Review: The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly

The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this.  It is filled with political intrigue, magic, and a strong female lead who will do anything to save her people.  I really liked the magic system in this, it is fairly straightforward and uncomplicated.  Much of it seems to be up to the user to explore their limits and see what they can do.  I hope we learn more about the magic in book 2.  There is a ton of political posturing that takes place and our leading lady Askia has to learn to play the game fairly quickly if she wants to win over the court of the Vishiri to gain enough allies to get them to go to war with her.  You see Askia's crown was taken from her and she has traveled south to the Empire of Vishir to ask for aid to win it back from the false king and his puppet master the mad yet powerful emperor of Roven.  Askia wants to fight for her people and finds the politics a waste of time, but she receives council that if she wants help she will need to win over those who control the troops and have the ear of the Emperor of Vishir.  The longer she remains at court, she learns who she can trust and who she cannot.  She also begins training to use her own magic, which she has hidden for a long time for her own safety.  

Unlike most books with lots of characters I was able to keep them all straight and never lose track of who was who.   This isn't told in alternating perspectives which helps.  This is a bit slower paced than I prefer in my fantasy novels however it is so politically heavy that the pace fits the plot.  I expect that the next book is going to have a lot more action and we'll see a quicker pace as things being to happen based on how this book ended.  It does end on a tiny cliffhanger, but I think we all saw it coming and it wasn't that big of a surprise.  The world building was excellent.  The visuals were well described without being overly verbose.  There are hints of romance in this but it doesn't take center stage.  I suspect we will see more of the romance in book 2 as Askia's true feeling are revealed and the players and their motivations change.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I cannot wait for the next book.  I am dying to know what happens to Askia and the rest of the characters in the book.

View all my reviews