Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis

Gather Frost (Once Upon a Curse #1)
Kaitlyn Davis
Published: 17th February, 2015
CreateSpace
Genre: Retelling, Fairy Tale, Dystopian
Age: Young Adult
From: YA Bound Book Tours

Summary:

Will his kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart?

Once Upon A Time meets La Femme Nikita in GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care…even to love. Working as a member of the queen’s guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen’s runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission–to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she’ll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen’s realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher’s relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she’s ever known–and, more importantly, whose side she’s really on.

What I liked: If I hadn’t known before I started this book that it was by an indie author this was one of those books that I would have thought otherwise. It’s creative, it’s different from what I was expecting of a retelling for Sleeping Beauty! Dystopian retellings? Totally different from other retellings I’ve seen, read, or heard of before! That said, Gathering Frost‘s main character, Jade, is a great lead for this story. She has reluctance to change what she finds comfortable in her day to day life, but at the same time yearns for her freedom. Jade was that complex character for me. I liked how the author made the magic the queen uses different from what I’ve seen before, it made Jade an entirely different character and at the same time, I loved her fierceness and the way she reacted and who she was. She was a great lead for this book. Asher though was a character who certain brought attention to himself after he showed up. It’s like he knew some things sometimes, and he wanted to protect people from the queen’s influence. I especially liked how he cared for Jade despite how she was many times, the romance that bloomed between them was lovely and I really thought they were good for each other!

What I didn’t like: There were little pieces I wanted answers to that I didn’t have. Who cursed the bloodline? Why didn’t more people try to help take out the queen if her influence only went so far? I know somehow the magic of the queen negated the way electricity works and so many weapons didn’t work, but surely they could have mustered up a large force to try and take her out? There had to have been more people who wanted to see her gone if they knew about her.

Overall Review: While very different from what I was expecting when I started this I found that this book was really good and undoubtedly will be a book I read again, as well as a series I follow to see what happens next! The characters were all interesting to me, especially the queen once I learned more about her. Jade managed to change a lot over the book and it was a gradual change as she found herself while away from the queen. Though there were a few questions that weren’t answered in this book I’m hoping that in the next one I’ll get more answers, and undoubtedly, more questions that I’ll want answers to!

Recommend?: You weren’t sold at “Dystopian retelling”? Trust me, good book with an interesting plot that I’ll be reading again some time!

Goodreads: 4/5 Amazon: 4.5/5 Barnes&Noble: 4.5/5 BookDepository: -/5

Amazon UK

My Rating: 4.5/5

Rated Materials:
Cover: 4.7
Idea: 4.3
Story: 4.6
Characters: 4.5

Check out the rest of the tour here!

About the Author

I’ve always been a writer. I grew up duct taping my novels together, started writing complete manuscripts in high school and studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduating, I decided it was finally time to actually give my dream career a chance. So, of course, I started writing a young adult paranormal romance series — and no, I’m not jumping on the bandwagon. I’ve been a true paranormal supporter for my entire life! I blame my obsession
almost completely on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite television show. And, before you ask: Yes, I own every season… even the post WB ones! I especially challenge anyone to watch the first three seasons and not fall in love with Angel, securing a lifelong love of vampires! Other culprits of my paranormal obsession are some of my favorite authors: JK Rowling, Raymond Feist, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Lynne Ewing and Tamora Pierce.

Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Pinterest│Wattpad│Youtube│Amazon

GIVEAWAY*!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Books and Ashes is not responsible for any lost, damaged, or unreceived materials that you may win. Books and Ashes does not handle the materials, or have any input on who receives a prize. In the case of a Books and Ashes Sponsored Giveaway Random.org will choose the winner. US and international followers eligible where applicable.