Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow By Jessica Day George Release Date: Buy it Today! Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books Ratings Action Romance Characters Overall Purchase on Amazon. Purchase at Powell’s. Find independent bookstores.

The lass was an unwanted fourth daughter, and her mother despaired so much over her birth that she never gave her a name. Her siblings try to care for her and she feels closest to her older brother, Hans Peter. But Hans Peter is haunted and hurt by something that happened while he was away trying to make his fortune, and the lass wishes she could find a way to return his spirit to him.

After helping a white reindeer, the lass recieves a name and the gift of speaking to animals, a gift that comes in handy when a great polar bear appears at their door. The bear asks that he might take her away to live with him in his palace of ice, in exchange for riches for the family. Willingly she begins her adventure, without knowing why the bear might want her, other than her ability to speak to him.

At the polar bear’s palace of ice, she’s plagued by curiosities: the odd servants and the ancient language carved into the pillars that seem to match the symbols on her brother’s coat he brought back from his journeys and gave her to keep her warm. Still, she enjoys her time with the polar bear and makes friends with the castle inhabitants. But soon, servants disappear and she begins to realize that all of those she has held dear, the enchanted polar bear and her brother Hans Peter, are in a danger that only she has the will to circumvent.

This is a tale of a beauty and a beast, with a Scandinavian twist. One of my favorite elements of this story was the folk tales that were woven in and out of it. I’m not too familiar with the original Norwegian tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but I did read a version provided by the Internet, and I thought that Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, did a wonderful job of staying true to the heart of the original, while expanding it into a beautifully detailed book. Other Norwegian elements were woven in as well, and the town and family were nicely superstitious. I enjoy tales set in that time when Christianity had become a norm of life, yet folk tales still ran rampart and affected the actions of townspeople. It’s interesting to see how Christianity blended into local legends in most societies.

Description was another strong point of the story, as the polar bear’s castle was clear in my mind, as was the utter whiteness of the outside world. After growing up in Nebraska, I can begin to imagine a country of snow and ice, and I know I wouldn’t want to live there.

Now, my faults with the book probably hinge back to the original story more than the author herself. She can only do so much with a fairytale. The element that I especially didn’t like was the whole “must sleep beside a strange man for a year without asking questions” part. That’s a little… odd, I think. But the author did do a nice job of reinventing some of the tale and reasons why a prince is trapped as a polar bear, as well as layering lass’s brother’s own ordeals on top of her adventure.

Ratings Reasons:
Action 4 – The lass’s trip takes her to the edge of the world, and she shows a lot of spirit in the quest to save her love.

Romance 4 ½ – This is at heart a romantic tale, reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, about learning to love despite appearances or differences. A good classic fairytale romance.

Characters 4 – Even though I’m writing this review about two months after I read it, I pretty clearly remember all the characters with just a quick glance to check names. All characters were nicely distinct and interesting to watch.

Overall 4 ½ – I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was enchanted from the start. I’d recommend it to others, especially if they enjoyed George’s Dragon Slippers.