House of Ice & Shadows (Myths & Outlaws 2) by Sherrilyn Kenyon-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /
Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 17, 2026
TAKE BACK YOUR KINGDOM
Gisela Bloodthorn is trained to kill. She has spent her life enslaved as an assassin in the court of the Centaurs, where only the strongest survive.
Now, the Centaur queen has a final assignment for her: protect the Oath Keeper who holds the contract that will keep their enemy at bay and kill the queen’s enemies and Gisela will go free.
But when Gisela discovers her first Outlaw known as Xaydin, Gisela learns that the Outlaws aren’t what they seem. Nor are they easily slain.
Xaydin isn’t just a bastard half-troll, he’s an assassin who has dedicated his life to ridding the Thirteen Kingdoms of the Oath Keepers, especially the one who holds the contract Gisela has been sworn to protect.
But trust doesn’t come easy to either of them. If they can’t find common ground and fight their real enemy, both of them will lose everything and everyone they care for.
•••••
REVIEW: HOUSE OF ICE AND SHADOWS is the second instalment in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s’ adult MYTHS & OUTLAWS dark, paranormal, fantasy romance series. This is assassin Gisela Bloodthorn, and Outlaw Xaydin’s story line. HOUSE OF ICE AND SHADOWS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Gisela and Xaydin, HOUSE OF ICE AND SHADOWS follows Gisela Bloodthorn as she is ordered to k*ll, a task contracted by Queen Meara, an evil and dark centaur Queen who has enslaved our heroine for most of her life but on her travels, Gisela will meet Outlaw Xaydin and his half-brother Masakage, a powerful warlock in his own right. Together, the trio will set out on their journey but at odds when Gisela discovers Xaydin has been ordered to protect the man Gisela is being forced to k*ll. As Gisela and Xaydin begin to circle one another, Xaydin reveals his hatred towards all shifters, as Gisela struggles to hide her true identity in the face of lifelong secrets and lies.
The world building is detailed as Gisela and Xaydin traverse through the rugged train in search of their target. The numerous supernatural creature they will encounter grows exponentially as it will be revealed that many shifters have the ability to shift into any living creature they want.
The relationship between Gisela and Xaydin begins as a rescue, of a sorts, as Gisela is targeted upon her arrival . Believed to be human, Gisela is passing for something she is not, and when the truth is revealed, Xaydin battles between head and heart, aware of the true nature of our story line heroine. the $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, magical and supernatural characters including centaur Queen Meara; Xaydin’s half-brother Masakage, and sister Candara, and fellow Outlaw Ronan, as well as numerous centaurs, unicorns, ogres, shifters, and more. The requisite evil has many faces.
HOUSE OF ICE AND SHADOW is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, magic and the supernatural, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is detailed, dramatic and intriguing; the romance is fated; the characters are magical, desperate and determined.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Goodreads / Facebook/ Website/ Twitter/ Amazon-Author/
New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn










