Giants of the Frost [Paperback]

For centuries, Vidar has cherished the memory of Halla, a young, mortal woman he loved but destiny denied him, partly because she was a woman of Midguard, and he was Aesir, a son of Odin and fated to save his father's life. Now, it appears he will have a second chance when Victoria Scott steps onto a lonely island in the Sea of Norway. She is Halla reborn, and Vidar still loves her, though he knows how impossible it all is; Odin will never let him go, and the love he bears Victoria places her in danger. Victoria is more determined in this life, however, and will give him the courage to defy his father and fate. Whether or not he succeeds is another matter.

*** Although transitions between scenes are a bit rough, nonetheless, this is a haunting, yet fast paced, novel. The action seesaws between the mystic world and modern, and the point of view changes often, but if you stick to the end, you'll be rewarded with a story that feels both old and new. Fans of Charles de Lint, particularly his book Moonheart, will enjoy this. ***

Amanda Killgore

Once I started the first page of this haunting romantic fantasy, I couldn't put it down until the very last page. Kim Wilkins has brought to life the worlds of Midgard and Asgard. Midgard is the world as we know it whereas Asgard is where Nordic gods such as Odin reside. In Midgard, Victoria Scott has escaped from her two failed engagements and her psychic-consulting mother to Othinsey, an isolated island in the Sea of Norway, to continue her work in meteorology research. Othinsey is the stepping stone between the two worlds and, as such, several inhabitants from Asgard have been exiled there by Odin. Those at the meteorological station have rumored that Othinsey is haunted due to whispers heard during the night as well as sightings of a hag who'll steal your breath, the draugr, and a wight (a twig man). Victoria is a skeptic until she too sees both the hag and the wight Skripi, but due to her chronic insomnia, she tries to excuse the sightings as hallucinations. Unfortunately, events have been set in motion that leave Victoria alone on Othinsey. Meanwhile in Asgard, Vidar, Odin's son, becomes aware of Victoria and decides to see her again. Victoria is the reincarnation of his love, Halla, who was killed by Odin. Odin feared that Vidar would leave Asgard as Vidar is prophesied to save Odin from the end of the world, known as Ragnarok. Vidar, in his grief over Halla, had gone to see Hel in Niflheim who granted the reincarnation of Halla but allowed that it would be many, many years before her return. In addition, Vidar cannot reveal her past until Victoria has fallen in love with him again. I will not spoil this wonderful mythology based romantic fantasy by revealing more of the plot as it is the intricately interwoven details that make this such a masterpiece. Suffice to say that Loki makes an appearance and with Loki there is always mischief. Overall, this hauntingly beautiful tale is well worth reading.

Wow! just finished the fantastic novel Giants Of The Frost by Kim Wilkins...It's about Victoria who is a scientist stationed at a remote weather station on an island off Norway. Complications set in when bizarre happenings linked to her unknown past appear. Odin, son of a Norse God believes Victoria is the reincarnation of his love he lost a millennium earlier. I couldn't put the book down once I'd started it and couldn't believe it when it was finished. Wanted more. Still want more! Can't wait to read other Kim Wilkins novels.