Review - The Ice Prince by J.C. Owens

The Ice Prince

by J.C. Owens

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Tags: Fantasy

Posted in Book Reviews on March 22, 2026

Aiden was raised by four guardians. He has no memory of family or who he is. The guardians ensure Aiden is well educated and knows how to defend himself, but they aren’t nice about it. The young man has learned to at least act submissive in their presence. Aiden has no knowledge of the outside world until the day two generals arrive at the isolated fortress and tell him he is a prince. They are to take him back to a kingdom he has never heard of to take the throne. On the way, Aden’s carriage and it’s escort are attacked and the young man is taken prisoner by Torin, the leader of a resistance army who is certain Aiden is an impostor with no right to the throne. When both men are taken prisoner by Aiden’s former captors, the two must work together the find freedom.

“The Ice Prince” is set in a late medieval-styled world of kingdoms with hereditary rulers. Aiden bears an uncanny resemblance to the distinctive appearance of the royal family of a kingdom that was invaded. The invaders killed the royal family and have clearly raised Aiden to be installed as a puppet to appease the people while maintaining control. As is probably clear from the descriptions, this is a type of enemies-to-lovers story, but be warned there are a lot of twists and turns along the way.

The narration switches between Aiden and Torin. We meet Aiden first, on the fateful day when he’s taken from the only home he’s known. While the young man has no memory of any family and was never told of his supposed royal origins, throughout the story, Aiden displays a princely demeanor. It’s evocative of that classic debate between nature and nurture. The truth of Aiden’s origins is kept in doubt until the very end.

Torin cuts a much more classical heroic figure, a general fighting to free his people from a foreign invader. Aiden proves to be a conundrum for Torin. The young man has a remarkable resemblance to the royal family, with whom Torin was intimate, yet there’s no doubt in Torin’s mind that Aiden must be an impostor. Yet, at every turn, Aiden challenges Torin’s preconceptions about the young man.

“Ice Prince” is available from Smashwords.