The Ice Queen

Title: The Ice Queen
Author: Alice Hoffman
Pages: 211

(Non-spoiler info)
From the author of Practical Magic comes the story of the Ice Queen, who at 8 years old makes a wish that changes her life forever. Until the day she accidentally makes another wish, this wish is for lightning. And with the wish comes Lazarus Jones a lightning-strike survivor who has returned from the dead with a touch that burns. Can Lazarus teach her to live again? Can his fiery touch melt the ice inside her? And what will become of them both?

(SPOILER INFO)
What if wishes came true? Not the kind of wishes people make for longer hair, or a sunny day, or an expensive dress but the kind of wish people regret. At 8 years old the Ice Queen wishes that her mother would disappear. That night her mother is in a terrible car accident where she is killed and neither her or her brother Ned EVER see her again. So she transforms herself into ice by hardening her heart against feelings and by avoiding being involved in people's lives. Then one day while out with Ned she wishes lightning would strike her. Almost as soon as her "death wish" is made, it happens. At her lightning survivor group she hears the story of Lazarus Jones a man back from the dead after his lightning strike and about "The Dragon" a man in his 90's who was killed by lightning twice, yet still lives. On a whim and to understand her ability to wish death, the Ice Queen goes to Lazarus' farm to confront him. But when Lazarus sees her in a red dress on his porch a passionate love affair begins. And the Ice Queen begins to live again. Little does she know that her most important lesson is still to come, when she learns that her brother Ned is dying of cancer. Now she is forced to figure out how to try and beat death. But the only way to beat death is to live again!

My thoughts: (SPOILER INFO STILL)
I loved reading this book. Not because of Lazarus but because of Ned. I feel like this is the true relationship in the book that turns our Ice Queen into a human again. Ned teaches her to live again. Live in the moment. Make moments that will live in you forever. And never give up or stop. When Ned is surrounded by butterflies at the end it brought me to tears.
4 out of 5 stars!