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A review by diaryofthebookdragon
Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis
4.0
Jade won me over in a first chapter when she introduced herself:
"And I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood – my mother, my life, my very world.
But I’m not.
I’m not the good guy.
I’m the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
You immediately know that Jade is going to be an unconventional heroine. So, prepare yourself for some great and emotional scenes while Jade ponders what makes us human…
"Am I human? Am I something else? A puppet that the queen controls with strings. A zombie. A brainless, emotionless weapon. Can something like that ever be free?"
When she is not having philosophical thoughts or exploring libraries, Jade, as a member of the royal guard called Black Hearts, is fighting and proving that girls can excel in the professions that are dominated by man. In fact, Jade is the only female soldier in the guard.
"And I was not sure if even the commander could convince the guard to accept me, despite my training or maybe because of it. I was better. I was a woman. Those two facts were enough to ostracize me from the pack."
Jade is living in a city that is a mix of old fantasy medieval village and post apocalyptic New York. It’s interesting to see how modern people are getting by, since a lot of electric devices do not work.
"Magic. It’s the reason the electricity turned off. It’s the reason it won’t come back on. They say magic has an electric charge of its own, different. One that interferes with the old electricity of Earth. I say who cares. I’m no scientist."
This clash of fantasy landscape and Earth creates a fascinating setting. Lately there are more and more novels that do this and I am glad, because it is always fun when genres collide.
As for the romance – it’s simply delightful. No love triangle in sight. With slow buildup that will cause many cute and swoony moments. Kaitlyn Davis can make a simple touch of hands more exciting than some sex scenes I read in novels by other authors.
"I realize how close I’ve allowed him to walk. The prince is within a few feet of my body, close enough that our swords could dance, maybe even close enough that our fingers could touch."
In the summary, they promised us a book similar to the Once Upon A Time and La Femme Nikita. Honestly, I don’t see a resemblance to either. Jade is separated from her family and made into a tough warrior, but I do not think that this is enough to compare her to Nikita. And there is no mix of fairy tale characters like in the tv show Once Upon A Time.
Gathering Frost is also promoted as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but, again, there is not enough resemblance to label it as such. Kaitlyn Davis combined evil sorceres and true love’s kiss into a completely new story.
But, Gathering Frost does have that fairy tale vibe. There is an underlined sense that good will prevail. And sometimes, things are just too convenient (like first aid kit in an abandoned cabin when you need it). Or some situations play out just right.
IN THE END…
Gathering Frost is oriented more for young adults, but if you don’t mind fairy tale atmosphere, like me, then you are probably going to enjoy it. There is a kick-ass heroine who will win you over, interesting setting, nice romance and a lot of action.
I am looking forward to the Withering Rose, next book in Once Upon A Curse series, which should be based on the Beauty & The Beast. And in the meanwhile I might check out other books by Kaitlyn Davis, because I really liked her writing style. I think the bunch of quotes I used in review shows that.
Looking for something similar? Try [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318009171s/1656001.jpg|3328799], [b:Red Queen|17878931|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411472322s/17878931.jpg|25037051], [b:Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg|11138426], …
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Ya Bound Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
"And I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood – my mother, my life, my very world.
But I’m not.
I’m not the good guy.
I’m the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
You immediately know that Jade is going to be an unconventional heroine. So, prepare yourself for some great and emotional scenes while Jade ponders what makes us human…
"Am I human? Am I something else? A puppet that the queen controls with strings. A zombie. A brainless, emotionless weapon. Can something like that ever be free?"
When she is not having philosophical thoughts or exploring libraries, Jade, as a member of the royal guard called Black Hearts, is fighting and proving that girls can excel in the professions that are dominated by man. In fact, Jade is the only female soldier in the guard.
"And I was not sure if even the commander could convince the guard to accept me, despite my training or maybe because of it. I was better. I was a woman. Those two facts were enough to ostracize me from the pack."
Jade is living in a city that is a mix of old fantasy medieval village and post apocalyptic New York. It’s interesting to see how modern people are getting by, since a lot of electric devices do not work.
"Magic. It’s the reason the electricity turned off. It’s the reason it won’t come back on. They say magic has an electric charge of its own, different. One that interferes with the old electricity of Earth. I say who cares. I’m no scientist."
This clash of fantasy landscape and Earth creates a fascinating setting. Lately there are more and more novels that do this and I am glad, because it is always fun when genres collide.
As for the romance – it’s simply delightful. No love triangle in sight. With slow buildup that will cause many cute and swoony moments. Kaitlyn Davis can make a simple touch of hands more exciting than some sex scenes I read in novels by other authors.
"I realize how close I’ve allowed him to walk. The prince is within a few feet of my body, close enough that our swords could dance, maybe even close enough that our fingers could touch."
In the summary, they promised us a book similar to the Once Upon A Time and La Femme Nikita. Honestly, I don’t see a resemblance to either. Jade is separated from her family and made into a tough warrior, but I do not think that this is enough to compare her to Nikita. And there is no mix of fairy tale characters like in the tv show Once Upon A Time.
Gathering Frost is also promoted as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but, again, there is not enough resemblance to label it as such. Kaitlyn Davis combined evil sorceres and true love’s kiss into a completely new story.
But, Gathering Frost does have that fairy tale vibe. There is an underlined sense that good will prevail. And sometimes, things are just too convenient (like first aid kit in an abandoned cabin when you need it). Or some situations play out just right.
IN THE END…
Gathering Frost is oriented more for young adults, but if you don’t mind fairy tale atmosphere, like me, then you are probably going to enjoy it. There is a kick-ass heroine who will win you over, interesting setting, nice romance and a lot of action.
I am looking forward to the Withering Rose, next book in Once Upon A Curse series, which should be based on the Beauty & The Beast. And in the meanwhile I might check out other books by Kaitlyn Davis, because I really liked her writing style. I think the bunch of quotes I used in review shows that.
Looking for something similar? Try [b:The Host|1656001|The Host (The Host, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318009171s/1656001.jpg|3328799], [b:Red Queen|17878931|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411472322s/17878931.jpg|25037051], [b:Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335819760s/7896527.jpg|11138426], …
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Ya Bound Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.