If you think you know what to expect from an ice queen, you haven’t met Sonja Storey. Antarctica is a sauna compared to the North Carolina professor. I spent the majority of the book not liking her but knowing that by the end I would come to understand why she behaves the way she does.

Junior Professor Crystal Byrd is Sonja’s complete opposite. Cystal is warm, kind and for some inexplicable reason, completely drawn to Sonja. She sees something beneath the surface that no one else does mostly because Sonja has a fortress built up to protect herself.

Ana K. Wrenn has burst onto the sapphic fiction scene with an enthralling psychological drama. I don’t want to give too much away but the story centers around threats Sonja begins receiving and how she tries to navigate the situation, while projecting a control she doesn’t feel.

I always love a well written debut and this one qualifies. Wrenn gives us an unforgettable character in Sonja. She is brilliant, cold and complex. Her journey doesn’t end with a thaw, but I still find myself feeling great affection for her. I also find myself waiting none too patiently for the next offering from Ana K. Wrenn.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.