Blog Tour & Review: Frost by Kate Avery Emerson

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Frost (The Frost Chronicles, #1) by Kate Avery Emerson

Release Date: April 18, 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace
Author Information: Twitter / Blog
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance
Available Formats: Paperback and eBook
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.

She saves his life.

Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.

But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.

Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

Review:

Oh, hello to my new guilty pleasure. This book was everything I was hoping for and more. Frost was a beautifully crafted dystopian tale with a light sprinkle of darkness/grittiness that kept things interesting. With the setting being a fantastical ice world comparable to the one found in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I was immediately intrigued by this new, post-apocalyptic land. Emerson did not fail to deliver a captivating read in Frost!

My favorite part about this book was the characters. I respected Lia and her perseverance greatly, and it is always nice to see a girl not bow down to her fears. She cares deeply for her family, she has a strong sense of justice, and she is willing to help a dying fugitive. Add to the fact that she can take care of herself and watch her own back, what more could you possibly need in a female lead? I also appreciated Gabe’s character. He was definitely intriguing, but I really wish we could have gotten more of a feel for who he is. His character is shrouded in mystery from beginning to end, and while that did capture my interest (who doesn’t love them mysterious boys?), I did not really feel like I got to know who he was. Here’s to hoping for more of him in book 2!

I know I already mentioned the setting/world of Frost, but I am going to say it again: I LOVED THE SETTING. Slightly magical and extraordinarily dangerous, I loved figuring out more about this new world. With monsters lurking in the background and never being truly safe, the world is a bleak and dark place. Emerson describes Iceliss and the surrounding areas vividly, and her rich and evocative writing style really helped bring both the world and her characters to life.

Not to be a Debby-downer here, but there was one issue I had with this book: it was too short. I think that all the minor problems I had (such as the rushed ending/romance and lack of background story) can be blamed on the length of the book. I think this book would have benefited greatly from being slightly longer. That is not to say that this book is not enjoyable as it (since it most certainly is a great read!), but I think it really would have been amazing with a few more pages and background story added in.

Overall, Frost was a wonderful read, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of dystopian literature or just so happens to be looking for a good book to pick up. I cannot wait to see what Emerson has for us in the next installment, Thorns (especially after that crazy cliffhanger of an ending!).  

A Great Escape