Her Frozen Wild by Kim Antieau

In "Her Frozen Wild” Ursula spends her time in the basement laboratories examining tattoos and body art of ancient mummies. In her spare time she fights with her cheating husband and listens to stories of the People told to her by her Siberian grandmother. As Ursula stays behind in the states, a team of her colleagues unearths a 2500-year-old mummy, adorned with tattoos and possessing a priestess headdress. As their plane crashes, Ursula is called to Siberia to finish her colleagues’ mission of identifying this woman. Blood and skin tests shows that the mummy’s DNA possess significant matches to Ursula’s DNA! How can she be connected to a 2500-year-old mummy? Well the answers to this question just scratch the surface of Antieau’s plot in “Her Frozen Wild.”

Also, as Ursula attempts to conquer her fear of flying in the middle of the Chicago airport, a suave Russian doctor helps her relax. Sergei Ivanovich Polyakov begins to seduce Ursula in his Russian mansion as she waits for her next plane to Siberia. One night she discovers that Sergei possesses the same tattoos as the ancient mummy, causing her to wonder about the connection between her, the mummy, and Sergei. Taken on a quest through time, Ursula begins to piece together this strange puzzle as Antieau creates a beautiful story centered on finding your true self and releasing the inner beast within.

I found this novel to be truly magical, filled with details that will make the reader feel as if they are standing next to the mountain in Altai, Siberia with Ursula. Ursula tries to find herself as she untangles details from her past, including the disappearance of her mother 30 years ago. In addition to breathtaking scenery, Antieau adds some steamy sex scenes into the mix. She describes sex as a primal act, so if you are a conservative, modest reader this book might not be for you. Ursula attempts to unlock the inner animal inside of her, meaning that she is trying to break through all of the stereotypes and rules put on to her by society.

One of my favorite lines of the novel sums up the entire mission of “Her Frozen Wild:” “Who you are is the who you were before someone told you you weren’t tall enough, short enough, skinny or pretty enough. Before anyone told you you were not right.” What a great and true statement! Antieau combines more of her wisdom with intricate plot lines, which seem hard to follow at certain points in the novel. In the beginning of this novel, the reader will be reading several plots that occur in different time periods. They eventually collide into one, cohesive story so do not be discouraged if at first you are a bit confused. Overall, great message, superb details, and interesting character development.

4 stars

*I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinions.