Mundie Moms

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Book Review: Frost, Stork #2


Published by: Candlewick Press
Released on: October 11th, 2011
Source: ARC from TLA
4 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

In this sequel to STORK, Katla Leblanc has to employ her grit, spirit, and special gifts to rescue the boy she loves.

After the drama of finding out that she’s a Stork, a member of an ancient and mystical order of women, and that her boyfriend, Jack, is a descendent of the Winter People able to control the weather, Katla Leblanc is delighted when all signs point to a busy and peaceful Christmas. That is, until the snowstorm Jack summons as a gift to Katla turns into the storm of the century, attracting Brigid, a gorgeous scientist who, in turn, attracts Jack. Between the school play, a bedridden, pregnant mother’s to-do lists, and keeping an eye on her aging grandfather, Katla doesn’t have time to question Brigid’s motives or deal with Jack’s increasingly cold behavior. But Katla’s suspicions mount when Jack joins Brigid on a research expedition to Greenland, and when the two of them go missing, it becomes clear that Katla is the only one who can save her beloved Jack from the Snow Queen who holds him prisoner. Adventure, romance, and myth combine in this winter escapade for teens who like a bit of fire with their ice. -quoted from Goodreads

I loved Stork and the magical element and rich Norse and Jack Frost mythologies that Wendy brought to life in her story. She does the same thing with Frost, but adds another great spin on a fabulous mythology, The Snow Queen. This added a whole new depth to the story and series. I liked how she introduced it into the series.

I'm a sucker for well written story that takes an existing mythology and makes it their own, and Wendy has a talent for doing that. She brings the right amount of magic into her stories. This time Wendy used all the right elements to make the magical story of The Snow Queen come to life. Being very familiar with this story I felt that is was both fitting and believable for Kat's story. Wendy did a great job at using Jack's ability, and Stanley's research he's done on Global Warming from Stork to mold this mythology into her over all plot line. Through The Snow Queen, Wendy was also able to test Jack and Kat's relationship and love for another. I of course wasn't too fond of them being apart for a chunk of the story, but I liked what she did once she reunited them. This also allowed for Kat to take a journey of her own as she sets off to bring Jack home.

Kat herself grows a lot in this story. She's stronger, and becomes a bit more sarcastic. Her inner thoughts made me laugh more than a few times. She handles some situations surprisingly well. This story isn't so much about her continuing to work on developing her abilities as I thought it was going to be. Instead Kat becomes a heroine as she's on a mission to save Jack. Jack too changes, a lot. It's not his fault he fell under The Snow Queen's spell, but I did miss having him around for a big part of the story. The Snow Queen, aka Brigid, is someone I disliked from the moment she enters the picture. With her introduction to the story it was obvious who she was, though I loved her cover and modern day fit into society.

Many of the things I loved about Stork were put into Frost's background, as Wendy developed more of what felt like a companion story for Stork. The Stork society which plays a huge role in Stork, places a minor role in this story. There's some other paralleling stories like Kat's mom's pregnancy, Stanley's research with Brigid, a new researcher from Greenland, a startling change in Jack, and Kat's try outs for the school's upcoming play, The Snow Queen, that make up the story line. There were times I felt like too much was going on and I wasn't sure why certain story lines were crucial to Frost, but in the end it all made sense as Wendy ties everything together nicely. I'd definitely recommend this to fans of the series. I love what the publisher has done with covers! It's a perfect fit for the story.

3 comments:

  1. What I'm most excited about with this series is that Wendy uses Norse mythology for her world building. Don't get me wrong, I love Greek and Celtic mythologies, but we've seen soooo much of them in the last couple years, that it's really refreshing to see other cultures' mythos being bumped into the 21st century.

    Awesome review!


    Smiles!
    Lori

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  2. Love the Snow Queen legend. Great review, MMs.

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  3. Lori- Thank you! She does an awesome job with this mythology and I love that she created a wonderful spin on it to fit perfectly into her series. I agree, it's definitely refreshing.

    Sophie- Thank you! I love what she did with this legend.

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