Review: Her Frozen Wild by Kim Antieau

Title: Her Frozen Wild
Author: Kim Antieau
Series: ---
Publisher: Green Snake Publishing
Publication Date: January 11, 2012
How Received: For Review
Rate: 4.5

Summary (as quoted from Amazon) :Scientists in the Altai in Siberia uncover the 2,500 year old frozen mummy of a tattooed priestess. This mummy has the same genetic material as American archaeologist Ursula Smith whose mother disappeared in Siberia 30 years earlier. Ursula travels from the U.S. to Siberia to unravel the mystery of the “lady” and meets Sergei Ivanovich Polyakov, a Russian doctor who graciously invites her into his home. After they become lovers, she discovers Sergei has the same tattoos on his body as the tattooed lady. He tells a disbelieving Ursula that they have met before and she is destined to save the ancient People, considered as devils by some and shape-changing gods by others. A shaman takes Ursula to one of the sacred timeless caves where Ursula’s mother vanished. When Ursula allows the shaman to tattoo her, she is thrown back in time where she must unlock the mystery of the People and their link to her past in order to save them and Sergei—even if it costs her her life.

My thoughts:
Her Frozen Wild was a great read. The story mostly revolves around Ursula, a young archaeologist who feels like she’s missing a piece of herself. Ever since her mother disappeared on an expedition in Siberia, Ursula has never really felt normal. Not to mention that between her cheating husband and boring office, Ursula feels like she’s making all the wrong decisions, leading her on a path to nowhere. But all of that changes when one of her fellow archaeologist colleagues finds a 2,500 year old mummy of a tattooed lady in Siberia that happens to have the exact same DNA as Ursula. After her husband leaves her, Ursula gets the opportunity to travel to Siberia. Even though she gets sick every time she goes on a plane, she summons up her strength and decides to take the flight. On her way there, she meets a mysterious man named Sergei, who helps her with her flight sickness and allows her to stay in his home. They soon become lovers, and while making love, Ursula notices that Sergei seems to transform into a bear, and then back into a human : as if he were a were-bear. He reveals to her that she is one of the ancient People - a race of shape shifters, people who truly experience the beauty and wonder of nature. To realize her true self, Ursula must travel in a timeless cave, and go into the past. Meeting all sorts of different people ; from alchemists, to shamans, to warriors, to her own People, Ursula realizes that traveling into the unknown is sometimes exactly what you need to be known ; and to discover your wild self. I really enjoyed Antieau’s writing style ; it was fast-paced, and I felt like I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Even though the story mainly revolves around Ursula, there were multiple perspectives, and while I did get confused sometimes, I was mostly able to follow the story without getting lost. With an entertaining plot, interesting writing style, and quick pace, Antieau has created a great novel ; I recommend it to anyone looking for a new, one-of-a-kind read.
4.5/5
~Moujnir