Anastasia ｼ's Reviews > Frost

I really liked this one, BUT after giving it more thought.. probably gonna knock the rating down to 3.5 stars, full Review on my blog!

Initially, I was completely sold on this book based on its description and was very excited to read it. However, the execution left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed. While I did enjoy the book, it was not something that I loved; it was more of a like, something that I could take or leave. I had read some blurbs online that made me think this would be a more spicy read, but for those who are looking for something with more heat, this book is not the right fit. The most it gets to in terms of steaminess is a fully clothed makeout session and lots of tension. The writing style is enjoyable, but it seems like it is primarily setting the stage for future books, for which there is only one sequel out right now, and not much actually happens in this one, other than the completion, and slightly getting to know the characters.

When I was reading high-rated reviews on this book, just to see how this could possibly be rated so high - people were describing it as "if you like ACOTAR", or "The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games"... I'm not really sure about that, I don't see it at all, though there was that "I volunteer as tribute" reference, and I guess how brutal the competition was. But yeah, no.

Frost by C.N. Crawford depicts Ava's journey of coping with her cheating boyfriend on her birthday, leading her to insult the Faerie King while intoxicated. Consequently, she gains notoriety on the Internet. The King is hosting a tournament to select a wife and offers Ava $50 million to participate and win (and honestly it was his event so he would have picked her anyways), but he only desires a business agreement and not actual love - they end up catching feelings.

Ava travels to the Seelie court in a parallel universe to earth for the competition. Ava is a fun character who stands up for herself, and her relatable struggles of self-discovery make her character growth throughout the story engaging. Torin, the Faerie King is sexy, and his interactions with Ava are full of banter and tension. His enigmatic persona piques readers' curiosity, and they eagerly await to learn more about him. I didn't care for Ava's best friend, Shalini, I thought she was an unnecessary addition and was kind of annoying throughout.

The Seelie Court, Faerie, and its magic are nicely portrayed, making readers feel like they're there too. I did really enjoy the descriptions, and the world-building was nice though not particularly groundbreaking.

But honestly, Frost was basically a reality TV show in book form.  The bachelor but fae edition. Although this piqued my interest initially, the novel didn't execute it well. It felt a bit cliché with the overdone trope of a tournament to marry a fae king.  The combination of a brutal fae contest with a dating show didn't quite work for me, although the brutal events were kind of fun to read. I'm a big fan of traditional fae lore, where we have a separate faerie realm with Seelie and Unseelie courts. There's a certain predictability that I enjoy with that. However, in this book, I was perplexed by the modern-world-mixed-with-fantasy; the decision to introduce film crews, cell phones, and televised date nights in the faerie realm. It just felt like an odd mix and I don't really know how I feel about it. It felt like this book was more of a prologue, and I kept waiting for the real story to begin. It took some time for me to fully engage with the story, around 75% is when it really started picking up for me.

The ending was compelling enough to make me want to read the next book in the series, Ambrosia, I really want to know what happens. I hope to see more world-building and plot details in the next book.  Overall, while there were some flaws, I really did find Frost to be enjoyable, and if you think you might like this then you should read it! I am curious about the author's other works and may check them out to see if they differ.

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