Bitter Frost

Imagine dreaming about the same place and same people every night when you go to sleep. Then, when you turn 16, you find that the dream wasn't merely a dream, but a reality - a place where you have been, and a place you have no choice but to return to. What a great start to the perfect fantasy... Or is it?

This is my first novel by Kailin Gow and I promise it won't be the last! She has a wonderful way of capturing the reader from the start and easily transports them to an interesting and fascinating world of Feyland where fairies, pixies and werewolves exist - a beautiful place where magic is normal and necessary, and a place where humans normally cannot survive.

I must admit, I adored this book. The setting of Feyland, the main show more characters, the storyline - it was just what I needed for a day of escapism. I was smitten with the main characters. Breena, Kian, and Logan all have qualities that I'm sure every teen will be able to identify with. Breena is a girl who struggles with being unpopular, but still is a strong person. Kian is very easy on the eyes, but somewhat lacks in personality and backbone - or does he? Then there's Logan... the ever dedicated friend that would do anything for Breena. Each character has both strengths and weaknesses that make them realistic and easily someone you can become involved with. You will find yourself rooting for some, not liking others, and even left heartbroken when choices have to be made. It was a great read. I only have one complaint - I didn't want the book to end!

"Bitter Frost" is book one of the "Bitter Frost" series and will make you need want to read the second book to see what happens next. The second in the series " Forever Frost" is due out in September 2010. show less

First of all, the cover is beautiful. It looks like the girl on the front has dipped her lip in dark blue iridescent glitter. Her mouth is formed perfectly, too perfectly, and the skin is so pale that if you look closely you'll see ice on it. I don't know if that's dark hair behind her or if it's just darkness and I think there are frozen flowers falling from the title. It's a beautiful cover and it goes well with the story. I don't know of another author lately that I've read that can paint a picture so beautifully like Kailin Gow. She is an artist with words. I have to write just one description so you can understand. This is on page seven of the ARC in the prologue which you must never skip in a book. I've said that before and I will show more say it again. Much important information is in that prologue, that's why the writer bothered to write it. Continuing on:

"The music grew louder, and I could hear its melody. It was not like human music-no, not even

the most beautiful concertos, most elaborate sonatas. This was the music that humans try to make

and fail-the language of the stars as they twinkle, they rhythm of the human heart as it beats, the

glimmering harmony of all the planets and all the moons and all the secret melodies of nature."

Can you not hear that music in your mind and picture those words floating off into the midnight sky, like she wrote them in the air. She has such a way with words. If you love descriptions you'll love the way she does them. But it's not too much. It's not full of descriptions and nothing else, just when she does them, holy cow!

This is only part of what Breena, the main character dreams of every night. She dreams of playing in a palace with the Winter Prince Kian, and his sister, Shasta in a castle of gold. She dreams every night of Kian and her, learning as children how to dance their dance for the wedding, for they are supposed to be married. But then something terrible happens that separates the two courts and makes Breena and Kian enemies simply because of which court they belonged to and their marriage contract was voided. But their contract runs deeper than paper, its an older contract, one of magic and feelings. Breena believes her dreams are just that, dreams. But, when she finds a Pixie at her door on her 16th birthday, she finds out the truth. Feyland is real, she's a Faery Princess of the Summer Court and her best friend, Logan is a werewolf. What's more, all those beautiful paintings of the faery world she's been painting is a way for her to get into Feyland and Kian takes her prisoner at her house and takes her to Feyland.

Kian's intention is to take Breena to the Winter Queen and have her swapped for his sister Shasta who the Summer Queen has been holding hostage. The courts have been at war for a long time and much damage has been done. There is no way now that Breena and Kian can marry, they best they can hope for is that his mother will not torture Breena before he takes her to the Summer Court. But Breena is only a halfling. Her mother is human, her father the Summer King. Will Breena be welcomed by the Summer Court with the Summer Queen in charge? And a drunk satyr accidentally lets it slip that halflings are stronger than fairies because they can withstand faery magic/kisses and live so they are the strongest of humans and then they have magic as well.

Breena has agreed to go with Kian because she simply has no other choice. They've already had to battle minotaurs and a Pixie at her house when Kian led her away. Logan shows up and Breena tries to go with him only to find out that she's made a bargain with Kian. (If you should find yourself with a faery, never make a bargain. They are ironclad!) Logan morphs into a werewolf and while the two of them battle, the Pixie King steels Breena away while they can only watch. Breena works on her magic in the dungeon she is kept in as she pretends to consider the Pixie King's proposal, marriage giving him rights to the Summer Court or become his concubine. In an escape attempt, Kian is captured and a guilty conscience makes Breena insist she and Logan go back. In that attempt, Logan is killed and Breena blames herself. While consoling her, Kian and Breena kiss and find that the magic of love is stronger than a contract on paper or any other kind of magic and they realize their feelings for each other.

But the Winter and Summer Courts have plans of their own. Both Breena and Kian are in constant danger even though they are in a "safe" house. They could be discovered at any time. Kian teaches Breena about Fey customs and history and how to use her magic and how to fight. Which will come in handy as the Summer Court captures Breena and arrests her because she was banished from Feyland as a baby. While the Winter Court is capturing Kian and taking him back to the Winter Queen for not bringing Breena to her. Besides they tell him, they have a much better prisoner. Who could be better than the halfling banished at birth? Who will be able to save Breena? What will happen if there is peace between Summer and Winter?

Magic and love are the two most powerful forces in Feyland in Kailin Gow's novel. The two combined , to me, would seem to me to be unstoppable. This is truly a faery tale with magic, love and politics and war. The next book is already out called Forever Frost and then the next is Silver Frost which comes out in 2011. The Sparklesoup website shows a total of five books in the series.

I read this in a few hours. Definitely a quick read. It's just a short book with a great love story and the beginning of a great faery tale. Anyone that loves faery tales should love this. Very PG rated for the word concubine and maybe some other words with the same meaning. Nothing else. show less

I should start by saying that I got this book because of the pretty cover and the fairy premise; for $4.99 is looked like a steal and had excellent reviews. I had recently read both of Julie Kagawa's Iron Daughter books and was in the mood for more fairy court drama. This book was okay; it could have been great and it did start out really good. As the book went on though it lost depth and characters started sounding awkward and bored with themselves. Also it should be noted that this is a very short book; took just over an hour to read it.

Breena dreams nightly about a fairy court and a lovely fairy prince. It isn't until a boy disappears near her school and is found with human looking bites all over his body that she starts to fear show more there is more to her world than she knew. Then one night Breena is attacked by a Pixie, saved by a Fairy Prince named Kian, and forced into the fairy realm that she had before only dreamed about.

This book started off wonderfully; beautiful descriptions, a tough and fun heroine. As with a lot of these teen books there was a love triangle of sorts; Logan is Breena's protector and is a werewolf, Kian is Breena's fairy prince from long ago. Kian is a wonderful hero; beautiful, moody, honorable. The fairy courts are interesting, but after the first half of the book things began to decline.

For some reason about half-way through the book I just felt like things started to fizzle out, which is weird because that is when the action really picks up. Breena looses her personality and becomes this generic fairy princess; she looses a lot of spunkiness and kind of wanders around whereever people put her. All of the characters seem to loose their passion and become more like 2D figures being pushed through the pages. The dialogue was forced sounding and a bit stilted, it just didn't sound natural. In general the writing just seemed less polished and a bit immature.

There weren't really any surprises in the story it was very predictable and the world Gow created didn't add a lot of creativity to the fairy worlds I've read about before. Through the whole book I kept thinking...hmmm...this plot is a lot like The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa only 2D and not nearly as well written.

The book is very short, I read this on Kindle, and it took me maybe an hour to read. It also ends literally in the middle of a scene which kind of irks me. Of course I am sucker, so I bought the second book, Forever Frost, on Kindle because I just want to see what happens (and it was cheap). If the 2nd book is written like the first half of this book it will be great; if it is written like the second half I will be banging my head against a wall.

Overall an okay book if you are a fan of young adult fairy books. There are a number of series out there which are way better than this one though. I would recommend the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr (not my favorite but still better than this one), The Iron Daughter series by Julie Kagawa (absolutely one of the best fairy series I have read ever), A Modern Fairy Tale by Holly Black, and Theatre Illuminata by Lisa Mantchev. All of these are better young adult series featuring fairies. If you have made it though all of those and need a quick read, then for the price, this book is worth it. It is okay and somewhat entertaining; I hope that the second book is better. show less

Breena has just turned 16. She wakes up to find her mother gone. This is a bit unusual because her mom is always there to make a fuss about her birthday.
On the way to school Breena believes she sees odd creatures in the woods. Something blue, something not quite right… but she shrugs it off. Breena is not the most popular girl in school. Other girls have more money, better clothes and even better friends. After school and upon returning home to a still empty house her one and only friend, Logan, comes over to make her a birthday dinner. There is a knock at the door, a huge fight and at that moment Breena’s life changes forever. She enters Fairyland.

Apparently she is a half human half fairy sort of princess. Her father is the show more Summer King and her mother was his concubine. It appears that most fairies are infertile and in order to have children they must mate with a human. Breena’s father fell in love with her mother and that is why they are not living in the Summer Kingdom but instead live near a forest in Oregon. Sounds funny but it was truly a wonderful book. Again, it is one of my favorite kinds of YA fantasy…it is a quest. Breena must quickly become the princess that she was intended to be. She has to master magic and become outspoken and brave in order to survive. She is captured and escapes and has to use her wits and new found skills to save herself, her kingdom and her mother. At one point she is actually captured by Prince Kian, who at one time was her betrothed but now needs Breena in order to gain the return of his sister who is locked up in the Summer Kingdom. Much to Breena’s surprise, Logan appears in this land and he ,too, is not what he appears to be…

This was quite a fun book. The book was full of fast paced and fun adventures that were a bit frightening and heart stopping. I did not want to stop reading…I sort of raced through this book. It was that good. Not amazing award winning fiction but a very good story. What I did not like about it was the abrupt ending…I found that to be very unsatisfying. On my Kindle the book actually stopped at 80% or so…the rest of the space was excerpts from other books…I totally hate that. And the book ended in such a way as to make you have to buy the next one in the series…although I don’t think that is such a bad thing…but again…I was surprised when the book ended. It seemed a little manipulative. But it worked since I instantly bought the Forever Frost and am reading that now. show less

Fairy fans...this one is for you! I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to review this book!
Kailin writes beautifully and weaves a magical tale that you won't forget. Yes, it reminded me of other fairie stories I've read, but all of them remind me of each other as I think the basic research is the same. Bitter Frost had so many elements that I did find unique; I don't want to spoil the story so I'll just say that there are way more than fairies that go to and fro.
I loved these characters; Kailin was able to pack so much feeling into these teens that you almost felt like you knew them. The setting of the story, Feyland, is just wonderfully depicted through the author's writing. The storyline itself was a first for me and I really show more enjoyed the spin on "lost love" and "loyalties."
I recommend this one to fans of fairy books because I thought it was just awesome! I can't wait to jump back into this world with book 2! show less

When Breena turns 16 she learns that the fairies and other creatures she has been dreaming about all her life are not just in her imagination. She is dragged into Feyland and learns that she must fight to survive.

I really enjoyed this short, fast paced YA novel. Gow was able to establish her world quickly and takes you on a fun ride. I think boys and girls will enjoy this book. I will be reading the next in the series.

Growing up, did you ever feel as though you just didn't fit in? That what is considered "the norm" was just out of your reach? Well, this is exactly how Breena has felt her entire life. To top that off, she has always found herself, within her dreams, living in a world among fairies. Always, within those dreams, is a breathtakingly handsome boy named Kian. When not dreaming, Breena uses her amazing talent to bring these dreams to life on canvas, sharing her paintings only with her best friend, Logan.

Life, however, takes a spinning leap out of the ordinary, when on her sixteenth birthday, Breena spots what she feels deeply to be a mean spirited pixie, on the roadside. Seeing his face buries an excruciating unease within Breena's soul. A show more short time later when Logan comes to Breena's house and she tells him what she has seen, she begins to wonder why Logan never questions her sanity, about such outrageous tales. It does not take long for Breena to find that answer, as well as the answers to so many other questions that have been tugging at her - in addition to raising even more questions.

When Breena is transported to Feyland, she discovers that she is a rare sort of being - part human, part fairy and her life is a much desired one by Feyland royalty. Tapping into unknown and amazing magical talents, Breena must use her wits, intelligence and courage to survive, all while trying to reign in her heart for Kian.

Bitter Frost is an amazing adventure into a world of fantasy and realms that exist only within our imagination (or do they?). This is a story of a young girl who finds herself living within her dreams, turned reality. A new reality that she must survive or face death, for reasons that are beyond her control. Readers that are looking for an escape from the stress and craziness of everyday life, Bitter Frost will indeed be a treat. Whether you are familiar with stories of fantasy or new to this genre, there is something to appeal to every taste within these pages. From adventure, romance, suspense, fairies, pixies and other mythical creatures, Bitter Frost will take you on a journey that you will want to revisit again. With an ending that will leave the reader craving and aching for more, book two in this series cannot be released soon enough. Kailin Gow is a marvelously talented author that will captivate readers spanning a wide age range, from young adults to adults alike. Her writing voice is one that will transport readers into the pages of the story and make them feel as though they are in Feyland, right beside Breena. I greatly enjoyed Bitter Frost and look forward to delving into future works from the delightful Kailin Gow! show less