Mundie Moms

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Frostfire (Kanin Chronicles #1) by Amanda Hocking; Book Review




By: Amanda Hocking
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Released on: January 6th, 2015
Series: Kanin Chronicles #1
Source: Purchased Book
Rating: 4.5 stars - I Really Enjoyed It!
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Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.


Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process?


This is the first book by Amanda Hocking that I've read, and it did not disappoint. Hocking's writing is engaging, her world building is enticing, and her characters make me wish I already had the next book from this series in my hands. Now I understand why so many YA readers have raved about her books. I am definitely picking up her other YA series. 


Being a part of the troll tribes that live beautiful northern Canada, Bryn doesn't allow her disadvantage of being half blood stand in the way of what she wants. Being a Skojare, Bryn works harder than others to be one of the best, which is tracking. Most trackers inherit supernatural gifts from their parents, that aid them in their tracking, but not Bryn. Coming from mix blood makes it even harder for her to get her dream job, being a member of the elite guard. 


One of the things I admired about Bryn is how determined she is. No matter how impossible something may seem, if she wants it, she accomplishes whatever it takes to get it. She's focused, driven, and doesn't let anyone or thing stand in her way. I admire her strength, and loved that she handles her own. For as strong as Bryn is, she has her weaknesses. She's too driven to the point she's missing what's right in front of her. I don't know what was more frustrating to me, Bryn denying her heart, or the fact that I just wanted to shove her and Ridley together more often than not. These two.....


The romance in this book is well written. It's the kind that you can't get enough of, and at the same time can't stop getting frustrated at. I mean that in a good way. What I love, is the little touches, and the way Bryn and Ridley would watch each other. I liked the way they would touch, and then not really touch, but their nearness would be enough to not only get my heart racing for Bryn, but I could feel the unspoken emotion heat up the page. As a reader I really wanted to shove the two together, and tell them to make out, and stop with all the dancing around their feelings. These two about killed me! 


One of the things that complicates their relationship is Ridley is Bryn's boss. There's no crossing the line there. Bryn is so driven in her goals, that she doesn't allow herself the time to follow her heart, and fall in love. I just wanted her to admit her feelings, though I understand why she kept them so under wraps. They have a working history, and even if it's obvious to Bryn's close friends how the two feel about each other, they can't cross that line. These two know each other better than anyone. I swear they both know how the other feels, but neither of them will push the other into admitting it. These two are so great at protecting their tribe, and fighting for their King, but neither of them knows how to fight for what they want with each other. 

This world is governed by rules, and as Bryn knows, there's an order to things.There's two much at risk for both, and Bryn knows that better than anyone.  Secrets, forbidden love, danger, and betrayal are very much apart of this world. Bryn finds herself at the heart of all the trouble, as well as someone from her past. I found myself equally intrigued with both guys in the book, and want to know more about both of them. I liked that Hocking gave me enough about her characters to hook me, but not enough to where she gives away all of the secrets each character has. 

I loved Frostfire's world. Amanda Hocking has created a fabulous world that blurs the lines between the real world and the imaginative one. I LOVE that in a book. I like how reality and imagination collide in this story, and create a "what if" kind of world. I was fascinated by Frostfire's lore. I liked how believable this world felt. I liked how Hocking gives readers an understanding on Bryn's heritage and a brief history on how things work both within Bryn's world, and our world.


Talk about cover love! I love the cover of this book. It is stunning. Normally I'm not a fan of seeing people's faces on the cover of books, but this cover fits the book, and the character Bryn. I also love that they included the white rabbit on the cover, which is significant in the story. This cover is the perfect fit for this story! 

Frostfire is the first book, in what I think will be, an exciting series. There is so much I enjoyed about this book. I want more! I have many unanswered questions I still need answers to. I'll admit that I like that  Hocking didn't get all my answers in book one. If she had, I wouldn't be as eager to get book two. That ending was a killer! I NEED MORE! I can not wait for the rest of this series to be out. 


Whether you've read Amanda's previous books, or this is your first Amanda Hocking book, I would definitely recommend picking this book up. 


New To My Shelves #182 - The Red Queen & Lion Heart Edition

Welcome to this week's edition of New To My Shelves (previously known as In My Mailbox (IMM) / Stacking the Shelves (STS) or My Weekly Round Up in the StacksHere are a few of the goodies that have been added to my bookcases over the last couple of weeks. You can check out all the goodies that have arrived via my Instagram account

For Review



Purchased
Check out the new KidLit arrivals here on Mundie Kids!


Over the next couple of weeks both Mundie Moms and Mundie Kids will be apart of some exciting blog tours and features. More details on those coming soon. Don't miss this Tuesday's #TUCK40 blog tour stop! 

Thank You To:
Epic Reads, Harper Teen, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Delacorte Press, Source Book Fire, Skyscrape, and Empire for this week's fabulous reads.


What are some of the new reads you've added to your shelves?
Thank you for stopping by and Happy Reading!


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