Book review disclaimer: I always start off my book review posts with a little known fact about my tastes in books: I love happy endings. I love trash romances and am OBSESSED with dystopian/fantasy young adult fiction. I don’t read books usually to feel edified. I want to be entertained and sometimes left with a crazy cliffhanger so that I just have to immediately start the next book in the series. Just keep that in mind when you read my book reviews. I don’t need you coming in the comments for me.
TLDR Review
- Author: Elly Blake
- 3 books:
- Frostblood, published August 2017
- Fireblood, published September 2017
- Nightblood, published August 2018
- Genre: Young Adult Fiction
- Synopsis of first book: Ruby has a big secret she has been hiding from everyone but her family – she has the power of fire. This is a problem because all firebloods have been slaughtered in the frostblood kingdom. Unfortunately someone finds outs and reports Ruby setting up a chain of events that proves her life will never be the same.
- Sami’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Content Rating: Teen
Synopsis from Author
Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has concealed her powers of heat and flame from the cruel Frostblood ruling class her entire life. But when her mother is killed trying to protect her, and rebel Frostbloods demand her help to overthrow their bloodthirsty king, she agrees to come out of hiding, desperate to have her revenge.
Despite her unpredictable abilities, Ruby trains with the rebels and the infuriating – yet irresistible – Arcus, who seems to think of her as nothing more than a weapon. But before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to compete in the king’s tournaments that pit Fireblood prisoners against Frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her – and from the icy young man she has come to love.
My review
“Ruthlessness is not power. Tyranny is not strength.”
Oh, where to start with this book? At the very beginning, we are introduced to Ruby, a 17-year-old with a huge secret that immediately gets revealed. She is a fireblood, meaning she has the ability to produce fire from her hands. Because she is living in the frostblood kingdom and there is an intense racial hatred toward firebloods, Ruby is imprisoned and awaits her fate. She meets a monk and a burned, bitter frostblood man, and agrees to join the rebellion to overthrow the Frostblood king. But nothing is as easy as it seems.
Death, pain, hard choices, and yes, even romance is found in this first book. Frostblood is the perfect series starter as it lays down the details: the landscape, the racial wars, the compelling characters, the romance, and perhaps my favorite part, the backstory on how the frostblood and firebloods were created!
I really loved the characters. Ruby was a typical teenager because she got caught by rebelling against her mother. She was sassy and I loved watching her character growth from the beginning to the end of the book. But I think Arcus was my favorite. What more is there to say other than I love a moody, strong guy. He is a man of few words but a man of action. And Brother Thistle is the kind, gentle but a firm teacher that everyone cannot help but love.
I loved that no matter how much information I was given, I never got lost. I was able to keep details straight and it was so gripping to read. Normally I am a big fan of requesting books at the local library and waiting, but the first book was so good, I purchased the ebooks for the next two books in the series instead. And yes, I have finished them already a week later.
Go read this book!
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The cool aunt. Plant novice who loves to travel to cool places, eat unadventurous food, and take pretty photos.
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