Heir of Shadows and Ice

Claiming Elfhame, Book 1

By: J.M. Wallace

Narrated by: Ali Dane

These Hollow Vows meets Red Queen in the first book of this stunning new series about a halfling, fae-mortal girl caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue and the threat they pose to the mortal realm.

The world will succumb to frost and be reborn in fire. That is what the witch promised...

Since then, Kelera has spent her life denying the Fae blood that runs in her veins, shutting away the magic that calls to her.

But when trouble strikes the heart of the kingdom, she finds she must do whatever it takes to help. For the chance to save herself, her people, and to prove her loyalty to the mortal realm, Kelera must venture into the heart of Elfhame and navigate her way through the malevolent Unseelie Court at the risk of her own life.

When she is captured by the most malicious of the Unseelie Princes, Kelera’s only choice is to do what she must to survive. Even if it means embracing the magic she has been holding at bay.

Immersed in the dangers of Elfhame and faced with the brothers who each vie for the Unseelie crown, Kelera must navigate not only the treacherous court, but also the traitorous feelings blooming in her heart, and decide if taking back her power is worth the risk.

Heir of Shadows and Ice is the first book in the thrilling fantasy series, Claiming Elfhame. Step into a world of danger, intrigue, magic, and mayhem as Kelera journeys to save those she holds most dear.

This is a New Adult series with themes of violence and mild language as well as intimacy. Recommended for Mature Audeinces."

©2022 J.M. Wallace (P)2024 J.M. Wallace

Hear Me Out...

I want to start by saying that I don't usually write lengthy reviews, however, something in me wants to voice my opinion about this piece.

Pros:
1. In my opinion, the storyline and "idea" behind the plot were VERY original. I really enjoyed that the plot wasn't the same ol' Fae retelling.
2. The FMC shows growth through the story, which is refreshing.
3. The slow burn is...slow! Good and bad I suppose (see cons)
4. Great world building!
5. What's going on with Alexander?! Like why was your shirt all ruffled, bro? Hopefully we hear more on that topic in the upcoming books!


Cons:
1. The story didn't flow like I had hoped it would. I'm not sure how to explain it but I can tell you that I started to panic when I realized that there was only a few hours left and the story still hadn't picked up like I wanted it to.
2. There doesn't seem to be enough depth to the characters and I'm having a hard time connecting. The FMC is very bland in my opinion. As far as the MMC although he's morally grey (which is always a plus), he doesn't charm me. Something is missing??
3. I don't feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. I wish there was some more passion. Although a slow burn is a plus, sometimes things fizzled out for a while.
4. The narrator is great, however, she needs to have more emotion and different voices when alternating the characters.
5. The Scottish/Irish(?) accent. I normally love this accent but for some reason the narrator drove me crazy when she did it.

Lots of pros and cons. I'm looking forward to sticking with this author and seeing how not only the characters grow, but perhaps how she does as well. She clearly has some awesome potential and I'm here for it!!

Loved it!

I loved this story and can’t wait to get the next in the series. Fantastic world building, character development, and plot and performance!

another wonderful story narrated by Ali Dane

looking for fae secrets, political intrigue, slow burn, and a great narrator?! give this audio book a listen asap

amazing world building.

This was an exciting trip into Elfhame, where Kelera is forced to go and try to rescue her best friend after she is kidnapped by one of the Fae princes. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and she herself becomes stuck there.

Samiel is ruthless in his fight for power, and isn't afraid to use everyone else for his gains. While Kelera is better off under another prince, Adrastus, there seems to be a fight for everything between the brothers, especially Kelera's company.

As she learns information about her own heritage and Samiel's horrible plans, Kelera finds herself allying with Adrastus despite his cold demeanor towards her. While they fight for the kingdom of Elfhame, will they also find solace in one another for more than political reasons?

Amazing

Just amazing! The beginning was a little slow but after about chapter two it picked up where I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to see what happens now! The narrator was just amazing as well. She did an amazing job!

The Journey

I loved the journey Wallace took me on. I wish the next one was out on audible! One of the best fae books I have read 😊

Slow Burn Fantasy

I enjoyed this book. It gave me slight ACOTAR vibes but with a different sort of storyline. It definitely kept me interested and I can’t wait for the next one.

Great listen, would recommend

Well written and well read, I can't wait for the next one! I like the action and suspense, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.

Lots of potential! An overall good read/listen

I think overall this book was good! The plot definitely piqued my interest and I think I will continue the series as the audiobooks come out. I do think, however, it was lacking a bit in some areas.

I found I liked the FMC Kelera but she felt a little bland. I didn’t find myself connecting to her on a deeper level. She felt more surface level. But I was interested enough to want to dive in deeper. I feel like her character has so much potential and I have hope that we will unravel that as we progress through the series.

I also felt that the plot was slow moving. It didn’t feel like it was dragging along though, but once things really picked up, I was already halfway through the book. If the pace was picked up a bit in the first half, I think it would’ve flowed better and kept me engaged more.

I think there were really good characters and way more potential to dive in deeper with them. This book felt more plot heavy and I found myself missing the character layers. Again, I’m curious to know if this intensifies in the next one.

I really love Adrastus, how can we not love a morally grey prince?? I’m so excited to see where his story goes with Kelera.

The narration I thought was great. I think the reason I wasn’t too caught up on the slow pace of the first half was because Ali Dane’s narration was engaging. I really feel she has the perfect voice for Kelera and really captured her personality. Towards the end, she even changed the tone she gave her to match how Kelera was growing and getting stronger in her mind and magic. I absolutely love when narrators express character change in their own way that isn’t expressed through words alone. Kelera slowly grew more confident and Ali chose to express that with changing her tone and making her choices for her be stronger and bolder. That helps the listener with their connection to these characters and Ali nailed it. My only note for the narration would be for the other characters to have more differences in tone and cadence. I was able to hear the change and shift but sometimes I couldn’t tell or it took me a couple listens to figure it out.

Overall, a really enjoyable listen! I am definitely intrigued to keep going.

Top Notch Fantasy

Finished in a day? Absolutely!

Today I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed every minute of it! J.M. Wallace wrote and engaging story and Ali Dane brought it to life. 10/10 recommend!

Kalera is a halfling and a bad ass. She's gotten shit her whole life from her human neighbors, even though she has done her absolute best at giving them zero reason to mistrust her. Now she's ended up hostage of the unseelie prince in a fight for her, and the assholes who treated her like crap, lives.

Who do we trust? I don't freaking know right now. I cannot wait to start book 2 tomorrow.