Reviews

Frozen Hearts and Death Magic by Day Leitao

laurelreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

 *I received a digital copy from the author for an honest review* 

Trigger/Content warnings: abusive marriage (physically and mentally), mild violence, death of loved ones

Frozen Hearts and Death Magic is the first book in Fire and Magic duology. I’m impressed by Day Leitao’s creativity to write such an enchanting world! Of course, I was expecting magic, given the title, but the verity of magic in this book really surprises me. There are elemental magic and cooler ones like necromancy. Faes have their special abilities as well, and I enjoy how these elements come into play and affect the fate of different kingdoms. 

I also like the multi-pov writing style that allows me a glance into some characters’ past. My favorite character is the mysterious fae, River. I love reading about his adventure and his secrets. I can’t wait to read more of him! 

Princess Leah is another character that leaves a strong impression. Her story is dramatic and full of hardships that some might find disturbing, but I’m amazed by how much those experiences challenge and change her. Her personality arc is gripping and unconventional. I’m more than ready to see what path she will take next. 

The execution could have been better, though, especially in the first half of the book. Some scenes felt too short and could have had better emotional build-up. It’s like touching things with gloves: you know what it’s supposed to be but you couldn’t feel the exact texture. Despite that, I was still able to enjoy the story and I’m glad I read it. 

Overall, I enjoy reading Frozen Hearts and Death Magic and I’m looking forward to the sequel! I would recommend it to readers who love magic, fae, adventure, and fast-paced plot.  


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happily_undignified's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🔥This book was on fire from the first page! I read it in one sitting and loved everything about it. The world building was phenomenal and intricate. There's even a cool map at the beginning of the book to help the reader follow along. I love the multiple point of view narration as I got to see the inner workings of each character. The magic system is amazing and I loved the twists and turns the romance and magic revealed as the tale progressed. River is my favorite character, but I honestly adored all of the MC's, even Fel and Naia's dad. I don't want to post any spoilers, but you should definitely read this book if you're a fan of fantasy faves like Gild or ACOTAR. Frozen Hearts and Death Magic is a five star read that you're sure to love! 

emilyrainsford's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

4.5

LOVED!!

I read the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows series by this author and thought it was really fun. But this one takes it up a notch. Definitely my fav read from Leitao so far.

This one is kind of like a dark-tinged fairytale. There's magic and Fae and love and angst. There are multiple points of view been two main couples, political intrigue, a kind of under/between-world, even a hint of a dragon (which seems like it might feature more in the next one...).

Leitao's stories are always fast paced and fun with a wry hint of humour. I feel like this story really just elevated to the next level - even smoothness of the writing and the naturalness of the dialogue felt improved.

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this one and I'll be eagerly awaiting the next. If you like fun, fast paced fantasy with interesting characters, give it a shot!

darling_book_mage's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was given a copy of this eARC for my honest opinion.

• Frozen Hearts and Death Magic was one of those books that I had to put down quite a few times because ugh I just can't deal sometimes. I got frustrated. Not because the book was bad, but because I was sooo invested into the characters, to the book. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone!

• I really really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to buy the printed version because look at that cover 😍 plus the plot is amazing.
-------

It all started with a kiss.

Frozen Hearts and Death Magic is what i would consider medium paced. It wasn't too slow, but it wasn't too fast. The book is being told by multiple POV: Naia, River, Fel, Leah, and Azir (Naia and Fel's father). I am usually not a fan mutiple POV, but the author does a REALLY GREAT JOB at making it all work together. It was so easy to follow.

The book was inspired by telenovela but in a YA romantic fantasy version and boy it did not disappoint. It had so much family drama, betrayal, secrets, revelations. It was like watching a literal telenovela, the ones that are so good that you can't wait for the next episode. I never thought I could get so frustrated of what was happening IN A BOOK but then again I never thought I could hate a character so much! But, this book accomplished just that. The author does such an awesome job dropping bombs on those revelations that I kinda saw coming but still shookt meeee..

If you like books that have:
• Multiple POV
• Instant attraction
• Fae
• Family drama
• Mysterious magic
• Forbidden love
• Enemies to lovers 
This book might just be for you!

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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