Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who’s determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She’s not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process?

This was the first book I picked up after reading Red Queen. I read the first 19% and hated it—probably because, you know, I was unfairly comparing it to Red Queen. So I set Frostfire down and picked up a completely different book.

Then I was approved on Net Galley for the second book in the Kanin series, and I realized I definitely had to finish Frostfire now. So, with a sigh, I resumed.

Oops. And got pretty sucked in and realized that I was being very unfair in comparing it to Red Queen because they’re night and day.

Apparently this is an offshoot of the Trylle series. I’ve never read the Trylle series. I had no problem reading Frostfire, so I’m assuming you don’t have to read the Trylle series to make it through the Kanin series. Cool? Cool.

My issues with Frostfire are completely personal and are little things that bother the hell out of me but won’t phase other people. I get that. But this is a review, and I must cover them.

The timeline through me off. It’s set in present day. Like, referencing Imagine Dragons, Adele, and Ellie Goulding present day. When I’m reading, I rely heavily on the suspension of disbelief. Even in most present day novels, say, set in New York City or some Nicholas Sparks town in South Carolina, it’s never that apparent that the book was written very recently because things aren’t typically referenced. For some reason, these 2014 references really yanked me out of the story and into real life. They were sprinkled throughout the book and my weird self found them very, very jarring.

There was also A LOT of worldbuilding dumping going on for the first half of the book. Though it was disguised as Bryn explaining troll history to a changeling, it was a ton of information to take in at once.

That being said, I really enjoy the way that Hocking writes. Despite the modern day references, she does a great job at describing surroundings, emotions, and physical details. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what the characters look like and talk like, which I appreciate. Apparently, all trolls are hotties and do not resemble the creepy ones that were around in the nineties.

I didn’t really become invested in the story and characters until about 76% in. After finishing this, I am very curious as to what will unfold in the second book, so I’m now invested in the series. I’m hoping that I enjoy the second book more than the first. That being said, I would rate it a 3/5 for me. If you’re into paranormal modern-day YA, this will probably be a good fit for you.