Review | Frostblood #1 by Elly Blake

Summary

In a land governed by the cruel Frostblood ruling class, seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has spent most of her life hiding her ability to manipulate heat and light - until the day the soldiers come and raid her village and kill her mother. Ruby vows revenge in the tyrannous Frost King responsible for the massacre of her people.

But Ruby's powers are unpredictable...and so are the feeling she has for Arcus, the scarred, mysterious Frostblood warrior who shares her goal to kill the Frost King, albeit for his own reasons. When Ruby is captured but the Frost King's men, she's taken right into the heart of the enemy. Now she only had one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who took everything from her - and in doing so, she must unleash the powers she's spent her whole life withholding.

Frostblood is set in a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies - but together create a lower that could change everything. 

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review

When it comes to fantasy novels, I am there! Fantasy calls to me as a Fireblood calls on fire and a Frostblood calls ice. It's in my nature, ingrained within me to have fantasy as my all time favourite genre. So believe me when I say that this book fits fantasy so damn well. Despite this book being compared to Red Queen and the Throne of Glass series - albeit there are a few similarities - this debut novels is captivating with its own added unique aspects that will keep you reading till the very end.

We follow the POV of young Ruby, one of the few, scattered remaining Firebloods. She is fierce, sassy and still grappling with her fire power. Told from a young age to keep her powers hidden from the ruling Frostbloods, Ruby tries but unwittingly brings herself and her mother to harms way when nearby soldiers discover who is amongst the normal and Frostbloods.  Thus begins Ruby's journey of survival, vengeance, unexpected allies and the start of her honing her growing powers. 

Throughout the novel, the plot twists thicken and despite guessing a few of them, I was still hooked on the writing style that instantly grabs your attention. With this being a debut novel, I felt Blake added the right amount of descriptive aspect, though I would have loved bit more on the world itself. Just when you thought you've seen it all, something comes along and blows you away - that is how Frostblood is.

Supporting characters were either amazing or just downright evil, and to feel such different emotions in the span of a few pages clearly shows well-written characters. Arcus - my sweet broody boy. He was so withdrawn, with so many layers to him - and for heartbreaking reasons. A strong warrior Frostblood, he is a force to be reckoned with. I loved Brother Thistle and Brother Gamut - and so many others, I really hope to meet many of them in the next installment. 

Both Ruby and Arcus were so well-rounded and written, they both are powerful and yet they have their flaws and doubts. Their banter is hilarious - such witty dialogues. The romance wasn't the main focal point which was really nice, but it was still there in the background, and a slow burn one at that. So much is riding on Ruby, Arcus too. But how will they defeat the Frost King? Find out in the stunning debut, Frostblood - where revenge burns brightest of all and the ice finally begins to thaw. How well can affairs between fire and ice end?