Book Rating

Born of Ice Book Review

Intense Exchanges

From the get-go, their dynamic is explosive. Axe walks - no, he literally barges - into Electra’s life with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, calling her a “cripple” (yes, you read that right) and bossing her around like he owns the place. 

Let me tell you, I was livid. This wasn’t the charming, grumpy-but-hot male lead I’m used to swooning over. Axe was just… mean. 

But I trust Daisy, having read her previous works. And she delivered.

Ultimately, Axe turns out to be one of the few people who really believes in, cares about, and protects Electra. Someone reliable and supportive. 

𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑐𝑒. 

Engrossing & Straight to the Heart

What follows is a slow, raw unraveling of two people who are as broken as they are stubborn. Thorn does what she does best: she peels back the tough, icy exteriors to reveal the messy, vulnerable humanity underneath.

Swoony

“𝐼’𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢.”

I adored their raw, vulnerable moments.

Not in a pity party or a “let’s be toxic together” way. But in a “seeing the beauty and strength in each other’s brokenness and lending that strength in return” kind of way. Allowing each other to feel the pain they buried deep so they can bring it to light and face it head-on.

Their journey together isn’t about fixing each other but helping one another heal and rediscover their fire. 

Axe is battling his own demons—his fractured relationship with his father and the weight of his past—and Electra becomes the light that helps him face them.

𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠. 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟-𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑒𝑠.

For all his gruffness, Axe becomes Electra’s unyielding force to fight back against her despair. He sees her as more than her accident, more than her lost dreams, and never gives up on her—even when she’s given up on herself. 

He pushes her, challenges her, and refuses to let her wallow in her pain, not out of cruelty but out of belief in her strength.

When they first met, both were in a dark place, each “crippled” by the burdens they carried. But their togetherness became the beacon of light they needed—and deserved—to find their way again.

𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑. 𝑊ℎ𝑦? 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡. 𝑊ℎ𝑦? 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑡.

Sizzling Hot

Electrifying!

And that scene on the ice. The pivotal moment that changed everything. Those two little words (don’t worry, no spoilers here) sent shivers down my spine. Goosebumps! 

I’m talking full-body, heart-pounding, oh-my-God-what’s-happening vibes. 

I was gasping, holding my breath, and practically praying alongside Electra. The intensity of it all left me stunned. Dumbfounded, exhilarated, and absolutely panicking all at once. 

It was explosive, unforgettable, and packed with so much emotion. How do you even explain that kind of magic?

Daisy Thorn. The storyteller that you are.

More than Just a Heart-throbbing Romance

Born of Ice is raw, fiery, and deeply emotional. Electra and Axe’s story isn’t just about finding love in a hopeless place (yes, that’s a Rihanna song). 

It’s about fighting for yourself and each other, even when the odds seem impossible. 

It’s about reigniting that burning flame inside you, even when it feels like it’s been buried under layers of snow for too long. 

𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘, 𝐼’𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒. 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡. 𝑆𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑦, 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ*𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟.

It’s about accepting the uncontrollable events that have shaped your life and finding the strength to move forward. It’s about forgiveness, not just for those who’ve hurt you, but for yourself. 

It’s about breaking free from the lies that tell you you’re not worthy or incapable, the lies that keep you trapped in your own metaphorical wheelchair.

This journey is as much about love as personal redemption and resilience.

Verdict

Favorite Quotes

“𝐷𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑒. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠.” 

(I mean, I've never related to a book character more. Lol!)

“𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒. 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠, 𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢.” 

“𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒?”

“𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒.”

Read Born of Ice by Daisy Thorn

Born of Ice is out now! Grab your copy on Amazon. Available on Kindle (FREE with Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. Happy reading!

Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book, but this review is entirely my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation. I review to support indie authors.

This post contains affiliate links, so we'd get a commission if you purchase through the links at no additional cost to you. Thank you!