Editorial Content for Frostblood

Elly Blake is a library assistant and the debut young adult author of a new series, The Frostblood Saga. FROSTBLOOD is her first novel, releasing in January 2017. The second novel in the saga, FIREBLOOD, is set to release in September 2017.

FROSTBLOOD is the story of Ruby, a Fireblood, who is trying to keep herself hidden in a kingdom ruled by Frostbloods who want her dead. Her powers are hard to control, leading to her capture by the king’s guards and her imprisonment. Ruby is eventually taken from prison by Frostblood monks who believe she will be very useful in defeating the tyrannical Frostblood king. Ruby must train, fight, love and persevere in this dangerous and complicated world.

"FROSTBLOOD is an enticing and fast-paced read...that it is fun and entertaining to read....Ruby’s point of view was enjoyable, and she was a flawed character with a temper, which I appreciated."

FROSTBLOOD is an enticing and fast-paced read, but it reminds me a lot of other YA fantasy novels. The novel’s strongest attribute is the fact that it is fun and entertaining to read. The plot eventually broke away from the usual YA fantasy tropes, but it took a while to get to the point where the story introduced those unique concepts.

Ruby’s point of view was enjoyable, and she was a flawed character with a temper, which I appreciated. The love interest, Arcus, grew on me. I found him to be somewhat typical, yet still a compelling love interest. The two main characters complimented each other very well and balanced out the good and evil in the rest of the cast of characters and the world. I was captured by the side characters probably more so than the two main characters. All of the monks and nobles had their personal political motivations, and that made for an engaging read. I enjoyed reading about them, and that kept me wanting to finish the book.

I think that the plot could have used some more action and world-building. The first half was slow compared the second half, but I began to enjoy it more once the pace picked up. Not a lot happened plot-wise in the first half, and there was so much set up for the second half of the book and the sequels. The world-building successfully opened the door for a faster-paced sequel. The ending made me interested in what Elly Blake will come up with next for this world, and she did not leave the reader agonizing over those last pages. The sequel has great potential to be much better than the first book, and I am excited to see how these characters and this world evolve in the next book.

Teens who are new to fantasy will find this novel a lot of fun to read. Even teens who are fans of YA fantasy will enjoy this enchanting story. I would recommend FROSTBLOOD to those who love novels with romantic angst, magic, royalty and war.