Release Day Blitz + Review: FROST by E. Latimer

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

It's crazy that the release day is finally here when we've been talking (read: squeeing) about this for months. Below is my review, as I just finished the ARC yesterday. Congratulations Erin! :)

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Title: Frost 
Author: E. Latimer
Publication Date: August 25th 2015 
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Genre: YA, fantasy
Format: Paperback, eBook
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: 

Megan Walker’s touch has turned to ice. She can’t stop the frost, and the consequences of her first kiss are horrifying. 

When her new powers attract attention, Megan finds herself caught up in an ancient war between Norse giants. One side fueled by a mad queen’s obsession and an ancient prophecy about Ragnorak, the other by an age-old grudge. Both sides believe Megan to be something she’s not. Both sides will stop at nothing to have her. 

Fire or frost. It’s an impossible decision, but she’ll have to act soon, because the storm is coming.   

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Amazon UK | Amazon Canada



E. Latimer is a young adult fantasy writer who currently resides in Vancouver, BC. She writes books, makes silly vlogs about writing with the YA WordNerds, and reads excessively. She has had an article featured in Chicken Soup For the Soul, and another in the Dear Teen Me online anthology. But mostly she writes about murderous queens and the magical teens who fight them. You can find her online at elatimer.com/







I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I work for Patchwork Press (the publisher of this title) but this has in no way affected my review.

I have also done my best to ensure that this review is absent of Frost related puns. 

Okay. Story time. Frost was the very first story I ever read on Wattpad; it was a few years back and although I'd spent plenty of time uploading terrible Step Up and Snape/OC fanfics to FanFiction.net, I was only just dipping my toes into the world of posting my own stuff online. It would be a while before I did. For the most part, my first year or so on Wattpad was spent devouring other people's work. I'm fond of the community and it's proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with. Anna Todd's After series had racked up over a billion views before it was published by S&S and lots of authors are making the leap from a voting based, reader driven platform to the market. 

When I first heard about Frost being published by Patchwork Press, I was 99% over the moon. But a little part of me was concerned. Frost, as it is on Wattpad, needed serious editing - by Erin's own admission. How much of it would have to be changed in order to make it market ready? My hope was that the core of what attracted 10.5 million reads would be left untouched. I shouldn't have wasted my time worrying. This is a better version, more concise and tuned, and more reflective of Erin as a writer now, that 4 years ago when the story was first written. It's not without its flaws but overall, this is a story I will continue to come back to time and time again.

If I haven't mentioned it already at some point here, I love mythology. Greek, Roman, Celtic...whatever. I especially love Norse, and no, not because of the Avengers (although...come on. Also great). What I like about Frost is its spin on the old Norse legends. The mixture of classic mythology and Latimer's own take make it a fantasy YA with an interesting edge - not just fun, but smart. I would love to see her develop those threads in the stories that follow a little deeper.

Character wise, Megan is a likeable heroine. She doesn't have a clue to begin with, which I find realistic and endearing, and then she works hard to adapt and better herself. She has emotive memories to help a little with the sword fighting but for the most part, I feel like it's her character that really makes her the leader that everyone looks too. She's funny too! Loki...well, I'm a sucker for curly haired guys with cheeky grins and Loki fits that bill perfectly. I love his dynamic with Megan and how - although there is an instant attraction - their relationship is not straight forward and there is always that element of ambiguity about him. All the supporting cast feel fully fleshed out, rather than bystanders, but Latimer's real strength lies in how she constructs her villains. A good villain is always more interesting to read about in my opinion and Queen Eira and her twisted control of Jotunheim is so beautifully done, that you both pity her and despise her.

I did have a slight issue with the first few opening chapters, which are the weakest part of the novel in pace and tone. I think the beginning was definitely different and fleshed out from the original, but I'd liked to have seen more of a realistic time progression - it seemed to all come to a head within a very short space of time and that felt a tad unrealistic to me. That being said, although Latimer takes a little while to get the story going (after an exciting first chapter), once it's there, she doesn't give out until the very last page. Having read other work by Erin, I can say that keeping you on the edge of your seat with an action packed story, is definitely a strength of hers and Frost is no exception. 

Overall, I loved the feeling of nostalgia that came from reading this novel. It's a good fantasy rollick, with strong characters you can root for, romance you can get behind and suspense that will keep you reading into the early hours of the morning. It has a magic about it that (ironically) gives me warm feelings of coming home. It's a YA in terms of violence and the occasional swear, but older MG readers could definitely get into this with no issue. Aside from the slower pace at the beginning and a few inconsistencies, I believe this will please both old fans of the novel and new!

Have you read the original Frost? Let me know in the comments below! On the 3rd of September, I'll also be hosting one of the blog tour stops for Frost, so look out for that because I'll have an exciting interview with Erin!










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