Firefrost | Book Review | By Camille Longley
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Title- Firefrost (#0 Flameskin Chronicles)
Author- Camille Longley
Publisher- Camille Longley
Genre- YA Fantasy / Romance
Links- Book Depository | Goodreads | Amazon
My Rating-★★★★✰
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Contents
Synopsis
My Review
About the Author
“A huntress and a demon on opposite sides of a war must learn to get along in order to survive. This YA fantasy romance brings together elements of ice and fire in a story of survival, magic and romance.“
Synopsis
Sol is a huntress and the only one who can navigate the treacherous mountain pass of the mystical Ulve Mountains so late in the season.
Kelan is a Lieutenant in the Flameskin army, charged with the task of killing a high-born lady rumoured to be travelling through the dangerous mountain pass.
A turn of events destroys both parties’ plans. Sol and Kelan are forced to team up and survive in impossible circumstances. Sol is blinded by a long ingrained hatred of Flameskins. Kelen is constantly battling his inner demon/ pyra who is fighting to take possession of his body.
Ice and fire. These unlikely companions slowly learn to get along. Sol learns that there is more to Kelan than the demon that gives him power, and at the same time she begins to accept who she truly is.
Something that has been hidden from her her whole life. From two sides of a fiery war, Sol and Kelen must find a way to work together and perhaps change the world.
Firefrost by Camille Longley Book Review. Photo by Jenny Sandiford.
My Review
I was hooked on this book right from the start. The opening images of the blue uniformed Tokken army in the snowy mountains being led by Sol the huntress had me interested. Then in contrast, Kelan being introduced as part of the red Flameskin army, all the while his pyra/demon hissed at him to kill and set fire to the world. This is very much a character driven book and was hooked by both characters right from the start, eagerly awaiting their meeting.
Plot
The plot was a little disjointed. I loved the first two thirds of the book and read all of this in one day. The journey through the mountains with Sol and Kelen was great. So many arguments, all the hate against each other and the tension building up was wonderful. I really enjoyed this first half of the book.
But the second half almost felt like a separate book. The first half was fast paced and addictive, where leading up to the last third I started getting distracted and lost a lot of what was going on. There were a lot of characters to keep up with and several opposing forces. I wasn’t sure what side some of the characters were on towards the end. But it was enjoyable all the way though, even though I feel the pacing was a bit off at times.
It is very much a character driven book, and the romance arc drives the plot more than the events.
Setting
I really enjoyed the setting of the mountains. I got a clear feeling of the deathly cold and underlying magic of the surroundings. Mostly through the characters reactions to the cold which felt very real, and horribly cold (I hate the cold, it felt real to me). Since the magic is centred around fire, it was a perfect setting to introduce the limitations and abilities of magic that Flameskins have in regards to pushing powers to the limits in extreme conditions. There wasn’t much description on setting but you always had a general feel for where they were. It was not so much focused on pretty writing or elaborate descriptions, rather we got a detailed experience with the characters.
World building
I thought the magic system was quite creative. It was simple and easy to follow, but interesting and unique. The Flameskins could harness the powers of the demons within them, pyra. But with the very high price of walking a fine line between having control of their bodies, or being possessed completely and loosing themselves to fire and destruction.
The Mages had similar powers, but from a different source and with different consequences, still a high price. There were several armies and cultures, and I admit I did get lost on all these and skimmed over the detail. But since this is a prequel book I feel like it is going to be a good set up for the series, which I am looking forward to reading and finding out more detail about this world.
Characters
Kelen was my favourite character. This was purely because of thought of him as Prince Zuko (from the final episodes of the Last Airbender). Right from the start, he showed fire-bending skills and a similar redemption arc as Prince Zuko. I was hooked. Kelen is battling with literal and figurative demons, he knows there is another way to live outside the Flameskin army, he just needs to find a way.
Sol is set in her ways and hellbent on supporting the end of all Flameskins. She is cold hearted and in denial about herself and what she might be capable of. She is independent, resourceful and a fierce hunter. She also fights an internal battle, going against everything she has been taught to help a Flameskin solider.
Sol and Kelen are forced to survive together and slowly see the world through each other’s eyes. The first half of the book is them fighting and getting to know each other. But it all happens quite quickly and seems like a bit of instalove. But worth reading for the moments of tension and the eventual hate to love moments.
Summary
This is the debut book for Author Camille Longley, and I would highly recommend reading it. There is a good mix of romance and fantasy with great main characters. I feel there are more great things to come and I will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the Flameskin Chronicle series.
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Firefrost By Camille Longley Book Review- Jenny Sandiford
Firefrost By Camille Longley Book Review- Jenny Sandiford
The Author- Camille Longley
Check out Camille Longley’s Website
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About the reviewer- Jenny sandiford
Hi I’m Jenny. I am passionate about promoting new authors and sharing any amazing books I find with the world. I am a book blogger, bookstagrammer, YA fantasy writer and travel writer.
I’m also a lover of nature, hiking, Harry Potter, cats, fantasy lands and quiet places.
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