I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I enjoyed this read a lot and I feel it has the potential to become a very interesting and exciting series

The Land of Frost has potential. The ideas are interesting, and the world building is meticulous. The book begins with extensive lists explaining terminology and geography that is overwhelming. I like a good list or glossary, but this introduced way too much information that was not immediately essential to my understanding of the story. Moving it to the end would be preferable.
Despite devoting massive amounts of time on magic training, I still do not understand the magic system here. There is a "cost" to using it that is never explained, for example. The biggest twist was very predictable from the start. Transitions need work. I don't think of them often, but a character sitting at the FMC's lunch table with just the motivation of being her friend in a PRISON camp feels artificial and forced. The relationships between characters are often confusing. A character is referred to as Maeve's "boyfriend" despite having no relationship with her whatsoever, and he is barely mentioned at all in the second half of the book. An enemies to lovers trope is explored, but it feels juvenile with wild declarations of love that seem to come out of nowhere feeling empty and inauthentic. There is a lack of organic development that is really hard for me to explain. I also do not understand the decisions characters make. If you escape a horrible situation, do you hang out there, waiting to see what happens next? As far as plot goes, nearly everything that matters happens in the first few chapters, and the rest is character development. Prison camp training definitely brings the dark in dark academia. This book feels too long, but it doesn't explain enough to feel complete as the first book in a series. I struggle with rating this a 2 or 3. It is a quick and interesting story, but there is just so much missing and the juvenile tone really hurts. Truly a 2.5, rounding up for Goodreads.
TW: this is the second book I've read this month with forced female sterilization, and I feel like that should be disclosed. There is also a SA and lots of violence.
Thanks to NetGalley and Azala Press for this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I really struggled to get into it at first. The character and place names are quite complicated—even with the pronunciation guide at the beginning, I still felt like I was getting them wrong. It became a bit of a faff constantly flipping back to check, which pulled me out of the story.

The explanations of the magic system and the world at the start was quite heavy, which felt more like an info-dump than immersive world building which I personally prefer. Once that was out of the way, I actually wanted more development of the world as the story went on.

As for the romance: it's marketed as enemies-to-lovers, but they barely felt like enemies to me. Maybe I’ve just read too many in this trope, but it felt rushed and lacked the tension I usually love in this dynamic.

There was spice—I'd say 🌶️🌶️.5.

That said, the story really picked up toward the end, and the final section had me fully invested. It ended on a strong note, and despite my mixed feelings early on, I’ll definitely be reading the next one. This feels like a solid setup with real potential as a series.

This was a book that I was instantly hooked with. The enemies to lovers plot, the relationship building and the world building were absolutely brilliant throughout this.

liked parts of The Land of Frost, especially the atmosphere and some of the character dynamics, but it took me a while to get into it. There were moments that really pulled me in, but the pacing and structure didn’t fully click for me. That said, there's definitely potential here, and I’m curious to see how the story develops in future books!

The story was good and interesting! This book was just a small introduction into the world and i cannot wait the next books,

Land of Frost completely swept me up with its vivid, moody setting and the quiet tension that builds throughout the story. The author has a real talent for crafting atmosphere—you can practically feel the chill in the air and hear the crunch of snow underfoot while you’re reading. The characters felt raw and real, grappling with grief, love, and survival in such an authentic way.

I will say the pacing was a little slow at times, and there were a few moments where I wanted the plot to push forward a bit faster. But honestly, the writing was so gorgeous and immersive that I didn’t mind lingering in this world a little longer. If you’re a fan of quiet, character-driven stories set against stark, beautiful landscapes, Land of Frost is absolutely worth picking up. I’ll definitely be watching for whatever Gibbs writes next!

the enemies to lover was a real , hate at first sight to lovers,
the forced proximity was fun.
there is violence. fights, powers, betrayals, lots of betrayals, I loved it
,Violence is sometimes a bit shocking, but since they heal quickly, it's not that bad

I read it in two days. I couldn't put it down. I loved it.

I need it in Spanish for yesterday, so I can underline my favorite parts of Eoghan and Maeve ♥

Oh. My. God.

Can I just say I am obsessed?! I'm not going to lie, I was a little uncertain at first since Maeve wasn't that easy to really like or relate to. She's weak and spoiled and soooooo sheltered. That's the entire point though. As the story progresses her character has such AMAZING development and by the end I'm rooting for her to kill allllll the people who betrayed her and her family. The entire world built in this story is fleshed out so beautifully. Seeing Maeve slowly start to realize the truth about the Kingdom she's never actually experienced is heartbreaking while also motivating. Your heart breaks alongside hers as more and more is revealed and she learns what it's like to really live.

Eoghan has my heart now and forever. He gives off the perfect "touch her and die" vibes even when he's acting like he HATES her. From the start I was very excited to see what he would do and how their story would develop. I appreciated the lack of "insta-love" because it wouldn't have fit with the story. The way their relationship develops is perfect and filled with all the troubles you would expect from a girl who no longer knows WHO to trust and a man who has LOT of secrets. This entire book gave off Throne of Glass vibes in my opinion and it hooked me in. I was reading this nonstop once it got going and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it.

I'm going to be in a serious book hangover waiting for the next one to come out. Because that ENDING. I had a feeling but to have it CONFIRMED blew my mind. I was ready to rip out some throats alongside Maeve and Eoghan.

Thanks for the ARC and Im sad to give it 2 stars,

First, the good. The writing was decent and I loved Galgalesh's character as well as a lot of well placed foreshadowing (for eg., Cai's kid in the next book maybe?). Maeve did show growth of character in terms of strength and I liked that.

The bad though was a lot. A lot of confusing, conflicting info was given which was frustrating and didnt make sense. Like, if Maeve was so sheltered and essentially a prisoner in the castle, how could she begin a love affair and physical relationships with Rian so easily? How did she know all these secrets about her father and brother's magic and the castle security, which she claimed even her mother or brother didnt know? Why did Prince Cai start a whole new army for some supposed threat and not tell a single soul about what this threat was? Why did the prisoners have so much freedom and why didnt they pounce on the first woman in forever when Galgalesh wasnt around?

The worst was Eoghan though. He literally physically assaulted Maeve, almost killed her and there was no apology or explanation for that incident nor about the time he acted like a rude jerk to her. And then he suddenly does a 180 and starts saying he loves her. It didnt make sense and felt icky ngl. I hope Maeve ends up with someone else or just by herself because she deserves better.

I have been chasing that throne of glass feeling since finishing kingdom of ash in November - well let me just tell you that this book delivered on that front as I was getting major TOG vibes - in the best way!!

This book follows Maeve, a princess who is left for dead on her wedding day after a violent coup, she finds herself going to a deadly and violent prison to train to avenge those who murdered her family - she starts as a sheltered young princess but turns into an incredibly strong and powerful woman.

I couldn’t help but root for her - we also had some romance!! Enemies to loves and a slow burn which was SO good - Eoghan the man that you are.

Could not put this book down - loved it and that cliffhanger?? Need book 2 immediately please!

~ could anyone love so much that their heart melts in their chest? ~

This book didn't seem to set out to be a love story, and yet, it was.

Maeve Moran, our FMC, is the protected, seemingly pampered princess of the Steel Citadel. On her wedding day to a man who she believes she is madly in love with, a violent coup takes the lives of those she holds dearest – her brother and her fiancé, as well as her parents – the king and queen. She is left for dead, stripped of her magic – then rescued, nursed to a semblance of health, and smuggled out of the city by Dedra and Tiernan, who were loyal to the royal family.

She eventually finds herself at Báscogar Prison, training alongside the faerie Warden Gálgalesh. As she learns more about herself, the world she grew up in, and the world she was meant to never see, she begins to question everything – including love, herself, and her desire for revenge.

Maeve is an interesting protagonist. She is naïve and sheltered - quite literally the golden child on the surface, with glittering hair and doted on by her family in public. But there is a dark side to the royal family. Maeve’s magic is the gift of healing – she can heal herself, and her blood heals others. Her father and his potion master tortured and abused for her magic her whole life – testing its limits and taking her blood to make potions to heal others. Maeve is also strong and hotheaded, wanting revenge at all costs and having to learn it will take time to get to where she needs to be - especially without her magic. I did love that she wasn't suddenly super strong and amazing, but the grueling effort to train is well-depicted.


📖 World Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5) – There is so much to this world. The guide at the front is very helpful - if a bit of an infodump feel, but it is still a lot for one book and at the same time, not enough. A lot of the world building unfolds throughout the story as it happens, so you don’t have information until you “need” it in the story. It’s an interesting construct, but at times, it does lend to not understanding the tension that is clearly being built.

📖 Character Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5) - This was fantastic – and this is where this book shines. Watching Maeve, Gálgalesh, Eaghan, and the others grow and develop into better people through the book was really the best part of the story.

📖 Predictability (lack of): ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5) – There were some smaller twists I didn’t see coming – a couple of very good ones, in fact. However, what I would call the two major plot twists, I 100% saw coming. Would have loved to have had a little more secrecy around some of the major points, but overall, still solid.

📖 Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.5) - very well done. It never felt bogged down or boring. There were points where it definitely sped up or slowed down but overall was very well done. There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end and things that were started but never explained, so I’m hopeful book 2 will pick those up.

📖 Spice: 🌶️🌶️-🌶️🌶️🌶️ (2-3 peppers) – definitely adult.

📖📖 Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4-4.5) – Overall a great story. I love the characters and the premise. The predictability got to me a little bit, as did some of the started but never finished parts. Will definitely still pick up book 2.

📖 Noteworthy:
📚 enemies to lovers
⚔️ orphan
📚 found family
⚔️ magic
📚 mentor x mentee (begrudgingly)
⚔️ LGBTQIA+ romance rep (secondary characters)
📚 character growth in spades
⚔️ touch her and die - look at her and risk dying
📚 growly, OTT protective, fire mmc

📖 TW/CW: Death; murder – a lot of murder/assassinations; attempted murder; bullying; objectification of women; references to cannibalism/vampirism; attempted rape; assault; abductions; torture – a lot of torture and descriptions of torture. There is a lot of graphic violence in this book. None of it feels overly gratuitous and it does make sense in the context of the book, but it is there.

This book was so much fun! Right from the beginning you are pulled into this story’s world and it starts fast paced and doesn’t ever slow down! We follow Maeve’s story that starts tragic from the beginning and continues to show the horrors she endured through her life. I really loved watching her growth through this book.

The MMC is everything I wanted in a grumpy brooding character! Who doesn’t love a fire wielding man who can put you in your place??
I loved the build of their romance. Truly enemies to lovers. Very protective man that had me kicking my feet!

I also really enjoyed the side characters and was laughing out loud at the banter!

My jaw WAS ON THE FLOOR when I finished the book!! Made me sooo excited for the next book!! I truly can’t wait.

Tropes:
❄️ Enemies to lovers
❄️ Banter
❄️ Revenge
❄️ Fire daddy
❄️ Different Magic systems
❄️ Secret identity
❄️ Political conspiracy

Fun and hard to put down. This has the following: enemies to lovers (done well), a grumpy but utterly great side character that adds so much to the story, forced proximity, hidden identity and royalty. This book has characters that are excellently written, a story that grabs the attention within the first few pages - so instead of trying to get into a book the reader simply falls into a great story with little effort. I absolutely loved the character of Galgalesh with all the one-liners and banter!! If you are looking for a new series (yes, this one is incomplete) that is enjoyable jump in to this one!

This was fantastic! I went into this blind and I’m thrilled I did. I could not read this fast enough. The story is packed with action and so much world building I felt like I was truely there. Enemies to lovers is easily one of my favorite tropes within fantasy and this was perfect

Wow. This was very good. I really enjoyed this. I loved that character, the plot and the book started off with a bang and it never stopped. I would definitely recommend this and look forward to more fro this author.

Given that this was the authors first book I will give her the benefit of the doubt, this book started off AMAZING! It was fast paced and unique and kept me frothing at the mouth!

But then it felt very generic, typical heroines journey to be a super powerful bad ass bitch, and I’ve just read similar things so frequently in romantasy that it wasn’t unique enough. I felt like most of the things were predictable. She was damaged and weak, lost her power, had to learn to fight and get strong, hated this guy enemy who was also REALLY hot, and the rest you can predict 🧐

I’d wasn’t a bad read, it just wasn’t intriguing enough to warrant a 5 star rating for me. I think with some work it could be though!

This book has it all: revenge, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, prison shower sex, and the most insufferable FMC (in my opinion). However, the enemies switched to lovers so suddenly that I'm not sure I fully trust the MMC. Despite my dislike for the FMC and the intimidating glossary + pronunciation guide at the beginning, I did think this book was well written and enjoyable to read. The glossary was helpful, but the story was still easy to understand without it. The multiple names in reference to "home" were a little confusing, but I eventually got over it.

I’m not usually one for decimals, but this one gets a 3.5 (rounded up to a 4)! I really enjoyed the character dynamics and the conflicts throughout. Maeve loses everything dear to her and is set on revenge, and you get to watch her grow both mentally and physically along the way. The pacing felt a bit erratic, especially with some info-dumping at the start, but overall Maeve was a likable lead. The enemies-to-lovers trope was great, though it felt a little abrupt; I appreciated that it didn’t dominate the story. A solid read overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎