Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness continues from Frozen 2 and we are reintroduced to Elsa and Anna and the gang. It was a wonderfully done story that is a little darker than the movies were, but still true to the movie characterization. I thoroughly enjoyed going on this adventure and thought Ms. Mari Mancusi & Jen Calonita have a great writing style and I hope they continue to write Frozen or other Disney properties together.

The story takes place after the events of Frozen 2. Anna and Elsa will have to join forces to fight an evil entity that is erasing the memories of all citizens of Arendelle. However, nothing is what it seems, and the sisters will make a shocking discovery involving their Grandfather and the dam built fifty years ago.
With a darker tone, Polar nights will also please a more mature readership.
I am looking forward to seeing more of the Frozen universe.

Thank you Disney Hyperion for providing me with this ARC. This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022.

Now onto the review. If you are waiting for Frozen 3 the movie you are missing out. Please do not sleep on Frozen books. This story follows Anna as she now Queen of Arendelle and Elsa with her new title of Snow Queen and one finally adventure they share to save their kingdom.

This story heavily focuses on what it means to be a sister. How far would you go to see your sister again if you lost them? What chaos would you cause to uncover the truth?

The journey was wonderfully done and i loved getting to hear more about the world of Frozen. All the other towns/lands, the people and their lives.

Once I started this book I found it hard to put down. The characters are relatable and since I have seen the movies the books always add an extra level of Magic. The pacing of the story was just right and the creepiness was amazing. The only thing I wish is that it didn't have to end.

I will mention at the 62% mark their was a same sex couple mentioned. I had to read the same paragraph multiple times I was so shocked ( in a good way). This integration and representation is deeply appreciated as it was done in a kind, meaningful and subtle way.

I loved this story! It's a continuation story that takes place shortly after the Frozen II movie. The tale of Inger and Sissel is so sad. I won't say what happened, but I could kind of see it from the beginning of the draugr sightings. A for effort though, cause it is definitely an Arendale original.

I always enjoy seeing characters I love cast into new stories and new tales (pun intended). This novel explores another set of sisters who also went through harrowing events of which the ramifications are still being felt a generation later.

This story starts out with camp fire stories being shared among our lovable band with s'mores: Olaf, Sven, Kristoff, Anna and Elsa are sharing stories, but things start to get weird... can camp fire stories come to life? It starts out with little connections, but soon, there's a full fledged monster from lore on the loose. Whom better to investiagte and save the Polar Lights Festival than this dynamic group of heroes? Read on to find out which character is haunting these pages.

What I loved:
The camp fire story turned into real life.
The parallels between the two sets of sisters.
Pirates. Who doesn't love pirates?
The characters reflect their movie personas accurately.

**I loved the illustrated pages and the illustrations at the start of each chapter - it made it spookier/eerier with the image repeated. And I loved the end illustration that changed to reflect the ending. It's a nice addition to the story!

Disney Frozen Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness by Mari Mancusi & Jen Calonita is a great young adult/middle grade novel that brings us the wonderful cast of Frozen in a new adventure that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this spin off of the Frozen franchise. I loved revisiting all of the amazing characters that were in the Frozen movies as they experience mystery, suspense, surprises, and battle evil past and present.

I enjoyed the plot, the pacing, the ending, and of course anything Frozen is right up my alley. Definitely recommend this for any Disney fan.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Disney Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/19/22.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide for the e-ARC!

I love Frozen so much, so this book was a bit of an easy sell for me, but I loved it! There was strange monsters, a mystery to solve, the sisters bonding and fitting into the new roles they stepped into at the end of Frozen 2, Olaf was hilarious. There was so much great stuff I can’t even list it all. The two authors did a fantastic job of bringing the voice of Anna and Elsa to the pages. Would recommend 100% to any Frozen fan.

Set a few months after Frozen 2, Anna is busy with her Polar Nights Celebration duties as Queen of Arendelle, and Elsa is exploring the Enchanted Forest and beyond. The sisters along with trusty friends Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and Bruni are on a camping trip in the Enchanted Forest. The group takes turns telling spooky stories with Kristof’s story of two sisters Inger and Sissel being the scariest. The two sisters argued with one pushing the other into a river where she drowns. The remaining sister is arrested and put on a prison ship that sinks shortly after leaving Arendelle.

The same night that Kristoff shares this story, strange things begin to happen in Arendelle. Townfolk prepping for the Polar Nights Celebration begin to lose their memory. Literal darkness settles over Arendelle with black clouds and storms settling over the small kingdom. Soon a creepy ghostlike figure called a draugr begins to haunt the area and Anna and Elsa investigate a long-held mystery in order to free Arendelle from its curse.

Polar Nights Cast Into Darkness feels like checking in on some old friends. Everything about it made me smile, from the familiar names making appearances to the evolving friendship between the two sisters. Remember, Anna and Elsa still are learning about each other as sisters and equals so in addition to them teaming up to solve a mystery, they are also still learning how to trust each other.

Polar Nights Cast Into Darkness is written by two authors Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi, but the chapters flow effortlessly with one voice. It’s important to note that Polar Nights Cast Into Darkness is for younger readers that are ready for longer chapters. There are a few scary parts specifically when the sisters face off against what could be described as an angry and determined ghost. Still, these scenes add to the darker vibe of this novel which balances action with much-needed humor from Kristoff and Olaf.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content: some creepy content, I would recommend it for 7th grade and up.

I initially had a hard time getting into this book, but at about halfway through it suddenly pulled me in. It's a fun adventure starring some already beloved characters. I did enjoy the read, but had a difficult time accepting the characters in the book as the same characters from the movies. They were just a little off. It was like staring at a picture of someone you are supposed to know but don't recognize. Except Oaken. He was pretty much right on.

A perfect addition to the Frozen world. Water holds memories, but what happens when the memories that have been seen as truth aren’t what they appear? Anna and Elsa must save Arendelle again, even as their kingdom begins to forget who they are. Can they save it in time?

A single night and a spooky story make the past to come to life. Can Anna and Elsa figure out how to put old sprits to rest and give voice to their true story? Or will everyone be doomed to forget forever?
I don’t want to put to much in this review to let everyone discover this tale on their own. I think this is a fun continuation of the Frozen history. I truly appreciate the fact that it is a stand-alone book in the sense that if Disney was ever to make a third Frozen film, they would not need to reference this book to make the movie work. I also love how some of the themes found in Frozen 2 are carried over to this tale. Especially the one where water holds memories. Overall, I did this book. I don’t know if it was everything, I was hoping it to be. But I loved the direction they went and the themes they revisited. Kids who love Frozen will love being able to go on a new adventure with such amazing sisters. I will for sure be recommending it to anyone who is a fan of Frozen.

My Review:
9/10


I chose to read this book because it was Jen Calonita who everyone knows I love. If you look at my website, half of the books are hers. And so when I saw she was doing another Disney book, I was excited. I have never read a Mari Mancusi book, but I was excited to start one. I like the way Jen always writes in a way where you can visualize what the person's doing and saying. Perspective taking. It's two authors. Let’s talk about Mari Mancusi first. I have never read a Mari Mancussi book, but I know that in order for Disney to take on an author to do a movie retelling or something, they have to have a good resume. So I was excited about that. I could see when Jen Calonita was writing. And I think because I'm such a fan of her, I can just visually identify when she's writing, because her writing style is so unique. Jen and Mari DID NOT disappoint me. In the beginning I was iffy on the story line, but it soon got very interesting.

I feel like I didn't really click with the book in the beginning. To be honest, in the beginning, I was kind of not really interested in the story because the theme is on sisterhood. And I am not a girl, and I don't have a sister. So I don't know what it means to be like sisters. But I do have a brother. Yes. And we're not close, like the characters Anna and Elsa. In the beginning I was just like, because I am, I've grown up. I am not really a Frozen fan. It has passed my generation. I was like Lion King, Aladdin and stuff. So it was past my generation. So it never really clicked. And also I couldn't really understand it because it's sisters and I don't have sisters. So at the beginning, I was just like, oh, this is boring, because I didn't really want to read a book about sisterhood, which I knew it was going to be about. Because you can't tell the tale without the two sisters. But the dialogue felt like there really was not enough action in the words, which is a big thing for me. It was like what they were saying was so scripted. It felt like, I think that's what didn't connect with me. Those are the points of dislike, but there were many wonderful things about this book.
It was hard for me to just fit right in the shoes. But then once I got, like, 65% of the book, there was this major plot twist that made me drop my jaw. That plot twist just grabbed all my attention, and it made me interested in the rest of the story, which I really liked because I really wanted to enjoy it. The thing with Disney movies, when they retell a tale and stuff, is the characters, you know, you know them by heart, like you, you love them. And I think when Disney does retellings, they pick the right authors like Jen and Mari to take on what the sisters and the characters would say. Like whenever Olaf spoke in this book, I completely could picture Josh Gad saying the lines. It was so spot on. (which made it more enjoyable)
It's basically about a scary story that comes to life. And it's haunting the Kingdom of Arendelle. It was like this thing where it's like, if you tell the story of this monster on the day they died, the monster will come back and haunt people and the kingdom of Arendelle. The major themes were Sisterhood and how it bonds people and how you need to stick together. Not those are the two things. The other theme was lying and truth telling. The perspective switching didn't really affect it because it's not like their past and present, it is the same events just from different eyes.



OVERALL:
I don't really like the characters as much as other characters from Disney. So it'd be harder for me to write a Frozen book rather than Aladdin, which is my favorite character. It'd be so much easier for me to write in Aladdin Tale than Frozen. And I think part of that was not just dialogue, but also the other part of the reason was it's frozen. I'm like, I'm too old for that kind of thing, right? And because I'm not a girl, or I don't have a sister, I can't figure out a sisterly bond.
Any fan of Frozen, or of Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi, should definitely pick up a copy of this book when it comes out. This will be perfect for collectors too. I am so happy for both the authors of this book, and can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeves.

This early chapter book is perfect for Frozen fans who want to continue to follow all of Elsa's and Anna's adventures off the big screen! I also love that much like the movies, elements of Scandinavian culture and language are included in the book, such as names of foods and places. The chapters alternate between Elsa and Anna narrating and are on average about 15 pages long. There are no pictures but the pages contain a highly-detailed thunderstorm-themed border in black and white and will be intriguing to middle grade readers. At over 300 pages, this chapterbook is also a great length for readers who are building reading stamina and ready for longer, more complex plots and storylines. As a grade 3/4 teacher I can definitely see my students loving this book. I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the 8-12 range who are fans of Frozen!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!