anyway. Then when I realized this was the end of the series, I kinda freaked out. For one thing, I absolutely fell for the writing style. There's just something about that automatic click you get with some books, you know? This was my zing. Loved the tone, the MC, the characters and the set-up. Even as a first-timer in the series, I still managed to follow along with everything that happened, and I am so psyched to start from the beginning.
  
  Kahler is possibly one of my new favorite authors this year. Her writing engaged me and kept things really entertaining and interesting, even when things got dark and mildly gory. If there was ever a time that my attention waned, it was during the Pale Queen's long dialogue about ruling the world, but that's more on my impatience than her writing, really, so I think it makes it even better for bringing out the irritation in me, right? lol
  
  I'm really fascinated by Claire and how she's so detached, but is still trying to remember that she was first, and foremost, human. Even after all the drama and guilt and blaming, she still felt like a very curious person. I just can't seem to get enough of her, now.
  
  Overall a fantastic read that I highly recommend. I'll definitely be reading the series sometime soon, if only to get another glimpse at Queen Mab's circus (???) Definite recommend, people.
• 
  Terry Clark

  Fun and quick pace.
  
  Great end to the trilogy. Full of twists and turns, quick pace and fun. Wondering about the next set of books to come!?!
• 
  N.J.

  Although I did not want the story to end, I did want it to go by quicker. The extensive descriptive passages and the unnecessary repetitive conversations made the books feel like there was no point or end in sight. With that said I enjoyed following the characters in their journey and I am 100% sad that the story has ended. I enjoyed growing with Claire and knowing what happened after she left the immortal circus. Even though the end seemed predictable I was happy to know that they all got their happy ending.
• 
  Donna Dillhunt

  A fitting conclusion to the series.
  
  A fitting conclusion to the series. I've really enjoyed the magic. The Pale Queen Series was filled with action and conflict. I liked how it concludef
• 
  Peter Millane

  A fitting end to the series
  
  Talk about going out with a bang.
  
  One thing I've enjoyed through all of these books is Claire's sick sense of humour and it is nice to see it carry over through hell and back.
• 
  Jessica

  So sad to see it end.
  
  I loved it! All of it. I'm sad it's over . I do hope the story picks up again. So many adventures to be had in these worlds! Thank you Mr. Kahler for another great thrill.
• 
  Deejae

  Loved this!! Kahler has given us a new favorite!
• 
  Jennifer

  I basically knew how things were going but it was still an enjoyable read!