Fireblood by Elly Blake | ARC Review

Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2) by Elly Blake
Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 416
Source: ARC from the NOVL
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Goodreads Description

All hail the Fire Queen.

Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his throne of ice. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby’s powers and past…

Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fire Queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax—which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, Ruby no longer knows whom to trust. The fates of two kingdoms are now in her hands.

My Thoughts

Before starting Fireblood I decided to reread Frostblood since I didn't remember too much of the story. I have already reviewed it but after this read I decided to drop my initial rating to 3 stars. It's not that I thought the book was bad, I just couldn't understand why I had given it 4 stars the first time I read it. With that being said, Fireblood was amazing!

Everything I felt was missing while reading Frostblood was given to me in this installment of the series. I felt connected to the main character, Ruby, almost immediately and I was invested in her story. I know this might sound a little crazy but before I felt like there was a distance between the main character and myself. So, while I was interested in the storyline I didn't really care what happened to Ruby or wasn't impacted when something bad happened to her during the first book. Everything about Ruby's character felt real and relatable which made me love her.

Going along with that, there was a lot more tension in the actual story. At least it was for me. Ruby takes so many risks throughout Fireblood and my heart was pounding each moment I was waiting to see the outcome of a decision she made. This brings me back to what I mentioned before, I was a lot more invested in Ruby's story. Also, I felt like the story wasn't as familiar as it was in the first book. A big criticism about Frostblood was that its as similar to too many other young adult fantasy novels and while I agreed I still thought the story had its own unique touch. Fireblood took that and expanded upon it, shaping the story into something I've never personally come across.

While I had some predictions I was not expecting some of the bigger plot points that were revealed. Fireblood was luckily not one of those books that was a victim to the middle book slump. Actually it improved upon the foundation that was set in the opening. Although a journey ended by the end of Fireblood I can't wait to see where these characters go and how their story will end in Nightblood, the conclusion of this trilogy.

Frostblood by Elly Blake | ARC Review

Frostblood by Elly Blake
Publisher: Little, Brown
Expected Publication Date: January 17, 2017
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 384
Source: Received through the NOVL's newletter
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Goodreads Description

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.

Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.

My Thoughts

As you can see from the description, Frostblood follows 17 year old Ruby who is fireblood among a ruling class of frostbloods so she has to hide her powers. The main character has something about her that makes her special and suddenly she's alone with no family and imprisoned. Eventually someone comes and offers her freedom in exchange for her help. Honestly, going into this book I was a bit worried because of the cliches. I will say that although this book did follow along with those cliches, I was still surprised with the direction that Elly Blake took the story.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I haven't read a lot of fantasy so I always get worried that I will have difficulties following along with the world. That was not the case with Frostblood. I was able to fall right into the world without getting lost. In addition to being easy to follow along with, I was able to see and feel the world that was introduced. I also really liked the writing style. Elly Blake's writing isn't super complex but it kept me interested in what was going on and what would come next.

When it came to the characters I was back and forth. I definitely had my favorites, which I'm not going to get into because I don't want to spoil anything. There was some nice character development throughout this first book. I wish there could have been more time for some characters because I would have loved to see their story arc. It is obvious that there is still a long way for the characters to go in the future and I'm looking forward to seeing that growth.

The most surprising part of the story was the plot. After the opening I wasn't really sure where the story would go. The middle of the book was a little dull since there wasn't a lot going on and because of this that period of time was summed up to make more for the actions parts that were coming. Around the last 150 pages things really started picking up. There was a lot more action while also learning a little more about Ruby and the kingdom she's living in. At times I felt like some things were resolved too simply to be realistic. I was not expecting the story to go in the direction it did and the ending left it so there are a lot of ideas that can be explored in the future.

Overall I really enjoyed this debut by Elly Blake and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. Frostblood is a book set in a magical world that is beautiful and dangerous. I'm a little sad that I read this so early because now I have to wait even longer for the sequel. I'm excited for you guys to read this book next year so we can discuss it together.

Favorite Quotes

"I breathed in a gasp that stole the air from the sky, the trees, the world."

"Those who can't control themselves will find themselves under the control of others."

"Ruthlessness is not power. Tyranny is not strength."

"My heart beat once, twice, and I was filled with a terrible pressure of countless sunsets."