The book series Frostblood by Elly Blake is a trilogy that followed the story of a 17-year-old girl named Ruby who is what is known as a Fireblood. She has the ability to control and harness fire. The only problem with that is she lives in a country of Frostbloods, who has the ability to control ice and frost- firebloods are the enemy. When her mother is killed trying to protect her she is asked to come out of hiding by rebels who wish to overthrow their icy bloodthirsty king. She trains with a man named Arcus who at first sees her as nothing more than a naive girl and a weapon against the throne. Before the rebels can carry out their plan Ruby is captured and forced to fight her life in a game against frostbloods for the king's entertainment. She only gets one chance to destroy the frostblood ruler as well as save the Icy stranger, Arcus, who she has fallen for.
This summary is basically just how the book starts because I don't want to give too much away, the story expands drastically past the kingdom and the ice king as you find out that the King is more than just an evil man. Darkness and death threaten everything they love and they have to fight to reclaim their home. If this sounds interesting to you, I'd go for it because the books are rather small. so the story would not take long at all.
*Spoilers ahead*
(Ruby, Arcus, Ruby)
What I liked;
Firebloods and Frostbloods. I do like the characteristics that were attributed to characters based on if they were a fire/frost blood. Frostbloods sit at lower body temperature, they hold grudges for longer. Firebloods are hot-headed and wild. There is something comforting in the easy aesthetic surrounding the familiar trope. (cold against hot, good versus evil, opposites- you get it)
I didn't feel like I have to absorb a ton of information which made it an easy read.
The story starts fast which I liked, I didn't feel like I was waiting around chapter after chapter for something exciting to happen. Her mother dies early in the story and things really take off from there.
The world and the culture were easy to follow, and I didn't ever feel lost, which let me really focus on the storyline rather than the world, which sometimes can be boring, but I was looking for an easy read so this was nice.
Ruby is shot head, which I like because it's different from the stories I have read. From what I have ready from other series characters usually grow into their anger and smart-asses, Ruby just has it which I like.
I really liked Arcus at the beginning and the love story as it grew. Arcus is handsome and I like the twists in his character development as you read on.
Team Prince Kai, all day every freakin day. He is such a sass pot I love him so much.
What I didn't;
For me I got bored at the beginning of Night blood, the last book in the series, I think the politics really dried it up for me. BUT, I forced threw and the ending is so great, I'm glad I pushed through the dry stop.
Arcus and Ruby, in the last book I didn't really like their relationship, I mean the ending was so romantic and I cried. CRIED. But because I love Kai I wish they would have ended up together, sadly they didn't. There was just so much sass and excitement with the two of them, I wanted more for them.
The intimate scene I was hoping for never happened, not even a fade out of what was to be an intimate scene. The author teases us with it time and time again and then nothing. I guess that's fine because many people didn't care about those scenes, but I felt robbed of it. The relationship kept building and the tension kept rising and then nothing.
Ruby didn't become Queen of the fire bloods, which I wish she would have, she deserved it after all she sacrificed.
Overall mouthfeel (Brooklyn 99 reference);
It was a good story, easy to follow, and has a great ending. I like how she ended it, though I think there should have been a bit more loss, someone should have died. I know no one really wants that BUT I know it's necessary, I always feel so much more connected to books that have some sort of death of a beloved character. There was a point in the ending where we thought someone was dead and I cried hard, and I felt so much more love for the book. But of course, they were brought back to life, so eh.
The series is good and unique in its own ways but overall a great trilogy if you are first getting into books or getting back in after a long hiatus.
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