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I was given a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Title Beasts of the Frozen Sun
Author Jill Criswell
Release Date August 6, 2019
Description from Amazon
Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of Aillira, the god-gifted mortal whose doomed love affair sparked a war of gods and men, and Lira of clan Stone knows the story better than most. As a descendant of Aillira and god-gifted in her own right, she has the power to read people’s souls, to see someone’s true essence with only a touch of her hand.
When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland—one of the fearful marauders from the land of the Frozen Sun—Lira helps the wounded man instead of turning him in. After reading his soul, she realizes Reyker is different than his brethren who attack the coasts of Glasnith. He confides in her that he’s been cursed with what his people call battle-madness, forced to fight for the warlord known as the Dragon, a powerful tyrant determined to reignite the ancient war that Aillira started.
As Lira and Reyker form a bond forbidden by both their clans, the wrath of the Dragon falls upon them and all of Glasnith, and Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor. The battle for Lira’s life, for Reyker’s soul, and for their peoples’ freedom has only just begun …
Initial Thoughts
This book immediately caught my attention when I saw the cover. The title is interesting and the cover art really draws you in. The description also sounded different than anything else I was currently reading. It reminded me of the TV show Vikings.
Favorite Quote
“Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.”
I normally don’t highlight when I read on my phone (unless it’s by accident when I’m trying to turn the page). But this quote really stood out. So much so that I finally utilized that highlighter in the Kindle App to capture it so I wouldn’t forget. In my opinion, the above quote summarizes the whole story. Lira and Reykar live in a world where they don’t know if they will live from one moment to the next so they live by those words. Be the best version of yourself, because that’s all that matters.
Themes
A lot of the story is about redemption and finding yourself (as well as quite a bit of family drama, politics, and romance). I liked that the main characters made mistakes and freely admitted they were not perfect. They worked together to become better.
Final Thoughts
I loved the semi-alternating POVs in this book. It was mostly Lira telling the story, but I liked the Reykar chapters sprinkled throughout.
The ending left me wanting so much more. This book isn’t even released yet and I want to read the sequel, RIGHT NOW.
As always, I enjoyed the historical element to it. It reminded me of a Vikings or even Game of Thrones type of atmosphere.
Overall, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson – I’m all about enemies to lovers and both of these books fit that mold.
- The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen – once again, enemies to lovers. There is also a magical/prophecy element to this story that is similar to Beast of the Frozen Sun.
- Daughter of the Pirate King – not super similar but both main characters have red hair and that’s right, you guessed it, more enemies to lovers! (Do I sense a theme here 😉)
Links
Beasts of the Frozen Sun on Goodreads
Books Over Everything 
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