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A review by emlove
Shadow Frost by Coco Ma
2.0
Arc generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
DNF at chapter 15
I'm so disappointed that I had to DNF this one, it was one of my most anticipated for this year! And with a cover like that?? How could it be bad?!
This is how.
Honestly, I was all in for the first few chapters. A badass princess who can do magic, visitors from a mysterious kingdom (one of whom is clearly a ship), and a monster made of darkness terrorizing the land? I'm there.
But the deeper into the story I got two things bothered me more and more:
1. The dialogue. This is supposed to be a fantasy set in a different world. I always assume that fantasies of this caliber are in a medieval type setting, though nothing is explicitly stated. In any case, it is not contemporary American. But that's how the dialogue reads. They "flip each other off", the princess calls someone a "drama queen" at one point, everyone is constantly calling each other "asshole." Like....why? It just really pulled me from the experience and was more frustrating than relatable.
2. The more Asterin referenced her mother and the General.....I just didn't understand why their relationship was so strained. And I never got a good explanation. In a world where magic is prized, wouldn't her mother be more pleased that she can use more elements? Why would the General be so snarky about her powers? It just didn't make sense, and I never felt like I was getting a good enough explanation. Actually, all the relationships were very shallowly explained. Asterin's relationship with Orion was confusing (is it a ship or not??? You can't say he's like a brother, but then he's not, and now she's checking out his muscles, but now he's like a brother again). Quinlan's character was a strange mix of characteristics as well. Like is he shy? Is he awkward? Is he stoic, what is happening here?
I'm sure other people will love this one, because the basic plot does sound interesting, I just couldn't deal with how many times the dialogue ruined the setting for me.
DNF at chapter 15
I'm so disappointed that I had to DNF this one, it was one of my most anticipated for this year! And with a cover like that?? How could it be bad?!
This is how.
Honestly, I was all in for the first few chapters. A badass princess who can do magic, visitors from a mysterious kingdom (one of whom is clearly a ship), and a monster made of darkness terrorizing the land? I'm there.
But the deeper into the story I got two things bothered me more and more:
1. The dialogue. This is supposed to be a fantasy set in a different world. I always assume that fantasies of this caliber are in a medieval type setting, though nothing is explicitly stated. In any case, it is not contemporary American. But that's how the dialogue reads. They "flip each other off", the princess calls someone a "drama queen" at one point, everyone is constantly calling each other "asshole." Like....why? It just really pulled me from the experience and was more frustrating than relatable.
2. The more Asterin referenced her mother and the General.....I just didn't understand why their relationship was so strained. And I never got a good explanation. In a world where magic is prized, wouldn't her mother be more pleased that she can use more elements? Why would the General be so snarky about her powers? It just didn't make sense, and I never felt like I was getting a good enough explanation. Actually, all the relationships were very shallowly explained. Asterin's relationship with Orion was confusing (is it a ship or not??? You can't say he's like a brother, but then he's not, and now she's checking out his muscles, but now he's like a brother again). Quinlan's character was a strange mix of characteristics as well. Like is he shy? Is he awkward? Is he stoic, what is happening here?
I'm sure other people will love this one, because the basic plot does sound interesting, I just couldn't deal with how many times the dialogue ruined the setting for me.