Review: Frostblood

Frostblood by Elly Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It seems like this first Elly Blake book is pretty love-it-or-hate-it because, as YA fantasy stories go, Frostblood takes a lot of inspiration from previous YA fantasies, to the point where, more than most of its contemporaries, it feels like it's copycatting at times. Especially given that its premise centers on a girl of a different type of blood, looked down on for it, and drafted into the rebellion to use her secret powers against the oppressive royalty. Hell, even the cover apes Red Queen a bit, with its dripping blood and plain silvery-white background.

I'm going to take a third option and say I neither loved nor hated this book. Sure, the copycatting is there, and very obvious, but there are a few unique touches which Blake weaves into her worldbuilding - like the powers in this 'verse explicitly associated with specific gods, specifically, the gods of the four winds. Which means there are two additional powers, not just fire and frost - and you'd be very surprised what some of them are (though not if you're a Sherlock fan, let's just say that.) So this book has a pretty even balance of overdone and new elements, enough to keep me interested and awaiting the sequel, Fireblood, with interest.

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