Is it just me or are you getting déjà vu as well?Īnd I don't know why so many authors think there is anything interesting about pages and pages of training. Then, of course, the plot takes a completely mindblowing turn when our standard heroine with elemental powers (easy way of adding some magic without having to think too much about a magic system) teams up with a hot guy (Arcus) to get revenge on the royals who wronged her. There's nothing here I haven't read before. The book opens with her mother being murdered and Ruby being captured by Frostblood soldiers incidentally, this opening is almost identical to Carve the Mark, where Akos' father is murdered by the Shotet before Akos, himself, is captured. I feel like I have nothing to remember her by and it was really difficult to become invested in her story and troubles. this' world.Īlso, Ruby was uninteresting and bland. There is just no depth or complexity to a 'this vs. If only the world were that simple! If only there were just two groups of people with differences. It's the same with the Reds and Silvers in Red Queen, the Reds and Golds in Red Rising, and the Shotet and Thuvhe from Carve the Mark, as well as others.

Once again, this world is split evenly into two societal groups - an overdone technique that I find particularly lazy. This book follows the heroine - Ruby - who is a Fireblood in a world where Frostbloods are the ruling class. Stick an attractive cover on the front and lets see if we can fool people into buying the same book over and over again. It often feels as if YA fantasy publishers deliberately go looking for new authors to retell the same old recycled plots. Everything about it is familiar and predictable, leading to a read that offered up no excitement, no need to keep turning the pages. Have you read any mainstream YA fantasy book over the past few years? If so, it is likely you have already experienced this book with different character names.įrostblood is just so.

Frostblood by Elly Blake