Early Review – Frostblood (Frostblood Saga, Book 1) by Elly Blake (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 17, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0316273251
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Frostblood Saga
Source: Gift
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby’s powers are unpredictable, and she’s not sure she’s willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon. All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king’s tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.
Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.”
I got this through the Amazon Vine program to review. This was a very straight-forward YA fantasy romance. The plot is fairly predictable and the characters are somewhat stereotypical of YA fantasy. That being said, it was a very well done and engaging read and I found it impossible to put down.
Looking back at this book there wasn’t a lot that was incredibly creative or super surprising; yet I was enthralled by the story and could not put this book down. I was in the mood for a straight-forward fantasy romance and this book fit the bill perfectly.
The world is interesting but a bit surfacey, the main characters are engaging and intriguing but the side characters are not well filled out. Think of this as fantasy light; a wonderful guilty and strangely sweet read that is engaging and leaves you feeling nice and happy.
Overall I enjoyed the book. While it doesn’t really break new ground and isn’t all that creative; it is a very engaging fantasy romance that is hard to put down and fast-paced. I will most likely continue with the series and recommend to fans of YA fantasy romance.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
