Set in 18th century Scandinavia this book is about the assassin's guild in Vinterstock. In particular it's about Valour and Petrichor, who are esteemed members of that guild, and a task (assassination) that they are given. The fact that two assassins have been given the task is highly unusual - they work alone usually. This is even stranger as Valour and Petrichor really do not get along with each other. The fact that the "hit" is on a local crime leader (who deals in magic potions) who no one can identify simply makes the task very hard indeed. For a further complication Valour has been asked to keep an eye on Ingrid, an aristocrat and socialite, who Valour finds very attractive…

This book was set up for a fairly entertaining read in my mind. The story follows Valour and Petrichor's attempts to identify and find the crime boss and also to simply stay alive. There are tension between them and also a fair sexual buzz between Ingrid and Valour! The wintery scene that surrounds the story is nicely used as are the tunnels under the city that the assassins leave their kills in… For this kind of story is there is quite a bit of introspection from Valour and Petrichor about the job that do both alone and together. Definitely not a complaint there - that worked well for me.

At the start of this I felt there was something of a YA book about it (though it isn't). That did fade and initially I was quite hooked on this. It really wasn't a bad read however there were some bits that left me less engaged. The continual tensions between Valour and Petrichor were simply too juvenile for me at times. Their relationship is a vital part of this book and mostly it worked well but the dialogue sometimes was too childish for me. I also found the pace quite variable. At times it was pretty good however sometimes it was definitely slow. It was a little predictable and I worked out the basic plot elements quite early on. The language in the book seemed a little inconsistent to me - at times old fashioned and appropriate to the setting of the book however sometimes it was far more contemporary.

I have to say that these reservations would never have made me want to stop reading this book - I enjoyed it.

This was an interesting read for me. I think there were some things that were done really well, namely the development of the relationships between the characters and their coming to terms with their pasts and deciding how they want to live their lives. I especially liked seeing the relationship between the two main protagonists develop as they realised their similarities were more meaningful than their differences. I also liked the characters learning to be 'snowblooded' as opposed to 'coldblooded'.

On the other hand, some things didn't work as well for me. Some of the dialogue felt unnatural. The pacing was also strange, it really dragged at times. At one point they spent like 3 chapters slowly walking home in a snowstorm. This did serve to develop their relationship, but I constantly felt like each 'scene' dragged on in service of the character development/dialogue. I think it could have been edited down a bit.

The blurb compares this to six of crows, but I feel this story in comparison really lacks a competent protagonist, the two assassins seemed to stumble into every development in the plot and I didn't get the sense they had much agency in solving the mystery which felt frustrating.

Some really great character work and interesting plot points but ultimately didn't work for me overall unfortunately!

This title was on my radar for a few months, the delight I felt when my ARC request got approved ! Described as "The princess bride" met "Six of Crows", Snowblooded is a tale of assassin who doesn't shy away from the darkness and grittiness of the world, without being overwhilming in said darkness. The story is centered on Valour and Petrichor, assassins of Vinterstock Assassin Guild (a city in Sweden, the delight to have a change of scenery in a fantasy !) and who can't stand each other, having been raised against each other. They have to work together (or not) to complete an order, which revealed itself to be harder and with more ramification that expected, especially with Valour entangling herself with Ingrid, an aristocrat.
I enjoyed the world created with this story, the 'ness dealing, the winter vibe and the realities of a world where the wealthy strive and the poors struggle. It's a nice canva to reveal more about Valour and Petrichor past, see their relationship unravel and become less tense. It is, I think, the core of the story, what kept me going the most, since I guessed a few twist ahead of time. The mystery is still an interesting one, interspersed with action and emotional relief moment, while maintaining that darkish element. Valour relationship with Ingrid was quite well manage to my taste, present, driving some part of the story but not all of it.
I love the queernormative setting and how easily Valour and Petrichor can live their life in that regard. After all, their lifes are already hard, no need to add another layer.
All in all, an enjoyable story, with well built characters, interesting world and intrigue !

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It's not often that I start reading an eARC immediately upon receiving it but I've had this book on my radar for months and was thrilled when I was approved to read it! Snowblooded has been described as "The Princess Bride meets Six of Crows" and I'd agree this is a fitting comparison. Centred around two not quite rival assassins from an established (and legal!) order in a town in Sweden, Valour and Petrichor (designations not names for the members) are assigned to carry out an assassination together. As the two newest and youngest members of the Order of Axsten, they were always trained and taught to despise each other, and in general to keep themselves isolated and focus on being detached and efficient killers. With a hunt for a mysterious crime boss to undertake and Ingrid, the local hotelier's rebellious daughter to supervise, secrets and lies from across Vinterstock are revealed as layer upon layer of truths are uncovered. I loved this book, from the snarky banter between the main characters, to the period nordic setting, everything just worked together perfectly. Becoming emotionally attached to two assassins was not what I was expecting from a book but here we are.

A masterpiece of a dark adventure!

Valour and Petrichor are the perfect team of assassins, perfectly complimenting one another when tasked with the job of killing an evasive cult leader. Their missions evolves when Valour finds aristocrat, Ingrid, she must protect also very attractive, but they need her knowledge of the target to help guide the success of their mission.

A fantastic adventure, with darker mysteries and thrills with every turn of the page. Emma builds a world that is magical but dangerous, painting such detailed imagery that makes the reader feel a part of the story from start to end. Skilled and smart, but with unique qualities that only strengthen their team, there was no one better for the job that Valour and Petrichor. Much lead them to be where they were and they’d shared experiences and been through things that when we learned about them, their undeniable bond and synchronicity in their work was founded on all they’d done to survive. Their connection was what intrigued me at first then kept me hooked throughout the whole story, because as predictable as I thought they were at times, one or the other would always surprise me and provide an opportunity to learn something new about them in the process.

What’s so clever in this fantasy is the jokey tone that underlines the camaraderie between Valour and Petrichor. It provides relief in intense moments and lightens the mood between the darker elements they are dealing with while on their mission. It lends extremely well when Ingrid becomes a part of their team because her presence adds a certain amount of tension between Valour and Petrichor, adding extra complication and making them even more relatable to me, establishing that understanding and empathy needed to really connect with the characters.

I completely fell in love with this story, the characters, and the way it made me feel when reading it and after. Emma is a very talented fantasy writer, such a creative imagination, who brings the most imaginative and magical stories to life, and Snowblooded was a testament to her talent for this genre. This is definitely a story I’ll return to again and again, and always enjoy.