Early Review – Frostborn (Thrones and Bones, Book 1) by Lou Anders (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 5, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0385387781
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Thrones and Bones series
Source: Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program for review. It looked like a fun fantasy middle grade read, and it was. This is the first book in the Thrones and Bones series.

Karn is a preteen boy who is supposed to be learning how to take over a very successful Norrøngard family farm. Unfortunately he has no interest in farming and would rather play his favorite game Thrones and Bone. Karn ends up having to flee his hometown and runs into the young half-giantess, Thianna. Thianna has also had to flee her home for sensitive reasons. Thianna and Karn have meet briefly before at a trade gathering and they end up making their way through the wilderness and trying to survive together. The giantess is being chased but she isn’t sure why, all she knows is that it has something to do with the horn she carries.

This was a well done middle grade adventure fantasy. I enjoyed the different races of creatures; humans, trolls, giants, wyverns. It was a fun read with a lot of adventure, action, and some magic.

It is nice that it features both a boy and a girl as main characters, so it should appeal to fantasy lovers of all genders. The writing style and plot were fairly straightforward and simple to read. As such, I think it will appeal to younger readers (middle read) even more than it did to me as an adult.

There is a lot about people working towards their strengths and how friendship can carry you through difficult times. Thianna and Karn both have very different strengths and weaknesses and they find that by working together they can survive many tough situations. They were both engaging and likable characters; they make some mistakes but do learn from the mistakes they make.

Anders has created a very detailed world here with maps a glossary of terms, and even a section in the back that shows how to play the game Thrones and Bones.

The book is tied up very nicely at the end and there are no big cliffhangers. As I said the plot and writing level are fairly easy, so I think younger middle grade readers will enjoy this book more than adults will.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a nice, simple adventure story with some intrigue and some interesting races of characters. The world is incredibly well thought out and very detailed. I would recommend to those who like middle grade fantasy and I am curious to see where this series goes in the future.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge