I love everything that Charlie N. Holmberg writes, and this was no different! I thoroughly enjoyed the story of 17-year old Smitha and the message at the heart of this book: Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. The character arc, the plotline, the romance - all of it was engaging, engrossing, and stayed with me long after I finished the book!

I fell in love with Charlie N Holmberg when she came out with her Paper Magician series. This is another homerun. I enjoyed this so much I bought 2 copies of the books to give out as gifts.

Anything that Ms. Holmberg writes is pure gold!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I think is my favorite book from this author. Followed by Frost is the fascinating story of Smitha, the girl with the cold heart. She is cursed by Mordan, the curse involves snow and frost, a lot of it. Smitha is essentially kicked out of her home and forced to retreat to the mountains where she wonders from place to place, trying not to leave too much snow in her wake. Death is her only companion, who relentlessly asks her to join him. At first, Smitha is a very hard character to care about. She is very vain and selfish, but her journey of self-discovery and forgiveness is amazing. I love the way the story is told, Smitha is telling the story, but also shares with the reader what she should have noticed, or should have done in a situation. I really enjoyed her journey in the Southlands, the people are in a drought and her snow is much needed. The Prince Imad, Lo, and Aamina were wonderful characters. Especially Lo. I loved how Smitha finds purpose there with her frosty life and possibly hope.
Fantastic story that reads quickly and the ending is so well done. I loved every page of this book!

This was a very well written book that employs excellent character growth throughout the tale. I would recommend this book.

Received a copy from NetGalley

I loved this book. It was beautifully written story. The characters were lovely and the transformation that Smitha goes through on her journey was well paced.
I am not sure if this is a standalone but the ending implies it is. I would not be opposed to learn or read more about the Wizards since that was left unfinished.
Overall I highly recommend reading this.

This is a fun, fairly light read, slightly more adult feeling than Holmberg's previous novels. It takes slightly longer to read and is slower paced than her Paper Magician trilogy as well, which is fitting for this book.

Holmberg has taken on the challenge of a protagonist who starts out sympathetic, but fairly unlikeable and gradually transforms into a genuinely kind person. I enjoyed watching her grow and find ways to use her "curse" to help others.

I never had a chance to review this before it expired. I'm sorry!

(I receieved a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Seventeen-year-old Smitha's wealth, status, and beauty make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha's desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it?

All the hype for The Paper Magician series made me want to read this book. (As it turns out, I didn't enjoy them anywhere near as much as I expected.) However, this was something just a little different and I found myself liking it more as the story went along.

While this may have been a story with morals, it was also a story based on good characters, dialogue, a strong plot-premise and good writing. I think the inclusion of Death was a bold move and it worked just about perfectly (you have to read it to know more...) I also appreciated that the romantic interest wasn't a case of insta-love - in fact, it was quite a nicely played storyline that I did like.

The only downside, for me at least, was Smitha herself. Didn't like her, didn't want for her to have a happy ending, didn't care if Death got the final say. But...I did keep reading because the way it was written was enough to make me realise that there may be some characters in books that I may not like, but that should never stop me from recommeneding them. This is one of those books.


Paul
ARH

A beautiful, well-written, and engaging fairy tale. It's always refreshing to read fairy tale-ish stories that aren't a retelling of Red Riding Hood, or Snow White. And this was pretty dark, too.