Fireblood by Elly Blake

Title: Fireblood
Author: Elly Blake
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Frostblood Saga # 2

Hardcover, 416 Pages
Publication: September 12, 2017 by Little Brown BFYR

Source: I received an review copy (arc) from the publisher in exchange for a honest opinion.

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All hail the Fire Queen.

Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his throne of ice. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby’s powers and past…

Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fire Queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax—which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, Ruby no longer knows whom to trust. The fates of two kingdoms are now in her hands.

I read and loved Frostblood when it came out earlier this year. I was even more excited when I found out Fireblood was coming out a few months later in the same year! In the first book, Frostblood, the majority of the novel took place in Tempesia, the land of the Frostblood; so naturally Fireblood, took place in Sudesia, Ruby’s homeland. After the events of the last book, the Minax is still on the loose and there is a lot of unrest upon King Ramus’s death. People are weary of their new king, especially because of his affection for Ruby. To help with the situation in Tempesia, Ruby travels with a mysterious Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia to broker a peace treaty with the Queen in hopes of uniting the two Kingdoms back to a time when they lived side by side.

I devoured Fireblood in a day! The Frostblood Saga is seriously like crack candy for the brain. I really enjoyed the latest installment in the trilogy, but it isn’t without flaws. So I’ll start with what I liked. I liked that we got to see where Ruby came from and the Fireblood Court. There isn’t much difference between the Fireblood and Frostblood Court though. The only difference I saw was that the Firebloods had a trials that anyone could take if they wanted to be a Fireblood Master. Which was an equivalent to being a solider/teacher because it showed how strong a Fireblood was and that they’d have to plead loyalty to the queen. I also liked how action-packed the novel was and how Blake kept me glued to the pages. I’ve gotten finicky when it comes to book. If a book doesn’t capture my attention within the first few chapters, I usually move on.But Blake certainly knows her ways with words.

While I found Fireblood engaging and enjoyable for the most part, it read like the first book and was way too predictable. For example, Ruby and Arcus training for the attack on the Frostblood King and Ruby and Kai training for the Fireblood Trials. Secondly, the closeness and attraction Ruby felt while training with both princes. Then the whole Minax trapped in the Fireblood Throne and it affecting the queen. Sound familiar? The big scene at the end felt like an identical representation from the last book with Arcus and Ruby using their ability to destroy the throne. I mean, yeah, Blake added another player into the mix, but again it bugged me how nothing truly changed from the first book. I never been so bored during one of the most (supposedly) important scene in the entire book. As predictability goes, I think the readers knew Ruby was going to crush on Kai. She kept saying over and over how she missed and longed for Arcus but that didn’t stop her from making out with Kai. Then of course, she had to be a long-lost princess and the cherry on top…she’s not only a Fireblood but something entirely special! I won’t spoil that for people that haven’t read it yet. I know the first book was full of the usual tropes, but this sequel just made everything more evident. Oh, and let’s not forget about the trials. The trials were made to sound dangerous and daunting but I gotta say, I thought they were plain ol' silly. I never felt like Ruby’s life was in danger, and the last trial test was the lamest of the three. Like really?

My review sounds like I disliked Fireblood more than I liked it, but that’s not the case at all. I enjoyed it and the point of reading any book is for a person to escape reality for a moment and be caught up in another world and experience another person’s life…and Fireblood did that for me. However, I wished I saw more character growth and plot development but Fireblood didn't deliver that. I will be reading the third and final book, Nightblood to see how everything ends…but I probably won’t run out and read it right away. I still recommend this series because like I said it candy for your brain!

The Hearts we Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Title: The Hearts we Sold
Author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
Gene: Urban Fantasy
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 400 Pages
Publication: August 8, 2017 by Little Brown BFYR

Source: I received a review copy from the NOVL Newsletter in exchange for a honest review.

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When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined.

With reality turned on its head, Dee has only a group of other deal-making teens to keep her grounded, including the charming but secretive James Lancer. And as something grows between them amid an otherworldy ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give someone her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?

I’ve always found tales of Faustian bargains fascinating. How someone can just throw away their values and beliefs and make a deal with the devil for ambitious reasons; contradicting everything they stand for. It’s a conundrum. I haven’t read many Faustian books, so when I heard about The Hearts we Sold, I knew I had to read it! I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of it through The Novl newsletter (THANK YOU!) and it was way better than I thought. The Hearts we Sold had a lot of heart and though the plot and the writing was light and straightforward; it also explored deep issues and messages that many readers will appreciate. I know I certainly did.

In The Hearts we Sold, the daemons have made themselves known to the world. They have gain notoriety for making deals with humans; a wish in exchange for a body part. Some daemons deal in eyes, mouths, legs, or arms. But In Dee’s case, her daemon required leasing a heart for two years. And in the two years, the recipients are required to do his bidding. Which entail the ‘heartless’ to close voids (portals to a different dimension).

Dee has a pretty crappy life, her parents are alcoholics and are constantly putting her down and treating her like their personal maid. And Dee’s only escape comes in a form of a scholarship to a fancy private school. But when the school decides to cut the scholarship kids and Dee is desperate to stay…she makes a deal with a Daemon for money to pay her school tuition. This choice turns everything up on its head for Dee and giving up her heart and as she goes on missions with the other heartless teenagers; does she truly live.

I really liked Dee and seeing her transformation over the course of the book. It was a drastic change for the better. She took more chances and risks, stood up for herself and made hard choices that pushed her to move forward. All qualities I liked seeing in character development/growth. The romance aspect was very sweet and I liked that it didn’t play a central role in the story and instead it supported it. The ending nearly broke my heart. It was bittersweet and unexpected and took me completely by surprise; my kind of endings.

The Hearts we Sold took an idea and themes we’re all familiar with and made it it’s own and wholly original. At a glance The Hearts we Sold may seem like just another paranormal YA but it was so much more than that…it tackled a lot of important issues and had messages that will stay with me forever. Lloyd-Jones is a writer to watch. I highly recommend The Hearts we Sold. I haven’t been this surprised by a book in a long time and The Hearts we Sold is definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year! I'm so glad I got a chance to read it, otherwise I may have never picked it up myself.

Frostblood by Elly Blake

Title: Frostblood
Author: Elly Blake
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Frostblood Saga # 1

Hardcover, 376 pages
Publication: January 10, 2017 by Little Brown BFYR

Source: I won an ARC through a giveaway.

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Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

I’ve read a few great novels so far this year and among them is Frostblood, the first book in a brand new Young Adult series. I first saw this book in the NOVL newsletter as a giveaway and thought it sounded interesting. Lo and behold, I was one of the lucky subscribers that received this book for review. I suspected Frostblood was going to be good, at least better than most of the YA I’ve read in the past but I didn’t expect to be swept away and so engrossed by the story and characters as much as I did. It was so much more than I expected and kept me reading till the early morning…where I totally looked and felt like a zombie the next day. But it was worth it. I finished it in one and half days! That’s how awesome this book was. It’s very rare nowadays for me to read a book quickly, almost straight through; where I can’t tear myself away from the book until I know what happens next. I think the last book that made me feel that way was Daughter of Smoke and Bones back in 2011! Plus I’m extremely picky when it comes to YA novels. It’s getting harder and harder for a book, fantasy at that, to stand out in a sea of fantasy novels/debuts but Blake’s book definitely caught my attention and it looks to be a start to a fabulous series.

Ruby, our main heroine was one feisty and stubborn chick, which makes sense since she’s a Fireblood; a person that wields and controls fire. Except Ruby never really understood or learned how to control her powers. Ever since Ruby was young, she was taught to hide her gift and never to use it because of how dangerous it was. But after the death of her mother and the destruction of her village; Ruby found herself in the company of two Frostbloods, who controlled water/ice and were willing to teach Ruby to master her powers. Under the condition that she’d help them kill The Frost King. Ruby may have a strong snarky attitude but she was just as caring and passionate when it came to people that mattered. I loved seeing Ruby’s growth throughout the book, because she certainly wasn’t the same girl that was captured by the King’s men.

Another main character is Arcus, the mysterious and secretive Frostblood that broke Ruby out of prison. As you all probably figured out by reading the synopsis, Arcus eventually becomes Ruby’s love interest. Man, oh man…the chemistry and tension between these two were off the chart! I loved the slow burning romance, it gave me goosebumps! My favorite scenes were without-a-doubt of Arcus and Ruby training together. However, the way Ruby acted towards the end is what kept this book from being 5 stars. While she may have been corrupted by Minax, I didn’t like how easily she dismissed her feelings for Arcus or how she can kiss one person one minute and jump to another guy the next. It was very off-putting in my opinion. But thankfully she ended up with the right person in the end!

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a great and engaging YA novel. Although Frostblood may have the usual tropes and was a little predictable at time (Arcus’s identity), I still found myself enjoying it immensely. Blake created a fantastic world and characters, enabling me to immerse myself into the story and escape reality for awhile. All the best books do. I highly recommend Frostblood for those that haven't read it yet, it was the perfect blend of romance and action. Fireblood, the second book in the trilogy comes out this year, how cool is that? We don’t have to wait a year! I am so stoked about it and can’t wait to jump back into the world of Frostbloods and Firebloods!