March 20, 2023

Frost by Kate Avery Ellison

In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.

She saves his life.

Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.

But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.

Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

Cover: Isn’t the cover for Frost absolutely gorgeous? I love the colors and the feel of it. So pretty!

When I first read the synopsis of Frost, I initally thought of The Near Witch. After starting it, they honestly are nothing alike…aside from the fact both are awesome. Ellison has created a world here that is chilling and frightening. In Lia’s village, they are surrounded by Frost, a place in which monsters lurk. (Think The Village only they see the threats.) There are people who live outside – the Farthers, but the villagers think they are crazy. There are too many threats out in the main world, and where they are they are pretty safe.

Lia’s parents were killed while out with a neighboring family, so now she cares for her brother and sister. When one of the Farthers is found injured by Lia’s sister, they take him in and nurse him back to health. Lia doesn’t have the heart to leave him in the forest to be eaten.

The village that Lia lives in, reminds me of some old-historical place. Money has no value, instead each family has a quota of “goods” to prepare to share with everyone in the town to help them thrive.

Every thing about Frost felt realistic, well, assuming there were monsters roaming around. It has this more-realistic vibe that I loved.

Frost is perfect for fantasy and dystopian lovers! Another plus is the sequel, Thorns, which is slated to release in August.

I received my copy of Frost in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the blog tour.