Rating: 
Summary: Long wait plus the cover art needs some help
Review: Actually I bought the book from Amazon's UK store because the UK version has a much nicer cover (one that doesn't have a girl wearing nothing but a leotard in the middle of winter). Not to mention that Tor took a ridiculously long time to publish the book considering that the British version was out a year and a half ago. (there's no difference in the language used between the two versions, just the cover art.) I do hope that Tor gets its act together real soon because the third book is already listed for pre-order on the UK site. Orbit (the British publisher which is partnered with Tor) has it scheduled to be released in April 2004. Now that I'm done ranting at the publishers, on to the content itself!I believe that the story itself is actually better than the story in Cavern of Black Ice. It flows more easily and brings the reader into the story more. The descriptions are awesome and so very vivid. Ms. Jones has done a wonderful job with this series (improving, IMHO, since the Book of Words trilogy). The characters are very well created yet again. The storylines were all so intriguing that I finished the book in less than 24 hours. Again, I hope the next book is out for sale in the States soon because I really don't want to pay over $20 for the British version again. (though the cover on that one is awesome as well!) A great book and a good read for any scifi/fantasy fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent second book
Review: After reading Jone's first book I couldn't wait for the second to come out, and I wasn't dissapointed. Jones retains all the mystery and sensetivity in her characters that she showed us in her first book. Even with several characters her story flows together well.
Jones spins the story of the clans going to war and now Raif is abandoned by Ash and travels in search of acceptance from a people he has been cast out by. Ash is being led to the Sull's mysterious land and has been invited to become Sull. Between these two characters alone I was so enthralled that I wouldn't put the book down until I had finished it.
Her book is at a perfect pace, not too slow or too fast, but a pace that lets you think about whats going on and at the same time throwing in some interesting action scenes.
Along with all of her other characters, Jones has definetly written a winner that is on par or even better than her first in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Jack, Tawl and Now Raif
Review: As a huge fan of J.V. Jones I hate to say that this book was a little disappointing. I have loved and read several times The Book Of Words series and A Cavern of Black Ice. Jones really gets you into her world and involved with her characters. However, the plot line of Raif and his quest was a bit anticlimactic. Also, the development of the bond that Ash and Raif have in ACOBI seemed like it was abrubtly dismissed. Other than that its a good book with the J.V. Jones style that I have loved over the years. I'm still a huge fan and I do recommend this book and her others.
Rating:
Summary: improves on and deepens the first book
Review: As one might expect from the obvious length, there's a lot going on in Jones' second work of this series. The book is constantly shifting between locals and characters, offering many storylines, each of them interesting and tension-filled in their own right. Jones has a nice touch for when to turn away and when to return, seemingly having no trouble juggling the multiple plots, which in turn means the reader also has no problem. The important characters are too many to name (another testament to Jones' juggling ability), but again we spend a lot of time with Raif the clan outcast and the various members of his family--brother, sister, widowed mother, uncle; Ash March--the girl "Reach" whose ability is a danger to herself and the entire world; and the Dog Lord who is having some buyer's remorse about the means employed and the end result of his attempt to become king of the clans. Whereas in the first book Ash and Raif come together, in this one they are separated and become two wholly independent storylines, giving Jones the opportunity to broaden and deepen our understanding of the world. Through their two stories we spend a lot of time with the Maimed Men (a semi-clan formed of outcasts) and the Sull, an older race than man whose history is given in more detail than in the first, giving the reader a sense of the larger battle between good and evil that is raging above, beyond, and through, the more petty human wars. New side characters are introduced and as is typical of Jones, given full flesh so that they stand as characters in their own right as opposed to plot movers. Raif's time with the Maimed Men and Ash's journey to the heartland of the Sull are both well-plotted and paced and filled with tension. Meanwhile, the clan wars grow as I've said in complexity as motivations become cloudy, unintended results become clear, new characters enter the stage, new alliances form, even between former enemies. Through it all stand the Dog Lord, one of Jones' best characters and most human and even at times most humane (even as he orders the deaths of many) and Raina, Raif's mother who sacrifices her own happiness to do what's best for her clan, though she struggles throughout the book with just what that means. Then there are the storylines involving Raif's younger sister, terrorized by Mace Blackhail and accused of witchcraft; the sorceror's former servant who escapes the mines and treks across the land to try and rescue his lord from below the Splinter, the various machinations of those who would be rulers--the surlord Iss, his general One-Eye, his sorcerous accomplice. What most impresses is not simply the complexity of the plot or the manner in which Jones manages to make that complexity readable, but also the complexity of the characters and their decisions. while grey is the color of the ice in the title, it could also stand for many of the situations the characters find themselves in. There is little clear-cut in this work. Characters are seldom if ever given an easy--there is rarely a choice between good and bad but rather between bad and less bad. Our characters can't avoid killing and Jones doesn't give them or the reader an out by making everyone they kill evil. Characters are torn, they are unsure, and even their best intentions sometimes rebound on them in horrible ways. And here comes the bad part. She does such a good job of creating, maintaining, and raising the tension, such a good job of creating complex situations and complex characters, that several of the endings to the storylines feel anti-climatic in the way in which they happen so abruptly. Resolved or unresolved, they come to a close in a rushed fashion, robbing the book at the very end of much of its power. But, if the biggest complaint is a few dozen pages out of several hundred, I can live with that. This book, rather than be a placeholder for the trilogy, moves the story in interesting, exciting, and unexpected ways and I look forward to the next book, hoping that its ending keeps the promise of its middle.
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: 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: 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.
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