Jamie Littler

In the frozen north, in the Fira Stronghold, Ash is feared and mistrusted because he's a Song Weaver; it is believed that Song Weavers can control the dangerous Leviathans and set them on unsuspecting people. His only ally is his grumpy yeti guardian Tobu. When the sleigh Frostheart calls in for emergency repairs, Ash sees his chance to escape in order to find his parents, who left him with the Fira when he was only a baby.

For a debut novel, this tale of adventure and friendship is amazingly show more confident, and the artwork (by the author) is simply stunning. Aimed at a readership of about nine- to eleven-year-olds, the twists and turns of the story are just right, though for a grown-up some of the passages are somewhat predictable. There are some fast-paced and exciting action sequences, and the author also tackles some bigger themes like loneliness, belonging, loyalty, kindness and compassion. My son loved it, and the second volume is already lined up to be enjoyed together. show less

I laughed, I gasped, I paced around my room with the book in hand because I couldn't sit still.
This was a wild ride in the best way.

This book might be the most serious and suspenseful of this author. Book 1 had possible execution on charges of treason, this one has mechanical blade-wielding saw traps and multiple deaths happening in front of the protagonists eyes. I thought it was fitting, but maybe it’s not for the squeamish middle grade reader?

The plot was good. Like its predecessor it show more involved lots of trickery, lying and cheating. Arkspire as a city is a highly original setting that created lots of opportunities for high-stakes adventures. The twists were a bit more predictable than in Frostheart, but maybe that has to do with the fact that there is far more foreshadowing in Arkspire. They still had me gasping, so I’m not complaining in the slightest.

I loved Cinder as the manifestation of Juniper’s own feelings. She feels unimportant and overlooked and wants to be acknowledged. She sees herself in Cinder and whatever magical bind they share lets Cinder influence her as well.
The push and pull between Juniper’s desire to do no harm and the feelings of hopelessness that warrant desperate (and deadly) measures was fascinating.

I loved her complex feelings towards her sister as well. She resents Elodie. She wants to be Elodie. She is tired of being a shadow, but doesn’t see that she makes Thea her shadow.
Thea has grown from the sidekick from book 1 into a character wholly her own, the prodigal sidekick is no longer supporting Juniper, she has a mind of her own.
Both of these other girls highlight Junipers own flaws perfectly. And Juniper is flawed, moreso than Ash. She can be egocentric, angry and brazen. It’s both her strength and what leads to her downfall.

And lastly, every single thing Juniper does comes back to haunt her. Every decision makes sense when she makes it, but in the end, all the threads she left hanging get twined together into a noose she cannot escape. That’s masterful plotting and great writing at its finest.
I cannot wait for book 3. show less

4,5 stars

The paperback could not be delivered, so I caved and got the ebook in the evening. It is 23:36, I stayed up to finish this, and I do not regret it.

Book 2 blew me away with how all Juniper’s choices came back to haunt her. While reading, her actions made sense, but when everyone turned on her in the end, their reasons made sense too.
It made book 3 one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was a great conclusion to the series. The finale is filled with the fast paced show more adventures that made the previous two so great.

This book picks up where the second left off, and Juniper has to deal with the consequences of her own actions. She has a lot to make right, and it’s rough. Nothing is forgiven easily among these main characters, which created a wonderful complexity to the story and the characters.
Thea, Nyx, Elodie and Cinder all have their grievances, and the magic added depth to the angry insults slung back and forth. Are they from the person speaking, or the arcanist in them? Is this character putting on an act, or are they finally saying what they always felt?
It was great arc about a main character getting humbled. Because if one person acts like the main character, people are bound to get fed up by it.

Thea has grown from the standard sidekick in book 1 to an amazing character in her own right, and Cinder has developed from a funny animal companion to an otherworldly terror that looms with dread. The highlight was the troubled relationship between Juniper and Elodie, which has been a red thread through the entire series. Without spoiling anything, I can say I was very happy with how the sisters conflict went. The final struggle was never merely the arcanists, but Juniper’s own feelings towards her sister.

The story is definitely on the upper side of middle grade, and grim at times, but never becomes too heavy due to some well placed humourous observations. We’ve had trials for treason, gunfire, attacking skeletons and a murderous Cinder already. This one is no different.

Finally, there is a very mature layer to this book when it comes to the use of (mis)information. Every player in this game is using mouthpieces to twist words, and twist the news in general, to steer the volatile public opinion. The author does a great job showing that all the antagonistic people of Arkspire act the way they do because they do not know the full story.
And unearthing this full story is a difficult quest. Cinder isn’t going to tell his deep secrets out of self preservation, and Nyx still has a rightful grudge against Juniper.

Two very minor nitpicks would be that Everard’s character arc did not have as much development as the other’s and how things ended with Cinder. Cinder is trapped and his release was dangling over the story like Damocles’ sword. After so many pages of tension, I expected slightly more pages dedicated to him.

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I support Juniper's revenge arc whatever it may be

The contrast between Ash who was like "I dont know about all this magic! I don't want this drama I just want my parents" and Juniper's "lie, cheat, steal. everything that goes wrong is a future me problem" is still one of my favourite things, so I can't wait to see Juniper lie cheat and steal some more show less

After years of feeling like a let-down, like she was nothing but trouble, Juniper could see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. They were actually proud of her. Which was why it hurt so much. They were proud of a lie – one that was fast getting away from her. It was snowballing down a mountainside towards the jagged rocks at the bottom with her stuck inside.

Juniper is a petty thief, stealing magical relics to make money, and also for the fun of it. Her twin Elodie follows every rule show more of the city, including taking every magical artifact to be locked up. She is at a fancy school, trying to make it there as less rich person.
Then, Juniper accidentally gets herself attached to a little demonic creature. She has to prove to the world that she is good magic and not out-of-the-city bad magic, or she’ll be declared an enemy of the city.

From the start, I liked the conflict between the sisters. It’s obvious there’s something not 100% right about the rulers of Arkspire hoarding magic, but at the same time whatever is outside of the city is dangerous. Elodie is right to work hard to climb the social ladder in the hopes of doing good for the city, even if she gets slack for it. Juniper is also right, because the artifacts that get locked up could have made their family much needed money too.

The reveals at the end of the book made it feel slightly more black and white than the complex morally grey world of Frostheart where everyone was wrong, but everyone had good intentions as well. Maybe that’s because it’s the first book. The first book of the Frostheart trilogy was a bit cliche as well, but the second and third were jaw-dropping. Who knows what surprises the rest of this trilogy has in store.

The secondary characters Thea and Everard felt a bit flat sometimes, she is endlessly excited about danger and he is full of himself and a rule follower. Juniper herself made up for it though. She is bold, rude, a little selfish and a daring improviser. I also think this book was funnier than the Frostheart series, mainly because Juniper was a more comedic main character.
She’s lying, stealing, pestering demons and bullshitting herself out of a treason charge. I loved seeing her cheat her way out of trouble and into more trouble.
Can’t wait for the sequel.

Ash: I dont know about all this magic. I did not sign up for this. I want a hug.
Juniper: hell yeah! Get in bestie we’re going stealing! Everything that goes wrong is a future me problem. show less