Review – Icy Betrayals (Elemental Web Chronicles, Book 5) by Anne Renwick (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy/Romance
Length: 490 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 2, 2025
ASIN: B0F9JBVP57
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Elemental Web Chronicles
Source: Bought ebook for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Lady Angela Tagert is no one’s pawn. A brilliant pharmacological botanist, she carries a secret within her skin—a living, photosynthetic tattoo. When her scheming brother sells her to the highest bidder, she makes a bold escape. A hasty marriage to a handsome stranger headed to Iceland may be far from ideal, but it buys her freedom.
Valtýr Árnason—airship captain, engineer, huldufólk—didn’t plan to return home with a wife. Smart, stubborn and beautiful, she’s a storm he never saw coming. But when a troll attacks her en route, he realizes just how deep he’s in. Past mistakes he’s kept carefully hidden are back to haunt them both.
Hunted by a villain determined to unlock the mystery of skin-bound magic, Angela and Val must unearth the truth behind a lost tradition—before it’s stolen, corrupted, and used to shatter more than kingdoms.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 5th book in the Elemental Web Chronicles. I bought this on ebook for Kindle.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this. I love the Elemental Web world that Renwick has created. She does an amazing job of blending steampunk elements, adventure, fantasy, science, and romance into a fast-paced and engaging story.
Lady Angela is trying to dodge a marriage to the highest bidder (her brother is seeking to use her to pay off his debts). She is also a brilliant pharmacological botanist and carries a secret on her skin, a strange living tattoo. She has always wanted to travel to Iceland to seek out a special type of fire fern. She intentionally puts herself in the path of a handsome stranger and arranges for them to be in a comprising position, resulting in a hasty marriage and a trip to the stranger’s home country of Iceland. Little does her new husband, Valtyr, know that he has been part of her plan all along. However, Valtyr has his own plans, and marrying Angela fits right in with them. Neither of them is prepared for the fallout.
This was an incredibly fun read. All of the characters are complex and well done. I enjoyed Angela and her scientific knowledge and drive to complete her research. She jumps right into the crazy adventure she ends up in with practicality and determination. Valtyr has his own goals as an airship captain and engineer, and is taken by surprise by Angela’s knowledge and competence but absolutely adores and loves her for it.
There is a lot of complexity to the story, but it never gets confusing. Both Angela and Valtyr get involved in tracking down a madman who is trying to turn supposed mythical creatures into horrendous monsters. Valtyr is also trying to work to save his people, the mythical huldufolk, who have lived in hiding for so long in Iceland. Additionally, there are some complex politics around who is ruling Iceland and Norway and how that ties in with Britain’s plans. It was all very well woven together.
I love the science around plant biology and the psuedoscience around engraving living magic tattoos into the skin of a plant-based people. Renwick does such an awesome job of incorporating both real science and magic science (that seems real) into her stories.
There are plenty of very well done steamy romance scenes in here as well. They are pretty explicit but very well done; creative and tasteful.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this and always look forward to a new Anne Renwick book! She does an amazing job of blending science, mythology, adventure, and romance into a fast-paced read. I love the world here, the intriguing characters, the steamy romance, and the amazing mythology and magic. This is just a very well done blend of many things I love and is written in a way that is easy to read. I look forward to the next book in the Elemental Web universe. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy science, romance, adventure, and some fantasy elements as well.
