Mmmm This is another tough one to rate. I'm giving it 2.5/5 stars, mostly because I've rated other books 3 that I enjoyed a bit more.

First off, can I just say that the author has accomplished so much in 19 years than I have in nearly 21? Like damn girl, get it!

Ok so! The book. It's not for me. I was immediately drawn in by the prologue, and I thought the rest of the book would follow suit.

It didn't btw.

We're introduced immediately to our main characters, and I could honestly care less about ALL OF THEM. Literally. I cared not one bit, and I found Asterin, our MC, to be annoying as all hell. I love strong female leads, but she would literally get on my nerves. Sometimes it felt like that one chick back in high school who thinks they're all that and you scoff at them. That was how I felt about her. Even by the end, I just did not like her. The other characters in here, like Orion, Lola and her Elite Guards, I didn't care for much either. There wasn't enough there to get me to enjoy them, so whenever the scene called for me to feel something towards them, my heart was just a lump of coal in my chest. I would feel nothing, and I still feel nothing.

The story? This was the redeeming part for me. I might dislike all the characters, but the story was interesting enough for me to keep going. The prologe was what made me keep reading to get the the good parts. The beginning was a whole mess though. It was extremely rushed, with characters being rushed into the inner circle to form our main cast, Random amounts of time pass without warning, and you just feel like so much information is hitting you at once, but it also doesn't feel like enough because of the pacing. Just way too rushed for the first quarter. Once the pacing slows down it drags. It becomes painfully slow that you just feel like giving up. Yet here I am, still trudging along.

Then we FINALLY get to the juicy part and I become invested in the story. From then on, I start to feel like I enjoy it, and I was actually enjoying the ride. Even the final battle scene was one I was enjoying, but then that started to drag after a certain point. The dialogue kept coming, and coming, and coming... It was being held out for far too long that it didn't even feel like the climax anymore. So where all these shocking things happened, I was already outside of the story that I just didn't react. I didn't care anymore by that point. That was so sad, because I felt I could've ignored the parts I disliked if the ending was worth it.

Overall, this isn't one I would recommend, After seeing other ratings, it's very clear that I'm in the minority for this one. Most people would probably end up enjoying this if the rating average continues this way, but it's definitely not one I see myself picking up again in the future. The epilogue does seem to set up a sequel or alternate story in the same universe. If it's not a direct sequel, I may pick it up. This is an ambitious debut novel, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. I'll be on the lookout if the author makes any more novels in the future though.

ARC provided to me by the publsher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Strong female characters are always great, and here is one such individual. Asterin is not only a strong character, but she is, ultimately, such a flawed character. Driven and powerful, she is always eager to try to better herself to make sure that she is the ruler her people need her to be. Asterin is ready to jump into battle with her warriors rather than sit idly by. Moreover, while these are all great merits, it’s her insecurities that make her come to life. Asterin seeks the approval of her mother and attempts to control the power inside her that she doubts. She is human and relatable, and that’s what keeps her from falling into the trap of being a Mary Sue character, which she was close to becoming. She has all this power, all this skill, but she doesn’t know how to use it, her decisions are conflicted, her choices are complicated, and the outcomes do not always favor her. That’s the compelling part of her narrative, how twisted she is inside to do what’s right for herself and her people, while also challenging herself and growing through the story.

However, the story goes beyond Asterin, expanding to her band of friends. Each character has a unique voice, making them stand out, but, much like with Asterin, they each have insecurities that make them relatable, and ultimately, they balance each other out wonderfully. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, but they love each other leading them to fight for one another in fantastic ways, even while they battle their misgivings and insecurities.

There is something to be said about the pacing of the novel. It does a decent job of world-building, and the opening sequence is dark and tantalizing. However, from then on, the pace is slower, it takes a while to pick up the pace and then in the middle it slows down again. It is clear that the intent is to showcase the characters, to focus on their dynamics and growth, and at least Ma does an excellent job of summarizing the passage of time in a remarkable way, but while that is happening it almost feels as if the main story is being put on hold to do this. It makes the pacing feel choppy even though it picks back up and speeds towards an action-packed ending.

Shadow Frost is, ultimately, a riveting debut that has such a fascinating story of magic and gripping character development. It breaks apart by giving all the characters their chance to shine and grow, while also introducing tension throughout the layers of the story, making it an excellent read.

DNF at 14%. I can tell the writing style is not for me and I did not connect with any of the characters or the storyline.

This novel is about a princess who is on a mission to hunt a demon. I really like Princess Asterin. She is not your typical princess. Asterin is very tomboyish and trains as a fighter. I thought the world-building was thoroughly crafted because it was set in a medieval kingdom. The writing is very beautiful. However, the novel constantly switches perspectives from a variety of characters, which can be very confusing. Also, the novel took a while to get started. However, once it finally started, it became a journey that I did not want to end. This novel left me anticipating the sequel. I recommend this for fans of Ever, A Cage of Deceit, and The Shadow Queen.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the arc of this book.
I enjoyed this story, I did guess who was behind everything, early on in the book, but there was still plenty of twists and turns that you don’t see coming.
Hoping there will be another book, lots of loose ends at the ending that I need conclusions on.

Filled with camaraderie and magic, Shadow Frost is a lovely debut novel, and possibly first in a series, by Coco Ma. Strong characters that develop throughout the novel, creative use of flashbacks and intense action scenes are highlights that any reader will love. However, the initial chapters of the book are a bit disjointed or rushed, with large jumps in plot and changing perspectives that sometimes struggle to land. Overall though, Shadow Frost leaves this reader wanting to follow the relationships of the main characters as they continue their individual journeys.

Princess Asterin is not your perfect princess -- as heir to the throne she has dedicated her life to serving her people, making certain that she is able to defend herself and her kingdom. Asterin soon finds herself with new guardians who know that the Princess of Axaria will need to harness all her magical abilities, as an ancient demon will threaten not only her kingdom, but all kingdoms in the realm. The princess and five of guardians and friends will set off to find the demon and slay it -- but things are not always as they seem.

Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me. To me the tone throughout the book didn't really coincide with the prologue. I thought we were off to a great start with the prologue being engaging and intriguing. However, once we started to follow the main characters I lost interest quickly. The writing style felt different from what it was in the prologue. Other than that, I can't really find any real fault with the book. It just felt really tropey; like I was reading a teen drama book that just so happened to be set in a fantasy world. I don't like my books with a lot of tropes in them, but I'm also older than the typical demographic and I lean towards adult fantasy more than YA fantasy, so I can be picking about what I want from my YA books. I'd say give this book a try if you were a fan of the Throne of Glass series.

Shadow Frost is a highly readable book. It is an easy read that I enjoyed, it has great characters and I found I had to race through reading it to find out what would happen.

However I did find it predictable, I found the scene of the ball was over described and as part of the fantasy genre not very unique.

5 whole stars!

Ohmygoodness! I absolutely love this story and I found myself another favorite epic fantasy to read over and over and over again. And I cannot believe that she's only 15 when she wrote this awesome book. Isn't the cover captivating enough? ICE and FIRE

First off: A note from the Publisher
Born in 2000, Canadian-Chinese author and pianist Coco Ma began playing the piano at the age of five and a half. Since then, she has performed on some of the world's greatest concert stages and graduated with a pre-college diploma in piano performance from The Juilliard School in New York City. At fifteen years old, she finished writing her first novel, Shadow Frost. Currently, she studies at Yale College. When she isn't practicing piano, writing, or studying, you might find her bingeing Netflix or eating cake. Lots of cake.

That alone is totally impressive and then write this awesome book that young age?! I cannot even write a 4 page book report when I was in High School!

Characters that I fall in love with

✨ Asterin - a badass Princess of Axaria who's been longing for her mother's affection after losing his father at a young age. An omnifinitied princess - who can conjure up more than 3 affinity stones

✨Luna - Asterin's lady-in-waiting and best friend. She cannot remember her past and struggles with her magic if she has one.

✨Orion - Asterin's personal Royal Guard and trained Asterin to be a badass Princess

✨Eadric - Captain of Royal Guard's army and Luna's lover

✨Rose - Queen of Eradore and an amazing healer

✨Quinlan - Rose's cousin and a freaking awesome warrior - my favorite character

✨Harry - a hunter who joined the group and learned to love and respect them

I do not know what else to say without giving so much away from the book. If you read and love The Priory of the Orange Tree, you will LOVE this as well.

There's a highly probability that the book will be a series how the book ended.

My review won't do justice how awesome this book is!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc to review.

Goodreads Review 4/17/2019
Publication Date 10/1/2019

"Shadow Frost" by Coco Ma has all of the ingredients to a page-turner of a novel. The strange world pulls you right in, with elements of magic and historic fantasy that strangely Germanic while still being new and exciting. Something is lurking beneath the kingdom, and a mysterious demon plagues the countryside where people are dying. Our lead princess and 5 of her chosen friends must investigate... in a fairly typical fantasy trope. The characters themselves are more than slightly caricaturized, and I remember their roles more than their actual names. We have our lady lead hot-headed warrior Princess (let's call her Xena) and her best friend sidekick (let's call her Phoebe), the exotic mystery warrior cousins (let's just call them Khaleesi x2) and a few other warrior friends. But something about these characters and their actions, their choices, and how they work with each other just sticks - so I don't really care that I don't remember their names, I still remember them.

There's something for everyone - action, magic, romance, and surprises. Engaging at all times even when some of the details may fade at the edges, "Shadow Frost" is a solid book to add to a collection.

Well butter my biscuit, we have a good book here!

We are introduced to the kingdom of Axaria and there resides our main character, Princess Asterin Faelenhart who discovers she has what it takes to take down the demon that is terrorizing the villages and citizens in the surrounding area. The story is so captivating and so magical I felt like I was a viewer inside that story. It does progress with slowness, but its elegant writing will make it that you will enjoy every second of it. I loved how the author took her time in explaining the world building. It's not rushed, there is no info dumping. The book is really slow paced and it takes its time in revealing everything at once and it's done super well.

Something I definitly want to mention in this review are the beautiful themes this author illustrates. Everyone pursues happiness and bravery—it’s in our nature. We all want to live a happy life. But what does make us happy exactly? Why would we live in fear when we can pursue what makes us scared? Maybe I analyzed this too much but it's really what made this story so fun to read for me.

It's a SOLID young adult fantasy with.. yes, a bit of a generic young adult plot but something about it made me all warm inside so be on the look out for this one.

I did enjoy this but I think this falls under the heading of me being slightly outside the target audience. I'm also a little jaded with the whole princess as MC trope. This is clearly me and not a reflection on the book. Having said that, this is a superior example of its kind. The six pov characters were well realised. The story was compelling. The magic system was inspired and it was a fast paced read. I imagine for members of its target audience, this is exactly the sort of catnip-book that will really hit the spot.

When will the second book be released?

A full five on five!
This is how fantasy should be. I loved this book. I have some parameters for a good book, especially fantasy and this debut novel from the author checks almost all these. I am trying to break down the things I liked below-
* narration/storytelling/literature- the narration was pretty perfect. Words were swiftly knitted.
(Mild spoilers below)


* world buildup- there is a mortal realm and immortal realm, and gods and king and queens.
* magic- magic is strong and flourishing. I liked the fact that magic was like air or water in that realm, not any forbidden or dying out thing. And that quote- "In a world of magic, everything is possible"
* battle scene/description- flawless battle scene and there was a fair amount of the description of the battle, (which I like very much)
*strong protagonist- the protagonist girl was brave and bold but not that much stupid( which they often are) and most of all, without inner dilemma. I can't take drama or self confusion from protagonists. I really can't.
*cool guys: yeah, there were three. And they ended up finding their (apparently) true partners, early enough in the first book
*romance- there was decent romance, not too overboard or whole chapters describing romantic crap.
(More Spoilers ahead )
* shadow/shapeshifter- a shapeshifter who is cool and good, not evil.
* dark magic - and people who practice forbidden dark stuff.
* friendships and strong female characters.
* beautiful palaces and decorations
* a map

The things I didn't like( more spoilers)-
1. I didn't like guys entering the princess's bedchamber, Come on, she is a princess!
2. Extra jealousy between Orion and Quinne, that was annoying in the first chapters.
3. No definite description or drawings of the stones family tree or description of the powers of the different house.

Overall, a good book. This is going to be the fantasy of the year. Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc through NetGalley

Shadow Frost follows Asterin, the Princess of Araxia, and her band of friends who are determined to hunt down a demon that has been terrorizing the kingdom. Of course, on their journey, more trouble brews and not everything is as it seems.

This novel did some really great things but at the same time also left me with a bitter aftertaste. The six main characters had distinct personalities and fun interactions (at least in the beginning - a little more on that later), easily warming their way into my heart. Ma gave them each a backstory, and I felt the characters were treated with equal importance. On the other hand, their backstories did feel a little flimsy at times. The magic system was also pretty cool and well thought-out. It's based on nine elements, and in order to access the magic of that specific element, the user needs to be holding the corresponding elemental stone.

Unfortunately, the novel was also pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of plot, predictable, and oftentimes cheesy. I found the motivations of the villain poorly executed and stale. <spoiler>The fact that she did all that and became unstable over a guy had me rolling my eyes. </spoiler> And while I did love the characters and their interactions, it was starting to get a little old when they kept saying/doing the same things over and over (Asterin and Quinlan). There are also a lot of character inconsistencies that felt like it was there more for the sake of either angst/conflict or "feels."

Overall though, while I had a bit of a mixed reaction towards Shadow Frost, I did enjoy the majority of it. The writing was also well done in a technical sense - simple and to-the-point, so I'm sure Ma will only improve from here.

*Thank you, thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this fantastic book!*

Shadow Frost is a story of a beast. A beast as dark as shadows from the depth of hell. A beast who knows nothing but death and destruction. Countless soldiers lie on the losing end of its talons, but a princess and five unexpected volunteers set out to bring an end to its reign, to save a kingdom. Each wielding an affinity; water, ice, wind, fire, illusion. In the deep dark abyss of the forest, they hunt.

A story of a princess and heir-to-the-throne, Asterin Faelenhart, who fights a beast to protect her kingdom, Axaria. It is about her guardian, Orion, who would strike down anyone to safeguard his future queen, his best friend. It is about Luna, her lady-in-waiting, her friend, a trapped vault of mystery. A girl who would follow her queen-to-be to the world's end, and she just might get the chance to. This is a story about affinities of the earth, of the water, and of the flame. This story is about a beast that stalks in the night and hides in the shadows and will tear you limb for limb. This story is about so many more wonderfully written and beautiful characters. It is well thought out and well executed and should definitely be in your TBR.

Here’s what I loved:

Can we just start with Coco Ma was 15 when she wrote this? Like seriously. We are in for so much in her future as a writer and I truly cannot wait. ALSO, can we focus on the fact that Ms. Ma herself has hinted on more Shadow Frost projects in the future! Like what?!! Yasss! Let’s go save Orion! So, let’s really dive into this masterpiece. It was a semi-long book but never felt that way. It kept me interested all the way through.

I began this book thinking it would be yet another generic rebel princess story, but I was delightfully wrong. I was hooked from the first chapter and dug out little pockets of the day to read this. I love the twists of this book and how unique the characters were. They all had titles; the beast, the queen, the princess, the guardian, but they all developed into so much more. They were genuinely and carelessly human and it was beautiful. I cared about them and their relationships. Each character felt relatable for the most part and I really did love all of the main cast.

Orion being the princess’s guardian and her best friend was literally the best thing ever. No weirdness of titles and positions were added, and nobody really gave her a hard time about it, except once. Maybe this is how modern kingdom would be, maybe they already are.

THE ENDING! A cliffhanger letting me know more books will be needed to finish the story makes me a series-ly happy girl!

What made me cringe:

It was so good. So very good. Here's why I took out a star: Sometimes the characters *cough*Asterin*cough* had very pouty preteen-ish moments that included stomping and kicking. I don’t remember these being a part of my life at 16-17, it often popped me right out of the story. It did not feel like an authentic reaction on the part of the character. I might have gone about it differently.

With that being said, have you seen the cover? Did you read this review? She’s basically already a prodigy. You are so missing out if you haven’t put this book in your TBR. Stare at the cover. Learn everything you can about the beast. Then get ready to erase it all and begin again.

Coming October 1, 2019 to a store near you!

This was a fantastic debut that had me enthralled from the very first page. I fell in love with the cast of characters. I was so shocked when I saw that the author wrote this book when she was 15 as it was so incredible. I would highly recommend this to any fantasy reader and hope it eventually becomes a series because I would love to read more from these characters 🤞.

This book was what I needed to break out of my fantasy reading slump!

Shadow Frost is Coco Ma’s YA Fantasy debut novel, set to release October 2019. If you haven’t already marked your calendars for this release, I highly suggest you do! I may or may not have devoured this book in one sitting.

There are so many things I’d like to say about this book! From the intricacy of its world, to the magic system, but I refuse to spoil this for anyone so I’m going to settle on the fact that I loved, I mean loved, every character in this book. Every female protagonist in this book is strong and independent, but are not without their flaws. Watching them grow and develop throughout the book was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in a long time.

As with every great book, there are lots of unexpected twists and turns and to be honest, I have no idea what to expect when the second book releases! Yes, I’m (im)patiently waiting for the next book already because everyone knows I have no chill, and I need the next book, now!

I recommend this book to everybody, everybody! So mark your calendars, I know I have because I need to own a physical copy of this glorious book!

A massive thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for giving me a digital ARC of this book, and congratulations on a stunning debut, Coco Ma.

Thank you to Netgalley for my eBook ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Guys, stop what you're doing and pick up this little morsel. I cannot fit in this review how much you will love this book. See for yourself the earth moving story that Coco Ma has presented readers.

In the land of Axaria lives Asterin, a princess with multiple magical abilities. She is a rarity among magic users in her ability to call upon many elements and bend them to her will. She is hard headed and loves her people greatly, so when she hears of a Demon terrorizing her land she sets of with her friends old and new to track down a kill this Demon and end the blight it has caused.

Orion, Asterin's long time Guardian, is playful with her while training her to be able to handle herself should trouble ever find her. He is more than a brother, but has never crossed into a romantic relationship with her. His reasons become quite clear to us early on in the book, but who could resist his smug, sarcastic ways?

Luna, Asterin's hand-maid, has no memory of where she comes from or who her family is. She feels like she possesses power that has yet to manifest itself or is blocked by some sort of barrier(In this world, magic can come later with age, or if a certain memory is unlocked or tapped in to). She feels useless to Asterin when it comes to helping her train magically as she currently cannot wield any of the elements. She is romantically involved with the Captain of Asterin's Elite Guards, Eadric Covington.

Eadric, Captain of Asterin's Elite Guard is tasked with composing a twelve person(6 males, 6 females) unit that will guard Asterin and carry out any tasks that she deems necessary. Some are skilled with fighting skills, while others have a more espionage-ish background. Eadric loves Luna and would do anything for her. He is also weary of any newcomers to the palace. He takes his job and assignments overly serious.

Rose, a fighter sent by the freshly coronated Queen of the far away land Eradore, in hopes to help slay the Demon. Her Queen sent her and her cousin, Quinlan after having a prophetic dream of the Demon spreading to their land if Asterin is unable to defeat it. She often likes to hide her face, but is an excellent healer and great at hand to hand combat.

Last but certainly NOT least, my sweet little cinnamon roll, Quinlan. He is everything a great romantic interest should be. He pushes Asterin to embrace her full potential and to not rely on anyone else's power but her own. He trains her in the elements she doesn't possess to try to spark her ability to wield them, this leading to many opportunities for them to converse and get to know each other on a deeper level. Quinlan is torturously reserved, but Asterin is able to break through all his walls and show us the incredible being hidden inside.

There are of course other characters who help make this book great, but you'll have to find them for yourselves. This book seriously has something for everyone. Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Mythology, Action....it has something for every kind of reader and moves at an excellent pace. You get to know the characters and the world as you experience it with them, something that I know I really enjoy. It's hard to get into something when you don't even know the characters well enough to know how all the world building ties into their piece of the story. This book is the best I've read so far this year. Do yourself and this book a favor and pick it up. You will not be disappointed!

I absolutely loved this book.
I still cannot believe Coco Ma was 15 when she started it.

It's a YA Fantasy set in a land where everyone has at the very least one magical power. Princess Asterin and her friends set off to hunt a demon that's plaguing the land, amidst many secrets and plots, and discovering her own powers.

With Shades of Sarah J Maas and Leigh Bardugo to it, it was an incredibly enjoyable read and I couldn't put it down.

My full reveiw can be found here : https://thebibliobookwolf.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/shadow-frost-review/

Wow! What an amazing story! Totally blew my mind. Asterin, princess of Axaria, must travel to the edges of her kingdom to slay a demon that is slaughtering her people, with six of her friends. They discover along the way the web of deceit that has been cast over them and they struggle to figure out what is true and what is false. Asterin is forced to make some impossible decisions along the way.
The book kept me up late at night wanting to see what was going to happen and when I couldn’t read it I was itching to get back to it. I adored this book and really got to know the characters well. The world and its magic system was well thought out and explained and the foundation for a strong story arc was laid. I’m really excited to see where this goes, how our friends do, and who turns up next. I highly recommend this, five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟