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Frost Burn
Fire and Frost; no two nations have ever been so divided. Only two bridges across the great River Gora connects them and their long standing hatred. When spring comes early the Frost Nation looks upon the Fire Nation with suspicion. Soon they will discover that the rising rivers, warmer temperatures, and the quakes are all a result of something far more terrifying then each other. When the world seems to turn against them they will only have each other to look to. Can they put their differences aside long enough to fix their planet? They must or face extinction.
- GenresFantasy
272 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2015
About the author
K.T. Munson
23 books208 followersK.T. Munson is an independent author. First published at 5 years old in the young writers conference, she has pursued writing ever since. She maintains a blog creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com that is about writing and her novels. She was born and raised in the last frontier, the great state of Alaska.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 5, 2016
DISCLAIMER: I received a free ebook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
It's really easy to make assumptions about this book from the artwork and back cover blurb. The good assumptions are right on the nose for a happy ending: strong female characters and two kingdoms that must unite to overcome adversity. The bad assumptions are never fulfilled. Instead, the reader gets a sprawling cast of well-developed and defined characters and a fantasy world steeped in magic that still has a legitimate scientific bent to it's environmental catastrophe.
This book was a bit of a conundrum for me. I both really enjoyed it and, at times, found it difficult to read. I ended up spending a lot of time thinking about why. In the end, this is the conclusion I came to: This novel absolutely deserved to be published. But I think the authors did themselves a disservice by going the self-publication route. Because of the excellent quality of the tale being told, I became more critical about other things that would not have been an issue after time in the hands of a substantive editor. A lot of the narrative language could have been tightened up in places where it distracted from the story, and an editor would have helped with issues of pacing and voice. For example, though the book is marketed as adult fantasy, the voice and language of all the POV characters evoked YA to me, to the point that I was genuinely surprised by a tastefully explicit sex scene about a third of the way into the book and had to recalibrate.
(Side note: I did appreciate that the authors had obviously employed a copy-editor due to the lack of most issues that can plague most self-published novels.)
This novel will appeal to readers who are looking for a very different sort of post-apocalyptic novel based in a beautifully created fantasy world.
I am very excited to see more from these authors, especially as their writing experience grows and develops.
It's really easy to make assumptions about this book from the artwork and back cover blurb. The good assumptions are right on the nose for a happy ending: strong female characters and two kingdoms that must unite to overcome adversity. The bad assumptions are never fulfilled. Instead, the reader gets a sprawling cast of well-developed and defined characters and a fantasy world steeped in magic that still has a legitimate scientific bent to it's environmental catastrophe.
This book was a bit of a conundrum for me. I both really enjoyed it and, at times, found it difficult to read. I ended up spending a lot of time thinking about why. In the end, this is the conclusion I came to: This novel absolutely deserved to be published. But I think the authors did themselves a disservice by going the self-publication route. Because of the excellent quality of the tale being told, I became more critical about other things that would not have been an issue after time in the hands of a substantive editor. A lot of the narrative language could have been tightened up in places where it distracted from the story, and an editor would have helped with issues of pacing and voice. For example, though the book is marketed as adult fantasy, the voice and language of all the POV characters evoked YA to me, to the point that I was genuinely surprised by a tastefully explicit sex scene about a third of the way into the book and had to recalibrate.
(Side note: I did appreciate that the authors had obviously employed a copy-editor due to the lack of most issues that can plague most self-published novels.)
This novel will appeal to readers who are looking for a very different sort of post-apocalyptic novel based in a beautifully created fantasy world.
I am very excited to see more from these authors, especially as their writing experience grows and develops.
November 3, 2016
Frost Burn is an almost middle-grades fantasy using the classic theme of complementary opposites. ‘Almost’ middle-grades because while the feel is that of a teen-level story, there is one mild but explicit sex scene.
The tale is set in a simply laid out world in which the two nations occupy two long islands adjacent to each other, north and south. The magical northern Fire Nation is, obviously, heat loving, while the southern Frost Nation people have a magic which embraces ice. The writing in the opening chapters is predominantly ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ and failed to grip me, but I kept reading and the story began to engage my interest. The characters are fairly well developed, while the plot, although entertaining, is suggestive of a TV drama.
However, the development of the magic of the two nations was well done, and the variety of manifestations of magic, both intentional and reactive, was very interesting. The power and scale of events in the second half of the book keep the reader’s interest, as do the much more engaging developments and changes in relationships – even though, for me, there was a little bit of ‘saw that coming’. The pace is good throughout; at no point did I feel that the story was dragging.
The greatest flaw in this book is the quality of the writing. Proofing errors are vanishingly rare, but the book has not seen a professional editor. Some of the scenes revealed the authors’ naiveté. The style throughout tends to use simplistic language and a repetitive vocabulary, and there are too many redundancies.
On the whole the story is entertaining, and, at least, easy-reading, and the action-packed second half is like a Hollywood movie.
The tale is set in a simply laid out world in which the two nations occupy two long islands adjacent to each other, north and south. The magical northern Fire Nation is, obviously, heat loving, while the southern Frost Nation people have a magic which embraces ice. The writing in the opening chapters is predominantly ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ and failed to grip me, but I kept reading and the story began to engage my interest. The characters are fairly well developed, while the plot, although entertaining, is suggestive of a TV drama.
However, the development of the magic of the two nations was well done, and the variety of manifestations of magic, both intentional and reactive, was very interesting. The power and scale of events in the second half of the book keep the reader’s interest, as do the much more engaging developments and changes in relationships – even though, for me, there was a little bit of ‘saw that coming’. The pace is good throughout; at no point did I feel that the story was dragging.
The greatest flaw in this book is the quality of the writing. Proofing errors are vanishingly rare, but the book has not seen a professional editor. Some of the scenes revealed the authors’ naiveté. The style throughout tends to use simplistic language and a repetitive vocabulary, and there are too many redundancies.
On the whole the story is entertaining, and, at least, easy-reading, and the action-packed second half is like a Hollywood movie.
April 28, 2016
I really loved this book. As a lifetime fan of fantasy I am often hit over the head with authors' heavy-handed world building and tendencies to tell and not show. Frost burn surprisingly made me fall effortlessly into its world in a way that was organic and seamless. To me, that is half the battle for a good fantasy or sci-fi novel. I was also grateful for the non-preachy take on global warming and the dangers of ignoring or abusing the environment. I found this book to be thrilling and especially enjoyed the fact that gender wasn't an automatic reason to assign ridiculous qualities to the characters. I coudl go on and on because there is so much to love about this book. It seemed to avoid so many exhaustng tropes found in other books in the genre and instead delivered a book that is not entirely unpredictable but is still fresh, relevant and utterly fascinating. Lastly, I was also a fan of the fact that the romance added believability to the interpersonal reltaionships but didn't overwhelm the plot with too much try-hard sweetness. All in all a great read.
January 8, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. I could not put it down. I wanted to keep reading what happened next. This was an exciting book for me. Lots of action! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
May 6, 2018
The land of frost and fire have always been at war with each other. An uneasy peace established for trade purposes is the only thing holding together the two thin bridges between them. However, when nature decides to take things into her own hands, all mortals have to come together, whether they wield fire or ice, to withstand her wrath.
I like nature in books. And a story about how nature could destroy you with her little finger while not flinching at all is a concept which we're all uncomfortably familiar with; but, also comfortably numb to. So, when stories bring it up, highlight it the way this story does, I feel vindicated and scared at the same time.
So yes, this book does move me. The devastation that can be wrought by a wrongly timed rain is vividly described. And magic and fantasy of its world notwithstanding, this book does manage to put the fear of Mother Nature in its readers.
The characters are reminiscent of the previous book I read by K T Munson. They are strong, they are stubborn and they have a sense of humour. The problem is that while the voices of the frost nation people sound very natural, the dialogues of fire nation come off stilted. Its standard words, standard syntax, but the standard nature shows itself up a little too much. I wished it wasn't so, because the story kept moving along at a great pace and this sort of tended to interfere with my enjoyment of it.
Like I've already said, the pace of the story- amazing! Things happen in every chapter without a breather. It doesn't get too heavy either, because of the intermittent easy conversations and detailed descriptions of the world. Until towards the end, that is. The ending was rushed. I had the same issue with her previous book too. The ending, after putting me through so much on the journey leading to it, so many twists and so many turns- it was just too easily done.
But, we did get an explanation and the symbolism which they gave a lot of value to, was very satisfying. So it ameliorated the pain a little for me of a rushed ending.
Ooh! The other thing I loved- their magic- how it uses energy, how it costs them to use it- it's not all good; everything has it pros and cons- that balance is maintained throughout the story and that I enjoyed a lot. It added a touch of physical realism to what would otherwise be an unrelatable fantasy.
BOTTOMLINE: I like the story. It really moves along and takes you along for a ride. The characters, despite being stilted are nice and you want to root for them. And it's a fast read. So, I recommend you take it along on your next short flight journey and spend your hours in the air with some fire and ice.
Cheers!
I like nature in books. And a story about how nature could destroy you with her little finger while not flinching at all is a concept which we're all uncomfortably familiar with; but, also comfortably numb to. So, when stories bring it up, highlight it the way this story does, I feel vindicated and scared at the same time.
So yes, this book does move me. The devastation that can be wrought by a wrongly timed rain is vividly described. And magic and fantasy of its world notwithstanding, this book does manage to put the fear of Mother Nature in its readers.
The characters are reminiscent of the previous book I read by K T Munson. They are strong, they are stubborn and they have a sense of humour. The problem is that while the voices of the frost nation people sound very natural, the dialogues of fire nation come off stilted. Its standard words, standard syntax, but the standard nature shows itself up a little too much. I wished it wasn't so, because the story kept moving along at a great pace and this sort of tended to interfere with my enjoyment of it.
Like I've already said, the pace of the story- amazing! Things happen in every chapter without a breather. It doesn't get too heavy either, because of the intermittent easy conversations and detailed descriptions of the world. Until towards the end, that is. The ending was rushed. I had the same issue with her previous book too. The ending, after putting me through so much on the journey leading to it, so many twists and so many turns- it was just too easily done.
But, we did get an explanation and the symbolism which they gave a lot of value to, was very satisfying. So it ameliorated the pain a little for me of a rushed ending.
Ooh! The other thing I loved- their magic- how it uses energy, how it costs them to use it- it's not all good; everything has it pros and cons- that balance is maintained throughout the story and that I enjoyed a lot. It added a touch of physical realism to what would otherwise be an unrelatable fantasy.
BOTTOMLINE: I like the story. It really moves along and takes you along for a ride. The characters, despite being stilted are nice and you want to root for them. And it's a fast read. So, I recommend you take it along on your next short flight journey and spend your hours in the air with some fire and ice.
Cheers!
January 28, 2016
A cast of likable characters elevates this other-world fantasy as 2 queendoms, bitter rivals from ancient times, are forced to deal with each other as their planets succumbs to global warming. As disasters rattle the nations, a small handful of heroes and royals from each lean on each other and their magic abilities to avert complete annihilation.
The original premise of a Fire Nation headed by fire-wielding magic-users versus a Frost Nation with ice magic seemed too dichotomous, too convenient. Though it's interesting that the climate and living conditions of each nation would outright kill a citizen of the other. By the end, the history and mythology embrace the premise making it work. Even better, was the inclusion of third parties and rebels with agendas of their own. I expected, and perhaps wanted, more from the larger of the rebellions--it almost felt like a dropped plot.
Romance takes a healthy chunk of this novel without overwhelming it for the non-romance reader, such as myself. It's a sub-plot and coda that never hijacks the greater tale, thankfully. The chapters alternate between Fire and Frost POVs, more or less. The countering views add nuance to the tale.
I received my copy of this novel directly from one of the authors after previously reviewing her thoroughly enjoyable pirate fantasy novel, 1001 Islands , which deservedly made my Best Reads of 2015 list.
The original premise of a Fire Nation headed by fire-wielding magic-users versus a Frost Nation with ice magic seemed too dichotomous, too convenient. Though it's interesting that the climate and living conditions of each nation would outright kill a citizen of the other. By the end, the history and mythology embrace the premise making it work. Even better, was the inclusion of third parties and rebels with agendas of their own. I expected, and perhaps wanted, more from the larger of the rebellions--it almost felt like a dropped plot.
Romance takes a healthy chunk of this novel without overwhelming it for the non-romance reader, such as myself. It's a sub-plot and coda that never hijacks the greater tale, thankfully. The chapters alternate between Fire and Frost POVs, more or less. The countering views add nuance to the tale.
I received my copy of this novel directly from one of the authors after previously reviewing her thoroughly enjoyable pirate fantasy novel, 1001 Islands , which deservedly made my Best Reads of 2015 list.
June 27, 2016
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *
Frost Burn tells the story of two nations who must put their differences aside in order to save their world.
The authors have cleverly developed two very different nations; the Fire Nation and the Frost Nation who have been at odds with each other for many, many years. As a consequence their queens of the past opted to isolate the two countries from each other. Now they find themselves having to work together or face the destruction of both their nations. The world building in Frost Burn is very well-thought out, which creates a very detailed backdrop for the novel to unfold. The characters, both major and minor, are developed, but with room to grow in strength and personality as the story progresses. The politics of the different nations has been addressed in such a way, and the two queens both written sympathetically, so there appears to be no ‘taking sides’ on the part of the reader who can see the entire picture clearly. The healing of the rift between the nations as a whole, as well as the main characters, occurred slowly but naturally and as a consequence the strengthening of the, at first uneasy alliance, was very believable.
I really enjoyed reading Frost Burn. The story evolves at a steady pace that hooked me almost immediately. A great fantasy read, which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who is a fan of the genre!
Frost Burn tells the story of two nations who must put their differences aside in order to save their world.
The authors have cleverly developed two very different nations; the Fire Nation and the Frost Nation who have been at odds with each other for many, many years. As a consequence their queens of the past opted to isolate the two countries from each other. Now they find themselves having to work together or face the destruction of both their nations. The world building in Frost Burn is very well-thought out, which creates a very detailed backdrop for the novel to unfold. The characters, both major and minor, are developed, but with room to grow in strength and personality as the story progresses. The politics of the different nations has been addressed in such a way, and the two queens both written sympathetically, so there appears to be no ‘taking sides’ on the part of the reader who can see the entire picture clearly. The healing of the rift between the nations as a whole, as well as the main characters, occurred slowly but naturally and as a consequence the strengthening of the, at first uneasy alliance, was very believable.
I really enjoyed reading Frost Burn. The story evolves at a steady pace that hooked me almost immediately. A great fantasy read, which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who is a fan of the genre!
January 19, 2016
The very first thing that I noticed is that although this book has two authors, there is very little change in voice or writing style between the two authors, which makes the story easy to read.
From start to finish, this book keeps your attention, moving along at a rapid pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat, keeping you guessing right up until the end. That being said, the story is not light on character depth or development; each of the principle characters has depth and evolves as the story goes, so much so that characters I did not like at the start had me cheering at the end.
My only real complaint is that some aspects of the resolution of the story seemed to come out of nowhere, making me wonder if there had been some hint at these things that I just missed.
All in all, a good read that I would recommend and will likely read again.
Rating: 4.5/5
From start to finish, this book keeps your attention, moving along at a rapid pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat, keeping you guessing right up until the end. That being said, the story is not light on character depth or development; each of the principle characters has depth and evolves as the story goes, so much so that characters I did not like at the start had me cheering at the end.
My only real complaint is that some aspects of the resolution of the story seemed to come out of nowhere, making me wonder if there had been some hint at these things that I just missed.
All in all, a good read that I would recommend and will likely read again.
Rating: 4.5/5
January 5, 2017
I did enjoy reading this novel. It had a nice mix of action and a good story on both Frost and Fire sides which easily kept me interested in wanting to read on. Btw- I liked the Frost story a tad more.
What puzzles me is why the book was done in "parts" instead of being separated as "chapters" throughout as most books are written. I didn't see the need to have parts. There didn't seem to be a difference in story flow no matter which part of the book you were at. It also effected the way the Table of Contents would normally be used.
Writing this book in parts prevented the Kindle "Time left in chapter" feature from working properly. The way this book was written shows the "Time left in chapter" in this book as the resulting time left of the particular part you are on as a whole (could be over 2 hrs depending on how fast you read). Each part in this book has a number of chapters.
It is misleading for the purpose of that Kindle feature. I always like to know if I have time to finish a particular chapter before I start reading it. I don't like to stop mid-chapter. That is just the way I read. Anyways, it's a good story. I would recommend taking the time to read it.
What puzzles me is why the book was done in "parts" instead of being separated as "chapters" throughout as most books are written. I didn't see the need to have parts. There didn't seem to be a difference in story flow no matter which part of the book you were at. It also effected the way the Table of Contents would normally be used.
Writing this book in parts prevented the Kindle "Time left in chapter" feature from working properly. The way this book was written shows the "Time left in chapter" in this book as the resulting time left of the particular part you are on as a whole (could be over 2 hrs depending on how fast you read). Each part in this book has a number of chapters.
It is misleading for the purpose of that Kindle feature. I always like to know if I have time to finish a particular chapter before I start reading it. I don't like to stop mid-chapter. That is just the way I read. Anyways, it's a good story. I would recommend taking the time to read it.
April 14, 2016
This fantasy takes Frost and fire and gives it a new twist. It approaches the story in a completely different manner. I loved that they were forced to put aside their differences and work together to save their world. It gave the book a deep reason and meaning to fight.
The characters, especially the leading ladies, were created exceptionally well. The two mains were excellent. Though they disliked and even struggle to trust one another, they had the foresight and intellect to put that to the side and team up, for the sake of their world. They were both quirky, strong-willed and really fun to watch as they clashed time and again, only to realise they have more in common than they think.
The author also took the time to create detailed secondary characters and world. This made the world realistic and very easy to jump and and want to join the fight for survival. It also meant that I became connected to their cause and wanted to see the evil defeated.
The pace was brilliant, as was the use of magic/control over nature. I found that we were constant kept on our toes, wondering what would happen next and just how long our two leading ladies would take to realise their only way forward was collaboration . I loved that we were given time to get to know the characters' background, but then would be thrown into a massive whirlwind.
The story, overall, is very interesting. I was hooked straightaway and often found myself reading for hours rather than the twenty minutes I had planned. Not an error I regret. I enjoyed the flow of the story and the way the author presented it. I would love to see more from these characters.
**I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
The characters, especially the leading ladies, were created exceptionally well. The two mains were excellent. Though they disliked and even struggle to trust one another, they had the foresight and intellect to put that to the side and team up, for the sake of their world. They were both quirky, strong-willed and really fun to watch as they clashed time and again, only to realise they have more in common than they think.
The author also took the time to create detailed secondary characters and world. This made the world realistic and very easy to jump and and want to join the fight for survival. It also meant that I became connected to their cause and wanted to see the evil defeated.
The pace was brilliant, as was the use of magic/control over nature. I found that we were constant kept on our toes, wondering what would happen next and just how long our two leading ladies would take to realise their only way forward was collaboration . I loved that we were given time to get to know the characters' background, but then would be thrown into a massive whirlwind.
The story, overall, is very interesting. I was hooked straightaway and often found myself reading for hours rather than the twenty minutes I had planned. Not an error I regret. I enjoyed the flow of the story and the way the author presented it. I would love to see more from these characters.
**I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
August 25, 2016
Frost Burn gives us a world where people are divided by temperature tolerance and where magic is basic technology. Fascinating concepts. Now add in climate change afflicting both groups, who must overcome their prejudices to survive. Their joint solution to impending ecological disaster is bold, imaginative and wildly suspenseful.
To complicate matters, reactionary forces attempt to thwart the global rescue plan. Arguments about whether magic is “natural” and what the gods want are believable. There will always be individuals who turn selfish and divisive in times of crisis, imposing even greater problems on those attempting to keep order, in this case, the young queens of each group. Pushed to their limits, the queens discover powers they never knew before, ones they’ll need when they encounter the unexpected cause of their planet’s upheaval.
Stories with magic and royalty can turn fairytale, using characters to represent archetypes of Good and Evil. Happily, the authors avoid this trap. Characters have strengths and weaknesses. Relationships develop naturally and offer moments of touching tenderness. Though romance is an element in the story, it never overwhelms plot or strains credulity. People do fall in love at the oddest times, perhaps even more often when life is tenuous.
Frost Burn is enjoyable, original and thought provoking. I recommend it.
To complicate matters, reactionary forces attempt to thwart the global rescue plan. Arguments about whether magic is “natural” and what the gods want are believable. There will always be individuals who turn selfish and divisive in times of crisis, imposing even greater problems on those attempting to keep order, in this case, the young queens of each group. Pushed to their limits, the queens discover powers they never knew before, ones they’ll need when they encounter the unexpected cause of their planet’s upheaval.
Stories with magic and royalty can turn fairytale, using characters to represent archetypes of Good and Evil. Happily, the authors avoid this trap. Characters have strengths and weaknesses. Relationships develop naturally and offer moments of touching tenderness. Though romance is an element in the story, it never overwhelms plot or strains credulity. People do fall in love at the oddest times, perhaps even more often when life is tenuous.
Frost Burn is enjoyable, original and thought provoking. I recommend it.
July 31, 2016
This is the first book of Munson and Rae's that I have read, and I have to say I am impressed. Frost Burn is an interesting story with a rich cast of characters. In reading this book, I found a lot to like. Overall, I would recommend it to others who enjoy reading fantasy stories.
There is a lot to like about this book. I enjoyed the descriptions and concepts behind the two opposing nations of people and enjoyed reading about how natural disasters could unite two very different groups. I also liked the approach of having different types of magic handlers and how they were diametrically opposed to each other. It was great to see how they had to work together to discover a way to save their world.
I also liked the way the author painted the story for the reader, creating a new world that was different and interesting. The characters were believable and each had a distinct personality that evolved as the story progressed.
There were some minor grammatical errors, or missing words here and there, but they were few and far in between and I felt overall, they didn't distract from the story. Well done Munson and Rae!
There is a lot to like about this book. I enjoyed the descriptions and concepts behind the two opposing nations of people and enjoyed reading about how natural disasters could unite two very different groups. I also liked the approach of having different types of magic handlers and how they were diametrically opposed to each other. It was great to see how they had to work together to discover a way to save their world.
I also liked the way the author painted the story for the reader, creating a new world that was different and interesting. The characters were believable and each had a distinct personality that evolved as the story progressed.
There were some minor grammatical errors, or missing words here and there, but they were few and far in between and I felt overall, they didn't distract from the story. Well done Munson and Rae!
August 7, 2016
I absolutely loved the strong female heroine queens. Two opposite worlds must bridge together, put their differences aside, to survive the climatic events. Your classic neighbor verses neighbor feud. The author did a fantastic job in developing the characters, and I took a great liking to them. The pace of the story unraveled smoothly, with no lack of detail left out. Teamwork, along with magical powers, may save them… reading the dynamics between the characters kept me hooked and was a very realistic portrayal. Besides a few editing flaws, which can always be fixed, the story itself deserves 5 stars. An adult fantasy novel with a hint of spice and romance.
June 13, 2016
It was a real treat to read this story. Well written, the characters well developed. And I didn't have to wait for a sequel to know the end. Brilliant!!!
There was nothing at all to dislike about this book, from start to end, it was a great read, couldn't put it down.
There was nothing at all to dislike about this book, from start to end, it was a great read, couldn't put it down.
September 10, 2016
An enticing plot, with a well-conceptualized world and strong characters, but the writing style felt a little weak, especially early on, relying too much on tell and exposition and not fully immersing the reader into this world of frost and fire.
February 12, 2017
**I received a copy of Frost Burn from one of the authors, and this review first posted on my blog, luvtoread: https://luvtoread.com/2017/02/10/fros...
Frost Burn took awhile for me to get into, but I grew to love the setting and the characters. Frost Burn is an interesting fantasy book. I hadn’t ever heard of this book before, until one of the authors emailed me and asked me to consider reading it. I’m very glad that I decided to read Frost Burn as it had adventure and romance, friendship and drama. It was a lot of fun, especially towards the end of the book when the plot all started coming together.
Frost Burn takes us to a fictional world where two nations exist: the Fire Nation, whose inhabitants wield fire magic and cannot be in the cold; and the Frost Nation, where ice magic reigns and no one can take the heat. A large river and an ice wall keep the countries separated.
The leader of the Fire Nation is Queen Darha, who is skilled in using fire magic and is close with her brother Coor and his wife Thea. I wasn’t sure what to think about Queen Darha at first. She always seemed to be on the verge of tears and full of fear, and these are not very promising leadership attributes. But she grew on me as she came into her own, and by the end of the book I was cheering her on. Thea is a warrior who speaks her mind, and I really enjoyed her character, especially once she meets up with Kirill, a commander in the Frost Nation.
The Frost Nation is ruled by the kind, elderly Queen Vesna. Aradel, one of Queen Vesna’s protégé’s, has strong ice magic, and we see a lot from her perspective. Aradel was a perfectly fine character, if slightly bland at times.
The Frost and Fire Nations have disliked each other for as long as anyone can remember, and they begrudgingly trade between each other for goods each country needs. I thought the dynamic between the two nations was interesting, and seemed to be well thought out. The world they live in is changing, and is becoming deadly to both nations, and the two nations must come together to save the world. This plot was fine, and I appreciated all of the geology and climate talk in the book. I wasn’t expecting that and it surprised me in a good way.
In terms of what I didn’t like about the book, there were a few parts that felt a bit “been there, done that”. Like the ice wall separating the countries – it was very similar to A Song of Ice and Fire, and our ice princess, Aradel, even appears wearing a blue dress and her blonde hair braided like Elsa in Frozen. So, little things like that made me want for just a bit more originality, but this is a very minor quibble. Also, some of the conversation felt stilted, and didn’t have an organic feeling to it. This played a part in me feeling somewhat removed from the storyline, especially right at first. I also do think that the book needs a different cover, but I’m not a fan of people being on the covers of books.
So those are my thoughts on Frost Burn, which I did enjoy and would recommend to those who like fantasy novels without a lot of blood or violence. And I was very happy to discover that there is a sequel in the works! I have a couple thoughts (wishes!) on what I hope happens in the sequel.
Bottom Line: Frost Burn is a good, enjoyable fantasy tale. I felt a bit removed from the characters, but I did have fun!
Frost Burn took awhile for me to get into, but I grew to love the setting and the characters. Frost Burn is an interesting fantasy book. I hadn’t ever heard of this book before, until one of the authors emailed me and asked me to consider reading it. I’m very glad that I decided to read Frost Burn as it had adventure and romance, friendship and drama. It was a lot of fun, especially towards the end of the book when the plot all started coming together.
Frost Burn takes us to a fictional world where two nations exist: the Fire Nation, whose inhabitants wield fire magic and cannot be in the cold; and the Frost Nation, where ice magic reigns and no one can take the heat. A large river and an ice wall keep the countries separated.
The leader of the Fire Nation is Queen Darha, who is skilled in using fire magic and is close with her brother Coor and his wife Thea. I wasn’t sure what to think about Queen Darha at first. She always seemed to be on the verge of tears and full of fear, and these are not very promising leadership attributes. But she grew on me as she came into her own, and by the end of the book I was cheering her on. Thea is a warrior who speaks her mind, and I really enjoyed her character, especially once she meets up with Kirill, a commander in the Frost Nation.
The Frost Nation is ruled by the kind, elderly Queen Vesna. Aradel, one of Queen Vesna’s protégé’s, has strong ice magic, and we see a lot from her perspective. Aradel was a perfectly fine character, if slightly bland at times.
The Frost and Fire Nations have disliked each other for as long as anyone can remember, and they begrudgingly trade between each other for goods each country needs. I thought the dynamic between the two nations was interesting, and seemed to be well thought out. The world they live in is changing, and is becoming deadly to both nations, and the two nations must come together to save the world. This plot was fine, and I appreciated all of the geology and climate talk in the book. I wasn’t expecting that and it surprised me in a good way.
In terms of what I didn’t like about the book, there were a few parts that felt a bit “been there, done that”. Like the ice wall separating the countries – it was very similar to A Song of Ice and Fire, and our ice princess, Aradel, even appears wearing a blue dress and her blonde hair braided like Elsa in Frozen. So, little things like that made me want for just a bit more originality, but this is a very minor quibble. Also, some of the conversation felt stilted, and didn’t have an organic feeling to it. This played a part in me feeling somewhat removed from the storyline, especially right at first. I also do think that the book needs a different cover, but I’m not a fan of people being on the covers of books.
So those are my thoughts on Frost Burn, which I did enjoy and would recommend to those who like fantasy novels without a lot of blood or violence. And I was very happy to discover that there is a sequel in the works! I have a couple thoughts (wishes!) on what I hope happens in the sequel.
Bottom Line: Frost Burn is a good, enjoyable fantasy tale. I felt a bit removed from the characters, but I did have fun!
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