So the thing is, I'm at a crossroads. I think this would've been a great stand alone had a few plot points been taken out completely, and I also think it would've been a great series had some of the plot points been farther spread out. Instead I think the author took them and combined them into one so I felt the book was kind of everywhere and it was crammed. The idea of this story had me at hello I was prepared, I was pumped, I was ready! And then the pacing just flew by and I couldn't focus on the plot and characters as much as I wanted to because I kept getting lost thinking oh wait didn't this thing JUST happen? Oh no! That happened two seconds ago but now we're on a whole other section. I just got lost and I don't know if thats a reader issue or a book issue. Anywho I think I will pick up the sequel once it's out to give it one more shot!

A unique and entertaining story with an engaging and interesting cast of characters. With magic, romance, and intrigue this one has it all.

Shadow Frost
By: Coco Ma
3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis:

Blackstone Publishing, Oct 1, 2019 
I recieved this early copy on behalf of the author and publisher, from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review...

In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness rises.

Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes.Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm.Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down.Not one has ever returned.

When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields—though has yet to fully understand—Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless trained soldiers have failed.

To kill it.

But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known.

That is ... if the demon doesn’t get to them first.

My Thoughts:
First let me just that I really wanted to love this book!! It had its moments where i thought it would pick up and get better. However that was not the case...
The character builds are spotty at best, there are more useless details than relatable ones. The world building was horrible, I feel I know nothing about the setting of the story. 
There were some really solid aspects, there were 6 POVs, which can make things messy if not done well. Here it was slightly disorienting, and a few critical flaws but all-in-all the writing was well done. The love matches seemed trite, stilted, forced and clunky at times BUT even so, they also managed to be sweet at other times so there's that. The plot had too many convenient or easily foreseen twisty turns.
This isn’t, strictly speaking, a bad book. It’s relatively entertaining, but it’s extreme and predictable. It has that Disney-esque quality of good triumphing over evil. The characters are highly powered with limited training and few consequences. Especially where the MC is concerned, Asterin is completely annoying!! 
Even though this wasnt my meat and potatoes dont take my word, try it out for yourself you may enjoy it. I would reccomend for a younger reader just getting into young adult reading, but it just wasnt for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Coco Ma, and Publisher for my early copy for review.

This book really surprised me. First of all, I really hope there's a sequel because it can't just end there. I found the characters very interesting, especially the girls. I loved how much mystery there was as well. Definitely a great read.

I received a copy of Shadow Frost from Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for world building and this one was a thrill to read.

I loved the way magic was portrayed in this book but most importantly I adore the characters.

I really really hope there's going to be a sequel to this one, because that cliffhanger!

“Eternity. It was endless and gray as the bleak sky above, broken only by the craggy teeth of the mountain peaks.” 

I was quite looking forward to Shadow Frost. The blurb is intriguing, the cover is beautiful, and it has lots of good reviews. Also, the prologue and first chapter had me hooked. They immediately established tension and a really interesting world. (The map at the beginning is amazing too. I spent a while studying it and admiring the names and layout.) 

However, I was instantly struck by the writing style. This kind of sentence structure appeared a lot: 

“Her breaths became gasps as she struggled to maintain her focus, muscles quivering from exertion.” 

“The queen turned, a single brow arched.” 

I don’t know… maybe it’s just me, but there were so many sentences spliced by commas that it started to bug me. They can definitely be effective, but they become rather unprofessional when overused.   

On another note, the features of the main character are described through the use of a mirror. This is a bit cliche… 

I did like the main character she was feisty and brave, albeit a bit reckless. But the romance… 

“You…you can’t just take off your shirt like that,” she stammered.

“Why? Does it bother you?” he teased, nothing short of delighted. 

“Yes! No! I don’t care. I’ve seen shirtless men before anyway.” 

He quirked an eyebrow, “Oh?” 

That just makes me cringe. It’s like a cheesy high school romance. 

Anyways, I think I better stop here. Perhaps you will enjoy this book. It does have good qualities. However, it was not my cup of tea.

I absolutely adored this, it’s an amazing read from start to finish , full of well written and developed characters. I love Asterin so much she is an exceptional main character, I can’t wait for the next book, because there has to be another right after that ending. This is definitely being added to the One of my favourite reads of this year list

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I don't even know where to start haha

First let's talk about the story, the plot, the twists...
I loooooooved the idea of this story, I loved the elemental magic (I have a soft spot for it). The plot is simple: a princess (with her crew) going after a monster, a beast who is killing people. They need to put it down fast. Simple but it worked so much because it left the necessary space for plot twists and storytelling...

The twists:
I feel like there was way too many twists in the book put there and there and there again. I didn't understand to point of them all but the writing style made up for it because I really didn't mind them while reading the book.

The characters:
I loved them all! This is so weird because it has actually never happened to me to not have a preference. I loved all the characters in that book, I loved them all! We had a background story for each character. I think the mutiple point of views helped with that as it felt natural. I didn't feel as we were getting to many information about them. They were also very different to each other.

Asterin, the main character, the princess was a badass!
Luna, the princess' friend doesn't remember her past, and struggle with her magic
Rose is the Queen of another kingdom
Orion trained Asterin to be a warrior and he is pretty badass himself
Eadric is Luna's lover (such a cute little couple)
Quinlan is a brilliant warrior as well
Harry, a hunter who joined them later

So I was so committed to the story from page one. I have to be honest I was pretty impressed. But I had some issues with the way the story evolved. I feel like the characters' relationships were going to fast. Like they didn't know each other and then two days later they were best friends. It juste didn't make sense to me. And also the fact that we were reading one twists after another at some point made me questionned myself as if the author decided to change the story even if in the middle of it. it's like the author had an idea of where the story would go and then in the middle of the story decided to change it a little bit. 

But even with that I enjoyed the story from page one until the very last word. The characters were likeable and I enjoyed reading about them. The story had magic, a bit of romance, friendship, lies, truth, secrets, ... I really did love that world it was as easy to understand everything as easy to get lost in the story!

I love the elemental magic! It was fresh, new, different and not cliché at all!

Well useless to say that I cannot wait for the sequel!!!

The first word that pops into my mind to describe Shadow Frost is “indulgent”.

This isn’t, strictly speaking, a bad book.  It’s relatively entertaining, but it’s extreme and predictable.  It has that Disney-esque quality of good triumphing over evil.  The characters are highly powered with limited training and few consequences.  There were some pretty cool ideas in the skeleton of this novel, but I just didn’t believe it.  At all.

And, yeah, okay, this is a fantasy and requires suspension of disbelief.  I get that, I really do.  But I also have a problem with characters who achieve the highest levels of power so quickly.  While I don’t mind a runaway royal here or there having her own adventures (hello The Storm Crow) I have a difficult time with multiple royals running around without interference and doing dangerous things.  Like – no big deal if you, the only heir dies!  We’ll figure it out!  The lack of rules and consequences holding the characters in this world made it so they could run around doing whatever they wanted.

For me, that’s a deal breaker.  I love beautifully crafter worlds.  I want to see the characters grow and fail and overcome and struggle beautifully.  Without consequences, these characters had no apparent growth.  The love stories came quickly and too easily.  The friendships were uncomplicated.  I wanted more depth to these people besides dead parents and lightning fast reflexes.

The one thing I wanted so badly to experience in more detail was the magic system.  At the beginning of the book, I felt like Coco Ma had this beautiful, complex, fascinating magic system.  Especially in the first chapters, I expected to see more about how this worked, and learn alongside the princess and she struggled to gain control.  But that, too, fell aside.  The reader was given a once-over of the rules of magic and the rarity of the different types, just enough to follow the plots… then everyone became rare magical experts real fast.  I was so disappointed.

In as far as the plot goes, nothing surprised me.  There were a lot of things going on to the characters, to the point where it seemed like the author wanted each character to have an equally, dramatic storyline.  This novel had six different POVs and a complicated world-building system that was introduced in awkwardly timed flashbacks and a lot of telling.

Please don’t misunderstand – I didn’t hate this book.  I think that the ideas in Shadow Frost were fun and interesting, and the characters had potential.  But it felt raw and underdeveloped and I expected more.  I was disappointed, but I believe that those less thoroughly read in epic fantasy would enjoy this one a lot.  It was written as though it was an HBO series, with romance and adventure and fight scenes.  There’s an audience out there for Shadow Frost, but it fell a bit short for me.

Incorporating seamless world-building, progressive character arcs, and themes/symbolism from across decades of literary decadence, Coco Ma manages to create a novel that is insightful, unique, compelling, and enjoyable.

Shadow Frost is a debut novel by young author Coco Ma. It’s the first book in a new fantasy YA series. It’s a story about Asterin, Princess of Axaria. There is a demon terrorising her kingdom, and it seems that she’s the only one who can defeat it. Together with her friends and elite guards, she’s embarking on a hunt. But none of them can predict the outcome of this journey. 
	This book is full of action, adventure and has an impressive magic system. There are nine elements that a person can wield, like water, air, ice, fire, and so on. Most people can use about three of them, but there are legends of some, who have powers to command them all. There is also the tenth element, shadow, but it is forbidden in all of the kingdoms, as it’s too powerful and hazardous. 
	While reading this book, I could tell that it was written by a young person. There are loads of situations that, for me, seems very childish and made me roll my eyes. Party banter was mainly based on teasing between the members, and they could go on like forever.  Some scenes were so typical it was cliché. Like the one, where two guys are coming into princess bedroom, and she is of course in very short, sexy nightgown and then they duel anyway, because why not. The other thing I really didn’t like, was a habit of one of the male characters to call a princess a brat. And of course, she didn’t mind or whatsoever. What was that about? It was neither cute, nor did it fit the scenery of a fantasy kingdom. And it was going on for the whole book. 
	The start was also very slow. In the first few chapters, not much is happening. There are just scenes from the life of Princess Asterin and mostly occur in her rooms. If I wasn’t reviewing this book, I don’ t knows if I would continue reading until finally, some plot starts. 
	But the story does have potential. The magic system was quite enjoyable, besides elements, there were also affinity stones needed to do magic. There were Immortals, the gods who, in theory, did not interfere with mortals, but sometimes they do appear to help or guide them. And there is an evil Shadow God, most powerful of them all, who is not playing according to the rules and keeps influencing the human world. There is a powerful, immortal demon and loads of dark magic spreading through the realms. 
	Then again, the world was not described in many details. We know the kingdom of Axaria, where the action happens, and we know there are some other realms. But not much besides that. There was one scene at the end of the book with a great ball (of course there had to be a ball!) where all the royals from all the kingdoms came, and the author tried to describe them all in one paragraph. I just got to the third one, and then skipped the rest, because otherwise, I would fall fast asleep. 
	I think that this book is more for younger readers. Maybe they would not be discouraged with the author writing style. I’m sure the author will get better in her writing, as it is her debut book. Because some ideas are amazing, it’s just the execution that is something to work on.

This was an enjoyable read! The characters were all well developed and the world-building was well defined. The author was able to bring the reader into the story's world in a way that wasn't overwhelming, despite the magical nature of the story. I'm interested to see what book 2 brings!

I thought there were some definite highlights of this book but overall it was very forgettable and cliche. It was very reminiscent of Victoria Aveyard or Bardugo or any other fantasy that contains wielding the elements; the princess being able to wield all of them just like her love interest. While there was some great world building and descriptive passages that lend themselves to a large perspective where the reader can bring the story to life, the dialogue was very teen angsty and showed at the authors juvenile writing style (for the age of 15). I felt the best chapters were actually the ones that didn't involve the 2 main love interests but were told from other people point of view. Overall, I didn't feel there was any raving quality about this book or story that I hadn't already read in other published works.

I'm sad to say I couldn't get into this book. Maybe it was because of the fact that the digital arc was set up weird like it's supposed to have pictures, that just didn't quite load, that broke up the story in weird places. Or maybe it was my temperment at the moment. I couldn't feel myself getting pulled into the story or a connection to the characters. This book just wasn't for me.

DNF.
First of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Frankly, I'm astounded by the high rating. After a couple of pages I had the impression that this was written by a high school student and then I found out it actually was. For such a young author she is doing a good job, but I think she still has to learn a lot. To me it just felt too forced and it was way too descriptive, so much telling instead of showing. Too many adjectives to describe different characters' eyes or hair or body don't help to add depth, on the contrary, it all seems very shallow. Also the magic at work is always explained instead of integrated into the plot. And the language is too anachronistic for a story that is clearly inspired by a medieval background. Maybe it does get better towards the end but I gave up at around 15% as I found the language, the story telling technique and the language irritating. One could argue that I can't judge the book properly after reading only a couple of pages, but when something annoys me right from the start, I'm not likely to change my opinion. As this was written by an adolescent, it might make sense to let other teenagers review it; maybe the story does resonate with them or they might forgive the author her lack of technique. I'd give Coco Ma two stars for this - just for the attempt to write a novel at such a young age.

***ARC provided by Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review***

DNF'ed this at 25%

Everyone is praising this book and I was seriously hoping to jump on that wagon. Especially after the very strong prologue but the following chapters are just dragging and dragging and I can't seem to be able to like and connect with any of the characters at all. On Chapter 11 and basically nothing happened. I like my books to have events... any type; big or small. 

I put it down, thinking I'm not in the mood for this story and will try later but then, that following time, the same thing happens. My interest isn't piqued and I find I am bored with the descriptive of day to day, basically. What seems to require a shock value falls flat for me and that's not a good sign at all.

The synopsis is very interesting and I feel that if the story went a bit faster to start on the adventure, it would have been better. The magic system in this world is very interesting... the premise is fun, in all honesty. I just... need to connect... and I don't.

Once upon a time in the land of Axaria lived a fair princess--a princess whose warrior skills, sharp tongue, and courage were renowned throughout the land. Her name was Asterin. Then, one day a terrible beast, laying waste to all in its path, brought chaos and death to the kingdom. Asterin, along with some of her most trusted Elites, set off to hunt down the beast and restore peace to the realm. However, not all is as it seems and spotting the enemy proves harder than Asterin could imagine. And soon, she and her friends must face the question: who do they trust and what are they willing to sacrifice?
In Shadow Frost, Coco Ma creates a world full of magic and turmoil. This engrossing new fantasy series has reminiscent fairy tale themes, and yet the story is new and complex, the tone darker and more mature. Political themes, switching points-of-view, and action sequences drive the story forward. Ma's writing paints a vivid picture, immersing the reader in the action and also creating some really lovely poetic phrases.
The intertwining stories and the moving points-of -view provide the reader with information not shared to all of the characters, allowing us to be one step ahead. She also artfully applies the use of an unreliable narrator. However, the pacing, at times, is a little rushed, especially between action sequences. It seems like Ma was trying to keep the action moving while building character relationships, but, in doing so, the character development suffered a little. The down time between battles when character development, relationships, and empathy with the characters should be built could have been better executed. While each character has a distinct personality, their interactions and relationships struggled to ring true. I wanted to see more meaningful interactions between current friends, the trust build among the new and old friends, to really experience the budding of new relationships and the steadiness of an established one.  I enjoyed the romance between Orion, Asterin's Guradian/best friend, and his love interest as well as the other pairings, but I wanted more.
Despite my complaints about character development (more specifically the underdeveloped relationships), Shadow Frost is a solid fantasy novel and a series to watch. It has a great storyline, interesting twists, a unique magic system, kick-ass characters, and a lot of action. Fans of Sarah Maas will love this book.
Overall, I give it a 4/5 stars. I look forward to the next installment and to see Ma grow as a writer. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy to read and review.

Needs a Stronger Beginning 

While reading this, I felt a little strange. Maybe it's that I'm not yet used to review copies. Maybe it's that the author is also new to the business. We're new in this world together, exploring it out. 
The world Coco Ma has built is impressive. Such a well established system of magic, with concrete rules - that's crucial to a fantasy novel of this type. So much of the book is there - relationships between characters well fleshed out, personalities as dimensional as possible. 
Yet I felt something was missing. That's why I called it "strange". So much of the elements of the book were as good or better than some fully published authors I've read. However, the beginning of the book felt rushed, and I never felt as immersed in the world as I should. Many of the books positives - the characters, the relationships, the rules of this magical world - were explained in exceptions. We learned about magic, and the corresponding stones, as the protagonist does something special. We learn about the two friends of the protagonist as they break their job duties and sneak away. We see the protagonist act like a princess (attend any sort of court function) for the first time when something strange is happening and two new characters are introduced. 
Perhaps this is simply a stage in the draft, but I would prefer having some lead up, more examples of day-to-day life for this character. I feel like the protagonist is supposed to be growing, developing and changing. But I have no "beginning" stage to base that on. I hope that can be fleshed out before release. This book has so much promise, and really is impressive as a debut novel. All the elements of what is there are excellent. The beginning just needs a little more attention I think.

There are some authors I love beyond their books. I appreciate their humour, the struggles they have endured, what they stand for, how nice they seem as a person, or how they use their platform to spread awareness. I don't think I have ever been as impressed by an author as I am by Coco Ma, however. Not only is she a musical genius but she wrote this book when she was FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!! This book is such a strong debut novel and the young age of the author only goes to make it seem even more impressive. I feel inadequate!

Shadow Frost follows Princess Asterin Faelenhart. She is not your typical lady at court, preferring sparring at dusk and honing her magical powers in secret than parading her figure or sitting meekly as the Queen would see her do. But Asterin has been unknowingly training for a task ahead of her and the safety of the entire realm is at risk if she fails. A demon is lurking, a plot has been hatched, and trust has been breached.

This was such a consistently intriguing and thrilling read. The magic that formed much of the initial focus was unique in its construction and it played its part inside a story-line that was just as exciting to read about. Asterin's fiesty nature made her an immediately relatable protagonist who I rooted for from the very first page. The trials she faced allowed her to grow without losing her spirit and I was just as enamoured with her at the story's close. I can't wait to see what this author has next in store, for Asterin and for the reader!

4-4.5 Incredibly astonished, jaw dropping stars. This author has a great future ahead of her if this is just a glimpse of what she is capable of at the age of 15. I am definitely a fan.  Shadow Frost combines a whimsical writing style, enchanting and complex magical system,  depth full characters, and a unique world into a captivating reinvention of the tale of Snow White.  The author manages to weave in intrigue, betrayals and plot twists in such a way to keep the readers on their toes and glued to the pages. I think that the author has a calling for the YA fantasy genre.  Especially in her ability to convey maturity in her characters and chemistry between them but still keep things suited to her audience.  I thought the characters had great range and depth, and for having so many that, in itself, was remarkable.

Enter the world of Axaria, a land created by the council of Immortals-- the nine gods and goddesses of the Immortal Realm.  Princess Asterin, our sassy, strong, and fiercely determined FMC, has just discovered she is omnifinitied, one who is rare and gifted in all the nine elements of magic in her world.   A darkness has risen up in Asterin's kingdom, and it is up to Asterin, and her most trusted and talented friends to push it back to where it came from.   Asterin in a desperate attempt to live up to her soon to be ruler status as well as her mother's expectations.  Asterin and her companions set off on their journey.  But not everyone Asterin meets is friend and in their search for the demon plaguing the land, they discover the treachery is much closer to home and the truth shall be revealed and must be accepted even if no forgiveness can be found.

The story itself is very original, so much so that I only started to recognize aspects to tie it to the fairy tale Snow White at about 40% in.  I love that.  It made me as the reader think I had uncovered some great hidden mystery!  The  magical system created for Axaria was really great but more information would have been awesome.  It was complex in that it was not just built on the elements but on spells also.  We didn't really get a very good breakdown of what this magic is capable of yet which leaves room for growth in a sequel but at the same time didn't give us much to go on in the the fights..  Why are things hard?  Why do certain things work and others don't?  What makes one magic bad and one good?  Where is the line?

I think this supernatural world was built quite well, but the reader could have really benefited from more backstory and details here and there.  For example I personally would have loved more info about the Immortals, it seems there is something going on in the Immortal realm that we have just barely grazed upon here in this book.  Like things are happening over there.  Having Queen Priscilla's story, as well as the stories of others just barely hinted at around the magical world would have also answered a lot of questions for me.  I identified several areas where it looked like other fairy tale reinventions could be starting, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast to just name a couple.  What I would really like to know is if I'm reading to much into the story or if the author definitely is going to pursue these avenues.  Though I haven't seen any evidence so far stating matter of factly that this is book one in the series, this cannot be the end.  I ended this story wondering if I had discovered some missed plot holes, or if I had discovered multiple unfinished avenues the author plans to pursue later.  These unanswered questions are the reason for my  quad stars.  I feel like a lot of the questions I have were left with the reader on purpose so as to answer them in a later work.  Not knowing for sure is just about killing me lol.

It is just phenomenal really that this is the author's first work, and that the author was only 15 at the time it was written. Definitely something I would recommend for YA fantasy readers, or lovers of fairy tale retellings.  This author is one to watch out for!

*I requested and received an AR copy of this via NetGalley and the Publisher Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.*