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ktame001's review against another edition
4.0
I’m going to say 3.75 rounded up. I’m glad I stuck with it because it ended up surprising me and being quite good.
thereaderdownunder's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
rhappe13's review against another edition
4.0
I was hesitant to start this book because of some negative reviews I saw on Goodreads but I was very pleasantly surprised! I ended up loving the characters, the conflicts, the magic, and the relationships in this book. There were some fun plot twists in there that kept me turning the pages even after I had vowed to stop reading and move on to the boring things I needed to get done. There are some things throughout the book that I didn't love, but I'd still recommend this book.
Big thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Big thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
myfavoritefiction's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarahlynn827's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I really love Quintan!!
_ckarys's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.
Shadow Frost is the kind of book that I really wanted to love. It has a gorgeous cover, a captivating name and the summary left me curious enough to want to know more about the quest. Were there things that I liked about this book? Yes. But there were also a great deal of things that just didn’t quite work for me. For simplicity’s sake, I’m splitting this review into three points: What I loved, What I liked and What I didn’t like.
What I loved: I loved the magic system and world-building. This first book merely scratched the surface on some of its aspects, but I love the idea that there is more than one Kingdom in this world, and that each of them masters a different element. I loved the idea that magic is channeled through affinity stones, which is something that I found very original. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, and there are those who can wield magic without the stones, and though I’m a bit confused by this, I’m sure it will be explored more thoroughly in future books.
Another aspect I loved was the attention to friendship. Sometimes, in the epic adventures and romance of fantasy, friendship tends to slither through the cracks. But this book had some very strong family and friendship bonds that I loved reading about.
What I liked: I liked the writing, but I did have some difficulty with it. There were times when it flowed very smoothly and eloquently without overdoing, but there were other moments—especially in the dialogues—where the writing felt very immature. Now, I know the book was written when the author was 15, but I didn’t know about the author’s age when I picked up the book, and I imagine that neither will many people picking it up. It honestly felt lacking in things that an editor could have easily counseled to improve, so I don’t feel like the author’s age when she wrote the book should be an excuse. However, I think this is something that will improve in future books, and I enjoyed it for the most part.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, everything else. Firstly, I felt like the plot that was promised in the summary simply wasn’t in the book. The action expires in a succession of childish banter between characters and told-not-shown reveals. The book lacked a true climax, and I think what damaged it most of all was the fact that there were too many points of view that ended up being too revealing. I also wasn’t a fan of the characters themselves. This book had a large cast of characters, but while there were some that I fancied more than others, none were able to leave a lasting impression. The result is that I was not invested even in the romance—which is usually one of the things I love most in a book, but that here felt like a strange union of slow burn and insta-love.
Sadly, not even the ending left me curious enough to want to know how this story is going to progress, so I doubt that I’ll be continuing with this series. However, if you enjoy reading very young YA and want to try a new take on elemental magic, then this could be a book that you might want to try for yourselves.
Shadow Frost is the kind of book that I really wanted to love. It has a gorgeous cover, a captivating name and the summary left me curious enough to want to know more about the quest. Were there things that I liked about this book? Yes. But there were also a great deal of things that just didn’t quite work for me. For simplicity’s sake, I’m splitting this review into three points: What I loved, What I liked and What I didn’t like.
What I loved: I loved the magic system and world-building. This first book merely scratched the surface on some of its aspects, but I love the idea that there is more than one Kingdom in this world, and that each of them masters a different element. I loved the idea that magic is channeled through affinity stones, which is something that I found very original. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, and there are those who can wield magic without the stones, and though I’m a bit confused by this, I’m sure it will be explored more thoroughly in future books.
Another aspect I loved was the attention to friendship. Sometimes, in the epic adventures and romance of fantasy, friendship tends to slither through the cracks. But this book had some very strong family and friendship bonds that I loved reading about.
What I liked: I liked the writing, but I did have some difficulty with it. There were times when it flowed very smoothly and eloquently without overdoing, but there were other moments—especially in the dialogues—where the writing felt very immature. Now, I know the book was written when the author was 15, but I didn’t know about the author’s age when I picked up the book, and I imagine that neither will many people picking it up. It honestly felt lacking in things that an editor could have easily counseled to improve, so I don’t feel like the author’s age when she wrote the book should be an excuse. However, I think this is something that will improve in future books, and I enjoyed it for the most part.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, everything else. Firstly, I felt like the plot that was promised in the summary simply wasn’t in the book. The action expires in a succession of childish banter between characters and told-not-shown reveals. The book lacked a true climax, and I think what damaged it most of all was the fact that there were too many points of view that ended up being too revealing. I also wasn’t a fan of the characters themselves. This book had a large cast of characters, but while there were some that I fancied more than others, none were able to leave a lasting impression. The result is that I was not invested even in the romance—which is usually one of the things I love most in a book, but that here felt like a strange union of slow burn and insta-love.
Sadly, not even the ending left me curious enough to want to know how this story is going to progress, so I doubt that I’ll be continuing with this series. However, if you enjoy reading very young YA and want to try a new take on elemental magic, then this could be a book that you might want to try for yourselves.
ralhiza29's review against another edition
5.0
5 whole stars!
Ohmygoodness! I absolutely love this story and I found myself another favorite epic fantasy to read over and over and over again. And I cannot believe that she's only 15 when she wrote this awesome book. Isn't the cover captivating enough? ICE and FIRE
First off: A note from the Publisher
Born in 2000, Canadian-Chinese author and pianist Coco Ma began playing the piano at the age of five and a half. Since then, she has performed on some of the world's greatest concert stages and graduated with a pre-college diploma in piano performance from The Juilliard School in New York City. At fifteen years old, she finished writing her first novel, Shadow Frost. Currently, she studies at Yale College. When she isn't practicing piano, writing, or studying, you might find her bingeing Netflix or eating cake. Lots of cake.
That alone is totally impressive and then write this awesome book that young age?! I cannot even write a 4 page book report when I was in High School!
Characters that I fall in love with
✨ Asterin - a badass Princess of Axaria who's been longing for her mother's affection after losing her father at a young age. An omnifinitied princess - who can conjure up more than 3 affinity stones
✨Luna - Asterin's lady-in-waiting and best friend. She cannot remember her past and struggles with her magic if she has one.
✨Orion - Asterin's personal Royal Guard and trained Asterin to be a badass Princess
✨Eadric - Captain of Royal Guard's army and Luna's lover
✨Rose - Queen of Eradore and an amazing healer
✨Quinlan - Rose's cousin and a freaking awesome warrior - a spectacularly handsome, but still a total ass - my favorite character in the book
✨Harry - a hunter who joined the group and learned to love and respect them all
The group went on to chase the demon - a monster who have been laying waste in the villagers and their homes - some royal guards were sent to hunt them down but were never returned.
I do not know what else to say without giving so much away from the book. If you read and love [b:The Priory of the Orange Tree|29774026|The Priory of the Orange Tree|Samantha Shannon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527628141l/29774026._SY75_.jpg|50139944], you will LOVE this as well. I'm just so happy and excited to receive this book in advance. (booknerd)
There's a huge probability that the book will turn into a series on how the book ended.
My review does not do justice how awesome this book is!
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc to review.
Ohmygoodness! I absolutely love this story and I found myself another favorite epic fantasy to read over and over and over again. And I cannot believe that she's only 15 when she wrote this awesome book. Isn't the cover captivating enough? ICE and FIRE
First off: A note from the Publisher
Born in 2000, Canadian-Chinese author and pianist Coco Ma began playing the piano at the age of five and a half. Since then, she has performed on some of the world's greatest concert stages and graduated with a pre-college diploma in piano performance from The Juilliard School in New York City. At fifteen years old, she finished writing her first novel, Shadow Frost. Currently, she studies at Yale College. When she isn't practicing piano, writing, or studying, you might find her bingeing Netflix or eating cake. Lots of cake.
That alone is totally impressive and then write this awesome book that young age?! I cannot even write a 4 page book report when I was in High School!
Characters that I fall in love with
✨ Asterin - a badass Princess of Axaria who's been longing for her mother's affection after losing her father at a young age. An omnifinitied princess - who can conjure up more than 3 affinity stones
✨Luna - Asterin's lady-in-waiting and best friend. She cannot remember her past and struggles with her magic if she has one.
✨Orion - Asterin's personal Royal Guard and trained Asterin to be a badass Princess
✨Eadric - Captain of Royal Guard's army and Luna's lover
✨Rose - Queen of Eradore and an amazing healer
✨Quinlan - Rose's cousin and a freaking awesome warrior - a spectacularly handsome, but still a total ass - my favorite character in the book
✨Harry - a hunter who joined the group and learned to love and respect them all
The group went on to chase the demon - a monster who have been laying waste in the villagers and their homes - some royal guards were sent to hunt them down but were never returned.
I do not know what else to say without giving so much away from the book. If you read and love [b:The Priory of the Orange Tree|29774026|The Priory of the Orange Tree|Samantha Shannon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527628141l/29774026._SY75_.jpg|50139944], you will LOVE this as well. I'm just so happy and excited to receive this book in advance. (booknerd)
There's a huge probability that the book will turn into a series on how the book ended.
My review does not do justice how awesome this book is!
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc to review.
alsc17's review against another edition
5.0
Title: Shadow Frost
Author: Coco Ma
Pages: 400
Release Date: Oct 1, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Book 1 in series
Character Rating: 5/5
Story Rating: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Total Stars: 5/5
Pass the Bechdel Test? (Depiction of Women): Yes
Triggers: There is a lot of violence, but some of it happens offstage (such as coming across a town of people murdered). No sexual violence, however.
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Story: Such an enjoyable story! We have princess warriors, true love, monsters, and magic! Though there are some darker themes of entire towns killed by monsters, the book itself never becomes too dark. Even when the world is falling apart, hope wins out and even wins others to their side!
Likes: The characters were fantastic!
Could be Stronger: I gave this a 5-star review, so nothing major that I would change.
Recommendations: Appropriate for teen and up! See my note above about the violence, however!
Author: Coco Ma
Pages: 400
Release Date: Oct 1, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Book 1 in series
Character Rating: 5/5
Story Rating: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Total Stars: 5/5
Pass the Bechdel Test? (Depiction of Women): Yes
Triggers: There is a lot of violence, but some of it happens offstage (such as coming across a town of people murdered). No sexual violence, however.
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Story: Such an enjoyable story! We have princess warriors, true love, monsters, and magic! Though there are some darker themes of entire towns killed by monsters, the book itself never becomes too dark. Even when the world is falling apart, hope wins out and even wins others to their side!
Likes: The characters were fantastic!
Could be Stronger: I gave this a 5-star review, so nothing major that I would change.
Recommendations: Appropriate for teen and up! See my note above about the violence, however!
gnitro's review against another edition
4.5
I received an ARC via Netgalley for an honest review.
What a great YA fantasy novel. I always love a well-written female protagonist. Asterin was fierce, loyal, and sassy in a fun loving way.
She was surrounded by a great cast of characters. All with their own strengths and weaknesses. What I truly enjoyed was watching everyone's growth as the tale unfolded.
Coco Ma knows how to do twists well. She blends in nicely ones you expect, ones that are slightly hinted at, and some completely unexpected. This keeps the reader on their toes not knowing if what they expect will be what actually happens or not.
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The way the ending crept up I assumed this would be stand alone, but there will definitely be a sequel and I can't wait for more in this story of Asterin and her friends.
What a great YA fantasy novel. I always love a well-written female protagonist. Asterin was fierce, loyal, and sassy in a fun loving way.
She was surrounded by a great cast of characters. All with their own strengths and weaknesses. What I truly enjoyed was watching everyone's growth as the tale unfolded.
Coco Ma knows how to do twists well. She blends in nicely ones you expect, ones that are slightly hinted at, and some completely unexpected. This keeps the reader on their toes not knowing if what they expect will be what actually happens or not.
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The way the ending crept up I assumed this would be stand alone, but there will definitely be a sequel and I can't wait for more in this story of Asterin and her friends.
prophetofthepage's review against another edition
3.0
*eARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
This book was... okay. It started weak, middle was okay, but ended wildly.
In this book, we have a princess and her gang (servants and bodyguards) going off to fight a demon that's been terrorizing the kingdom. They go off to find the demon, they wait and wait an wait, and then things are not what they appear (literally). It's got a generic base, and while the ending is more interesting (but spoilers), it is not done very well. But let me start with the points of view.
This book has multiple POVs (Asterin and her gang). But either the ARC doesn't format them well, or they just aren't done well at all. It switches mid chapter, with no warning, to another character's thoughts and speech. So if we have Asterin's POV, it'll switch to Rose's POV and start talking about things that Rose knows and feels. It is disconcerting, to say the least.
The ending is very wild. It could have been great, but it contradicted the book up until that point. Let me explain. The book has a very interesting magic system. Nine types of magic, each from different gods. A tenth (shadow), that is forbidden, and a dark god who you don't want to mess with. All book, this dark god is set up as an antagonistic background figure, but when the main action goes down, it is revealed that he doesn't care about what is going on. Also, it's a very major reveal at the end, and the characters don't seem to care at all!
Like I said before, the magic system and the gods is very interesting. I like the idea of the touchstones for focusing magic and the gods who watch over them, but it feels a little generic.
In book two (if there is one), I would like the author to delve more into the gods/godly realm, other countries, and Asterin as a ruler.
This book was... okay. It started weak, middle was okay, but ended wildly.
In this book, we have a princess and her gang (servants and bodyguards) going off to fight a demon that's been terrorizing the kingdom. They go off to find the demon, they wait and wait an wait, and then things are not what they appear (literally). It's got a generic base, and while the ending is more interesting (but spoilers), it is not done very well. But let me start with the points of view.
This book has multiple POVs (Asterin and her gang). But either the ARC doesn't format them well, or they just aren't done well at all. It switches mid chapter, with no warning, to another character's thoughts and speech. So if we have Asterin's POV, it'll switch to Rose's POV and start talking about things that Rose knows and feels. It is disconcerting, to say the least.
The ending is very wild. It could have been great, but it contradicted the book up until that point. Let me explain. The book has a very interesting magic system. Nine types of magic, each from different gods. A tenth (shadow), that is forbidden, and a dark god who you don't want to mess with. All book, this dark god is set up as an antagonistic background figure, but when the main action goes down, it is revealed that he doesn't care about what is going on. Also, it's a very major reveal at the end, and the characters don't seem to care at all!
Like I said before, the magic system and the gods is very interesting. I like the idea of the touchstones for focusing magic and the gods who watch over them, but it feels a little generic.
In book two (if there is one), I would like the author to delve more into the gods/godly realm, other countries, and Asterin as a ruler.