Cover Image: Shadow Frost

Shadow Frost

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Member Reviews

I am in love! This amazing book was written by Coco Ma at age 15(!!!) and she has managed to write a captivating, heart-wrenching and lovable book! And can I just say that it needed to be wayyyy longer to satisfy my needs for this book to just, ya know, never end! Plus the way the epilogue just…. Let’s just say I need the next one!

This book had some defining points that I felt really spoke volumes in the story. First thing, was that I love how the love triangle was handled. Although Orion definitely got on my nerves a lot throughout this novel, I am not talking about that right now. I love how there was a love triangle and then it just got sorted out in a completely unpredictable way, but I loved it so much. Now, back to Orion. He reminds me of Edward Cullen - and no, I am not swooning. I am distrubed, he seemed very possessive and jealous, and needed constant power in a situation, which I felt didn’t fit Astrin since she was such a strong and self-assured character.

The world was extremely well written, and built. The powers of the characters were just an extension of the characters. I am so glad about this to a point that I cannot explain since I feel that the characters just got that much more vibrant. The other thing that I found with this novel is that I got fanfiction vibes. Now, I am an avid fanfiction reader - especially of my ineffable husbands - and so I can say with absolute conviction that fanfiction vibes are not always trash. Although I do struggle with self-insert ones, or the ones where fifteen year olds are sold to One Direction. They rub me the wrong way.

I loved this novel so much, and apart from the creep boyfriend, I loved it! I recommend that you either buy it right now, or just stop existing. Them is the rules.

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I really enjoyed this book although there were times when I wished things had gone differently. I think children would really enjoy this book as it covers all aspects: there is magic, mystery, relationships, battles and family issues to be resolved. It is action packed with an interesting storyline. I will certainly read the next book. This book ended on a true cliffhanger and makes you want to go out and buy the next.

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Thank you so much to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!!!


I LOVED it!!! This was such a fun and adventure filled book that had me addicted from beginning to end! I love the magic system and how its based off of the elements and using stones to amplify these powers. The flow of the writing and the character development was fantastic. I love books where there are a group of unlikely heroes who come together to accomplish the impossible with a plan that is conceived without any hope of it working out but somehow it does! This book reminded me of a Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, or The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. There are plots and evil doers who must be unveiled, love is found among our motley crew of misfits, friendships are formed, and so much more happens in these pages and it was a fantastic journey to be taken on!

The only complaint I would have would be that its sometimes hard to figure out who's point of view you are reading from when they change. Sometimes I would be thinking I was reading from Asterin, only to figure out its actually Luna. Or I would think I was reading from Orion's POV but it was actually Eadric. This threw me off and I found myself going back and rereading entire pages because I just put together who I was reading about at the time. Other than this one small thing, the rest of the book was so fantastically written and I think I am now a Coco Ma fan!!!

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I love me a YA fantasy and this didn’t disappoint! An interesting plot, decent pacing, a fresh world, and entertaining characters!

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I loved this book so much! I'm so impressed that Coco Ma wrote this when she was 15 and had it published at age 19, because I NEVER would have been able to have such an amazing accomplishment like that! I loved the magic system because not only was it elemental magic, but it was really well explained with clear boundaries as to what is and is not possible. I enjoyed that each kingdom had an affinity to a specific element, but people from each kingdom could have affinities to multiple elements in addition to the one their kingdom is known for.

I also really enjoyed the pacing even though there were some slow parts around the halfway mark, but in that slow section we got to really get to know the characters and their personalities. The connection and friendship between all the characters was so great, and I think that people who are fans of the friend groups in Six of Crows or The Gilded Wolves would really enjoy this book. The banter between the characters, especially Asterin and Quinlan was A++ and I couldn't stop chuckling at some of the comments they made to each other.

I was afraid that there was going to be a love triangle, but I was surprisingly pleased when I realized that that was NOT going to happen. There is a great slow burn romance, and two of the characters start out already in a relationship together so it was nice to see the contrast between those two relationships. And the third relationship was honestly really sweet as well!

Each of the characters grows so much and I'm so excited to see where they go in the next book, which I wish I had in my hands now because I just need to know what happens! This was such a fantastic debut novel and I highly recommend it!

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I’m not sure what it was but this book felt very underdeveloped and fell flat for me.


</i>**I was sent an e-arc copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This in no way affects my rating or review. </i>

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This was one fantastic way to kick off a new YA fantasy series. It has a little something for everyone. The high-fantasy and epic storytelling of Throne of Glass. The supportive #squadgoals of The Lunar Chronicles. And the tragic backstories of Six of Crows.

Largely because of the multiple POV format, by the end it is kind of hard to say there are “main” and “secondary” characters. They’re all an ensemble cast.

It’s honestly astonishing to me that this was written by a teenager. Coco Ma’s writing capabilities can outshine even the most experienced of writers. She was born to write.

This series will likely become my new obsession. This was my 96th book read in 2019 and it has shot right to the top of my favourites list.

A heart-stopping adventure with twists I did not see coming, this book was exceptional.

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This book is exactly what I want young adult fantasy to be like!

When you start reading, you immediately get the right kind of vibes. I found this book easy to get into. The main character Asterin is your badass warrior princess with a love for a people and an ambition to make her mother proud. When a demon terrorizes her land and kills her people, she’s going by herself to protect her kingdom. Together with her squad, consisting of Luna (her best friend and lady-in-waiting), Orion (her royal guardian), Eadric (the captain) and Rose and Quinlan (two warriors from a mysterious kingdom) she goes into the forest in search of the monster.

The main characters are variating and have each their own backstory that you´ll slowly find out more about. This works really well, since it results in plot twists spread throughout the book. To me, one of the most important aspects of a book is character development. I was satisfied with that of Shadow Frost! Trust plays an important part in the development. Another thing Coco Ma did well is the LGBTQ+ representation. It feels natural and is not overdone or forced. The characters and their relations are interesting enough to enjoy the chapters with less physical action too. This made it very easy to keep reading the book. Furthermore, there’s a beautiful map and I’m excited to explore the rest of these lands in the upcoming books.

I’m a big fan of the way magic works. Elemental magic is a classic, but without a system, I think it’s kind of boring. In Shadow Frost, there are so called affinity stones. There are 9 stones (10 if you count Shadow magic) with 3 base elements and 6 elements connected to the base elements. This serves as an explanation of how people can wield one element, a few or maybe even all of them. There are a few fighting scenes in the book, both with and without magic. The dynamics of these scenes are written accurately and there’s variation in them, which makes them easy and fun to imagine. I have to say that a demon or shadows as an enemy is kind of mainstream, but it does fit the book. It’s also interesting to see the story from the side of the demon itself.

This book is definitely worth the read if you’re into young adult fantasy! You’ll fall in love with the characters and their stories. Shadow Frost is a book you’ll read quick and it will leave you very satisfied!

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I ADORED this books!!! Shadow Frost is packed with high stakes, an ensemble of characters, and an unforgettable, intriguing world.

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Let me first say I do not particularly enjoy writing this review but I still feel it is my duty as a reviewer. We are all different and NO ONE reads a book the same way. I don’t mean to offend anyone I just wasn’t a particular fan of this book…

Shadow Frost is written by Coco Ma when she was just 15 years old (!). She is now 19. Shadow Frost takes place in the kingdom of Axaria. It follows Asterin, heir to the throne and her friends who sets off on a mission to kill a demon which is ravaging the kingdom.

I must say Shadow Frost started out really well with the prologue. It was dark mysterious and captivating but from chapter one it only went one way… (maybe Coco Ma wrote the prologue when she was 19?) I think my first problem with the books was the characters. Maybe there was simply too many characters or maybe there was too many point of views (there was seven in total) or maybe it was a third thing. I just never connected with them. I didn’t care whether they lived or died. The characters were as mess. Their character traits didn’t correspond with their age. For example Orion who is Asterin’s personal guard (which he is pretty bad at) was supposed to be in his twenties but acted like young teenager. It just didn’t make sense.

Another thing that just didn’t work for me was the plot. I loved the idea of the plot and I read the book because og its synopsis. But while reading, the storyline seemed really messy and not thought through. Some times the story progressed really slowly and other times it felt rushed. In the end the story turned out way different than I had expected and not in a good way. The plot was too predictable and with too many cliches. The characters seemed shallow and their actions impetuous.

Something else that didn’t help with the plot or the characters were the writing. There were several awkward transitions between the different points of views and a couple of flashbacks that wasn’t so smooth incorporated either. As well, a lot of the dialogue was hackneyed and pretty cliche. Sadly this didn’t help with my perception of the characters as they just seem even more naive and untested.

Lastly, I have to comment on the love interests. I didn’t get any of them. How can you fall in love with a person you barely know? Sorry but that seems ridiculous to me. There isn’t any kind of action which can justify these love interest. They were just out the blue. And I am usually a sucker for romance in YA fantasy even the most cheesy ones, but these just didn’t work for me.

Was there anything that I liked? Well I liked the idea of this book. I liked the premise of the plot but it just didn’t follow through. I also liked the cover. That was two things. 😉

No seriously, I feel like Coco Ma care a lot for her book (as she should) and a lot for here characters but they just doesn’t reach its audience. This whole amazing world and characters are all imagined in her head but they are not converted successfully to words on paper which is truly sad. Therefore, only one star from me.

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I was super excited to read “ Shadow Frost” by Coco Ma. The cover was the first thing that drew me in. I love it! Is this seriously Coco Ma’s debut novel? Like seriously? I really enjoyed it. It was a fast paced read from beginning to end. This book had so many layers. The characters developed over the course of the story, which I love seeing. There were many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming but a few I did. I did have the feeling of deja vu while reading certain scenes because certain things have of course been done before (as if there is a formula for fantasy YA). The writing itself could have been a little more developed. Overall, I really liked this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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The premise is interesting, but the execution is lacking. The characters feel distanced. The story portrays their actions and some emotions, but it feels as if it is being told to the reader, not expressed through the characters themselves.

DNFed.

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I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, I’m not sure where to start with this book. I’ll say this, I loved the cover from the moment I saw it. I initially clicked it because of it, and then after reading the synopsis, I wanted it for sure. When I started reading it I liked it, but nothing was really keeping my attention. The more I got into it something just seemed off for me. I didn’t like the interactions between the characters. It just didn’t seem very fluid to me. I hate saying that because the storyline was really good and I loved the concept of everything and I also really enjoyed the world that they were in. I just had qualms with the relationships and conversations. It was so off for me. And I am so sad that it’s the case because I wanted more than anything to like this. There were times that I wanted to know what happened next and I feel like I may have somewhat connected with the characters.

So we follow Asterin Faelenhart, princess of Axaria and next in line to the throne. In her land, there is a Demon that is killing her people and every time a group of soldiers goes out to kill this demon they never come back. Asterin feels like she has the power to defeat this Demon because of how strong her magic is. She convinces her mother, the Queen, to let her go and the Queen tells her to pick a few soldiers to go along with her that are just as powerful. Asterin knows that if she kills this Demon, her mother will be proud, and it will save her people.

As Asterin and her friends go hunt the Demon they find so much more than they were looking for. Other things are out to get them, and the truths that they all believed is not even close to reality.

This was an interesting adventure with all likable characters. But again, it just wasn’t from me. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and I got way too frustrated during certain conversations. I would love to chat with someone who has read it and see what your thoughts are on it. If you have read it leave a comment and let’s chat!

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I gave it 3.5 stars

SHADOW FROST was an entertaining read, with a wide cast of characters and a world that was more vast than I could have imagined.

There are quite a few characters in SHADOW FROST that are a big part of the story. Some seem inconsequential and end up being way more important to things than you thought. There is a bit of a romance involved. For a bit, I thought there would be a love triangle, but thankfully that does not happen.

There were some crazy and shocking twists thrown at us. I didn't see them coming, and the consequences of the events that preceded them surprised me. The world was easy to get lost in and the pace flowed nicely.

There were some small things that I wished would have been better with SHADOW FROST. I wish there would have been some more character development before everyone became such close friends. I also felt like the age of the characters wasn't always represented with their behavior. There were few cringe worthy romance moments, but knowing the author wrote the story at 15 kinda makes me understand the way some things played out.

My issues with the story weren't strong enough to put me off the story. I am definitely interested in reading more.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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DNF 18%

I tried really hard with this one. I picked it up just to put it down again. I love the cover and I really wanted to love the book as well. I thought I would with all the glowing reviews but I just couldn't get past the writing. The banter between the characters was annoying at times and I just struggled to care. Therefore I have decided to stop trying to push myself to read this when there are other books I want to read.

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DNF @ 27%

I was so excited about this one that I got a bunch of my blogger friends hyped and we had a buddy read set up, but unfortunately the consensus seems to be disappointment.

Although it's not a *bad* read by any means, I found it predictable to the point that I couldn't get myself interested in continuing. My affection for tropes is well-documented, but in this case there's an excess of cliches, from the magic system to character descriptions.

While the cast is mostly likable enough, they're pretty standard snarky Chosen-One (aka overly powerful) teenagers and thus not all that memorable among their YA fantasy peers. There are also so many major and major-adjacent characters that I started losing track of the who's who, especially since they're often referred to by descriptors — such as "the Eradorian" — rather than name or pronoun. (While I've been guilty of doing this myself in the past, these days it only works for me in fanfic where I'm intimately familiar with each character's traits and backstory. Otherwise, it simultaneously disconnects me from the characters and jars me out of the flow of the plot.) More editing could also have helped smooth out the prose.

Among its genre, I'm sure this book will find its fans. But unfortunately I can't be one of them.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Shadow Frost by Coco Ma. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let me just say that I'm a sucker for elemental magic and sassy characters, which means that Shadow Frost was a gold mine for me. Awesome magic system? Check. Incredible characters with plenty of sass and banter between them? Check. Intriguing world-building? Check. Major plot twists? Check. Important friendships? Check. Interesting villain? Check. Should I go on?!

In short, I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the first page and immediately rooting for all the characters. Such a delightful and at times hilarious squad. The twists were unexpected and original. The writing was captivating. The ending has left me wanting more.

Very excited to see what Coco Ma will bring to the sequel!

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DNF at 14%
Nope, nope, nope. I'm sorry, I tried. I did. But after 5 days of barely making a dent, I'm calling it quits. While I admire the author for having written and published a book so young, it's also very clear that she is. This read like childish fan fiction with over the top cheesy banter every conversation, weird romances developing, and just really immature writing overall.

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Officially I have a thing for that kind of books. Especially when it's a new author and willing to try its strength in the hard genre as this one.
You can feel that it was written by the young person, as some places are done in the way younger people would do. As well as not everything is polished here, which made the book even more real.
The story was intriguing and for sure captivating with all those twists And secrets that were revealed, but as well as coming all along.
I had my expectations about what will happen by the end, and I was right by some, but by some, I was completely misled by Ms. Ma.
Hopefully, there will be the next book released soon as I can't wait what this debate author will do next time!

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DNF at 44%

I absolutely hate it when I can’t finish a book. I fell in love with this book’s cover, then the blurb sealed the deal for me. My anticipation grew during the prologue, especially when I came across this little marvel:

“This was a gateway to a realm of merciless darkness, of beautiful horrors and bloodthirsty nightmares.”

I usually love banter between characters but a lot of it hasn’t worked for me so far. It’s gotten to the point that if a particular character calls the princess a ‘brat’ one more time I’m going to want to throw my Kindle at a wall. I’m also not a fan of all of the flirting, especially when it closely follows a massacre that’s supposed to be devastating.

The language is inconsistent at times, with characters wandering from “brat” to “‘morrow” to “my bad”. It switches between so many points of view that I’ve lost count and although I haven’t read a lot of fantasy book it feels like I already know all of the individual elements in this story too well.

I’m feeling really defeated right now. I know I’m surrounded by so many ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews and I had planned to be writing one of them.

I hope to finish this book in the future but I’m having to slog my way through it at the moment and if I keep doing this I’m only going to be looking for faults that may or may not exist.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I have not given this book a star rating on Goodreads but need to in order to submit my review to NetGalley.

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