I was excited to get my hands on this one. It was a new series with a cool concept. Yes, pun intended. I also love the fantasy aspect of this where the MC is forced to hide themselves and what they are. Some aspects reminded me of different parts of other series I enjoyed and while some may see this as a negative I didn’t. I mean I clearly liked the other series and as long as it has it’s own story and isn’t completely like another and keeps me entertained I’m good. I mean if you read enough of a specific genre you’re going to see something that reminds you of another book somewhere. So I was ready to dive into it.

Ruby is a Fireblood and can control heat/flame. Control might be a bit of a leap as she hasn’t learned control and mostly just has accidents. When the king and people are hunting down all the Firebloods to be killed this is a very dangerous thing to not be able to control. After being imprisoned and tortured, which made me cringe despite not being as brutal as other items I’ve read but the way it was written hit me. Also being a fireblood, cold is not her friend and I may have been a bit cold while reading and agreeing with her here. Ruby is offered a chance of escape, from frostbloods, Arcus and Brother Thistle, with the catch of helping them. Their plans to take down the king are in line with her own goals of revenge and it is a chance of escape and thus she agrees. Ruby is always thinking her options through, she doesn’t always make the best choice but she does put some thought into many of them which I liked. So of her arguments with herself are ones I could see myself having.

She was a great vessel to tell the story from with all her swirling and conflicting emotions throughout. From prisoner to alley to prisoner. When trying to do the right thing means doing something wrong. When fighting to survive means giving up a piece of your soul. Finding reasons to keep moving forward when one thing after another is taken away from you. What truly makes you a monster so many believe you to be? I really liked Ruby.

The abbey where she is taken and the brothers and sisters she meets while there show a full assortment of perspectives. Being a fireblood she is feared by many but seeing some accept her for whom she is not what she is while showing contrast between those who dislike or fear her for what she was born versus those who fear what having an enemy of the king near them could bring down on them, I liked the variations. Favorites were of course Brother Thistle and his kick ass self and healing Brother Gamut. I would have liked to get to know more of the brothers and sisters and hope to go back over time.

Then you have Arcus. He is rude, abrupt, and threatening but still gentle. He’s secretive and moody for sure but he also has this quality of something more. I grew to like him and enjoyed getting to know more and more of him. I wanted him to thaw to Ruby. He also has a bit of a funny side.

The world has lots of stories, tales of how people came into their powers gifts of the Gods. I like the balance aspect of it as the tales were revealed. Fire and Ice being the main focus but then discovering more about Eurus and the Minax, which were creepy as can be. I can’t wait to see how we dive more into that in the sequel. You have enough here for a complete story, one journey ends but there is clearly more story to tell. This did more than bring you into the world it told a story. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more. Would recommend for fans of fantasy and good vs. evil stories.

I received this book free to review from Netgalley. Thanks also to the author and Little, Brown Publishing.
This was a fast, fun, read about 2 peoples favored by their gods, one with ice and one with fire. The jealousy of another god sent an evil entity to corrupt the Frost people. The entity was imprisoned in the throne and each king who sat on this throne became more powerful until eventually they went mad. They drove the Fire people from their lands, killing those that refused to leave. This story is about Ruby, the last known Fireblood in their land, and the 2 brothers who need her power.
The story was interesting, the characters well drawn and the editors did a fine job!

Predictable story line, but well written enough. Didn't capture me enough to continue the series, though.

From the start I was hooked. Another reason for people to disagree, whether they control fire or ice! I was pulled through the narrative of Ruby and her struggles being the only Fireblood in her village. She has to constantly try to hide her abilities and not let people near her due to her body temperature being so much higher than everyone else. One day she is found out and during her struggle not to be captured, her mother is killed by her captors. She is truly alone.

After she is taken, she is thrown into a prison and degraded and demeaned until she is broken out by a group of rebels who are determined to overthrow the Frostblood king. She soon finds herself caught up in the plan to find a way in the castle and destroy the throne that has given the Frosblood kings their power- while destroying them.

Ruby doesn't trust the Frostbloods and they do not trust her. She slowly begins to trust and gain the trust of some of the others. Along the way she learns that she can not only trust one of the Frostbloods, but soon begins to realize that she has fallen in love with him but he is so cold and distant, she doesn't think he could ever love her.

Ruby must decide how and if she can destroy the throne. Does she kill or try to save the king from the control of the throne. Does she give everything up, including her love for a Frostblood and those who save her? How will she live or does she give up and give in? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be reading the remaining books in the series.

I was given the opportunity to read this by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone YA trope you think of is in this book. But it isn’t even especially captivating, or interesting, or… good…

Like The Selection Series isn’t really that innovative. That’s fine. I still loved those books and couldn’t put them down.

But this? I just kept rolling my eyes, groaning “oh come ON”, and sighing. I can’t believe I read the whole damn thing. I guess I just reached a point of no return and figured I should finish it?

None of the characters are interesting or redeeming. None of them. Zero. And the “banter”? Not witty. Pass.

DNF, I kept trying to read this one, but I think I read too many similar fantasy novels to really feel like this one stood out. No review on retail sites.

Frostblood is just one fantasy novel among many trying to set itself apart from the rest in a market filled with special snowflake heroines with no real life or depth. It is not different or interesting enough to stand out for me. Many will love it, but it's not my taste.

Frostblood by Elly Blake starts off is a pretty amazing debut! The lush descriptions and world building were very well done, although I would have loved if the world had been presented to us differently than through storytelling around the fire. I felt the info dump, and got. little bogged down at times. Ruby and Arcus are both very well developed and fully fleshed out. I liked both of them individually and together. I'm hoping book #2 has more romance, though, because romance is my favorite!

An interesting fantasy book that was a great summer read (despite the title). I cranked this book out in a few sittings and really enjoyed the emotions and development between characters. The fine details in the writing were awesome and really brought the fire and ice aspects of the story to life. I plan to read the rest of the series as well. A great book by a solid author.

Frostblood was an enjoyable read liken with Storm Siren and maybe a bit of Frozen or the Snow Queen. I liked the tenacity and devotion and bold fierceness of the protagonist that drove this story. I also liked the worldbuilding and magical caste system. I'm interested in where the story goes in the series.

I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, and really good fantasy at that so I feel like I might be extra critical. This book kept my interest, I enjoyed reading about the characters and the land and it kept my interest because I had to know what happened next, but for some reason it just wasn’t my favorite. It had a lot of similarities to Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, and that book was just better. That being said, this book set itself up for a sequel and I would probably read it, it wouldn’t be first on my list.

This story is amazing! I loved the magic system and the characters. Blake weaves a tale of magic, betrayal, and suspense, while also revealing the ways in which vulnerabilities make us strong. I'm excited to read the sequel!

WHAT DID I THINK OF FROSTBLOOD BY ELLY BLAKE?
Frostblood by Elly Blake has such a gorgeous cover – which aside from the blurb is what really drew me to this book. You see, the blurb talks about how the reign of ice must end. As someone who is perpetually cold, that spoke to me in a kind of deep way. Anyways, this book is about and from the point of view of a seventeen year old girl named Ruby who is special. In a kingdom of people who use ice for their magic and to control, Ruby has magic that is heat and fire related. She has kept it secret though because obviously she would be persecuted if she let that secret out. So, okay, her mom dies protecting her and that sets off this chain of events that will bring Ruby all the way to the king. Meanwhile, there’s a bit of romance. AND THE ENDING of this book was just perfect. I was really pleased by what I read and know that at this point I’ll be back for both of the sequels. Ruby’s a great main character. The world building is just the way that I like it. The writing moves along at a great clip. Frostblood is a fantastic read on the whole.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
Frostblood‘s audiobook is narrated by Jennifer English. It is 8 hours and 30 minutes long. I borrowed it via Libby which of course is always a great life choice. Anyways, I think English does a SUPERB job. Like, I am at zero complaints over here. It is at the point where I am looking forward to listening to the next book. If you’re into fantasy audiobooks, give this one a shot. It’s worth your Libby borrow or Audible credit.

This book had good world building and a great adventure. It was well liked by several students as well.

Frostblood was amazing. The book hooked me from the very first page until the very last! I look forward to the next one.

I really loved the unique magic system in this story. And I can never say no to a brooding male protagonist. I can't wait to read the other books in the series to see what happens next.

I was really excited to read Frostblood but I just could not get into the storyline. The characters just did not hold any appeal for me. I found the storyline dragged for me.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Loved this book on the first reading. Just finished reading it a 2nd time before I went into the sequel. Sequel plot and revelations totally change a lot of how you perceive characters and set up in book 1.

I do wish there was more time spent on explaining history and stories of the gods worshipped, Sage, etc.

Everything in this is trite and unremarkable - the characters, the plot, the writing. It's a dime a dozen YA book which will find a base obsessed audience who will love it and which will also be overlooked by just as many people.