You can find out more about Ruth by visiting her website or follow her on Instagram and Twitter Prisoner of Ice and Snow is her debut novel. She’s been a teacher and worked in lots of different offices, but she likes writing best. She likes chocolate, walking in the woods, cheese, orchids, going to the movies, and reading as many books as she can. Ruth Lauren lives in the West Midlands in England with her family and a lot of cats.

Wonderfully compelling with an unexpected, thrilling ending, I can’t wait to return to Valor’s world in the sequel to follow ‘Seeker of the Crown’

At the heart of this story is friendship and courage, Valor learns that she has to learn to trust and accept help in order to survive. Contrast this with the villains of the piece who have a ruthless, cruel streak and give the story a real element of urgency and fear, we know the deadly consequences Valor will face if her true goal is discovered. However we see Sasha emerge with a new found steeliness – as a result of her treatment – that is just as imperative to the success of the mission as Valor’s unrelenting bravery. You know a story has crept into your imagination when you feel the harshness of the cold they experience and have to wrap yourself up in a blanket to warm up, The characterisation is marvellous, whilst we’re drawn into the plot it initially feels that it is Valor who will save the day. Ruth conjures up this world with rich, evocative language capturing the starkness of the towering ice prison that Valor and her sister Sasha find themselves in. I was totally captivated by this enthralling and magical story. No one has escaped Tyur’ma in 300 years! How can she possibly hope to evade their cruel jailors? But Valor is determined to risk all to save her sister, can strength, courage and love be enough to achieve the impossible? But unknown to everyone Valor has deliberately committed a crime so that she can be imprisoned alongside her sister in the hope she can break her out. Her parents have been dismissed from the royal court in disgrace after her sister stole a precious music box and now Valor herself is sentenced to life at Tyur’ma a desperate prison built from stone and ice. Valor is under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown prince, another terrible blow for her fractured family.

The prisoner of ice and snow