Ice Country by David Estes

Goodreads
348 pages, YA Dystopian
The Country Saga #2
My rating: 5 stars

Fun Fact: In the slang language of Ice Country, Icy means good looking.  So the next time you find an individual that you think is hot, just call them icy!  :)


Synopsis

Dazz, a hard-edged, fun-loving Icer, likes fighting, particularly while at his favorite watering hole. However, while recovering from a particularly bad break up, his decision to engage in a brutal pubroom brawl leads to a series of events that thrust him into a dark and mysterious scandal involving King Goff, the ice country ruler. 

When his sister is abducted in the dark of night, Dazz pledges to do whatever it takes to get her back, embarking on a quest that threatens to rip apart the very fabric that's barely holding his shattered family together. 

Along the way he meets a group of unlikely allies in the form of a travelling group of fire country natives. Can Dazz, when joined with his best friend, Buff, and new tan-skinned friends, defeat the King and his guards before it's too late for his sister?

My 2 cents

Ice Country is the follow up sequel to one of my favorite dystopians ever, Fire Country. I wasn't sure if this one was going to live up to Fire Country. Namely because I loved the world building, the slang, and the MC, Siena so much in that book.

I shouldn't have worried! Ice Country is almost a polar opposite of Fire Country, and I loved it! We still got great world building, more amazing slang (in fact, I think I may have liked Ice Country slang even better!) and another wonderful MC character!

Dazz...oh my word, Dazz...sigh. I don't know exactly what it was about him. He's rash, has a hot temper, and thinks more with his fists than his brain. The total opposite of what I look for in a guy. But I loved it! He made me giggle a LOT. He is also loyal, and actually a big softie when it comes to things like his mother and his little sister. Awww...who can't resist that in a guy! 

Dazz makes some of the dumbest decisions ever, but it sure keeps things interesting! He's lucky that he has a best friend who has more sense in his head, and tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. Not that Buff succeeds in doing it, but he sure tries!

We also get cameos from some of our favorite characters in Fire Country--Siena, Circ, and Skye, along with a few others. This is where the book just took off for me, and had me hooked with every word. I loved getting to see my favorite characters from Fire Country in the world of Ice Country. The relationships between this group of people gave us great moments of laughter, and really raised the stakes. 

And just like in Fire Country, I felt just about every range of emotion. Like I said, there are lots of funny moments, and there are also some horrible heartbreaking ones. I was so sucked into the story that I really felt every single moment along with Dazz. 

Nothing was what I expected, and I really had no idea what was going to happen next. I loved all the twists, and how even though they seemed to come from nowhere, they made perfect sense looking back. I love how so much of the plot and characters of Fire Country are tied into this book. We also get a few sneak peeks of things to come in the third novel!

In the end, the story ties up nicely, but there is still lots of things to come for the next installment! I felt pretty wrung dry from all the emotion, and had to seek out a hug from my hubby! This was an amazing read, and I will be reading Water & Storm Country SOON!