Snow Reviews

Reviews are such a vital impact to an Author’s ability to promote and sell their work-whether traditional or Indie. Now, being an Indie Author myself, I dare say it is even more important for an Indie Author due to Traditional Publishing generally provides some assistance in marketing & advertising. Is this bias? Maybe a bit, but the fact of the matter is your review can influence another reader to take a chance on any single Author-whether well-known or brand-spanking-new (such as myself!).

Here are reviews Snow has received since it’s publication date back on July 31st, 2017! If you’ve been considering on whether or not to read Snow, give this a read :)!
***All reviews were taken from Amazon and/or GoodReads, SPOILERS MAY BE CONTAINED BELOW THIS LINE!


Snow (The Black Ice Trilogy, #1) 
by 
Mikayla Elliot (Goodreads Author)
Gemma McLaughlin‘s review Jul 21, 2018 it was amazing

Favourite Quote: “Death was what I had expected, not rebirth to the night”

I decided to join NetGallery and review books that will help bring new authors and their work into light rather than finding recommendations on Goodreads. Mikayla Elliot was the first to allow me to review her work and I want to personally thank her for the opportunity.

I’ve been trying to come up with a world that describes ‘Snow’ and honestly, just Wow. Straight away I was blown away by the detailed graphic transition in our protagonist, Neva, becoming a vampire in the first chapter. It was intense. For a completely fictional experience, it felt like Mikayla was reliving the torment to bring the thoroughness in the narrative. It’s been a while since a book has managed to grip me so quickly the way that this one did. I read it in one sitting which kept me up until 3am. It was worth it.

‘My body was an offering to the sadist as his bite rooted itself firmly into my veins. My heart became a cage filled with hummingbirds suffering from rabies; the fluttering and beating was going to break through my sternum and leave a beautiful display of my remaining life, an artist expression covering the room from ceiling to floor. My mind was a blistering of sensors; everything was lighting across my brain, and if seen from the inside, would have held such an array of colours it could have lit the world on fire.’

Neva, or rather Lady Neva as she is now known, is pulled into the world of vampires within the first gripping chapter. With flashbacks into the past, you discover that she was a widow who had lost her unborn child after her knight perished in battle. She has spent her years living at her family’s bakery with her parents, sisters, brothers and nieces all under one roof. When Neva suddenly became singled out to be the next to court Lord Argenal, she knew that nothing would ever be the same as she made her way to his castle. Little did she realise how true that would be.
Waiting for her in the castle was the last woman Lord Argenal courted, Rose, before he had her thrown back into the streets when she suggesting marriage. Nothing repulsed him more than to be tied down to one woman forever. Rose had transformed into a creature that through uncontrollable jealously, attacked Neva to kill her in front of Lord Argenal as punishment.

We’re quickly introduced to Thedryk, a 1200 year old vampire who was commanded to keep watch of Neva. As she was at the brink of death by Rose’s hand, Thedryk made the decision to change her into an immortal being in order to save her, as well as other things. It turns out that Neva has been part of this world before, as well as many other lives she has lived since then. Returning back to the world of vampires, she is the key to ending the war with demons.
It’s a lot for Neva to take in, but she doesn’t fight it. Her unique abilities allow her to see into the past, to witness the lives of others as well as her own past lives. It’s enough to convince her that for now she needs to follow Thedryk to the ‘House’, home of the council of vampires and their queen; Lazy Eliza.

‘His touch felt like pure energy coursing through my veins, and memories surged into my mind. I had remembered but a few pieces from previous lives, previous memories of seeing Thedryk at different times. My mouth opened slightly as the memories burned my heart and mind revealing different ears I had lived; Thedryk had been either an image in those memories or actively engaging my different selves. In each memory, those eyes, always trying to be hard and unyielding, could not hide the sadness that emanated between our souls.’

The book overall was fantastic, I loved the detail in the scenery both inside and out. Every time Neva walked into a room, you felt like you were there with her with the amount of detail laced into the writing. The characters were well written, Neva handles everything her new life throws at her as any person would. She gets scared, she feels ill when she’s pushed herself and her abilities too far, she asks questions only to discover more unanswered truths to the new world around her. I find her relationship with Thedryk intriguing, his love for her has lasted 1200 years from when she was known as Kareese, he’s witnessed every life she’s every had, even with other men, and his heart remained true. Even though Neva can see through her visions that Thedryk has always been there in one way or another, she’s feels the connection but can’t help but sometimes feel angry at him. He’s the one that transformed her into a vampire in this life and told her she could see her family again, which wasn’t possible at all.

‘”I recognise you do not trust me, I cannot blame you for that. I hope, with time, you will come to trust me.”
“As Kareese did?”
Pain touched the corners of Thedryk’s mouth; the muscles tightened ever so slightly across the facade of his face.’

I even found Zachariah fascinating as the bad guy. You know he’s up to something and it’s difficult to read the way he treats Eliza, but when he’s around his adopted daughter Amelia, you feel that there is more to him than the shady vampire he’s made himself out to be. Add his new identity as our very own Lord Vlad and you’ve got yourself a lovely spin to our already distinctive character.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!


on January 3, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion & review

‘Snow’ by Mikayla Elliot is a dark, adventurous tale, which follows the a young woman named Neva.

A widow working in her family’s bakery, Neva is delivered to the local Lord– a distasteful man to say the least. Instead of marrying him however, she kills him and his jilted lover during her transition into her new life as a creature of the night.

The mystery and tension increases as Neva is whisked away by Lord Thedryk, one of the original ‘vampires’. As Neva learns more about this new world, she is both equal parts terrified and curious to see just how far the rabbit hole goes.

Overall Quality of the Story Line
★★★★✩
Four out of Five Stars

There is no doubt in my mind that Mikayla Elliot poured hours into crafting this dark and intriguing story line. The plot twists are well thought out, and it is clear that Elliot wrote the book cohesively with the end in mind.

I personally enjoyed reading a vampire centric novel with a storyline which has not been overdone, and avoids cliché. The elements of reincarnation, all vampires having different abilities, and love not being immune to time were refreshing and interesting.

The only reason ‘Snow’ earns four stars instead of five is the pacing. Elliot takes her time getting into the meat of the main storyline, and while everything is written beautifully, the first four – five chapters may not hold everyone’s attention.

Ability to surprise / hook / interest the reader
★★★✩✩
Three out of Five Stars

Elliot writes with finesse, her prose is gorgeous. The descriptions of the rooms, outfits, people, landscapes– all are painted in a vivid light. While at times I reveled in the vibrant descriptions, there were many other times where I found the action/tension/emotion slowed or all together negated by the interruption of over-description.

The moments of over-description coupled with moments of repeated words and some small point of view errors made this book difficult to ‘devour’ for me, personally. Typically I am a voracious reader, polishing off a book of this size in three days or less. Snow took me more than a month to complete, simply because I could not slip into the emotion of the page a flow, uninterrupted.

The above being said, Elliot does include some delightful and clever plot twists, some of which were indeed a surprise.

Spelling and Grammar
★★★★★
Five out of Five Stars

‘Snow’ reads as if it has been professionally edited, if there were any spelling or grammatical errors in Elliot’s text, I did not see them.

Dialogue Quality
★★★★✩
Four out of Five Stars

All the characters read with their own distinct and unique voice. This was important, as Neva interacts with many people, all with very different personalities, backgrounds, and motivations.

I felt that particularly between Thedryk and Neva there was some opportunity for Elliot to further perfect Thedryk’s dialogue. Given what he knows about her when they first meet, more clues or at least more subtle strangeness in his words could have been included to make the later revelation fall heavy more heavily upon the reader.

Depth of the Characters
★★★★✩
Four out of Five Stars

All of the characters were well developed and believable, with obviously rich backstories to fuel their in-story motivations. For that I sincerely applaud Elliot, the work she has put in is distinctly obvious.

This section loses a star however because of Neva. For me, it was difficult to become emotionally invested in her inner journey, and feel what she was feeling. She doesn’t consistently ask the questions I imagine a typical human would in her situation. Combined with her unwavering politeness and willingness to accept everything these strange creatures say to her as truth, it was hard to see her as ‘real’.

Overall Rating
★★★★✩
Four out of Five Stars

Overall, ‘Snow’ by Mikayla Elliot is a very well written and well edited piece of literature. If you are looking for a vividly descriptive non-cliché vampire novel, I would recommend this story to you.


on December 25, 2017
** My rating is 4.5, here I have rounded up because the story is closer to a 5 than a 4.
As a lover of fantasy and paranormal I have read a lot of vampire stories some good, some bad. Snow by Mikayla Elliot most definitely falls into the good category. It is a different take on the standard vampire tale.
Neva is a young woman who is working in her parents’ bakery until one day she is whisked away to the castle of a nearby Lord as a potential wife. Once at the castle she is turned into a vampire by Lord Thedryk. She is told she is the person that the vampire world has been waiting centuries for to be reborn. She is the one that will change the course of all vampires forever. Because of this, she is the target of the vampire Zachariah who wants to stop her fulfilling her destiny. Before she even has a chance to figure out what her destiny will be she must deal with Zachariah.
I loved the author’s imagination and deeply appreciated the thoughtful prose. Ms. Elliot did an excellent job of capturing my interest in the first few pages and keeping it throughout the book with inventive and unexpected plot twists. I was able to relate to the main character of Neva and her situation touched a nerve with me. The other characters were also interesting but not as well rounded; yet, I believe the author did this on purpose.
There are a few unresolved issues in the plot. I am hoping that these will be addressed in later books and not left dangling. While there is no cliff hanger, it is clear there is more to come in the story of Neva. I can also see where a whole different set of books could be an off shoot to Snow. Therefore, I have high expectations for what is yet to come.
I received a free copy of Snow in exchange for an honest review.

on December 23, 2017
very compelling book. the characters really got me hooked to it.

on December 4, 2017
My first thought on this book when I read the title was that it may be about Snow White. But I was wrong. I didn’t expect vampires which was a good surprise for me. I very imaginative story and a face paced plot. I was drawn into this book right away. The adventure and the twists in this book were fun to read and I enjoyed it all very much. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*

 


Nov 28, 2017 Laura rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

(Disclaimer – I received a copy from the Author. This as always does not affect my review in anyway)

Review: Vampires? Check. Good vampires vs Evil? Check. Sword fights? Check. Overused vampire clique? Nope. Perfect onto the review. I really like how it played out, you knew who the bad guy was but at the same time you didn’t really know just how bad he was. He started off good and loved, then time just made him mean. I like how that was kind of explained, he wasn’t evil for the sake of evil. He h (Disclaimer – I received a copy from the Author. This as always does not affect my review in anyway)

Review: Vampires? Check. Good vampires vs Evil? Check. Sword fights? Check. Overused vampire clique? Nope. Perfect onto the review. I really like how it played out, you knew who the bad guy was but at the same time you didn’t really know just how bad he was. He started off good and loved, then time just made him mean. I like how that was kind of explained, he wasn’t evil for the sake of evil. He had his reasons, and you could understand them. Same with the people who joined him, they had their reasons. You couldn’t fault them for it.

I also liked the other elements/concept that were thrown it. It kept the whole vampire side fresh. They were made to fight evil, to keep the balance between the two sides. It not a concept you come across very often, if at all. Like not feeding on humans/changing anyone you liked, isn’t a very common used vampire concept. A lot wasn’t explained straight away, you had to figure it all out at the same pace as the main character. I did feel however that some things could have been explained better, it seemed to jump a bit too much. One second it was on about one thing then it flipped to another thing. It made figuring out the backdrop to the story a lot harder. I also found myself having to reread some sentences a few times, just to understand them. I think some of the sentences could have been shorten or more, used. Not sure whether this was an issue just for me.

“Mikayla holds a Bachelor’s in Business Mangement from the University of Phoenix, and feels the debt deep in her soul and pockets.” I liked this part on the back of the book under About the Author. Made me giggle. Sorry.


Meg rated it really liked it

Shelves: college
This was a very unique and interesting book. I enjoyed it, as it was a different vampire story than I had ever read before. There was a lot of plot twists in this book.

on November 14, 2017
When I started this book I was happy to see it started off with a good action scene. Most books you have to wait until the middle of the book to get that. The book kind of slowed down after that but is still a good book. I love that this book is different from most of the vampire stories that I have read. It wasn’t based on romance. There was love of course but it didn’t take over the whole book. The turning of Neva was for a good purpose. I enjoyed the book.

 


on October 23, 2017

I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

That being said here is my review.
Plot : 4
Originality : 4
Main Characters : 4
Chemistry between the Leads : 3.5
Side Characters : 4 (Alana And Benji sound so adorable )
Feel/Emotions : 4
Twists : 4
Writing Style: 4

I enjoyed reading this book. A lot of originality. When the book started and I realized this story is placed in the medieval times, I got a little disheartened. I must blame those racy and fast paced modern vampire books ! But boy am I glad I continued to read the book, inspite of my preferences. Thedryk’s character is so heart-breaking. I wish there were more emotional scenes between Thedryk and Neva. The re-incarnation part of the story was also very interesting. I also would have liked more scenes to do with Neva’s power.

That being said, the ending was perfect. Though, I wonder if there is any continuation to this story. Sure Vlad (Zach) might come back to this world.. And Van Helsing ??? really ??? Too much 😀

I will say that if there is a sequel to this book, I will read it. Great job Miss Elliot !

 


on October 19, 2017

I was enthralled from the first page! The elegant prose, the engaging protagonist, the intriguing story line… seriously this is a fantastic book. I sincerely enjoyed having the opportunity to read this book. It does set itself up to potentially have a sequel. Here’s to hoping! (Hint hint, nudge nudge Mikayla)

Neva has her entire world turned upside down the instant the story starts. She gets swept away into the world of vampires. Thedryk takes her under his wing and leads her to understand her destiny; her part to be carried out during the turmoil of the war between them and demons. But how can one move forward when they crave what they’ve left behind? Zachariah, however, has plans of his own.

One thing I loved immensely about Snow was the lore of the vampires. Everyone knows the cliche standards that appear in almost every vampire book. Snow, however, took a bit of a different route and it was so refreshing! As a HUGE fan of all things vampire I appreciated the new perspective!!!

**I received a free readers copy and have voluntarily left this review.**

 


 Oct 15, 2017 Graham rated it really liked it

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ‘Snow’ by Mikayla Elliot is a story about a young woman whose life changes dramatically when she is turned into a vampire. The protagonist ‘Neva’ is an interesting character who goes through considerable change in her life by the time we finish the book. In spite of her formidable enemy, she adapts well to these changes with the help of some loyal friends who guide her along the way.

I found the story took a little too long to I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ‘Snow’ by Mikayla Elliot is a story about a young woman whose life changes dramatically when she is turned into a vampire. The protagonist ‘Neva’ is an interesting character who goes through considerable change in her life by the time we finish the book. In spite of her formidable enemy, she adapts well to these changes with the help of some loyal friends who guide her along the way.

I found the story took a little too long to develop for my liking, however this improved progressively as I got further into the book. There are numerous books available in the ‘vampire genre’ these days, and so some of them tend to become ‘much of a muchness’, however this book has a good composition and an interesting story line, and it certainly held my interest. In summary, i feel that ‘Snow’ is well-written and a worthwhile read for those who enjoy this genre.


on October 9, 2017

“Snow” blew me away. I am now addicted to the story and am jonesing for another fix!

If you follow my reviews, you know the drill! First, comes the grades, then any thoughts, gushing or notes I have, and then a ruling for clean-readers.

World-building: A++
Mythology: A+
Plot-Twists: A+ (oh my, YES!)
Suspense: A
Girl Power: A-
Guy Hero: A-
Villains: A
Love Interests: A-
Feels: A++

This book had me hooked on the first page. Elliot just drops the reader right into the gore of Neva’s change and the horrors that follow… I ended up finishing it in one sitting! “Snow” is a heartbreaking and suspenseful story filled with magic, mystery, and powerful messages of nature, balance, and justice.

For you clean-readers: this book does NOT have mature SEXUAL content. However, there are several bloody, gory scenes as well as intense fight scenes.

I would like to thank the author Mikayla Elliot for giving me the opportunity to read this book and I hope this honest review helps draw in more readers!


on September 25, 2017

Snow is a well written book by Mikayla Elliot. It started off a little slow at first, but once the story got going you were in the thick of it and the pace was perfect. There wasn’t a dull moment and the plot continued on following a unique story line. The author has an imaginative story that shows a different side of the well written about vampires, which makes this book interesting to me. It is not easy to bring a new twist to something that is so much written about, and vampires is one of the most written about paranormal genre. There are many secrets hidden within and some nice twists that the author beautifully develops throughout the story.

Neva is an interesting character and goes through a lot of character development in this book. She does seem to rise to the occasion though and grows fast to meet the new challenges of her life. Thankfully she has the help of some very good friends that guide her on her journey, however her enemy is nothing to laugh about, which they will all find out fast.

I am not sure if this is the start to a series, but the ending sure left it to where you can easily see that the story will be picked up in another book. I would definitely pick it up to read where this is going, if the author chooses to write another book.

Voluntary review of Advance Reader Copy. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher.

 


on September 6, 2017

Snow by Mikayla Elliot is a story about a young woman who is turned into a vampire. The story line actually gets better the more you read. While I do think this book was well done, there has been an overwhelming amount of material on vampires in recent years, which makes it difficult to come up with an original story. This story was well put together and interesting, and even tied in some fictional characters from other well-known vampire stores. While the book does tend to get a bit wordy at times, the descriptions are thorough and give you a good mental picture of the surroundings. Overall, the book was well done, which I consider to be an impressive feat considering how many book exist on the same topic.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Sep 02, 2017 Kristen Denny rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

I read a lot of this type of genre and as there are so many books over the Vampire topic I expected to be….less enthused. I haven’t read anything by Mikayla Elliot prior to this book, apparently this is her first publish, and I must say I’m excited for anything else she publishes in the future. I love the way I am submerged into the story line, I can feel, see, and taste what Neva goes through and I’m connected to the character when I read. Elliot does an excellent job keeping the reader follo I read a lot of this type of genre and as there are so many books over the Vampire topic I expected to be….less enthused. I haven’t read anything by Mikayla Elliot prior to this book, apparently this is her first publish, and I must say I’m excited for anything else she publishes in the future. I love the way I am submerged into the story line, I can feel, see, and taste what Neva goes through and I’m connected to the character when I read. Elliot does an excellent job keeping the reader following a blood-stained path, excited to peak around each turning page. I look forward to future publishes!

-I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Snow, by Mikayla Elliot, is a gothic romance about trying to take back the life you once had, while innocence slips from your fingertips.

Lady Neva was delivered to Lord Argenal as a supposed wife, whom she later killed when she transformed into a vampire. She is then taken by Lord Thedryk, where she is used as a key to win a horrific war between vampires and corpses who have long forgotten their humanity. However, despite her reluct -I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Snow, by Mikayla Elliot, is a gothic romance about trying to take back the life you once had, while innocence slips from your fingertips.

Lady Neva was delivered to Lord Argenal as a supposed wife, whom she later killed when she transformed into a vampire. She is then taken by Lord Thedryk, where she is used as a key to win a horrific war between vampires and corpses who have long forgotten their humanity. However, despite her reluctant peace, she soon finds herself targeted by Zachariah, a vampire who has taken a dark interest in her. With allies and bittersweet memories surfacing within the darkness. Neva must find her way through this decadent world, before she is forever lost in the shadows just waiting beneath.

I loved the dynamic between Eliza and Zachariah. While it’s clear that the two did love each other once, in the end they were separated by this gruesome world, left to wither away in their fate. While Zachariah did manage to show his human side through another, it’s still their romance I mourn for. In a way, it parallels to Neva and Alexander’s relationship. Every little love that blossomed beneath the sun seems to have wasted away, and only the thorns are left behind. At least, that’s what I felt like, until I came to admire Neva and Thedryk’s relationship. Past and present intertwine with these two, and with war looming near, Elliot weaves a wonderful, yet terrifying love that can only grow within the gleam of the cruel moonlight. The characters aren’t nearly as sappy as others in the paranormal romance genre, and it’s something I’m grateful to Elliot for.

What I enjoyed most about Snow was its attention to detail. Whenever Elliot described the castle, or even Neva’s room, it was as if I was being there myself. I could practically see every little shadow, and though I could see everything, it was as if I was still being haunted by something. The scenes were so vivid in my mind I can’t help but shudder. Perhaps my favorite scene of all were the ones between Zachariah and Amelia. There was a certain innocence behind their actions, and I felt as if Zachariah was trying to protect Amelia from the harsh realities of this world, like any other parent would. Tragically ironic is one way to describe it.

Thus, I would give this book a rating of a 4 out of 5 stars. The characters were well written, and the details were thrilling. It was everything I expected from a gothic horror and more, without the cheesy romances to chain it down. As such, I would recommend this book to fans of The Killing Cure by C.S. Kendall and The Rosegiver by Sandy Benitez.


5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for anyone who truly loves the Vampire genre, but is looking for a little more action!

on August 22, 2017

Wow!!! This novel is an utterly new, and perhaps even groundbreaking take on the vampire genre. I have been waiting for over a decade to read something this original! I literally couldn’t put the book down!

If you are looking for a sappy romance story… this ain’t it! This is a fantastically fast-paced adventure story that will draw you in… and then… utterly blow your mind with the completely unexpected plot twists.

Mikayla builds the visuals, textures and landscapes in such a way that really engaged me as a reader. I have a complete mind’s-eye of the whole world as it played out. Not to mention the entirely full-bodied characters that will pull you in right from the start. You will feel, see, and hear what is like to become a vampire.

Mikayla’s writing style may figuratively rip your heart right out of your chest!

I absolutely had a blast reading about Neva’s, truly unfathomable, destiny through completely unexpected and yet, utterly satisfying twists and turns.

When you read Snow you will think to yourself, Yes! How has no one thought of this before!

I think this could actually be the beginning of a whole new sub-genre of vampiric writing. It is that good!

It is absolutely original and imaginative and will leave you desperate for Mikayla’s next work of genius!!!

 

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