Book Review :: Frostblood, by Elly Blake

Frostblood by Elly Blake
ISBN: 9781473635180
Series: Frostblood #1
Published by Hachette NZ
on January 11th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Source: Hachette Publishing NZ
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Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind.

So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part 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.

Last updated on 7 June 2022

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Is Frostblood by Elly Blake worth reading?

Frostblood was fast-paced and unique. I really loved the idea of fireblood and frostbloods, though I was kind of longing for something like Earthblood and/or Airbloods to show up, and complete the element circle. Perhaps I read too much fantasy and Young Adult.

But seriously, Frostblood was a really neat book. The beginning was one of shock, immediately coming in with a bang, Ruby’s mother being killed. She’s then whisked away from her town and into capture. After months, she’s rescued and taken, mostly against her will, to a monastery where she starts training. Her fireblood powers are strong – she’s possibly one of the last of her kind – but she has never really truly let them surface. Ruby needs training, she needs to control her powers.

“You don’t know the effect your words have on me, Lady Firebrand. It took years to build up this ice. You will melt it and then I will be broken.”

Living with the monk is Frostblood, Arcus. While they don’t get along at first, of course, he ends up being the love interest – affairs between fire and frost rarely end well – but he is a great character and I really liked him. They are literal opposites, fire and ice, and their chemistry and romance is done well.

Told in first person from Ruby’s perspective, it moves along at a quick pace, as I mentioned, and while it did follow the usual tropes of a lot of Young Adult novels these days, I think it was a really original take on it, and Blake wrote the characters and their personalities really well.

The power aspect was well written, and I like it how it was two powers, one which dominated, and one which was becoming extinct. The push and pull from both sides was excellent, and the figureheads and people in charge were creative, yet definitely asserted their control and authority.

Frostblood was a great beginning to what I’m sure will be a really great YA series from Blake.

Have you read Frostblood? What did you think? 

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Thank you to Hachette Publishing who sent me a copy of this book for review. This does not affect my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.