★★★★☆

The Good:

I’m personally in love with the leading man

Ruby is a lovable, flawed, good main character

The main ‘villain’ changes throughout the book

The writing and plot are both addicting, I was very into this book

The Bad:

The main plot twists were fairly predictable, especially if you read a lot of YA (that being said, since this is a series, I have a feeling it will get less predictable as we travel further into Ruby’s story)

Fast-paced but large chunks without action or drive, leading to a strange feeling that details are being brushed over (again, I feel like this will lessen as the series continues)

The Review:

I recently got my hands on an ARC of Frostblood by Elly Blake. I was already reading another ARC, but put it down to start on this popular YA fantasy. I wasn’t disappointed.

This book made me fall into the world of Frostbloods and Firebloods. Ruby’s world. The writing was engaging, and the plot moved quickly enough that I wasn’t bored. It’s been a while since I read something that made me want to call in sick and spend the day cuddled up on the couch reading, but this book brought me there. Even though I restrained myself, I got through this book rather quickly because I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be looking out for book two, Fireblood, which comes out September 12, 2o17.

Ruby’s character seems a bit one-sided at first, and readers know who the romantic interest is as soon as he enters the scene. The main plot twists are a little obvious unless you don’t read YA often (or if you, like me, often get so lost in the story you forget to think about plot twists). But even so, this book was a joy to read. Ruby’s character gains depth by the end of the book, and I assume we’ll see more sides of her before the series is over. The male lead doesn’t do the usual soap opera screw up where we have to wait through 50 pages of “woe is me, why would he say such a thing?’ Which is wonderful, because it seems a lot of books lately have been using romantic miscommunication as a plot point.

Overall, I would give this book four stars out of five. I will be hooked on this series now, and the fact that Frostblood made me want to read all day and night earns it a lot of points in my book. True to the online blurb, this book may be a match for fans of Throne of Glass and Red Queen. If you want to read an engaging YA fantasy, this book is for you.