BOOK REVIEW: Frost by C.N. Crawford

"Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab." - George R.R. Martin

I'll start off by saying that I was able to receive an ARC of Frost through NetGalley. I've been on a huge fantasy kick lately, and when I came across this book I had to request it right away. It sounded so interesting, and I was really hoping that it lived up to my expectations. So do you think it did?

Frost is the first book in the Frost and Nectar series by C. N. Crawford. In it, we meet Ava, who on her birthday, finds her boyfriend (who she's been paying his mortgage while he's in school) in bed with someone he's been having an affair with for two years. She ends up going to a local bar to forget her hellish birthday, but ends up very publicly trash talking the fae Seelie king...to his face...and it gets recorded and shown throughout the country. Yikes.

The Seelie king is in the human territory (which he resides over), because it's time for him to choose a queen. He'll choose 100 fae women to compete in a tournament, which will be televised to the humans for the first time every. The tournament is completely fae though. Magic is used, cheating is encouraged, and blood will be shed.

Torin, the Seelie king, asks Ava to participate because of her lack of a filter. Despite her hatred for the fae realm, Ava agrees because $50 million is too good an offer to pass up. What has she gotten herself into though? Will she survive, and maybe even find out who she truly is?

So this review is a little late because this book came out on October 3rd (it's currently on Kindle Unlimited), but let me tell you I flew through this book. One of the things I loved most about it is that it's set in modern times. So many fae books I've read are set in different times, made up times, etc. This one talks about memes, TikTok, reality shows. It's amazing, and I'm so glad I found this author.

Not only does C.N. Crawford incorporate fae into our modern world, they also create amazing characters. Ava and Shalini both are women I can completely relate to, especially since they love reading (and especially smut). Ava is stubborn, but also tough as nails. She doesn't back off from a fight, but also is gracious to others. I really loved her character.

Another part of this book that I really enjoyed is just the all out fighting. While I'm mostly pretty peace-loving, I do love hockey for it's brutality. And that part of me really loved the parts of this book that were brutal. For those who aren't a huge fan of that though, it's not totally gruesome. There honestly are only one or two parts that truly made me cringe, and they're pretty spaced out.

And obviously, this is a fantasy romance read, so I can't get away with not saying anything about the romance between Torin, the Seelie king, and Ava. There is TENSION. And it's glorious. There's also a little side romance blooming, and I can't wait to see where both of these relationships go. Especially with Torin's little secret.

Ok, and for my final part of the review, THE ENDING. Y'all, I didn't see it coming exactly, but had hints throughout the book. The sequel comes out in January, but I need it RIGHT NOW. Until then, I'll be reading the rest of C. N. Crawford's books, hoping that they're as good as Frost and can hold me over until January!

Overall, I gave Frost four stars. It's a really interesting read, and I highly recommend it. If you’d like to see what I’m reading now, check out my Goodreads or follow us on Instagram and Facebook! If you’re excited to see what other topics we’ll be covering in the coming months, make sure to subscribe. Thanks for reading with me!