Fire and Ice

Warning: Minor spoilers.
There are so many things that intrigued me about this book. It is deep. In fact, when I get a little time I'm going to have to go back and re-read it a second time. At the end of it all I was thinking..."Wait, What?!" Russian mafia, Wanda, CIA, more wolves? So many unanswered questions and references are alluded to but not resolved, it will keep you guessing.

From the second we are introduced to Pietr and his blue eyes I was in love. I really would have swooned to see him speaking more Russian. You know, complete sentences more than "Da" and "Nyet". Something about a mystery man who can speak another language is a pull. I love that he is strong, straight forward and yet guarded with his past. My favorite scenes were the kisses he stole from Jess. I mean, WOW!


Jess...come on! Please stop letting him date Sarah. What is wrong with this picture? I know she suffered head trauma and all but... The evil twin she used to be is bubbling beneath her surface ready to surface any second now. I can see it coming. And meanwhile, in her innocent state, I think better to have her know the truth than get strung along and lied to. Okay, I have ranted.
What do I love about her? I think Shannon Delany has written a lot of her own strengths and personality into the heroine. She is great with horses, isn't afraid to muck, can shoot a gun, packs a punch, tries to redeem a lost soul and has some guts to her. She and her friends are intellectuals. There are lots literary references in this book. So many I lost track: Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace, Homer's Odyssey, romeo and Juliet, and the Merchant of Venice. Plus the book is poring in Russian folklore, history and heritage.

Overall I really enjoyed 13 to Life. The setting has a small town feel butted up against commercialism and shallow societal snobbery. There is a definite dislike of cheerleaders. My other favorite characters in the book were Amy and Max.

I predict: Derek is a werewolf. He can smell and taste Pietr's kisses and I am thinking he has something to do with the break in at the school
Sarah loses it sometime soon and turns to the dark side.
There is more to Jessie than meets the eye. She is somehow tied to Pieter's family and their past or superhuman.
We shall see! I will definitely be reading the sequel.