AUDIOBOOK REVIEW | Frostblood by Elly Blake

Title: Frostblood
Author: Elly Blake
Series? Yes, a trilogy
Publiction Date: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Readers
Source: I checked out this audiobook via Overdrive!

The frost king will burn.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has concealed her powers of heat and flame from the cruel Frostblood ruling class her entire life. But when her mother is killed trying to protect her, and rebel Frostbloods demand her help to overthrow their bloodthirsty king, she agrees to come out of hiding, desperate to have her revenge.

Despite her unpredictable abilities, Ruby trains with the rebels and the infuriating—yet irresistible—Arcus, who seems to think of her as nothing more than a weapon. But before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to compete 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.

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I had such  fun time with Frostblood! Now let me preface this by saying that I also didn't take Frostblood too seriously. I mean, it's a stereotypical fantasy novel, and it falls into all the genres tropes. And you know what? I reveled it. I thought that Frostblood was such n entertaining read. Even though it lacked originality most times, I think the characters made up for it. 

Frostblood is about our main character Ruby, who is a fireblood. She is naturally hot all the time, can conjure up fire, and is interested in using her powers for healing. One fateful night, her life of secrecy is completely upturned and she is thrown into jail. Firebloods are persecuted under the cold rule of the king, who is a frostblood. He has nothing but contempt for firebloods, and Ruby is doomed to die. I'll end the synopsis there as to not get into spoiler territory, but I'm sure you can assume she doesn't die right away considering that this is a full length novel. 

my initial thoughts. :)

Like I mentioned, this book isn't too original. I'm sure you could also come to that conclusion from the synopsis as well. I was able to guess a lot of what happened, but I didn't really mind. I think what helped was going in with the mindset that I wouldn't be blown away by this novel. Because I lowered my expectations, I was really able to enjoy this book a lot more. I will say, even though this book falls into a lot of fantasy tropes, I was actually surprised by one of the twists in this book! I was very pleasantly surprised. I actually rewinded part of that audiobook to rehear it! So not all of the book falls flat in terms of originality. 

Personally, the  characters made up for the lack originality. Depending on whether or not your a plot or character reader, this will make or break the book for you. For me, as long as there are characters to root for, I'm pretty happy. At first, I didn't like Ruby too much, but she really grew on me. Ruby is very firm in who she is. She is not your damsel in distress, she stands up for herself. I loved how feisty she was, and it made for some very compelling and interesting interactions (especially the romance)!

Don't take my word that this book is good! Take Alyssa's!

I've personally heard "meh" things about the romance, but I disagree with those naysayers! Maybe it's because I was listening to the narration, but the romance really worked for me. I thought it was very endearing. Elly Blake was not heavy handed with the romance at all. Yes, there are some steamy scenes, so don't get disappointed! I did appreciate that it took a back-burner to the action of the plot. This book is a fantasy, and Blake did a great job staying in her lane. It's always great when authors push boundaries, but I was content with Frostblood's simplicity. 

Although Frostblood isn't too original, the characters more than make up for it. The writing style was also great for an audiobook as well. It was so easy to follow along, and I often found myself completely immersed in the story. If you are interested in the audiobook, I recommend it. The romance really sells, and the characters are what made the story stand out. I will definitely reading the sequel, Fireblood, which is coming out September 12th!!! That is so soon, considering this book was just published earlier this year. And I'm living for it! 

With that, I give this book

3.5 out of 5 Stars!