| Title | : | Fantasy of Frost (The Tainted Accords, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0648042405 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780648042402 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 264 |
| Publication | : | First published January 14, 2015 |
I know many things. What I am capable of, what I will change, what I will become. But there is one thing I will never know...
The veil I've worn from birth carries with it a terrible loneliness; a suppression I cannot imagine being free of.
Some things never change...
My mother will always hate me. Her court will always shun me.
...Until they do.
When the peace delegation arrives from the savage world of Glacium, my life is shoved wildly out of control by the handsome Prince Kedrick who, for unfathomable reasons, shows me kindness.
And the harshest lessons are learned.
Sometimes it takes the world bringing you to your knees to find that spark you thought forever lost.
Sometimes it takes death to show you how to live.
(Warning: Cliff-hanger ending. Suitable for mature young adult readers due to swearing.)
Fantasy of Frost (The Tainted Accords, #1) Reviews
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Free on Amazon today!
UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RR6RQ5M...
US:
http://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Frost-T...
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Kelly St. Clare.)
“Do you choose to wear that veil?” he asks, turning back to me.
I shake my head, and suddenly Kedrick is boiling mad. “Your mother is one sick, twisted bitch.”
This was a really stunning YA fantasy novel, leaving me highly anticipating the next instalment!
“You can’t be saying that you’ve never seen your own face,” he says. My silence is confirmation enough.
I really liked the characters in this book, and I felt so sorry for Olina. The way her mother had treated her was truly disgusting, to have never seen your own face, to be forced to veil yourself from everyone, and to also receive regular beatings at your own mother’s command is really shocking. I was really glad that Olina had managed to find love with Prince Kedrick, and I really wanted them to be allowed to be together.
“What happened?” The question barely disturbs the air, it is so quiet.
“I was being followed everywhere. They were on her before I could do anything. They slit her throat and made me watch her die.”
The world-building in this was really good, and I liked that things were explained so simply, without the use of info-dumps. I sometimes get confused by fantasy novels, but I didn’t have that problem at all with Fantasy of Frost.
“When you get married you lose the ‘O’ at the front of your name,” I say. “So when I marry. My name will go from Olina, to Lina.” I try to imagine getting married and Kedrick pops into my mind.
The storyline in this was done really well, and I even appreciated the heart-breaking moments. I felt really scared and upset for Olina at times, and I just couldn’t stop reading!
“Do not test me. Your life is forfeit if I so much as detect you have twitched your veil without my permission,��
There was some romance, and I liked it, but I was very saddened by the way this romance was brought to an end. It was just so, so sad!
“I would be more than your friend.” He steps up to me and grabs my other elbow, bringing me to face him. I place both hands on his chest to steady myself, speechless. He tilts my chin upwards, leans his head down and kisses me thorough the veil. The heat of his skin reaches mine. The veil moulds to my lips and I taste the salt of my sweat. The friction causes tingles to spread through my body all the way to my toes. “I love you,” he says.
The ending to this was a little surprising, and we were left with a bit of cliff-hanger. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the next instalment of this thrilling tale!
8.5 out of 10
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Read this for a second time...and I can only raise it half a star to 1.5 stars. Does no one else find the physical aggression disturbing with the blasé way it's written? And the crude language to be out of place? Yet, I'll probably pick up the sequels for the slow-burn romance.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Wowww, this book was bad. The book was bad, the writing was bad, the plot was bad, just bad all around. And short. And offensive. And the offensive was bad. And distracting. And juvenile, as a result.
It's like this book was striving to be older and darker and more high-stakes...trying to demonstrate the seriousness and crudeness of the setting. But alas, the writing could not pull it off. The authenticity of the writing was not there for me - stop trying so hard to convince the readers that you're dark and heavy and tough and threatening!
THE GOOD
This book has a setting somewhat similar to
Snow Like Ashes so if you liked the winter versus summer elements of that series...then maybe you'll like this book?
THE BAD
1) Language. What the what? Words like "fuck" and "shit" and "bitch" were liberally used, which struck me as extremely out of place both for the setting and for the perceived YA maturity of the book. I'm not saying it offended my delicate sensibilities or that I've never read a book with language before--I'm saying it was downright out of place with this writing. How is the vulgarity on par with the middle grade/young young adult tone of this book? Or with the medieval-fantasy time period when "fuck" was used as a verb and not as an expletive the way we use it in modern times? Adult fantasy like Game of Thrones could pull it off. Low fantasy could pull it off. Used here, it's too similar to modern colloquialism and it jarred me from the fantasy world we were in.
2) Crude language trying too hard to be crude, which speaks more to the unconvincing writing and dialogue. I'd even go as far as to say passages like this were meant to illicit sympathy for Olina, due to how poorly she was being treated and abused. Why else? To emphasize that these nameless thugs are bad guys? To emphasize the precarious situations women in this fantasy world live in? If either of the last two, both of those could have been better accomplished via other means. If the first reason, then we're preying on rape culture here. Which is a whole new can of worms.
“That’s where a good slut should be. On her back.” The men laugh together over my head.
“She isn’t so bad looking. Even with the blood.”
“For fuck’s sake Nam, put it away. We don’t have time for you to get your dick wet.”
3) Superficially developed characters and a lackluster plot development.
4) Don't even get me started on the romance. Just...no.
5) Physical aggression from King Jovan. All right, I know I skimmed this entire book in under an hour but even I caught the moments where he pinned/lifted her against the wall by her wrists or dug his nails into her shoulders while he shook her. BRO. Just...NO. And then he apologizes later by saying he wasn't in his right state of mind. BRO. Borderline physical violence. We are NOT romanticizing this! Especially given her backstory of physical abuse? NO.
6) Mature subject material turned into juvenile anecdotes. King Jovan's physical aggression aside, Olina is often beaten badly by her mother and uncle. She's attacked once on her own by three men who repeatedly punch and kick her body until she blacks out (not before there's a crude suggestion at rape). And we gloss it over. From her family's abuse, we get a short scene where Olina's brother sees the bloody water she uses to clean herself. After the attack, we get King Jovan discovering her almost near to passing out in a hallway, therefore allowing him to sweep in as the Knight to heal her. BRO. JUST NO.
THE VERDICT
Nope. Just no. The only reason I didn't DNF this book at the 17% mark was because I wanted to learn what the big hoopla was over hiding Olina's face behind a veil for eighteen years.
There are a lot of glowing reviews of this book on Goodreads...so I'm open to considering that this book is just major bad book chemistry. But good gosh, I went through several pages of reviews and I only found two reviews below three stars - mine and someone else's. Did this book merely catch me in a bad mood...? Am I missing something? -
UPDATE: This review can now be found on
Rosaline's Rolls & Scrolls.
Yesss, I really needed this. I could not have read this at a better time.
Fantasy of Frost is not super mind-blowing, but it's extremely enjoyable. I found it to be a fun and quick read. I could not put it down at all.
The pace of the book is not that fast, but the mystery of the veil keeps you going. And even though this mystery is super predictable and the ending is a little rushed, I quite enjoyed hanging out with the characters and explore their world at a slower pace. I also appreciated the ending not dragging and making my reading experience hellish.
I really liked the world-building in this one. Everything was so naturally explained that I did not feel the need to roll my eyes even once.
I would not have minded a little bit of action in the book however, to keep things interesting. But overall, I enjoyed myself too much to complain.
That cliffhanger in the end though has me eager to pick up the next book. And I already have high expectations. Hopefully the second book is even better than this one. -
June 2019: 3.5 stars
September 2021: 3 stars
Only re-reading this so I can finally finish this whole series. Reading my old review is just so lolololol, cause the things I liked before I wasn't as invested as before and the things I didn't like, some of them like the language I couldn't give a fuck about now 😂
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TAINTED ACCORDS SERIES
#1 Fantasy of Frost – 3 stars
#2 Fantasy of Flight – 2.75 stars
#3 Fantasy of Fire – 3 stars
#4 Fantasy of Freedom – 3 stars
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙
***
(review 2019)"Three people have seen my face, one is dead and the others both threatened to kill me. King Jovan is more similar to my mother than I had thought."
It took me almost a whole week to finish this book and normally I'm a fast reader. Why do I mention it so often if I need longer for a book? Because it affects the book rating. I didn't have any problems to stop reading after a few chapters and pick it up the next day. Another thing that affected my reading experience is that I was feeling pretty stressed out the whole week and wasn't really in the mood to read anything but wanted to finish this book nonetheless.
What did I like:
- I really liked the setting of the book. Ice vs. Fire. Winter vs. Summer. Glacium and Osolis two different worlds divided into six sectors each. It reminded me so much of " The Hunger Games -Catching Fire" with the island that is divided into pieces and in each sector, there is something going on and a different danger.
- Olinda is pretty badass. She has to wear a veil and can't see much, but she's still able to fight and protect herself, but at the same time she's caring and selfless.
- I liked Kedrick even though his appearance is very short in the book. All I can say that he deserved better and I was in denial for so long.
- Most of the side characters seem cool too. I'm excited to learn more about them in the next books and what their role is in the story.
- The book is short. The author kept the story to the minimum and didn't try to lengthen it to write some 500 pages novel. I like long books, but here I liked that each book isn't too long. You get so much information in the beginning that it takes a while to process how the world is built. Like why are they talking in revolutions instead of years? Why does one revolution mean 3 years? I have so many questions that the author will hopefully answer.
What I didn't like:
- I thought this is Young Adult?! For a YA series, I thought the language is too crude, sometimes I was feeling second-hand embarrassment for the people. I felt like the author overused the words "fuck" and "bitch" just to be offensive. It didn't add anything valuable to the story except that it got on my nerves.
- The plot slowed down in the middle. It was like the whole story stopped when died. Once Olina and the delegates arrived on Glacium nothing really happens, I was kind of bored.
- Olina came to Glacium to find out who murdered ******* and honestly she is the worse investigator, cause she solved literally NOTHING. She's not even a step closer so what was the point?
- Some things were just weird? Olina was beaten up by three men when she was in her room but at the end of the book she just killed a couple of men without any problems.. okayy how?! Suddenly she is a freaking ninja.. it was strange and didn't feel right. -
*Reread July 2019*
“It is the beautiful thing about the Solati avoidance of asking straight question; it is easy to ignore them.”
I don’t know why but the more I reread this series, the more I actually enjoy it! (if that’s even possible lol) I JUST LOVE IT A LOT OKAY
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*First read June 2017*
"Sometimes it takes the world bringing you to your knees to find that spark you thought forever lost.
Sometimes it takes death to show you how to live."
Amazing female lead, unique fantasy world, slow burn romance, Fantasy of Frost was definitely a great start to a very promising series!
Even though at first I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, I actually ended up really enjoying this book! I found the world to be very interesting and unique, and I also really liked all the characters, especially Olina, she's the best! Now I'm super excited to see where the story goes next!🙌🏻
4.5/5★★★★ -
Full Review
What I Liked
- This book had two mysteries and I love a good mystery. The main character wears a veil and she is told by her mum never to remove it, so she has never seen her face before. That's one of the mystery (figuring out why she has to cover her face). The second was around finding out who did something bad.
- In this book, there are two worlds: The one the mc belongs to which is always hot and the people are conservative and the second world is the opposite; where it is always cold and the people are more outgoing and crude. It was interesting reading about how different the people are.
- The hinted relationship between two characters!!
What I didn't like
- This book had alot of info dumping and I was confused. Apparently the two worlds have six sectors(?) that keeps revolving so for instance in the MC's world, it gets hotter every sector and the hottest sector is 4th and then it gets better at 5th? (I'm not sure about this). They also kept mentioning something about revolutions every number of years (honestly, I might be making things up). It was just kinda confusing. Also, there were alot of characters in this!! And some of their names started with an 'O' so it was confusing figuring out who was who
- This book seemed like the author's first book and I had to check if that was the case and I think it was. The writing just seemed kinda juvenile
- I mentioned that the second world was crude and it just seemed a little bit extra to me with their constant cursing and overly sexual discussions. I know the author wanted to make the two worlds as different as possible but she did the most
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Overall, I liked this book even though it had some problems. -
A ton of info dumping in the beginning but that’s okay, I was engaged enough to keep going and I’m glad I did. I found this book to have excellent world building, very unique and unlike anything I have read before. I enjoy all the action and violence(sue me, I could watch John Wick all day and this is nothing in comparison).
Olina is one badass bitch given her circumstances but still has a ton of self doubt which is understandable. I’m really looking forward to the character building I sense will happen. Also, the delegates or Glacium? They are all my babies, seriously. If anything happens to them then I may have to resort to fighting someone, haha.
I need more the King please, I like him. A LOT. But chill with the man handling bro.
The ending though? AHHHHHHH!!! -
This one is good people! Worth the read!
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GUYS! I FINALLY WON A GIVEAWAY! I am SO ECSTATIC! I hope I get the book and candle soon! :D
•*•*•*•
Will edit when I have finished the book. :) -
It's surprising to me that this book does not have much buzz, there have been weeks where all I have been has been trash but I had this book marinating in my tbr without knowing how good it would be. So glad I bit the bullet.
This book is really good, from the first page I was engrossed. The characters had believable reactions/actions especially Olina. When she was first introduced as wearing a veil and having never seen her face I was a bit skeptical because it's not hard to undo the veil when she was alone and see what she looks like but I understood the fear for her brothers and the fear of what she would find.
I was looking forward to her removing that veil and I hoped it was not for a stupidly contrived reason such as her beauty being blinding or any of that malarkey. As it is , I am rushing to read the next one because I have to know what's going on. -
Reread @8/2/19
I did it!! I have 'em in my hands!!!
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There are not a lot of books I'm willing to spend money on just so I can have them in my hands but this series? I'm dying to get this series in my hands.
Been a day since I finished the series and you won't believe the struggle I'm going through to stop myself from rereading it already. -
4,5/5
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![Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
On reflection, I bumped this one up to 4 stars. Overall it's probably my least favourite St Clare series (barring the collab with Raye Wagner which I had to DNF) but objectively it's still fabulous. I was completely invested in this book from start to finish, and I genuinely could not download the next instalments fast enough. Thank God for Kindle Unlimited.
There's no real romance in this one - at least, not with the ultimate hero. The heroine has a romance with his younger brother which is brutally cut short when he's assassinated. I really liked Kedrick so this was heartbreaking. The heroine and hero spend the book obviously grieving, and there are political reasons too why this is a slow-burn. But so worth it.
I LOVE that St Clare isn't afraid to have POC heroines. Ebba was dark-skinned and so is Olina here. My heart is rejoicing. Massive bonus points for that.
Also, I liked the twist with the reason why Olina has to wear a veil. I was genuinely surprised, and pleased that the author hadn't gone down the 'you're so beautiful your jealous mother kept you veiled' route.
[Blog]
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A coming of age fantasy. Complex story line and strong female as the main character. Humour, romance and action/adventure
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The hype about this book caught my eye
The reviews on this book were mostly 4 and 5 stars. I know, I feel like a traitor for giving it a 3 star but I'm kind of in between 3 stars or 3.5 stars.
This book had an awesome world-building, they were thought out and impressive. Sometime confusing, but I'll overlook that because the thought of having a land called Glacium is cool!
Okay so Osolis is as hot as Hell and Glacium as frigid as your soul. Just kidding! But it's deathly cold.
The book starts with us meeting the Princess of Osolis. Her name is Olina and she has been forced to wear a veil since infancy. The character has no idea why, because mirrors were all destroyed the day of her birth to prevent her from ever seeing her reflection. Anyone who sees her face will have their throat slit...
It safe to say that everyone gives her a wide berth, but Olina is filled with loneliness.
As Princess of Osolis or Tatuma she should have many responsibilities but her Mother the Tatum/ Queen, despises her for unknown reasons. Olina falls for a prince of Glacium, but tragedy strikes and suddenly Olina is in more trouble than she could have ever anticipated.
Overall, it's a pretty cool story. Definitely caught my attention.
The beginning of the book was full of things happening, but then when we got to the middle it slowed down by a lot. Even then in my mind i was thinking of this book as a 4 star. But then the ending happened.
I don't know, but that ending to me made zero sense. The character was pretty smart throughout and then i felt like she hit the wall of stupidity and did something that to me made no sense. She also placed two countries in a potential threatening position and I'm sorry, Olina was portrayed as strong but caring still but then she went weird.
So yea, the ending made me feel like this:
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***4.5 Stars***
Y'all, I bought this book 2 years ago because it was recommended by someone. I'm sorry, but I can't remember who. Anyway. I started it back then but wasn't feeling it. Probably a mood thing. For some reason it popped back up on my radar so I thought I'd give it another shot.
I FLEW through this book, reading it in two late night sessions. Between work and school, my reading activity has been abysmal, but this hooked me for some reason. No, it's not perfect (which is why it has 4 stars and not 5),and yes there are some things for which I had to suspend belief, but it hit all the right emotions. Joy, anger, grief, wonder, it was all there. And best of all, a sloooooooow burn romance. My favorite kind. If you're looking for a fantasy romance, I'd highly recommend (I'm already on book 3!) -
A Good Introduction To A Promising Fantasy Series.
Abridged Stuff:
My Likes
+Interesting and entertaining cast
+Intriguing protagonist
+Many mysteries
+Imaginative customs for the Solati and Bruma. They are like introvert vs. extroverts
+Olina kicks ass
+Olina is selfless
+Narration fits Olina's personality
+Detailed and methodical action
+The author sticks to continuity really well. (Ex. Character injuries heal realistically.)
My Dislikes
-Plot slows down in the middle.
-I sometimes found Olina's stubbornness and rebelliousness annoying.
-The ending comes out of nowhere.
-Not much is resolved by the end.
Full Review
I was given this copy of the book in exchange for a review.
FoF begins right at the start with its characters. We're introduced to Olina, our protagonist, and the world of her people, the Solati, and the visiting delegates from Bruma. We're also introduced to Olina's love interest, Kedrick, A Bruma prince who proves to be charming, kind, inquisitive, and madly in love with Olina. Olina is the centerpiece of the story and Kedrick is the fulcrum upon which it all balances. Olina proves herself to be a very interesting character with a lot of intrigue surrounding her and her past. The story is narrated through her own first person POV. One thing about the Solati is that they are reserved and subtle in almost all of their actions and decisions. They find openness and familiarity very uncouth. Because of this Olina has a very measured way of talking and it follows through with her thoughts during her POV narration. Her thoughts are very matter of fact and measured which fits with her Solati upbringing. That's very good attention to detail on the author's part.
Characters
Olina
Olina is a very fascinating character and lives an interesting life. She is a Solati princess and next in line to be queen, called Tatuma by the Solati. She lives her whole life dedicated to the goal of being a capable and strong Tatuma after her mother Avanna. Olina has a lot of strangeness to her including the fact that she spends a lot of time helping out at an orphanage despite it being frowned upon. She finds some comfort and solace here with these kids, more than her normal life affords her. Another strangeness of hers is the fact that she sneaks out and trains in combat arts with an old soldier. This is a huge secret for her but she enjoys the training and has confidence in her fighting abilities. Olina's biggest strangeness though is the fact that she has to wear a veil at all times around others. She doesn't know why but it's always been this way. The only time she's taken it off resulted in the murder of an innocent child because the child had seen her face. But beyond her strangeness Olina is strong-willed to a large degree. She works hard to accomplish her goals and does everything possible to see them through. Her demands and attitude annoyed me at times but there was no question that her strength of character and will were nearly unmatched.
Olina and Kedrick
They share a world crossing love but are each a part of a race that finds the other repulsive. The Solati sly, reserved, and measured while the Bruma are brazen, brash, and impulsive. That cultural divide is strong on both sides and yet these two find solace in one another. They're are both kind, strong, quick-witted, and open-minded. There is something about Olina that attracts Kedrick despite the fact that he can't see her face and Olina is experiencing feelings for Kedrick that she never thought possible in herself. They both change in small and profound ways because of their devotion for one another but it's a sad sort of love because you know that everything is working against their union including the very rules of their cultures.
The Tatuma Avanna
Cold and cruel. She's an ice queen that ironically lives on the fire world. I'm surprised she hasn't melted yet. Her ice doesn't come from her body temperature or any sort of powers but instead from her temperament. She treats Olina like a bag of s*** each and every chance she gets. She is less of a mother and more of a dictator.
The World
Olina's people, the Solati, live on a dangerous world called Osolis that's engulfed by flames. Their own homeland is only a few 'rotations' from being burned away and so the Solati migrate when the heat and fire becomes threatening and build their houses and other buildings with a fire resistant wood called Kaur. They depend on the cold from the ice World, Glacium, to keep temperatures regulated in their own homeland just as Glacium depends on their heat to keep its world from completely freezing. There are Kaur forests and boiling lakes throughout Osolis. The Solati wear lightweight fabrics and breezy clothing like togas to keep cool. The Solati of Osolis are typically a subtle and measured race with customs that one could call prim. The Solati also have strange naming conventions for their people. Solati children are all born with have an O at the start of their names but when they get married the drop the O. So if Olina ever gets married for instance she'd become Lina. Just don't call her that before she's married or you'll be committing a very major faux pas unless you're closely related to her. And let's say Olina gets married and becomes Lina, if her husband ever dies then as a widow she's now Alina since widowers get an A to start their names. I tend to like quirky customs like this and think it's really cool.
The Bruma on the other hand live on the world of Glacium, an ice world that's the total opposite of Osolis. Large sleds are the main transport of Glacium and most of the Bruma's houses and structures are wrought with solid stone. Furs cover everything from people to beds in large piles and alcohol is the beverage of choice for adults for the warm and mirth it provides. The Bruma of Glacium are a large race, even the women who tower over the average Solati. The Bruma are prone to speaking their minds and are very hot-blooded and vulgar. Sex isn't shied away from in Bruma culture and even open talk of it is embraced. Though preferring to dress in warm furs and leather the Bruma women sometimes like to dress very scantily clad during festivals to the delight of the men.
The Plot
The plot points in Fantasy of Frost each hinge on a major event. Because I can't talk about these main events without spoiling anything I'll try to be as vague as possible while giving a decent synopsis. I said I'll try, keep that in mind. Okay so the beginning of the book is dedicated to us getting to know Olina, her problems, her world, and the characters around her. All of this leads to the first major event of the book, someone dies, and this changes everything. From then on we're taken to a new place and must piece together the mystery of the person who died. All the while new questions spring forth such as Olina's connection with her veil. Well the decent synopsis part failed because I can't figure out how to say more without spoiling it.
Final Opinions
I really enjoyed Olina's journey in Fantasy of Frost. I feel that she's tested so many of her own limits during her ordeals that she's become a much stronger person and that's compelling to read about. I think the worlds of Osolis and Glacium as well as the customs of the people of both worlds very intriguing and worth exploring more. I also really enjoyed all the other characters and the humor and warmth they brought to the story. These are characters that really helped change Olina and they are characters that the lonely and broken need to recover. I do feel that more resolution could have been provided at the end of the book. None of my questions were answered and a lot was left hanging. I also feel that the way it ended came out of far left field but at least it promises more to come. I'm looking forward to the next book and continuing Olina's journey, just remember not to call her Lina. -
2,5/5 (ou 2,75 ? Idk)
Je ne peux pas trop dire que je suis déçue étant donné que je me suis lancée dans ce livre sans rien attendre. Mais c'etait très moyen 😐
Bon, déjà 1er point : l'écriture. Je n'ai pas du tout réussi à m'y accrocher. C'était beaucoup trop YA/jeunesse pour moi. Étant donné la maison d'édition et la couverture, je m'attendais à quelque chose d'un peu plus adulte (j'étais totalement à côté de la plaque sur ce coup là). Si vous lisez ce livre, ne vous attendez pas à un récit mâture, il y a beaucoup de clichés, l'écriture est très (voire trop) simple. En fait, peut-être que je me trompe quand je dis que c'est YA car je considère qu'un YA peut être très bien écrit, et que l'âge auquel est destiné le livre n'est pas toujours en rapport avec la plume 🤔😅 Mais c'est pour bien faire comprendre que ce livre se rapproche beaucoup dans le style de La Sélection de Kiera Cass ou du Joyau de Emy Ewing, mais en moins bien. Le style d'écriture a été le principal défaut du livre pour moi MAIS quelque part c'était assez fluide et c'est ce qui m'a permis de continuer (je le souligne car sans ça j'aurai peut-être dnf ou sauter plein de pages. La fluidité c'est un point très positif dans un roman pour moi, et celui-ci s'est lu assez vite donc c'était son point fort)
- 2ème point : l'histoire. Si la 1ère partie m'a beaucoup intriguée (mine de rien, il s'est passé beaucoup de choses), la 2ème partie du roman (qui en constitue les 2/3) a été beaucoup plus plate. On suit l'héroïne aller d'un point A à un point B, fêter son anniversaire, se faire agresser, adopter un chiot, se faire agresser, se faire arracher son voile... Bref, c'était plat, il ne se passait pas grand chose (enfin selon moi parce que je ne suis pas fan de ce genre d'intrigue) et certaines scènes étaient problématiques pour moi sans qu'elles soient remises en question. Heureusement, le mystère autour du voile de l'héroïne a suscité mon intérêt, ce qui m'a permis d'aller jusqu'au bout (le secret/la révélation était pas mal pour le coup, ça tenait la route et ça annonce beaucoup de choses pour la suite)
- 3ème point : les personnages. Aucun d'entre eux n'étaient vraiment intéressant à suivre (sauf peut-être un peu dans la 1ère partie 🤔) mais dans la 2ème, ils se ressemblaient tous pour moi. Il y en avait beaucoup, et rien ne les différenciant. Ce qui fait la force d'un personnage, c'est son caractère, son esprit, sa façon de parler...ici ils parlaient tous de la même façon, leurs personnalités étaient similaires, bref je ne me suis pas attachée à eux. Ils se ressemblaient tous. Cela pouvait être X ou Y qui parlait, cela ne faisait aucune différence pour moi. Certains avaient des réactions problématiques (notamment le roi) et cela n'a pas été remis en question 😒
- 4ème point : l'héroïne. Si je l'appréciais au début, je me suis rapidement rendu compte à quel point elle manquait de maturité. Elle était ignorante de tout (c'était fait exprès de la part de l'autrice car l'héroïne a toujours vécu dans un autre royaume). Mais cela m'a beaucoup dérangé, c'était presque gênant d'avoir une héroïne aussi ignorante (elle ne savait pas ce qu'était des poires, des cochons, un chien et j'en passe...). Peut-être que cela n'a pas été très bien abordé ou était-ce l'accumulation avec l'écriture qui manquait de description, d'émotion et de maturité ? Je ne sais...
- 5ème point : le langage. Les personnages parlaient très bizarrement. Ils lançaient des "putains '" et des “merdes” ou “connasses” SANS RAISON. J' avoue que j'ai rarement lu un livre où les personnages parlent aussi mal. Cela ne me dérange pas de placer des gros mots dans un roman si c'est bien placé ou justifié et/ou cohérent avec le personnage qui les prononce. Ici, à aucun moment cela n'a été le cas. C'était seulement des gros mots placés comme ça, gratuitement, sans raison.
👉 Ce livre ne l'a pas vraiment fait avec moi et je ne pense pas lire la suite un jour. Mais je dois reconnaître que c'était fluide et même si j'ai plusieurs fois eu envie de lever les yeux au ciel, ce n'était pas horrible car les pages (surtout au début) se lisaient toutes seules. Mais beaucoup de choses m'ont malgré tout déplus voire agacées donc cela explique la note.
Même si je ne recommanderais pas ce livre je pense sincèrement qu'il peut plaire et trouver son public (surtout si vous débutez dans la lecture ou que vous aimez tout simplement ce style de romans 😉) -
4.5 stars
I had no idea what to expect diving into this book recommended to me by a friend, I certainly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Fantasy of Frost is a great introduction to this series, it's intriguing, funny, surprising and leaves you wanting more.
The fantastical world Kelly St. Clare created in this book is quite unique and very interesting. I had to follow closely to understand exactly how everything worked, which realms was which etc, but I never got too confused to the point where I simple didn't understand. It's complex without being too much. The map at the beginning of the book helps a lot.
We are pulled into the heart of the story right from the start and I loved it. I read this book in one sitting, while it's not super long, it was the perfect length for me to get truly involved in the story and characters, it left me wanting to buy the second one right away, and that's what I did.
I really liked the heroine, Olina. I loved how reserved and timid she could appear but how strong and smart she truly was. I liked her spirit, how kind she was without being a pushover. Her character development was very well written, by the end of the book, she is not the same young woman from the start and I really loved seeing her grow into an independent badass female.
Saying Fantasy of Frost surprised me would be an understatement. You think the hero/love interest is going to be someone completely different than who it actually is. I was not expecting that particular twist, especially since it does not happen right away. And, surprisingly, I went with it, I liked this bold decision the author took and it worked.
All the characters in this story have won me over. Besides Olina and the main male character, I also loved all the secondary ones. Once again, Kelly St. Clare created this big group of characters that made the story much more entertaining and made me want to be a part of this group.
The romance in Fantasy of Frost is present albeit it being very slow burn but I know it's going to be more intense in Fantasy of Flight and I cannot wait. While it is a YA book, I still think it is intended for a more mature audience since both main characters are 18 and older and sex is mentioned quite a lot, plus a lot of swear words. Not that I mind, in the contrary.
Of course, the book ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to dive back into this intricate world. -
Strong female main character, well developed secondary characters, excellent world building, and my favorite trope - culture clash - made this an excellent read. It's available on kindle unlimited.
The tldr review
I read this book last year and somehow did not rate it. But I love this series. It was a complete surprise for me. I went in with no expectations, I had never heard of the author. It kept creeping up on amazon/Goodreads recommendations for me and I snagged it when it went on sale.
Pros
- The main character Olina is such a strong character. She has been abused by her mother but she is not weak, physically or emotionally.
- World building is amazing. There are two planets Osolis and Glacium, connected by the great stairway (I picture a big asteroid field). The map in the hardcover is helpful and is also on her website. The Solati race is on Osolis - the hot planet. The Bruma race is on Glacium - the ice planet. Glacium's ice keeps Osolis from being one giant ball of flame and Osolis's heat and warmth keep Glacium from freezing.
- The clash between the two cultures is so good. Solari are more conservative in speech and dress, but open minded towards women. The Bruma open minded towards speech and dress, but more have more traditional views on women's roles. Neither race is portrayed as better or worse than the other.
Cons
- The plot is good but it does drag at times toward the middle. This is fixed in other books but there's a lot of world building in here and it can drag a little.
I loved this books so much. I can't say much about the plot without spoiling it. I thought I knew where it was headed and boom, 20% in it surprised me. This isn't a perfect book, but I loved the characters and setting so much that I easily overlooked it. And I liked it enough to go meet the author and get a signed copy! Kelly was really sweet.
Go read it! It's on kindle unlimited if you have a subscription. I bought it (twice). -
This is a tale with such complexity and depth that to peel back each and every layer would only leave you salivating for the next chapter/installment. I love books with strong female characters who endure and overcome extremely challenging even tragic obstacles. Olina is that character, a protagonist after my own heart. Her courage, power and strength of spirit, humorous and brutal honest are a breath of fresh air from pretentious uptight female characters who are in or about to be in a position of royalty. I also like the way the characters Kedrick and Olina complement each other even though they are very different and from opposite worlds makes their love affair rare and pure displaying the authentic essence of their romance and strong bond. They have an intellectual intercourse between them that is not readily done or focused upon in most books, particularly in sci-fi/fantasy, which I look for, rather than the typical romance set up which is boring and trite. This is not and piques my interest, which is not easy to do. The contrast between the "hot" and "cold" worlds is well-crafted with insight into every depth of the story drawing the reader so deeply into both worlds simultaneously yet separately therefore making them complement each other and intensifying the visceral effect onto the reader. Every extremely vivid description of every scene was intoxicating and enthralling.
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.99 on Kindle US 7/22/22
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Kelly. St Clare..... I see you tryna pull one over on me
and I have severe doubts about it working. Kedrick > Jovan
I liked Olina a lot. She is very pure of heart, soft-spoken but not shy, and brave and strong. What I didn't really understand was her relationship with her mother. It just didn't make sense.
I liked the worldbuilding in this a lot. The dichotomy of an ice world and a fire world was simple but interesting. I felt like it was backwards tho? Like the wild, passionate Bruma's should have the warm climate and the subdued, calculating Solati's should bear the cold. Maybe the irony is the point tho? Idk overall this was a perfectly acceptable starting point, but I'll need the stakes to be raised in the second one to stay interested. The pace in this was pretty slow and it dragged in a lot of places. I felt like once Olina arrived on Glacium, not a lot happened. I was waiting for her to make progress with the arrow but she never did (she's a pretty bad investigator tbh.) I did love her veiled ass kicking scene in that conclusion tho I wouldn't mind some more of that
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Olina is Solati and the Tatuma of her world : The next destined ruler. However She has been kept under a veil and been given no training by a mother who hates her vehemently. Her only solace is in her secret martial arts training, her brother, and her forbidden lover (and prince) of another world. When her lover is killed Olina is kidnapped by his entourage and bought to his world (Osolis) as a prisoner. Why is it then that she feels more free and loved as a prisoner under the care of the foreign (swoonworthy) king than she did when she did on her own planet?
I loved this book. Olina is strong, Olina is fierce, Olina is vulnerable. She just lost the man she loves and somehow she finds purpose out of his death: to survive, to find out who killed him, and to gain a freedom she dared to dream of before. Okay, but I have some questions.
WHY DID SHE NEVER THINK ABOUT TAKING OF HER VEIL IN SECRET?!?!?! LIKE WHY!?!?
Jovan, he's a bit of a character. He is also mourning his brother's death but makes a point to treat Olina with respect (most of the time). He's growing on me in other ways than just being swoonworthy and...dare I hope their relationship will turn romantic. Yes I do, I hope with all my god damn might.
If you enjoyed this review, do me a favor and check it out on my blog
here along with a lot of my other reviews!! They're all first in series! -
Solid effort for the first book in this series. The world building during the first few chapters was a little confusing, and I had to go back and read over a few places again to completely get my head around the different worlds and the peoples within.
The heroine had approximately zero backbone for much of this book, which is fairly understandable given the absolute misery and mistreatment she has received at the hands of her uncle and mother. What's worse, is that she has absolutely no idea why. She endures savage beatings regularly and is forced to wear a veil at all times, for if anyone was to look upon her face, their lives are forfeit by decree of the bitch queen.
What might be considered weakness, soon proves to be leverage of a sort when she realises that her mother does not just hide her face for spite, but is genuinely terrified for people to see what is hidden beneath the veil. Again something Lina doesn't understand since she has never see her own face, but will use against her mother to push her own agenda anyway.
At great loss.
Anyways, Lina eventually ends up being 'hosted' at an enemy kingdom's Court (though not as a prisoner really, she's pretty free to do whatever), all the while trying to find out who she is, and who is responsible for the attack back in her home country.
Of course, given that this is YA, she can't do that sensibly, and this book ends with her disabling her guards doing a runner in a land she really has no knowledge of. Because, safe. SMDH. -
What a great title for a debut fantasy YA series in 'Fantasy of Frost'. Quite a bit leaning towards the Sci fi spectrum with unexpected turns around every corner.
Olina, now a teenaged girl, is the victim of a cruel life, she spent the first ten years in an isolated tower and suffers from the savages of her mothers hatred for her. She fears everyone, and is kept well hidden from the population. Olina can not bare anyone seeing her face and wears a constant veil to hide it even from herself. Although she was to become the next heir to the throne by birthright, instead, a prisoner, bedraggled, and unseen.
Prince Kedrick, the brother of the current king forms an unusual bond with Olina and they fall in love although she would never show her face to him.
Two opposite worlds collide into an epic journey for survival and cohabitation. Step inside these highly imaginative worlds of romance, teenage fantasy, deep seated secrets, and intriguing adventure, you'll be glad you did.
I received a copy for evaluation and review. -
4.25 STARS
What a surprisingly good start of a series! The first plot twist really caught me off guard but I think that just shows how audacious
Kelly St. Clare on writing her plots twists.
Fantasy of Frost would take you to a two different worlds where indifference were highly depicted. It was really interesting to read the worlds of Osolis and Glacium. Both were a complete opposite of one another and that's what drawn me into. Although it confuses me on what's happening at the start but I got along with it as the story progresses. Also really like the characters on this book. Olina seems to be a strong character and the curiosity of what's under her veil added to exciting mystery in the story. Looking forward to her character developments! -
Rating : 5 stars
This series is absolutely fantastic and it keeps getting better and better.
Re-read three years later and still love the fluff out of it.
I bought the new hardcover edition a few months ago but I unfortunately haven't had the chance to read them as they are thousands miles apart from me.
I noticed I never added the last book to my shelves. I will remedy to that and probably do a little review once I completed the series once again. -
This was an interesting YA fantasy novel. Very unique with solid characters. I wasn’t pleased about the way it ended, but I am intrigued enough to continue on to the next book in the series. It was well worth its .99 price listing.
