It’s finally June, halfway through the year and I think I’ve found my favorite fantasy book. Steel Hand, Cold Heart by Rachel Menard is a captivating read from start to finish with an immersive world and fully-fleshed characters that you can easily invest in. The only thing that stopped me from reading this entire book in a day was the unfortunate, but necessary need for sleep.
This book follows Carina the Unstoppable, a captive of war who trained from the age of three to become a Hand of Death amongst the Daughters of Hel. From the moment she was taken to Helvar, she has had to prove herself worthy of her place amongst the natives. That is, until the day she is taken aboard a ship by three unlikely crew members. It’s up to her to plot her revenge against her captors, or to join them and forget the place she once called home.
This book quickly became my favorite, because of how well written it is without being saturated with too many details. Rachel Menard did such an amazing job at creating an entire world and remained consistent with her characters, while also giving them believable arcs of growth. I rarely give out five star reviews on goodreads, but this one deserved it without hesitation.
Follow the author for more bookish updates:
Raine August 