I regret to say that I didn't like this. The MC was whiny and irresponsible. She didn't do what was right and I didn't like her at all which ruined the book for me. DNF

Political intrigue and very interesting magic system in a fantasy story sett in Russia.

Politics, tpyal intrigue, russia! I love it

I am sorry to say this.... I didn’t like the story at all, I didn’t like the romance, I didn't like the characters.... The only thing I liked was the last page, it was quite intriguing.

So what I liked about this book was the Russian inspired setting. The way magic worked was unique and interesting also. But I didn't like the main character she just seemed weak and not very self confident.

Katza, heir to the throne of Russalka, is troubled by visions that seem to prophesy she will destroy the country she wants to nurture and protect. Ravin is a darkly attractive prophet who wishes her to seize control of her tentative powers and use them at her own will, free from the restraints her tsar father and state officials have imposed. Katza must decide what she and her struggling country truly need--complete freedom or complete control--before they both fall to pieces.

Web of Frost is an intriguing fantasy, both for its setting, its magic system, and its characters. I loved the flavor of tsarist Russia--the ice, the furs, the ornate palaces in stark contrast to the poverty of the working classes. The political aspect of a kingdom tipping on the cliff between monarchy and anarchy drives the plot forward without bogging it down in, well, politics. Other kingdoms, less obviously correlated with real countries, have their affects and their influence, but it's for the sake of action and character development. And the Russalkan culture is integrated smoothly as well, from the danse sacre to the fairy tales to the sleds carrying Katza through the cold.

The magic system also stands out. Keeping the hint of Russian influence, it's similar to Eastern Orthodoxy--a great deity or power figure, Boj, and under him a pantheon of saints. Each saint can be called upon to grant a gift--eagle vision or healing or calming power. The church has kept the power limited to royalty and certain other gifted people known as prophets, though illegal (unsanctioned) "prophets" do exist. Throughout the book Katza learns more about how the powers work, what they do and how best to use them, and she keeps a small enough list of powers commonly on hand that the reader grows familiar with them, instead of pulling out a new random power and saint every time she needs something done.

Finally, the characters. Ravin is well developed, from his innocent first appearance to his increasingly worrying hold over Katza (I'm not sure how much to say, because spoilers). The prince Fahed, Katza's betrothed, also is shown to be more than just a handsome face, though I might have liked a truly supportive fiance, as Katza has very few true allies. He does eventually function as more a political figure than a corner of a love triangle, however, which I appreciate.

And Katza. Where do I start with Katza. I'm actually rather torn. Her circumstances understandably could turn a timid girl into a potential despot, but being in her head as she made that slide with almost no misgivings got on my nerves. It's probably a sign that I was attached to her, though, as I was rooting for her to make the right decisions, cheering when she finally made them, and mentally screaming at her when she did the wrong thing (especially after almost choosing otherwise). What's even eerier is that her poor decisions made sense based on where she was coming from. I guess that's a sign of a well-done character, when she can be annoying but you're still on her side.

One note of content warning: several strongly romantic scenes or descriptions. No completely graphic, but a few scenes of intense kissing etc. that may make some readers (including me) uncomfortable.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, the character development, and the beautiful writing style that drew me in to Russalka and Katza. If you want a new spin on a Russian-style fantasy, why not give Web of Frost a try some winter afternoon?

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"I am whole already. Without you."

Well, that was quite the bloody nightmare, until right about the end when our heroine finally started to use her brain.

Honestly, this whole thing was sort of like watching a car fire. You know it's a terrible thing, but you keep watch to see how it all ends and if people make it out alive.

Anyway, all things aside I am curious to see where the story goes so I may actually check out the second book to see if Katza manages to pull this shit off.

'Web of Frost' seemed like a promising YA fantasy read. A magic system, religious beliefs, political intrigue, and royals. All things that can take a good book into 'excellent' territory. Some readers may find this book to be excellent, but sadly I am not one of them.

Web of Frost is the first book in the Saints of Russalka series, which is set in a fantasy country inspired by Russian folklore and the Russian revolution. It incorporates both political and religious themes, with a magic system based on saints and blessings. It promises court intrigue, a compelling romantic dynamic and a perfect wintry atmosphere.
Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.

For most of the book, I didn’t love the main character. She starts the book being a naive fool, then she takes a 180 turn to ruthless fool and control freak, and doesn’t understand anything of what is happening around her until 70% into the book. Which wouldn’t have been a problem (I do like unlikable, messy heroines) if I hadn’t guessed everything that was going to happen during the first chapters. I said this other times, I will say this again: predictable political intrigue makes your book feel cheap.

I really liked Katza’s character arc – she has a lot of development and she learns from her mistakes – but you still have to endure almost 300 pages of her being oblivious while you know exactly where the story is going. Was it worth it? I don’t think so.

The romantic plotline was a disappointment. I’m always here for pairings like this one (love interests who are kind of monstrous? Girls who might be worse? Sign me up), so this should have been perfect for me, but it wasn’t. The problem I had with Ravin is that he’s really… monotonous. When I fist met him, I thought he was a creep. When I was in the middle of the book, I thought he was a creep, and not an interesting one, as he kept repeating the same things over and over. At the end of the book, I thought he was a creep. There’s no depth to him, he has no character development, and he’s just not that compelling as a character. I didn’t understand the pull between him and Katza.

To me, Web of Frost felt like one of the many books set in Russia that try to explore themes similar to those in Shadow and Bone (light/dark dynamics, unhealthy romance, saints and religion) and fail. Leigh Bardugo did it better.
The beginning reminded me of Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie because of its setting and naive, inconsistent main character, but at least Web of Frost tries to develop the political intrigue and themes instead of being driven only by the romance.

I also didn’t love the writing. It didn’t flow well, and there was no atmosphere, which was a disappointment: this setting has so much potential. It didn’t abstain from bad similes, however – I know I read an ARC, not the final edition, but was that sentence about the corset being so tight Katza’s breasts could have popped free and smacked her chin necessary? That’s the kind of thing that makes me cringe, taking me out of the story.

This book wasn’t completely bad. I ended up liking the main character, and I appreciated that she was angry and messy and inexperienced, but “angry and naive” is just not a combination that works for me. At least she grows out of it. Another thing I liked was the magic system – it was really interesting, and I loved its symbolism. I also really liked how the book showed that you can’t solve everything with the awesome magic power you inherited from your super special bloodline. That’s a trope too many fantasy books fall into.