Hey Fellow Book-Lovers,
Time for another review. And just FYI, I’ve actually read all three of the books that are out in the Frost Chronicles, but this is probably the only review I’m going to do on them. Just know that my feelings have stayed consistent, if not increased in regards to the books. So without further ado…
Book: Frost
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Genre: YA fiction
Series: Yes, this is the first book in the Frost Chronicles (Thorns is the second and Weavers is the third)
My Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Frost tells the story of Lia Weaver, the main protagonist. Her parents were recently killed, leaving her in charge of her family’s farm as well as her crippled twin brother and perpetual day-dreamer younger sister. She is trying to survive and protect her siblings in an icy world where monsters, called Watchers, roam the surrounding forest at night and one small misstep could mean the separation of her family, or worse, death.
Enter Gabe. He’s what her people call a Farther; someone who comes from a technological world/society that lies beyond the Frost. These people are supposed to be ruthless and cruel, wanting nothing more but to conquer all that they can. Gabe is also a fugitive and on the run from his own people.
Upon the pleading (major puppy dog eyes and heaps of guilt were used) of her sister, Lia helps Gabe, treating his wounds, and hiding him both from the Farthers and her own people. It’s during this time that Lia comes to know Gabe and see past the stereotypes placed upon his people to the intelligent and trusting guy he really is. She also starts to fall in love with him (don’t worry, it’s mutual).
However, not everything is going so smoothly (when does it ever?). The Watchers are becoming more and more aggressive and coming closer and closer to her farm and the town. Not to mention the Farther soldiers that are searching for Gabe and appear to be settling into Lia’s town for the long haul. In order to protect her family and truly help Gabe escape, Lia has to find a secret organization called the Thorns. Doing this though, could put herself in even more danger.
Sounds good right? Well don’t worry, this time it really is. I absolutely loved the world that Ms. Ellison has created. It’s both beautiful and haunting, and keeps you guessing up until the very end. I initially got this book because it seemed like an interesting premiss and I wasn’t expecting too much from it. I thought that I would just read it in between classes or something. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I started it one night before bed. The next day I went and bought the second book because I had to know what would happen.
You may be wondering why then, isn’t the rating higher? The truth is that while the setting, premise and suspense in the book is truly awe-inspiringly amazing, the character depth of this first book (it improves in the second and third ones) falls a little short. I wasn’t as attached to the characters as I usually am, and that drew away from the book as a whole (not too badly though as noted by my previously mentioned devouring of the series).
So with that in mind, go read it for yourself! It’s an awesome book, and I’d loved to hear your thoughts on it.
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Photo Credit –> Frost cover
The Book Nook 