This copy was kindly gifted to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (submitted on Instagram)

"Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust."

The Beasts of the Frozen Sun was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the writing and the plot was intriguing and we'll executed.

What do you do when you find out everything you've been taught is wrong? When all the things you believe in has been built on lies? Will you fight to learn the truth or will you pretend not to see it at all? This is only a fraction of the questions Lira will face to find her path.

"It was no small thing to touch a man's soul. To trace the essence of his being, know him as no one - not his mother, brother, or lover - ever could."

Not only must she fight her heart, but when the gods tell warring stories of the world's history, Lira must find the truth behind all the lies before it's too late to save her land.

"Each soul I'd touched was different. They could be dark or light, warm or cold, sharp-edged or smooth. They contained colors and shapes that didn't exist in our world. Some hummed, sang, or screamed. Some smelled of metal, other tasted like salt. Often I saw scattered images of things the person loved, hated, or feared."

Lira was touched by the gods, born to read souls of men - to find the hidden truths they won't tell. But truth is subjective and lies can still sneak through, or even contain moments of truth in them.

"With each passing year, I looked more like my mother. I had the same long hair, a shade of red so dark it was nearly purple. I had the same eyes, a color Father called springtime grass."

Every one of the characters created by Jill has a purpose, a story driving them towards either darkness or light. You'll find they believe in their cause, whether right or wrong. They'll make mistakes, fight, love and lose or win. But there is no stopping the journey each of them needs to follow.

"I glance down at my wrist, at the strange, small scar there - slim white lines that curve at the ends and came together into a shape that resembled a small flame. A wound from a long-ago dream. A dream I still didn't understand."

This world has a richness to it, a strange magic, a realistic edge. Like you can easily step into the pages and find yourself in Stony Harbor or Aillira's Temple. Within these pages is a history, truths and lies, hidden secrets to find. Wars to be won. There must be a skill to build a world so dense in culture, so unique, so understandable, yet with so much mystery.

A review of this title is avaliable through Goodreads - and later through my blog. The Goodreads link is available below!

As a daughter of Ailira, Lira of Glasnith has the ability to see into the souls of those she touches, so when she finds an unconscious Northern invader upon the shores of her home, she alone is able to piece him back together, in body and mind. As she and the stranger grow closer, evil festers in the heart of her village and from distant shores.

The romance wasn't quite my thing. Lira and Reyker seem to fall in love rather quickly, despite all of their hurdles. While I see that they are meant to parallel the legendary Ailira and Veronis, they burned quickly and were quite willing to die for each other halfway through the book. I didn't feel much of a genuine interest in their relationship. Rather, I was more interested in the dynamics of Lira's village, but unfortunately, the story didn't quite delve much into the way fear of the other and fanaticism can drive a people mad. I would've liked a more thorough exploration of this descent into madness with greater nuance than "scared mobs dumb".

I did, however, like the lore in the story, particularly the themes of how mythology gets shifted to fit people's political agendas. The setting was also a lot of fun, rich with medieval Celtic (?) magic. The story certainly had some interesting characters, like the main antagonist Draki and Torin. Torin especially is such a flawed mixed bag that his scenes just end up being super compelling and unsettling.

I'm definitely interested in reading the sequel, since the story left off at an interesting point, but I do hope that that plot picks up more because it was a little incoherent in this first installment.

A lush fantasy novel that starts off by diving into the action quickly. This book was unlike anything I had read before. I enjoyed the twists and turns. Lira as a character was everything I like in a fantasy MC. She is smart, determined and resourceful. If you like fantasy this is a must read.

Epics High Fantasy Viking World
Slow Burn Star-Crossed Lover Romance
Badass Sword Wielding Heroine
Heartwarming Family Moments
Arrogant Gods & Cool Magic Systems
Possessive Warrior Male with Marshmallow Insides

Check, Check, & CHECK!

The world building was everything you could want. Beautiful scenery, tales of gods, fighting clans, and mysterious creatures.

One thing I loved about this book was that while we definitely had our main characters there were a lot of secondary characters introduced that I hope we get to continue following them as well. Also who doesn't love protective brothers! I cried quite a few times in this one

I loved the mutual pining situation that grew between the characters and also the tension! Another thing I really enjoyed was how the characters were emotionally invested in each other. They had some internal regrets with their pasts and also struggle with their futures. It was nice that after all the action and fighting was over they could sit down and have a nice chat. I love romance situation were they help each other heal and grow into them true selves.

Check out my full review on my blog here:
https://floralfireheartreads.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/netgalley-review-beasts-of-the-frozen-sun/

A surprising gem of a book that kept me interested! The character craft and relationship of the main characters was great and believable. Can't wait for the next book.

This cover is absolutely gorgeous and was the first thing that pulled me to this book.
If you asked me what words immediately come to mind I would say - badass, fast paced, and brutal.

Beasts of the Frozen Sun was unlike anything I’ve ever read! It features intense danger, a slow burning romance, and worldbuilding that will suck you in from the first page.

The story follows Lira, a girl with a gift that allows her to read people’s souls. With this gift, she can view memories and feel emotions locked away inside someone. This was such a unique gift, and I enjoyed getting to learn about what she can or can’t see with that gift.

There were a lot of really cool elements to this story that really made it shine for me. One was the language gap between Lira and Reyker! Too often in fiction do characters from opposing cultures (or even planets!) speak the same language, which seems more like narrative convenience to me. The gap between Lira and Reyker goes on for a long time, and I enjoyed their early interactions more because of it.

Another element that I loved was the supernatural/religious lore in the book. We learn a lot about the gods worshipped both in Lira’s land and in Reyker’s. The gods play a big role in some parts of the plot, so I’m glad that Criswell included a lot of detail about this.

Also, we totally need to talk about Reyker! He was such a complex and deep character. I loved how protective and devoted to Lira he could be. He was written in such a way that he’s obviously a powerful warrior, but he doesn’t overshadow Lira’s own strength! They’re romance didn’t start with insta-love, and in fact they seemed to be at odds for a while, before circumstances drive them together.

I also want to talk about our villain, Draki. He’s actually dangerous, and terrifying, and powerful. From the first time we see him on the page, he’s already menacing and pretty awful, and he only gets worse as time goes on. He’s definitely not the sympathetic villain type, but in this book, where we have other villians as well, I don’t think that’s too much of a problem.

My only issue with the book was pacing. It starts off fast paced, but there are times when I just felt that it lulled a bit. (I can’t say where, as it would spoil things a bit!) Things picked up and became action packed again, but just be warned that there’s a bit of a lull to push through.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book! I can’t wait for the sequel! (That ending though!!!) 4.5/5 stars for me.

Overall I did enjoy this, but it was very definitely young adult, and I doubt I'll be reading the sequels. That being said, this was a strong debut with intricate worlbuilding and memorable characters.

It was very good to read and kept me entertained. It was well paced and enjoyed not getting bored and the story line moving forward without lulls. Loved Reyker so much and Lira is a very good character that made the whole story.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

Um, wow.

I just finished Beasts of the Frozen Sun and I’m not okay. From page one, Beasts took my breath away as it introduced a fierce heroine with the ability to touch souls and a boy Beast desperately trying to not turn into the monster his brutal clan demands him to become. And gosh, I loved every second of it!

I was expecting to love Beasts since the premise makes it sound so intriguing, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so… dark and chaotic. I think this is one of the few books I have read this year that immediately jumps into action and basically has you running, trying to catch up. It’s as if the pages dragged you into the middle of all the intense action scenes: from the moment the warriors of the west (the beasts of the Frozen Sun) start attacking villages to when the Gods suddenly decide to interfere and meddle with human lives. By the time I reached the end, my eyes were open wide!

Oh, but let me get back to my girl Lira! She’s one of the main characters and gosh, I loved her so much. She’s god-marked by the infamous goddess Aillira who once upon a time, brought war and destruction to the people of Glasnith. Now, having a gift from this goddess and being named after her, Lira faces rejection from her own people, as her father uses her to read into people’s souls and pass judgement–this often ending in her ruining someone’s life. When she saves Reyker and realizes he is one of the westlanders from the Frozen Sun, her own curiosity leads her to discover the conflicting truths about the deeds he has done under the enemy clan’s ruthless leader and to question whether or not her own people are as equally brutal, if only in a different way under the influence of Gods.

Lira is fierce, loyal, and the kind of person that puts her family above everything else. Before the Westlanders invade, she is torn about the idea of either marrying into another clan or heading into Allira’s Temple to continue to practice her own god-given gift. I felt her frustration of only having these two options, since women in her time and place were not allowed to be independent. She wanted to stay close to her clan, but also to travel and find her own place where she would not be seen as a bad omen. Totally rooting for her to accomplish this dream by the end of the trilogy!

But REYKER. Ugh, my heart weeps for this boy whose life has been filled by anger and bloodshed. Forced to work under the Dragon’s influence, he has done terrible deeds and endured it all to somehow bring the leader of the Frozen Sun clan down. I really liked the way his relationship develops with Lira, as they both try to come to terms with their roles and how they are fated to be in the middle of an ancient war between gods and a ruthless tyrant.

Lira and Reyker are star-crossed lovers through and through and I am in for it. ♥

“I didn’t trust him yet. But I’d have to try.
Beneath the dancing flares of sparkflies, beneath the steady gaze of his eyes, I placed a hand over my own heart. “Safe, Reyker.”

There’s so much to say about Beasts of the Frozen Sun, but right now I feel like I am not nailing it at all. So to wrap this up, I have to state that this book is a mesmerizing read full of magic, meddling gods, non-stop action and the enemies-to-lovers trope we love to ship.

Love this so much! The main character gave me all of the feels! I do think the writing can do with some improvement but as a debut novel it was really good.

I giv eit 3.5 stars.
TW: abuse

** spoiler alert ** This is exactly what I was looking for to read. It's a fanaasy but wouldn't classify it as YA but as NA, since it's much more darker with more intense topics (mentions of rape, torture, death..), which is what I love!
I love how the author writes a slowburn chemistry between Lira and Reyker, and not to mention that they are enemies and forbidden to be together.. It has all my favorite tropes! 😍
Definitely will be checking out the next book in the series!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This book kept my interest and was a fast read, but it was ok.

The book has vikings that alone is reason enough to pick it up. There have been a few YA books in recent years that focus on vikings and gods and while some of them don't hit the mark, Bears of the Frozen Sun totally does. I just feel bad that I forgot to post my review because honestly the book was amazing.

I loved this book!! It had everything I look for in a fantasy read. I loved the heroine, the plot and the pacing!! I cannot recommend it enough.

You know those books that immerse you completely and get you excited to fall deep into them? This is one of those books. And boy oh boy, am I excited that it’s a series.

I don’t read a lot of fantasy so I couldn’t compare it to others in the genre, but it had me hooked. Forbidden romance, ancient gods, and possession? Sign me up. The entire book is a true testament to Criswell’s ability as a writer. Thoroughly enjoyable, unputdownable, and exciting.