Rating: 
Summary: tendrils and no knots
Review: Basically, nothing happens in this book. I'm thinking somebody is attending the Robert Jordan school of "How to milk a story" and publish many books in a series without really going anywhere. The cover illustration of this edition is a total lie by the way. Raif and Ash go their separate ways early in the book and never encounter such a beast, and certainly not together. Not even in their dreams.Jones does create some interesting characters and I did enjoy reading about some of them. Hey, I'm giving it 3 stars! My favorites are Effie, Angus and Crope. Wondering what became of Angus' family after the fire? Don't. Maybe in the seventh book. I would suggest stopping it all now. Stop buying any books from this series. If you read "Cavern of Black Ice," stop now. That was a great read. This follow-up resolves nothing and just makes you need to buy book 3 and beyond. Stop. Do not buy.
Rating: 
Summary: JV keeps improving
Review: I couldn't wait for the US publication, so I bought mine from Amazon UK. And I wasn't disappointed. I think that another review mentioned that JV keeps a clean story line even though she follows several characters. This is a correct assessment. If you fear getting into a Robert Jordan type of plot with numerous and complicated subplots, and so many characters that you have to reread the whole series before the next installment, DON'T. JV is a pro and uses such stronge characterization that you are drawn deeply into the story. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Huh, where did it go?
Review: I mean the clean unfettered story line, the pounding rythm. This book is very late to the shelves and seems forced. Unfortunately I found it choppy and dull which was a real disappointment as I had eagerly awaited its publication since the first novel in the series. I do not think that we will see another of these anytime soon. JV is a great author but compared to her earlier successes I think that this saga was a bit beyond her reach.
Rating: 
Summary: Of Clans and Heartkills
Review: I stumbled across A Cavern of Black Ice quite by accident. I think I finished it in a day or so. A Fortress of Grey Ice was a good sequel. JV Jones writes really well. I read it during an Arizona summer, and I could still feel the cold. The basic setup is great -- simple and clean. You've got the southern cities, the northern clans, and the mysterious Sull. It's the clans and the Sull who do it for me. The reader slowly learns more and more of their fascinating societies and history. I'd call the settings low-magic, another thing that appeals to me. There aren't wizards and sorcerers walking around lobbing fireballs and lightning bolts. Instead, there's a hint of magic, magic that often comes with a price. I'm reading George R R Martins Song of Fire and Ice Series right now. He and JV Jones seem to have a similar style. Their characters tend to think alike. I think it works in some respects, but not so well in others. The characters too often seem all knowing. It's as if they're always able to tell when another character is lying, and they're then able to sense the underlying motives for that lie. Both authors make use of telling the story through the eyes of several characters. I sometimes get the feeling that each author has written two template paragraphs for each character and then copies and pastes them at the beginning of each character section. Back to Fortress of Grey Ice ... I think Jones has just about the perfect amount of detail interwoven with the story. As the characters move through the harsh clan holds, the reader is treated to some brilliant writing on the difficulties and challenges of surviving in that environment. Good story, good setting, and interesting, well-developed characters.
Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Sequel
Review: I was very impressed with this story, it is a great sequel to what I feel is going to be a great series. Many questions asked in the first book are answered, but those answers lead to more questions, and rather than being frustrating it is instead fascinating. This story is dark and to me realistic, not just in terms of sorcery but also why people do the things they do. Most people are not evil incarnate, they have very clear motives for their decisions (even if no one but them understands) and I like they way Ms. Jones shows us that. I am like the main character quite a bit, he's adrift in cold and heartless world yet he holds onto his honor and integrity no matter where it leads him. All the supporting characters have voices of their own and add their own sense of purpose and reasons to the story at large. This is a well written series that keeps you interested and excited. I can't recommend it enough to fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Sequel
Review: I was very impressed with this story, it is a great sequel to what I feel is going to be a great series. Many questions asked in the first book are answered, but those answers lead to more questions, and rather than being frustrating it is instead fascinating. This story is dark and to me realistic, not just in terms of sorcery but also why people do the things they do. Most people are not evil incarnate, they have very clear motives for their decisions (even if no one but them understands) and I like they way Ms. Jones shows us that. I am like the main character quite a bit, he's adrift in cold and heartless world yet he holds onto his honor and integrity no matter where it leads him. All the supporting characters have voices of their own and add their own sense of purpose and reasons to the story at large. This is a well written series that keeps you interested and excited. I can't recommend it enough to fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Sophomore Jinx
Review: It's almost impossible for the second book in any series to live up to the expectations created by such an excellent beginning, and Fortress of Grey Ice is no exception to the rule. However, that needn't condemn what is still a very good book. Considered on its own merits, this is still better than 90% of the fantasy that's out there, and it's a piece of something even greater. Some of the plot consistency I mentioned in my review of CoBI is missing, with events a bit less connected and motivations a bit less clear. Almost every character at some point seems just a little too willing to trust a stranger, jump to a conclusion, or embark on a quest for no discernible reason. Some storylines seem to rush ahead at a breakneck pace, while others that will surely connect with them seem adrift. On the plus side, all of the atmosphere and strong characterization that made the first book such a wonder are still there. The world though which they move is rich and detailed. There are new characters, new places, and new connections. There's every reason to believe this second installment is just a lull before the other side of the storm hits in the third book. Even LotR had sections that dragged a bit, but those are often necessary to set things up for the grand sections that follow. The one thing I truly hated about the book was the cover, and that can't be blamed on the author. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that whatever's depicted on the cover is totally unrelated to anything in the book itself, and the art is simply not very good besides. Don't let the third-rate cover fool you into thinking this is anything but a first-rate book.
Rating:
Summary: STUNNING!
Review: J.V. Jones delivers another amazing manuscript with A Fortress of Grey Ice. I have been a fan since her first book, The Baker's Boy came out 8 years ago, and she has only continued to improve with astonishing ease. With her new novel she advances the overall story of the series in some surprising, but delightful ways. The only real problem was that for the last hundred pages I had to force myself to read, not because it was terrible, but because it was so good, and I knew once I finished I would be overcome with depression at the thought that I would most likely have to wait another three years for the next book!
Rating: 
Summary: Character Driven
Review: Quite a few of the characters in this story are really intresting. The problem is almost every character has their own storyline. They don't really interact much at all. This book is very uneven some chapters are spot on and others are just utter crap. I was very disapointed with the chapter where Raif fights the big bad. I was under the impression that there he would meet Ash like on the cover, nope the story's two main characters never meet in the entire book. Also without the cover illustration I would have no idea what the monster looks like theres is no real atempt to describe it except that it's so frightening no man should have to see it, wow thats lazy writing. Anyway theres more I could harp on but theres no point if you read the first book and liked the characters mybe pick this on up at the libray.
Rating:
Summary: Comment on what some of the reviewers have been saying
Review: Some of the reviewers, including the one from "Publisher's Weekly", have been saying that Raina is Raif's widowed mother. She is not. She never had a child of her own. She was the wife of Mace's Uncle. Mace's Uncle, former chief of Clan Blackhail, was killed at the same time that Raif's father was killed on that hunting party. Raif's mother died when Raif was 8 or 9 according to "Cavern of Black Ice" giving birth to Effie. Raina married Mace in order to keep the clan from coming totally under Mace's control.
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