A review by hannuhreads
Fated to the Frost King by Elle Madison, Robin D. Mahle

4.0

4 Stars. 

❄️ The vibes: 
  • Ice powers 
  • Very frosty Winter Court 
  • Forced marriage 
  • Slow burn 
  • Animal companions 
  • Almost Open door (fade to grey) 

❄️ My thoughts: 
Growing up as a Hollow without magic in a kingdom that demands it, Everly is tortured by the mages to reveal her mana (magic) and is ultimately cast out of the kingdom. But when the King requires a bride and an heir, Everly is chosen for the match by the court’s Seer. King Draven wanted a partner equal in his ruthlessness and magic, but when he finds Everly to be lacking in every way, will he cast her out or stand by her side? “She doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t want her. But fate never asked their permission.” How will Everly avoid detection as a Hollow? And when war comes for the Winter Court, where will Everly’s loyalties lie? 

❄️ The fantasy elements here were fun. I loved to see Draven’s winter powers. It was giving Elsa or Jack Frost intensity which I thought was cool. The Winter Court was everything cold and frosty, and the setting was just winter perfection on a hot summer day. 

❄️ I was concerned about an instalove situation, but the authors did a great job at writing a marriage bond with this instant attraction/lust but also maintaining an inherent hate. The dynamic worked for me!  

❄️ There’s fae, seelie, unseelie, and monsters. While I got a little confused with the different creatures and what they were exactly, I loved the battle scenes with the monsters so much. It was dark and so stressful in the best ways. 

❄️ I loved the sister bond between Everly and her sister, and I also LOVED the animal companions - Batty the bat / skathryn and Lumen the wolf were my FAVES. 

❄️ I liked the little foreshadowing moments with Everly’s past, and I have a lot of questions and thoughts about where her path is going in the next books which is a great place to be at the end of book 1 in a trilogy. 

❄️ This was slow paced throughout but I was still interested in the journey for sure. Because it’s book 1 in a trilogy- I think it did a good job setting up everything that’s coming. 

Note-almost open door. Unsure where this falls spice-wise because there’s a heavy make out scene involving (not-explicit) touching. It’s brief but I wouldn’t consider this closed door. (Authors label this as fade to grey).