Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via the publisher (Winter Publishing House) in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
"Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good fright..."
The Quarrel of Sword and Bone was a death sentence for anyone who stepped into the arena with the deranged Queen, whose soul had crisped to frost in an age long since past.
Sixteen-year-old Helen Bell understood tragedy better than most kids growing up. She knew what it was like to wear clothes from donation bins and be mocked by the beautiful girls in high school. She thought those brutal experiences made her ready for anything, but she wasn't ready for this.
After an eccentric girl opens Helen's eyes to let her see the realm of Winter—a world with intersects tucked carefully into the cracks of our own, where monarchs have risen and fallen, it's forbidden to mention the name of The Dead King, and the currency is gold rings—Helen discovers things are far from ordinary in Winter. After trying to deny the existence of a disrupting train horn ringing in her ears for days, Helen receives a mysterious summons from a group who call themselves “The Crimson Court” to enter into The Quarrel of Sword and Bone—a traditional duel performed before one thousand witnesses that leaves only one survivor—and she’s forced to finally pay attention to the handsome boy who's been following her around with a warning on his tongue.
When the arrival of wicked villains propels Helen into the heart of Winter where there’s no going back, she finds herself being pursued by something else too—a whispered prayer battling on her behalf, and an ancient Truth that breathes living words of wisdom—the very wisdom forgotten by the Rime Folk when their disunity drove them to draw lines in the snow in an age of the past.
Helen must find a way out, or she’ll be dragged into the arena to face the crooked Queen head on before a crowd ready to watch her die.
Sarah's Review:
Overall this book was pretty good, and great for being Kropf's debut. In A Soul as Cold as Frost we follow Helen, a teenage girl, as she is thrust into the world of Winter against her will. This book has been marketed as a faith based fantasy comparable to The Chronicles of Narnia, and I would agree with the marketing team. This is definitely a faith based novel, however I think it's subtle enough that nonspiritual people will still enjoy the book. Comparing this book to The Chronicles of Narnia made me go into this book with way higher expectations then I usually do. C.S. Lewis left pretty big shoes to fill, and the author did a pretty good job.
The writing style is very descriptive, and there are a lot of adjectives. However, this gave us a clearer picture of Winter. The author didn't explain the concept of Winter until later in the book. I think this made it a little harder to understand because the reader figures out how the realm of Winter works as the main character does, and I definitely felt the confusion that Helen felt in trying to figure things out. I think this contributed to me having a hard time getting into the book. Once I was about 75% of the way through it really picked up for me though.
Helen is great heroine. I found her really likeable, and strong. The characters in the book were well written, and mostly likeable as well. It looks that this book is set up for a sequel, However I am just as content if this is a stand-a-lone.
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