Shadow Frost was a very engaging enjoyable read. I enjoyed all the characters, Rose especially was a favorite. I also liked that almost all of the characters had some depth, most of them had some difficult situations in their past that they had to acknowledge and come to terms with over the course of the story. And they were pretty heavy topics, like abuse and death of parents. That being said, the tone of the story stayed pretty light and included quite a bit of humor.

I definitely think that this was a solid beginning to a fantasy series, although there were a few issues with the execution of the book. Especially towards the beginning of the book, the plot was a little bit choppy and the writing could have used a little more refining. There were also some packing issues over the course of the story, especially before the 50% mark. I also thought that relationship between Asterin and her love interest was a little too familiar too quickly after the love interest was introduced. I appreciated that it wasn’t love at first sight and the banter between them fit in with all the other character interactions of the book, but it felt a little odd that the love interest would speak to a princess in that kind of way almost immediately after meeting her. However, none of these issues detracted from the story overall and I felt engaged throughout the novel.

Despite a few issues, I did enjoy the story, I read it in about a day. It’s awesome that the author wrote this book at such a young age and did a really good job with it. Especially with how the book ends, I’m very interested to see how this series progresses.

*This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

THIS FREAKING BOOK!! ADDED TO FAVORITES LIST! PREORDERED WITH NO HESITATION!

What the hell am I going to say??? I loved this book so freaking much! There were some sad things toward the end and I don't know if they can ever be mended but one can hope. This book pulled at all of my FEELS!

I CAN NOT BELIEVE Coco Ma wrote this book at 15 years of age! She's freaking amaze balls! If I could write this good at 15 I would have been a star! Hell, If I could write this good now, I could be a star!

Shadow Frost is the YA Fantasy book I never knew I needed. THIS, is what YA Fantasy should be in all shapes and forms. Yes, I have a few favorite authors and books in this genre, but damn... Coco Ma just jumped right into my little capsule of favorite authors!

Okay, let me get to the book. Holy crap on a cracker, let me keep this short and not give anything away!

Princess Asterin is a bad @ss princess through and through. She is NOT the sit around and let men fight for me princess. Oh she has guards etc, but she conned all of them from a little girl to show her how to fight, pick locks, you name it. She also has magic, but that's a whole other ball game.

Asterin is not ordered around by any man/boy; she fights her own fights and has some freaking amazing friends. They all love each other and protect each other as much as they can. There is a little thing at the end but it's just one of those horrible decision things. No win situation. But this particular situation has me conflicted; I feel for both sides.

There is a monster demon thing going around killing people in Asterins' realm. This does not sit well will her so she tells her mom, The Queen, she is going out and killing the monster with her magic. And no, she doesn't take any lip there either. She has magic, she has friends with magic and she has a couple of new guards with magic. And we are off.

Turns out not everyone on this journey is what they seem and this is not really a bad thing. I love each and every person and all of the women are bad @ssed in their own way.

THE PEEPS I LOVE:

Asterin
Luna
Rose
Orion
Quinlan
Eadric
Harry
Their horses which seem to have a mind of their own at times
Amoux (sword, just because it's Asterin's sword and it's a sword)

and a certain someone that is also a thing but I can't tell you about this certain someone thing =)



There is a tiny bit of grimdark in this book. There is some swearing. Mainly Asterin calling a certain boy @sshole all of the time. There were times I had some good laughs with the comedic side to the story.

I'm just going to shut up now because I'm rambling. Just read it and if you don't like it then fine. But if you like bad @ss chics who rule, you will love it. Yes, some of the women throw the men around but so what, they all have fun either way. There is also a little boy/boy love if you want that as well. Everything is well rounded in my opinion and I can't wait for a reread with the actual book in my hand.

I will leave you with a quote. Now this is an uncorrected proof so said quote could change. I would like to add a million quotes but I digress.

Enjoy!

Quinlan's fists clenched. "Asterin! Get back here!"
Orion felt her anger spike, as tangible as fire. The princess whirled around. "You do not have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do, Quinlan Holloway. This is my duty. I will not let anything or anyone stop me from defeating the demon that took the lives of hundreds of innocent people-my people. And if I fail to avenge them, I do not deserve the throne." Quinlan faltered. "I didn't...I just meant that-"
"And furthermore, let me remind you that you're here officially as a soldier serving my kingdom, and therefore under my command, prince or no. You will obey my word or return to the palace. The choice is yours. But do not, under any circumstance, rule me." With that, Asterin spun on her heel and strode away. The dense foliage of the forest swallowed her in darkness in less than a second.


*Thank you to Netgalley and the Pub for giving me the opportunity to read this awesome book!*

Mel ♥

**This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Execution: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Key Descriptors: elemental magic, coming of age, strong characters, world-ending stakes

Premise: A Woman of uncertain origin has raised a demon using the taboo art of shadow magic… and only the princess of Axaria can stop her. Asterin, skilled both in blades and elemental magic, rises to the challenge along with a group of her friends. Along the way, she discovers the secrets plaguing her queendom go much deeper than she ever could have imagined.

Review: Before we jump into the full review of this book, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the author herself.

"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."
-NetGalley Author Bio

Coco Ma has accomplished more between the ages of 15 and 19 than quite a few people do! Completed Shadow Frost at 15? Degree from Julliard? Going to Yale? That is fantastic, and I’m incredibly impressed! I read this novel prior to reading about the author, and I was ready to praise it as a strong debut YA novel long before finding out that it was a strong debut novel written by a 15 year old. You go, GlenCoco.

Anyway, on to the novel itself!

The characters definitely carried this novel for me. They interacted in charming and often funny ways. It was genuinely fun to read when they teased or joked around with one another – particularly Asterin’s guardian-from-birth, Orion. Harry, the woodsman we meet partway through the story, also turned out to be surprisingly funny and interesting!

Each of the characters had an astonishing amount of growth over the course of the book. In some cases, things felt a bit rushed; there were more than a few pacing issues in the novel, but nothing I’d consider to be unforgivable. Every character grew up or learned something about themselves and was forced to confront one personal demon or another. In some cases, these were pleasantly surprising as a reader, adding an unexpected new plot thread.

Unfortunately, some of the revelations were a bit much to swallow. To at least one of the plot twists, my reaction was less surprise and more, “Oh come ON, that’s literally not how things work at all. This would LITERALLY never happen.” Fortunately, each of those did serve a future purpose in the novel, allowing it to build up to its final conclusion.

The ending was yet another twist – and a well done one at that. Characters were forced to make difficult decisions and choose where their hearts really lay, and the ramifications of these actions were not simply hand-waved away. One of my biggest pet peeves is to see characters’ relationships being “reset” after one person makes a terrible decision or hurts the other person – I am pleased to say that Shadow Frost does not succumb to this temptation and instead follows through on each choice Asterin, Luna, Quinlan, and the rest make.

Romance was a strong secondary element to the adventure. Almost all the characters were either dealing with a past love, falling in love, or currently involved with someone. There was sometimes a bit too much “tell” rather than “show” when it came to the build-up, particularly where Asterin’s relationship is concerned. On the whole, however, I’d say it was very well done with a teen audience in mind. Anything overly explicit occurred entirely off-screen, with only the implication being communicated to the reader (usually with a bit of humor thrown in).

All in all, Shadow Frost is a strong debut novel with a great cast of characters. Despite some slight pacing and “show don’t tell” issues, this book was a solid 3.5 stars.


Shadow Frost can be found on Amazon and Goodreads.

If you liked Shadow Frost, you might also enjoy:

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

E-arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Where should I start? The main character reminded me of Buffy since she's such a badass character. And let me say that I LIVE for Buffy!
I felt very connected to Asterin since she's so far from being perfect. That's one of the reasons why I loved this book so much and I recommend everyone to read it.
This book is very much a character driven one. Luna is also such a cutie and I love her so so much. If you love the character centred stories I'd really advise you to start right off after finish to read this review, The world building was also very detailed and it seemed like I was literally there the whole time. I think it's fair to say that this was one of my favourite reads of 2019 so far! Such a good title.

Thank you to Blackstone publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this wonderful book!

I am so excited I got to read this unique book early! Wow. This book was impressive. I felt it was unique and soaked in originality. Every single one of the main characters was likable (except for the villains, of course). The romance was sweet but not overwhelming to the story line. I enjoyed this tale about demons and princesses who fought them among her dearest friends. All the main characters had such strength and personality that added to the story. It was full of unexpected twists which I also found quite enthralling! There's also the theme that not every villain can be hated and I really appreciated that. It added to the depth of the story. The imagery was fantastic and I felt as though reading this book was like watching a movie in my head. This was a really great adventure read that also has themes of friendship and finding yourself.

What a captivating and imaginative tale of magic and friendship! While reading this, I felt like I was under an enchantment spell - I couldn't get enough of it and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

So apparently the author was 15 when she wrote this and damn, am I super jealous of her incredible talent! To have this kind of creativity and grace with words and to be able to come up with such an incredible world, it’s a really impressive achievement. Major kudos to the author. I would have never even guessed and had I not known, would have assumed this was written by a highly experienced writer.

Shadow Frost is an original tale set in a complicated world that was masterfully descriptive, easy to follow and as equally easy to get lost in. With plot twists, endless surprises and obstacles thrown in our favorite characters' paths, I was constantly rooting for their success and safe passage throughout their dangerous adventure. All six main characters - Asterin, Quinlan, Rose, Orion, Eadric and Luna - were equally significant and equally likable. They truly felt like an ensemble cast, no single character more important or deserving than the other which is a very rare feat to achieve in a novel. Initially, I thought this was a story about Asterin with 5 supporting characters at her side, but you come to realize that all of her inner circle is just as important and have what it takes to be leading men and women in this magical tale. And that was simply refreshing. Asterin was the total badass I'd expected and loved instantly. Quinlan was the dashing and charming hero to our heroine that we deserved. Rose was lively, fierce and a badass in her own right (and while I loved all the six leads, she's definitely my favorite). Orion and Eadric were both powerful, reliable and surprisingly sweet. And Luna was the most surprising of all with the most notable character development.

Side note - as a professional graphic designer, I have to give major props to that gorgeous cover for capturing my eye and intriguing me enough to read the synopsis before finally deciding that, oh yes, this book was definitely for me.

I can't wait to read more in this series that I know will become everyone's new favorite fantasy YA go-to.

3.5 stars

A mesmerizing adventure made rich with vivid descriptions, ambitious characters, and a setting that sings. I look forward to reading more from the author.

3,75 stars.

This book was such a fun adventure. It really reminded me of Snow White and the huntsman at times. A fun colourful cast of characters and you feel connected to them all. Some LGBTQ representment as well and it was done well.

The downside, some things were very predictable due to the story being very recognizable to other tales. The book has a lot of POV's like a lot and it was a bit disorienting at times. Some of the characters, one, in particular, was just such a meh bland character and was just given a storyline to add conflict, so that was not fun.

If you love fantastical magical new worlds then you will love this new YA fantasy world.

I am excited about reading book 2 because there has to be a sequel.

I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own.