Reviewing Catherine Fisher's "Snow-Walker": Conclusion

I liked a lot of things about the Snow-Walker trilogy, and there were even more factors that I wanted to like. The concept is intriguing, but in execution the writing commits a major storytelling mistake: it tells more than shows. 

We are told that Jessa is a spunky warrior-maiden, but there is no background on how she learned to fight, who taught her, when, or anything that would explain why she is the way she is.

We are told that the main characters have formed a close bond of friendship, but the way their relationships are described lacks the warmth, emotional depth, and humor that are present in most other “questing team” stories in The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Chronicles of Prydain, or The Squire’s Tales.

I’ve read that Catherine Fisher has worked as an archaeologist, and that shows in her world-building and allusions to Scandinavian folktales and mythology. However, she introduces characters and plot elements and then doesn’t follow through. Snow-Walker as one book is not a cohesive whole, yet taken as separate installments each of the books feels underdeveloped and would not stand alone. I’d love it if Fisher would rework this story into a proper epic, adding more character development and subplots. With a few basic tweaks, I could really see this story going from “okay” to “awesome.”