Frostfire

"Hidden Deep in the Heart of a Snow-Covered Wilderness Lies the Secret Kingdom of the Kanin - A Magical Realm as Beautiful as it is Treacherous..."

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 3 Worms

Storyline - Having never been completely accepted among her kingdom because she is both Kanin and Skojar, Bryn dedicates herself in her work as a Tracker, who leaves the safety of the Trolls' home to find and return with the Changlings placed in our world as babies once they have grown old enough. But, when on a routine mission, she comes face to face with the man who tried to kill her father and stabbed her years ago, Konstantin Black. Unsure what he was doing following a Changling, Bryn tries to focus on events and duties at home but something is wrong. As Konstantin continues going after Changlings, she and the other Trackers have to keep the kingdom safe. Yet, while Bryn wants to bring Konstantin to "justice," there is something that isn't right. Mysteries and fantasy abound in this first installment of The Kanin Chronicles.

Author - Amanda Hocking

Publisher - St. Martin's Griffin

Age Group - 17 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Several characters have "romantic encounters" casually. Swearing every few pages. A diversity in gender preferences for relationships. Faithfull to country and protecting those in danger. Determination to do their duty. Wanting revenge but sees there might be more to the situation that can be seen.

Personal Opinion - Filled with intrigue, action, and mystery, Frostfire was one of the most engaging and captivating books I have ever read. Even though this is based off a fairy tale yet, it is so light and woven together so well, it is its own story. The life of Bryn is complicated and so are the morals and practices of the world, creating conflict. I like how it takes place in our world yet is hidden. The author is also Minnesotan, my home state, which is just cool and, in my opinion, give credibility for writing a world filled with snow and, later, a country with water, two major parts of MN. However, I did rate this at only 3 stars and my reasons for that is the morality presented in the novel. *May Be Spoilers* Within the first chapter, a character makes a video call and connects with another character who is just finishing a "nooner". While there was nothing explicit, all the while presenting this as no big deal, just their way of life, it felt like in appropriate material, this event and subsequent references or desires that were clearly hinted yet not detailed, for teens. People do have different ideas on appropriateness of this stuff but I was uncomfortable with it being in a book meant for this age group. That was my number one issue and is making me question if I will continue reading the books even though I want to know what happens next. Second, there were some laws broken in our world that the characters did in order to escape trouble and they have the philosophy of "the ends justified the means" going for them. There were lastly a few swear words every several pages which I can usually live with so this was not a make it or break it issue. I think I may continue reading the series, not only to see how the story goes and understand the mysteries set up but also to see how the morals of the characters and the practices of the society, the Changling practice which causes some friction between characters, is covered. I want to know if the world created still thinks these ways are still okay or if their way of thinking and seeing things change even though, right now, they are defending them.

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