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A review by thedragonflysdream
Frost by C.N. Crawford
4.0
PLOT
Ava is a Fae living in the human world, working as a bartender and supporting her boyfriend through college. He promised to help her open a bar named Chloe’s once he graduates, in memory of her adopted mother who passed away. However, her whole life is shattered and turned upside down when she gets off work early on her birthday to find him in bed with another woman.
Heartbroken and in shock, she decides to visit her best friend Shalini, who is also a bartender at the bar where Ava works. Ava gets sloppily drunk and ends up insulting the Fae king, Torin, who surprisingly stops in just as she is trash-talking the contest he is running, where Fae women compete for his hand in marriage to become his wife and Queen of Faerie.
When King Torin offers Ava $50 million to enter the contest and win, she can’t refuse—even if it means fighting for her life and reconnecting with her Fae side in the process.
They both hate each other, and it should be nothing more than a business arrangement in which they each get what they want. For Torin, that means restoring spring to the kingdom of Faerie. For Ava, it means financial freedom to fulfill her dreams and do whatever she wishes with her life. At least, that’s what they both think.
THOUGHTS
Pure entertainment.
Crawford knows how to weave drama, secrets, tension, and adventure into a truly addicting story.
At first, this book felt a little cringe to me, but it was definitely due to the voices of the characters as I was listening to it on audiobook via Hoopla and not the actual book. I mention this because if you plan on listening to this via audiobook like I did, you should be aware—I personally think you should read it instead of listening to it. It’s on Kindle Unlimited along with the second book in The Frost & Nectar Series, Ambrosia.
Once Ava actually entered Faerie, I was immediately hooked.
Since Ava was raised in the human world, she was very disconnected from her Fae nature and heritage. What I love most about her as an FMC is that even though the humans expected her to be a certain way and the Fae expected her to be another, she always remained unapologetically herself regardless of where she found herself. Ava was not only feisty but blunt, straightforward, and no-nonsense. While everyone else seemed to shrink in the King’s presence, she never once did. She was truly unimpressed with the things that others seemed to find so impressive and saw right through him. She was fierce yet compassionate and never compromised on what she believed was right.
Torin, the Seelie King, bore the responsibility for all who resided in Faerie, and with winter worsening, he had to put a Queen on the throne to bring spring back to the land. The last Queen to sit on the throne was his mother before she died. Torin and his sister have a secret, one that they are forbidden to share with anyone other than each other. As they navigate their way around this family secret, Torin will stop at nothing to protect the people of Faerie and restore his land to its prosperous state. Torin is such a great MMC—strong, vicious, when necessary, soft when called for, a natural caretaker, and a royal with a lot of depth despite his outward demeanor. He plays the role of king well, yet he has secret desires and fears that surface and demand acknowledgment.
The side characters had me just as invested as the main characters, Ava and Torin. Princess Orla, Torin’s sister, was such a sweet character and much more capable and clever than anyone gave her credit for. Shalini, Ava’s best friend, who is human yet still accompanies her as her “adviser” (but really to look after her), is the most loyal, observant, cunning, and intelligent friend a girl could ask for. Aeron, Torin’s friend since childhood and lead footman, was such a sweetie—charming, caring, and always looking out for everyone.
The one character I just downright didn’t like and couldn’t get on board with is Princess Moria; you’ll see why—she’s the perfect character to hate.
FAVORITE QUOTES
“No, Ava. We fuck each other hard up against the oak trees, rending the forest air with the sounds of our ecstasy. We fuck around bonfires, bathed in their flames.”
“When was the last time you lost yourself in a pleasure so intense, you forgot your name? The you forgot your own mortality? Because that is what it means to be fae.”
“I could make you ache with pleasure until you forget the name of every human who make you think there was something wrong with you.”
“And if you think I can’t see how much that excites you, if you think I couldn’t hear your heart racing, Ava, you are mistaken. Because if it were you and me, in the oak grove on Beltane, I would have you screaming my name. Calling me your king. I would have your body responding to my every command, shuddering with pleasure underneath me, until you forgot the human world existed at all.”
“The corner of his lip curled. “It seems I have you exactly where I want you, my favorite changeling.”
Ava is a Fae living in the human world, working as a bartender and supporting her boyfriend through college. He promised to help her open a bar named Chloe’s once he graduates, in memory of her adopted mother who passed away. However, her whole life is shattered and turned upside down when she gets off work early on her birthday to find him in bed with another woman.
Heartbroken and in shock, she decides to visit her best friend Shalini, who is also a bartender at the bar where Ava works. Ava gets sloppily drunk and ends up insulting the Fae king, Torin, who surprisingly stops in just as she is trash-talking the contest he is running, where Fae women compete for his hand in marriage to become his wife and Queen of Faerie.
When King Torin offers Ava $50 million to enter the contest and win, she can’t refuse—even if it means fighting for her life and reconnecting with her Fae side in the process.
They both hate each other, and it should be nothing more than a business arrangement in which they each get what they want. For Torin, that means restoring spring to the kingdom of Faerie. For Ava, it means financial freedom to fulfill her dreams and do whatever she wishes with her life. At least, that’s what they both think.
THOUGHTS
Pure entertainment.
Crawford knows how to weave drama, secrets, tension, and adventure into a truly addicting story.
At first, this book felt a little cringe to me, but it was definitely due to the voices of the characters as I was listening to it on audiobook via Hoopla and not the actual book. I mention this because if you plan on listening to this via audiobook like I did, you should be aware—I personally think you should read it instead of listening to it. It’s on Kindle Unlimited along with the second book in The Frost & Nectar Series, Ambrosia.
Once Ava actually entered Faerie, I was immediately hooked.
Since Ava was raised in the human world, she was very disconnected from her Fae nature and heritage. What I love most about her as an FMC is that even though the humans expected her to be a certain way and the Fae expected her to be another, she always remained unapologetically herself regardless of where she found herself. Ava was not only feisty but blunt, straightforward, and no-nonsense. While everyone else seemed to shrink in the King’s presence, she never once did. She was truly unimpressed with the things that others seemed to find so impressive and saw right through him. She was fierce yet compassionate and never compromised on what she believed was right.
Torin, the Seelie King, bore the responsibility for all who resided in Faerie, and with winter worsening, he had to put a Queen on the throne to bring spring back to the land. The last Queen to sit on the throne was his mother before she died. Torin and his sister have a secret, one that they are forbidden to share with anyone other than each other. As they navigate their way around this family secret, Torin will stop at nothing to protect the people of Faerie and restore his land to its prosperous state. Torin is such a great MMC—strong, vicious, when necessary, soft when called for, a natural caretaker, and a royal with a lot of depth despite his outward demeanor. He plays the role of king well, yet he has secret desires and fears that surface and demand acknowledgment.
The side characters had me just as invested as the main characters, Ava and Torin. Princess Orla, Torin’s sister, was such a sweet character and much more capable and clever than anyone gave her credit for. Shalini, Ava’s best friend, who is human yet still accompanies her as her “adviser” (but really to look after her), is the most loyal, observant, cunning, and intelligent friend a girl could ask for. Aeron, Torin’s friend since childhood and lead footman, was such a sweetie—charming, caring, and always looking out for everyone.
The one character I just downright didn’t like and couldn’t get on board with is Princess Moria; you’ll see why—she’s the perfect character to hate.
FAVORITE QUOTES
“No, Ava. We fuck each other hard up against the oak trees, rending the forest air with the sounds of our ecstasy. We fuck around bonfires, bathed in their flames.”
“When was the last time you lost yourself in a pleasure so intense, you forgot your name? The you forgot your own mortality? Because that is what it means to be fae.”
“I could make you ache with pleasure until you forget the name of every human who make you think there was something wrong with you.”
“And if you think I can’t see how much that excites you, if you think I couldn’t hear your heart racing, Ava, you are mistaken. Because if it were you and me, in the oak grove on Beltane, I would have you screaming my name. Calling me your king. I would have your body responding to my every command, shuddering with pleasure underneath me, until you forgot the human world existed at all.”
“The corner of his lip curled. “It seems I have you exactly where I want you, my favorite changeling.”