[Book Review] Frostblood By Elly Blake & Mr Hoban’s Coffee Roastery Flame Girl

Title: Frostblood
Series/Universe: Frostblood Saga, Book 1
Author: Elly Blake
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: January 10th 2017
Page Count: 384 pages
Age Rating: Young Adult (explicit violence, blood, mild gore, death)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received an ARC to review
Publisher’s page: Frostblood

The Frost King will burn.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has concealed her powers of heat and flame from the cruel Frostblood ruling class her entire life. But when her mother is killed trying to protect her, and rebel Frostbloods demand her help to overthrow their bloodthirsty king, she agrees to come out of hiding, desperate to have her revenge.

Despite her unpredictable abilities, Ruby trains with the rebels and the infuriating–yet irresistible–Arcus, who seems to think of her as nothing more than a weapon. But before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to compete in the king’s tournaments that pit Fireblood prisoners against Frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her–and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Vivid and compelling, Frostblood is the first in an exhilarating series about a world where flame and ice are moral enemies…but together create a power that could change everything.

My Review

Fire. Ice. Long ago, the two nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Frost Nation attacked…

Just kidding, although, not going to lie, parts of this book gave me some serious Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes – mostly because of the element bending battles and the male romantic interest having a burn scar on the upper half of one side of his face. Plus, the plot centers around an elemental nation ruled by a vicious, merciless leader whose strong elemental power makes him seem unstoppable and the only chance for a hopeful future lying in the hands of an untrained person with a different elemental power, possibly the last of her kind (in Tempesia at least, due to the Frost King systematically killing them off) who is prophesized to defeat him. So hey, if you’re a Last Airbender fan, you’re pretty much going to love this book, it’s kind of like Ruby: The Last Fireblood (In Tempesia).

Similarities aside, or perhaps because of, I really enjoyed this book. The world building is fantastic and pulls you in from the first page and I loved loved the mythological elements with the gods of the four winds (I’m such a huge mythology nerd). Ruby, the main character, is strong and willful, stubborn to a fault, and possesses an inner core of tempered steel – I loved her and can’t wait to read more of her journey. Although there is a romantic element in this book, “the icy young man she has come to love” from the book description, it wasn’t the main focus here. This is a story of a young woman coming into her own, discovering her own power, and learning along the way how to take back control as she finds herself again and again forced into situations that would break a weaker person.

Frostblood was a great read and so easy to get lost in and the Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Greek/Roman Mythology vibe of the book only made me love it more. Frostblood is the first book in the Frostblood Saga with Book 2: Fireblood slated to come out September 2017  – I’m super excited to be able to delve back into this world so soon!

Ruby Otrera is literally a girl with fire in her blood; not only can she summon and control fire, but she physically runs hotter to the touch and her passions burn brighter than those of other people. For this feisty, fearsome, Fireblood girl I recommend Mr Hoban’s Coffee Roastery Flame Girl – a wonderfully smooth tasting coffee with subtle fruity hints and chocolaty caramel overtones.