Frostfire

By: Amanda Hocking

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Hidden deep in the heart of a snow-covered wilderness lies the secret kingdom of the Kanin - a magical realm as beautiful as it is treacherous....

Bryn Aven has never fit into Kanin society. Her blond hair and blue eyes set her apart as an outsider - a half-blood unable to hold a respectable rank. But she's determined to prove herself as a loyal protector of the kingdom she loves. Her dream is to become a member of the King's elite guard, and she's not going to let anything stand in her way... not even her growing feelings for her boss, Ridley Dresden. A relationship between them is strictly forbidden, but Bryn can't fight her attraction to him. And she's beginning to think he feels it too. Meanwhile, there's an attack on the kingdom - one that will test Bryn's strength like never before. Finally, she has the chance to confront Konstantin Black, the traitor who tried to kill her father years ago. It's up to Bryn to put a stop to him before he strikes again. But is she willing to risk everything to protect a kingdom that doesn't accept her for who she really is? And when her mission brings her closer to Ridley, will she be able to deny her heart?

©2014 Amanda Hocking (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Great Series

love Amanda Hocking book and the Tylle series. I hope for more books by her. The narrator did a good job. That is important because I don't like shrieking voices.

Can't wait for the next one(s)

What made the experience of listening to Frostfire the most enjoyable?

Excellent performance. Her accent added the Canadian feel when necessary and the faux British as well. Story is good, although I sort of want a bit more action or plot unfolding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story moves slowly enough that I was fine listening in chunks as I was driving.

No resolution at all.

The story dragged in too many places. Too much time spent on nothing scenes and there was nothing solved in this book. Lame.

Good plot smothered by too much waffling romance

As above, plot is lost in waffling romance and leaves characters without any closure. Can't stand alone so not sure if I will chance the next book doing the same.

Great book

this is another one of my favorite authors, I've read her other two series and haven't been disappointed yet.

Interesting idea, lots of filler

I like the world building enough, and it’s a very interesting concept. I just felt like there was a lot of filler that was unnecessary. I’m still looking forward to the next book.

A great spinoff to a magical world...

Would you listen to Frostfire again? Why?

4 Stars

I've been so eager to read FROSTFIRE since I seen the amazing cover last year and fell madly in love with it. And the rest of the series covers are just as amazing, if not better!! And when I received my ARC for review, I nearly jumped for joy at it's awesomeness!!

But honestly, I may have had my exceptions a little too high. I read Hocking's Zombie series and absolutely LOVED it. So I guess I may have set my standards to those same exceptions, because it wasn't as good as I hoped, and it ended without giving too much incite on the plot and the reasoning behind the plot of the story. But nevertheless, FROSTFIRE was still enjoyable and totally an engaging read, that I was quickly entangled with and didn't want to put down once I was ensnared.

Let me elaborate...

I loved the world building. The plot of the story was alluring and absolutely appealing. But the pacing and lack of depth didn't back up the story to the full worth of the plot. It had some plot holes, and not enough info to back it all up. It felt like it dragged a bit from time to time, and then their wasn't enough answers to support the full drama and mystery that made this story. And by the end of the book we still don't get answers to why things that happened in the book happened. And that was a little irritating because I desperately wanted to know WHY???

THE PLOT

Bryn just wants to be normal, fit in with the same people she's pledged her allegiance too. She's an outcast among the Kanin tribe. Always has been and always will be if she doesn't do something to change it.

Her dream is to become a Hogdragen, one of the finest guards the Kanin has to offer. But since she's half Skojare and half Kanin, she's considered to be the lesser of the full-breed Kanin. But Bryn has never let that stop her from trying, and she's not about to start now!

So Bryn is determined to work her way up the ranks, starting with being a Tracker, tracking the Changelings and convincing them it's time to return home to their Kanin heritage. Thanks to her boss and good friend Ridley, he keeps her on a narrow path, reminding her that she is in fact something special, no matter what her race is. But it's getting harder and harder to deny the feelings she has for him. The rush she feels when he's around. The overpowering desire her body convulses with when he's close. But it's a dangerous, forbidden game she's playing here, and she may just be the one to get burnt.

But there is something that haunts Bryn's dreams, something that almost destroyed her world, something that's come back to finish the job...

Four years ago, a fallen hero named Konstantin went from being the most admired man, to the most hated in a matter a minutes. He crossed a line that not even Bryn, who has secretly been in love with him can forgive. Mater of fact, the betrayal hits more home to her family then any other Kanins, and she's determined to understand the reasoning behind his actions, and then see him put to justice for the crimes he's committed against her, her family, the kingdom, and the Changelings once and for all.

But Bryn's dreams to rise the ranks and become a Hogdragen have to get put on hold when her nightmares literally come true. The Kanin traitor and wanted fugitive Konstantin has resurfaced after four years, and is picking their Changelings off one by one. Bryn and the rest of the trackers are unsure of his true motives and who else is really behind it all. But one thing is for certain, he must be stopped, and she is determined to find him and put an end to it once and for all.

But as Bryn digs deeper into these kidnappings, something is telling her theirs more to the story then she once thought. Someone is sitting back in the shadows pulling the strings, but who, and why? And Konstantin was one of the Kanin's greatest Hogdragen in their history, so why was he so quickly willing to throw it all a way for what seems like nothing?

It all makes no sense, but Bryn is out for answers—answers that seem to only create more questions. Bryn is willing to go to great lengths to reveal that truth behind the kidnappings and who's really behind them. But from the beginning the puzzles didn't seem to fit, and now more then ever, the pieces are starting to come together. But before all is said and done, the truth might bring the kingdoms to their knees...

Overall, even with the lack of development and explanation, I still enjoyed it, a lot! I'm looking forward to continuing this series and seeing how it all plays out, and hopefully getting the answers that I desperately seek!! If you love books with magical worlds, built around tough, driven characters, with determination to survive, then you should definitely check out FROSTFIRE!!!

**AUDIOBOOK IMPRESSIONS**

I really enjoyed the narration of FROSTFIRE. The narrator, Eileen Stevens was well suited for this type of story. Her voice and acting portrayed a teenagers, and fit well with the plot. Her performance blended the right sounds, stops and pauses just at the right time. The emotional feel Eileen radiated with her voice allowed me to experience the characters feelings in overdrive! It's a wonderful feeling to have a narrator put you in the characters shoes with her define and alluring narration!! I will definitely listen to more books by this narrator in the future!!

NOTE: I received a Physical ARC from St. Martin's Griffin & a audiobook from audible for reviewing purposes! All opinions express are my own and are not influenced in any way!

ok

The story would have been better for me with a different narrator. It made it hard for me to want to finish the book.

Excellent part one of a bigger fantasy story

I re-read this book, and much more carefully, as I didn't remember it at all from six years earlier. In fact, I only just discovered I read it six years ago. I raised my old rating. World-building is excellent, plot and overall writing is great. The fantasy world is nestled in our modern "normal" world. The main character is mature, yet does some immature things a few times, but overall is a strong and determined your woman. The cast of characters is well-drawn and intriguing. I liked it enough to start the sequel immediately. Great narration.

Not too bad

I couldn't decide if I found the main character (Bryn) exceptionally annoying, or if it was the readers voice/slight-accent on the letter "O's". I definitely enjoyed the Trylle trilogy much better, but I do find myself curious about what happens next, just not curious enough to waste a credit...