novelheartbeat's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a straight rip-off of Beyond a Darkened Shore. I actually reviewed both of them together in a single review on my blog because they were basically the SAME. EXACT. STORY. Honestly, I had trouble telling them apart. I read BaDS a few months before this one, so some parts may be fuzzy, but even after just finishing BotFS I legit could barely tell the difference between them. I think the publisher’s choice in using the same narrator (Alana Kerr Collins) was a VERY poor choice. With a different narrator, maybe it wouldn’t have been so glaringly obvious that they were essentially the same story.
They’re so similar that it’s hard to review them separately, especially since they made basically the same exact impression on me: meh. I did enjoy listening to them (Collins is a FANTASTIC narrator!) but the story itself won’t leave any lasting impression. There were parts I enjoyed, but overall they just didn’t feel like anything special.
Both books are based on Celtic mythology with a loose Irish setting. In both books, the main character has mental powers and is shunned for said powers by her village. In both books the MC falls for the enemy, and ends up getting exiled/imprisoned for it. Even their names sounded way too similar – Ciara (pronounced “Kira” in the narration) and Lira (pronounced the same way as Kira). It was so confusing!! I felt like I was listening to the same story a second time.
The ONLY thing that made BotFS stand apart was the addition of a male narrator. And he was meh, sorry. I wasn’t really a fan of his narration and felt like it didn’t fit. He would have been fine as an Adult fantasy narrator, but it really didn’t work for a teenager.
I enjoyed Beyond a Darkened Shore more than Beasts of the Frozen Sun. There was a little more depth in the romance and the mythology. I enjoyed the hate-to-love relationship between Ciara and Leif, but I felt like the same hate-to-love romance moved too quickly with Lira and Reyker.
If you've read BaDS, you can skip this one and you won't miss a thing.
They’re so similar that it’s hard to review them separately, especially since they made basically the same exact impression on me: meh. I did enjoy listening to them (Collins is a FANTASTIC narrator!) but the story itself won’t leave any lasting impression. There were parts I enjoyed, but overall they just didn’t feel like anything special.
Both books are based on Celtic mythology with a loose Irish setting. In both books, the main character has mental powers and is shunned for said powers by her village. In both books the MC falls for the enemy, and ends up getting exiled/imprisoned for it. Even their names sounded way too similar – Ciara (pronounced “Kira” in the narration) and Lira (pronounced the same way as Kira). It was so confusing!! I felt like I was listening to the same story a second time.
Spoiler
The love interest even dies in both stories!! (And comes back to life, UGH.)The ONLY thing that made BotFS stand apart was the addition of a male narrator. And he was meh, sorry. I wasn’t really a fan of his narration and felt like it didn’t fit. He would have been fine as an Adult fantasy narrator, but it really didn’t work for a teenager.
I enjoyed Beyond a Darkened Shore more than Beasts of the Frozen Sun. There was a little more depth in the romance and the mythology. I enjoyed the hate-to-love relationship between Ciara and Leif, but I felt like the same hate-to-love romance moved too quickly with Lira and Reyker.
If you've read BaDS, you can skip this one and you won't miss a thing.
katleap's review against another edition
4.0
4.3 stars
I received an e-ARC copy of Beasts of the Frozen Sun from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Lira is a soul reader, one of the magic blessed Daughters of Alliria. Distrusted by her clan for her powers Lira's must either choose a husband or go to the Temple to join the Daughters. But Lira doesn't want to chose either. When a shattered shipwreck of invaders washes up on their shore, Lira finds one alive. Saving Reyker sets her on a path she never intended and she will have to face invaders, monsters and gods intent on destroying everything she loves.
I started this book and all I could think was please not Tristan and Isolde, please not Tristan and Isolde. The beginning could be but it does quickly change into something else. Reyker is so much better than Tristan and Lira is not a martyr. There is a distinct Celtic/Norse flavor to the novel that I enjoyed but this is definitely a fantasy. I enjoyed the world building and the mythology is interesting. The pacing is good and there is a lot of action.
I liked it and I am looking forward to the sequel.
I received an e-ARC copy of Beasts of the Frozen Sun from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Lira is a soul reader, one of the magic blessed Daughters of Alliria. Distrusted by her clan for her powers Lira's must either choose a husband or go to the Temple to join the Daughters. But Lira doesn't want to chose either. When a shattered shipwreck of invaders washes up on their shore, Lira finds one alive. Saving Reyker sets her on a path she never intended and she will have to face invaders, monsters and gods intent on destroying everything she loves.
I started this book and all I could think was please not Tristan and Isolde, please not Tristan and Isolde. The beginning could be but it does quickly change into something else. Reyker is so much better than Tristan and Lira is not a martyr. There is a distinct Celtic/Norse flavor to the novel that I enjoyed but this is definitely a fantasy. I enjoyed the world building and the mythology is interesting. The pacing is good and there is a lot of action.
I liked it and I am looking forward to the sequel.
womanon's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good! I was immediately drawn in from the first page, and it stayed that way until roughly 80%. Then it was a little bit slower for me, but it didn't bother me much. Can highly recommend it, and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
little_red_dragon's review against another edition
4.0
He is everything you fear, and worse. He is also everything you hope, and more.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun has a lot of your typical YA characteristics: enemies-to-lovers, a fast-paced plot, a main character who is special in some magical way. Overall, I'd say that the plot and characters were about average--enjoyable and entertaining, but nothing special. However, there is one thing that Jill Criswell did incredibly well was the romance and the angst. So much angst. And it is absolutely perfect.
I honestly couldn't put this down simply because of the angst and I immediately got my hands on the rest of the trilogy.
So, if you're willing to overlook some repetitive plot and a bit of a chosen one trope, this one was a lot of fun!
Beasts of the Frozen Sun has a lot of your typical YA characteristics: enemies-to-lovers, a fast-paced plot, a main character who is special in some magical way. Overall, I'd say that the plot and characters were about average--enjoyable and entertaining, but nothing special. However, there is one thing that Jill Criswell did incredibly well was the romance and the angst. So much angst. And it is absolutely perfect.
I honestly couldn't put this down simply because of the angst and I immediately got my hands on the rest of the trilogy.
So, if you're willing to overlook some repetitive plot and a bit of a chosen one trope, this one was a lot of fun!
clevergirl_moneke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was very good, and the cliffhanger ending makes me want to find the next book immediately.
bellebchronicles's review against another edition
5.0
I NEED BOOK TWO NOW!! I’m willing to sell part of my soul for it !
thepolybrary's review against another edition
5.0
~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
I was just halfway through Beasts of the Frozen Sun, and I already loved it so much I ordered a hardback copy. I’m both excited and furious that it’s the first in a trilogy, because it means I’ll get to spend two more books following Lira and Reyker’s stories but also that I have to wait AN ENTIRE TWO YEARS to find out how it all ends! How has this story not gotten more press? Why is it not more popular?!?
But apparently I will have to. :'(
I’ve discovered I really love this little sub-genre of fantasy, historical fantasy. The setting of this book reminded me somewhat of [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957] (which was awesome as well), but it goes much more in depth, not just in the geography but in the mythology and spiritual beliefs of the world. It’s set in a very British Isles sort of locale, and the Dragonmen are obviously meant to be patterned off the Vikings – all this is pretty obvious even if you hadn’t read the author’s lovely page about the real world locations she patterned the book settings off.
As is fitting for the ancient British isles…there is a lot the modern reader might find disturbing in this book. There is violence, bloodshed, abuse, torture, near-rape, and horrible, vindictive and abusive gods. It does somewhat gloss over what I think would have actually happened in those times, probably to make it more suitable for a YA audience. But it’s just barely done and doesn’t really take away from the story.
Lira and Reyker are one of the few YA fantasy pairings I could actually get behind. It’s not insta-love, and it’s not perfect, but they respect each other and they compliment each other and yet they never seem to catch a break! I was rooting for them so hard by the end.
5/5 stars for Beasts of the Frozen Sun. I absolutely cannot WAIT for the second book!
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“He is everything you fear, and worse. He is also everything you hope, and more.”
I was just halfway through Beasts of the Frozen Sun, and I already loved it so much I ordered a hardback copy. I’m both excited and furious that it’s the first in a trilogy, because it means I’ll get to spend two more books following Lira and Reyker’s stories but also that I have to wait AN ENTIRE TWO YEARS to find out how it all ends! How has this story not gotten more press? Why is it not more popular?!?
But apparently I will have to. :'(
I’ve discovered I really love this little sub-genre of fantasy, historical fantasy. The setting of this book reminded me somewhat of [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957] (which was awesome as well), but it goes much more in depth, not just in the geography but in the mythology and spiritual beliefs of the world. It’s set in a very British Isles sort of locale, and the Dragonmen are obviously meant to be patterned off the Vikings – all this is pretty obvious even if you hadn’t read the author’s lovely page about the real world locations she patterned the book settings off.
As is fitting for the ancient British isles…there is a lot the modern reader might find disturbing in this book. There is violence, bloodshed, abuse, torture, near-rape, and horrible, vindictive and abusive gods. It does somewhat gloss over what I think would have actually happened in those times, probably to make it more suitable for a YA audience. But it’s just barely done and doesn’t really take away from the story.
Lira and Reyker are one of the few YA fantasy pairings I could actually get behind. It’s not insta-love, and it’s not perfect, but they respect each other and they compliment each other and yet they never seem to catch a break! I was rooting for them so hard by the end.
5/5 stars for Beasts of the Frozen Sun. I absolutely cannot WAIT for the second book!
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raven168's review against another edition
3.0
So this book was pretty good. I won't say that it was amazing but it definitely kept my interest and me wanting to know what was going to happen next. What I really liked was the relationship that bloomed between Lira and Reyker. It was such a natural and sweet thing. But there was actually a lot of interesting things going on here.
Lira hasn't really had an easy life. What makes her life the hardest is the fact that her mother named her after a traitor god's love, so the village treats her like she causes nothing but problems. Her mother offered her life in exchange for Lira's when she was child, and her father has never forgiven Lira for that. But Lira also has a gift. She is able to look into a person's soul and glimpse their life. A power that her father has no problem exploiting when it comes to judging people. The good in her life comes from her brothers, both of whom always try to protect her. All her life she has heard stories of the beasts of the Frozen Sun, but when she comes across one still alive among the wreckage and death on the shore of her village she feels compelled to save him.
As a child, Reyker was raised well to be the next leader of his people. But his life becomes a living nightmare when his village is attacked by The Dragon. He watches his father get murdered right in front of him and from then on he is forced to do what The Dragon orders in order to protect himself and even to survive. Thrown into many battles, he loses himself to a battle rage where even he destroys all enemies in sight. But Reyker still has a conscious and he hates himself for everything he does while always trying to do the right thing when he can. He walks a very fine line between darkness and light. He never expected to be saved by the same girl he saved so many years ago.
The Dragon is obsessed with possessing every god-gifted female, and he has had his eyes on Lira for years. Reyker may think he saved her that day so long ago, but he only delayed the inevitable. When The Dragon and his armies arrive on Lira's continent and start slaughtering all of her people, she knows she needs to get Reyker out of there. Unfortunately by this point, their feelings for each other have already grown quite a bit and Reyker cannot leave without her. Now the two of them have to figure out a way of not letting the other get killed without exposing these feelings. Making things worse is that Lira's father is now basically possessed by an evil god who delights in human suffering. So she not only is trying to keep Reyker alive, but herself as well.
Things really started picking up toward the end of the book. We encounter more people with gifts, Lira learns that what she's been taught all her life is not the truth, and after making their love for each other clear for all around them Reyker and Lira end up getting separated. Which leads to a horrible ending that leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen with these two.
While I probably wouldn't buy it, I'd definitely check out the next book if given the chance.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
Lira hasn't really had an easy life. What makes her life the hardest is the fact that her mother named her after a traitor god's love, so the village treats her like she causes nothing but problems. Her mother offered her life in exchange for Lira's when she was child, and her father has never forgiven Lira for that. But Lira also has a gift. She is able to look into a person's soul and glimpse their life. A power that her father has no problem exploiting when it comes to judging people. The good in her life comes from her brothers, both of whom always try to protect her. All her life she has heard stories of the beasts of the Frozen Sun, but when she comes across one still alive among the wreckage and death on the shore of her village she feels compelled to save him.
As a child, Reyker was raised well to be the next leader of his people. But his life becomes a living nightmare when his village is attacked by The Dragon. He watches his father get murdered right in front of him and from then on he is forced to do what The Dragon orders in order to protect himself and even to survive. Thrown into many battles, he loses himself to a battle rage where even he destroys all enemies in sight. But Reyker still has a conscious and he hates himself for everything he does while always trying to do the right thing when he can. He walks a very fine line between darkness and light. He never expected to be saved by the same girl he saved so many years ago.
The Dragon is obsessed with possessing every god-gifted female, and he has had his eyes on Lira for years. Reyker may think he saved her that day so long ago, but he only delayed the inevitable. When The Dragon and his armies arrive on Lira's continent and start slaughtering all of her people, she knows she needs to get Reyker out of there. Unfortunately by this point, their feelings for each other have already grown quite a bit and Reyker cannot leave without her. Now the two of them have to figure out a way of not letting the other get killed without exposing these feelings. Making things worse is that Lira's father is now basically possessed by an evil god who delights in human suffering. So she not only is trying to keep Reyker alive, but herself as well.
Things really started picking up toward the end of the book. We encounter more people with gifts, Lira learns that what she's been taught all her life is not the truth, and after making their love for each other clear for all around them Reyker and Lira end up getting separated. Which leads to a horrible ending that leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen with these two.
While I probably wouldn't buy it, I'd definitely check out the next book if given the chance.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
chroniclesofabookreader's review against another edition
3.0
**2.5/3 Stars**
Beasts of the Frozen Sun was a unique and enticing novel that was packed with many vivid elements. Criswell's debut started with an intriguing beginning that really opened the world and its characters to the reader, pulling us into their individual plights and crafting that connection between the dueling leads. The threads that were utilized to not only draw these characters to one another, but to start the tumultuous battles to come was effortlessly done and I enjoyed watching it all unfold.
There were so many things that were done well in this novel—the tough heroine, the connection between her and Reyker, the world-and-clan-building with it's fun paranormal elements—but where I struggled with most was the pacing. There were too many moments of unimportant scenes dragging the pace down and feeling as if there was too much of a lull between forward-moving plot devices. I'm not sure if Criswell was simply overambitious with everything involved in this story or what, but it suffered because of it. However, there's a lot of potential for this author and I applaud what she was able to accomplish with this monumental beast of a story, and I look forward to what else she writes.
**Received an early copy via Edelweiss; this had no bearing on my opinions**
Beasts of the Frozen Sun was a unique and enticing novel that was packed with many vivid elements. Criswell's debut started with an intriguing beginning that really opened the world and its characters to the reader, pulling us into their individual plights and crafting that connection between the dueling leads. The threads that were utilized to not only draw these characters to one another, but to start the tumultuous battles to come was effortlessly done and I enjoyed watching it all unfold.
There were so many things that were done well in this novel—the tough heroine, the connection between her and Reyker, the world-and-clan-building with it's fun paranormal elements—but where I struggled with most was the pacing. There were too many moments of unimportant scenes dragging the pace down and feeling as if there was too much of a lull between forward-moving plot devices. I'm not sure if Criswell was simply overambitious with everything involved in this story or what, but it suffered because of it. However, there's a lot of potential for this author and I applaud what she was able to accomplish with this monumental beast of a story, and I look forward to what else she writes.
**Received an early copy via Edelweiss; this had no bearing on my opinions**
libreva's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0