I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I needed this book! I really did. Was the ending a little predictable and the foreshadowing a little too obvious? Yes. Did I care? No. Did it take away from the enjoyment I had reading this book? Absolutely not. This is a darker romantasy story so theme's are 18+. The banter was delicious, the enemies to lovers was ideal, the supporting characters were amazing and the world building was on point.
Let's dive in, shall we?
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Touch her and die
Forced proximitry
Secret identity
Found family
Fight training

The first 12% went from being a shock to a bit of a slog as most first novels are. Introducing the characters and building the foundations of the world. Some authors are more subtle about it than others but it's to be expected with every new series I pick up. We start with Maeve. It's her wedding day. Everything is bright and hopeful, and yet she finds herself getting caught hiding in the chimney of her room before being dragged out to the courtyard. There's a slaughter and she's left for dead. Two people who worked in the castle find her in their attempt to escape and take them with her, saving her life and keeping her safe while she heals.
At this point Maeve is stupid, immature and a bit petulant. She does something stupid and ends up at the Borderlands, from where she ends up in Bascogar, escorted by the Warden himself. Galgalesh is by far one of my favourite characters in this book. He is gruff and growly but thaws towards Maeve, especially when he sees how hard she tries, despite being an immature and spoiled princess.
Now, the deal is that Galgalesh is to train Maeve so that she can protect herself within the prison walls, seeing as she's the only female there, and so that she can be strong enough to avenge her family. This is all well and good in theory, but she's as weak as a kitten and just as soft. She gets her ass kicked repeatedly and these men do not pull their punches. It was absolutely refreshing! Although, Galgalesh does give her a healing potion after every session. This section of the story is all about Maeve. This is where she does her most developing. She does her best to learn all about the prison, how it functions and who to stay away from, in order to stay alive. During this time, she processes her grief and her trust issues begin to come to light. Your whole family was murdered, how would you not have trust issues? Not to mention being in a prison of murderers and all sorts, doesn't scream trust me, does it?
I LOVED the fact that she didn't take to her training sessions like she had been born to it. She sucked. Really badly and for quite a significant portion of the book. But she did come into her own and while she didn't thrive, she knew enough and could do enough to survive. Her character development was brilliant and I loved it.

Enter Eoghan. Dark, broody and hates our Maeve with a passion. His eyes follow her and blaze with hatred for the majority of the book. In the beginning their interactions were few and far between but midway through the book, they are ordered to stay together and that's when the relationship begins. I loved their dynamic! Everything from Eoghan's smirks, his teasing and those little glimpses into his softer side had me swooning over him.
"'Underneath me again, Princess? I'm starting to think that is what you want.'"

After some time, he softens towards her and we learn some vital information about Eoghan's past. He is possessive, protective and just so growly (in the best way).

“‘I am not a conquest, Eoghan’…’ No, Mave. You’re everything.’” and ‘Because if I kiss you again, I’ll never want to stop. I’d let the world come crashing down around us, and I wouldn’t even flinch’”

His relentless devotion to her is palpable and the quiet core of steel she develops is awe-inspiring and shows how far her character has come. The banter between them is so good, between her throwing daggers (literally) at the back of his head and him besting her in combat, quite violently, the fact that they came together after that, the how and the why of it, was very well written.

The world is well developed and I went from 12% to 61% in one sitting because I was so engrossed. The book is well written and flows with a nice pace, fleshing out the characters and building relationships and friendships.
I adored this book and am dying to follow this story. The characters and romance made this book for me, while the plot and it's twists kept me reading well past my bedtime.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

Just wanted to start by saying a massive thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for gifting me an EArc of this book.

We start off with a glossary, pronunciation guide, magic system overview, religion overview, language guide and creatures guide. I love when authors include things like this in their books and I feel like it makes it so much easier to quickly immerse yourself in the universe.

The story begins with our FMCs family and fiancé being brutally murdered in front of her, and she somehow survives. After she takes some time to heal, she is sent to a prison with one of the MMC's to train in combat in order to retaliate against the people who killed her family. Their dynamic reminds me a lot of Aelin and Rowan in the Throne of Glass series, when he is training her to be Fae (minus any romance).

The romance in this book is true enemies to lovers. I wasn't sure which male character would be the love interest initially, but it became obvious when they started telling each other how much they hate each other. They spew horrible words to each other, but eventually the sexual tension becomes evident and it's clear where their story is going 🤭. The tension build was delightful, and the first spicy scene was sizzling. I absolutely adore their relationship, he's so protective over her.

It took me a while to really get into the flow of this book, and I didn't find myself reaching for it initially. The pacing was a bit slower at the start, but once I got a bit further in and the romantic subplot was introduced I was hooked. And the ENDING... excuse me, I was NOT expecting that plot twist. It really set the storyline up perfectly for the next installment, which I will be eagerly awaiting.

Land of the Frost was a super fun, action packed adventure from start to finish!
We follow Princess Maeve on her wedding day as a coup kills her fiancé and entire family in front of her. After barely escaping with her life, she is sent undercover to Báscogar prison to train with the grumpy (and hilarious) faerie warden so that she might be strong enough to take revenge on the people who ruined her life. While there she meets the mysterious (and handsome) fire-weilder Eoghan Kael.
Maeve was a very likable and real FMC and honestly I adore her. Her character development throughout the story was amazing. She grew a lot but stayed true to herself!
The setting and world building were very immersive but also easy to follow! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a steamy Romantasy with a unique magic system and a gritty prison setting. Enemies to lovers, good banter, hidden identity, found family, all my favorite tropes in this one! I can’t wait for book 2 especially after that ending!

The Land of Frost is an absolute page-turner, delivering high-stakes action, richly woven world-building, and a heroine you can’t help but root for. From the very first chapter, the tension is palpable—Maeve’s fall from royalty and her relentless fight for survival kept me hooked! The prison setting and brutal training sequences gave me Heir of Fire vibes in the best way, while the slow-burning tension with Eoghan added another layer of intrigue.

Welsh Gibbs crafts an immersive, fast-paced story with compelling twists and deeply layered characters. The ending left me utterly desperate for the next book! This is a must-read for fantasy lovers craving adventure, magic, and a heroine willing to risk everything.

3.5 stars
Took a while to get into this but started to pick up pace 45% in.
Ended with a great cliffhanger, kinda guessed it halfway through the book. Book 2 will hppefully have more of a story flow to it

Rating-
4.5/5 stars
(Rounded up!)

Genre-
Romantasy

Age Rating For It-
18+ because there is abuse (off page), attempted murder, death, drugs, murder, profanity, violence and sexually explicit scenes too.

Tropes-
Enemies to lovers
Royals
Protective mmc
Forced proximity

Quotes-

“Love is not a simple thing to break.”

“‘I am not a conquest, Eoghan’…’ No, Mave. You’re everything.’”

“‘You’re doing that thing again.’
‘What thing?’
‘Where you make me wonder how I am ever going to spend another moment not thinking about you.’”

“‘Kiss me again,’...’No,’ he laughs…
’Why?’
‘Because if I kiss you again, I’ll never want to stop. I’d let the world come crashing down around us, and I wouldn’t even flinch’”

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I honestly loved this book so much and thought it was great. I love the enemies to lovers trope so much and thought they did that trope really well, whereas some people definitely don’t, and so I loved that aspect of it so much. I thought the whole story was fun and the fmc Rapunzel vibes were really fun to have and that they did that well as well. The only real cons that it had I think was that at the beginning there were like 20 pgs of just explaining different world building stuff, which was a lot I think. The ending was also pretty predictable as well, which I didn’t love, but I also didn’t hate it either. All in all, though, I would definitely recommend this book and think that it’s a great book that people should definitely read!

Thank you to Whitney Welsh Gibbs and Netgalley for providing me with an arc! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Actual Rating: 4.5 ⭐

What to expect:
-Enemies to lovers
-Royals
-Adorably grumpy side character
-Protective mmc
-Secret identity
-Forced proximity
-First book in unfinished series

What I liked:
The relationship. I loved the relationship between Eoghan and Maeve! Of course, it didn’t help that I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers. In the beginning there was a lot of animosity and hatred but by the end, there is no doubt in my mind that Eoghan would have died for Maeve. One of my favorite parts was seeing them together at the end. It's like I could feel the chemistry! My one con with the relationship is how fast it developed, as much as I do love enemies to lovers, I also enjoy a slow burn too. It just felt a little abrupt. One minute Eoghan hated her and the next he was in love with her.

Galgalesh. Is there really any explanation needed? He was hilarious. Seriously, some of his one liners had me rolling! Not only was he a great comedic relief, he also had a really great story line. I loved his relationship with Peadair. Don’t get me wrong, I hated Peadair but I thought his actions and Galgalesh’s response to them were definitely unique. Also a great LGBTQ+ rep!


What I didn’t like:
The lack of explanation. At the beginning of the book there are pages worth of lore, from seasons, to kingdoms, to gods. It honestly felt a bit overwhelming. To the point where the author really didn’t want to do any explaining in the books, so she just did it all in the beginning. Kind of like one big info dump, but the story hasn’t started. Now, granted, a lot of fantasy authors will do this so it’s not a huge deal. I just would have liked to have more explanation in the book, verses having it solely in the beginning.

The predictability. I’m going to keep this one short because I feel this has more to do with me personally as a reader. To me, the ending seemed quite predictable. Maybe not everything but with that specific character reappearing it definitely didn’t surprise me. Though, the foreshadowing throughout the book was well done, and I think the reappearing of this character will be a very interesting plot driver in the next book.

All in all, this book was great! I can’t wait to read the next one… Please let it be out somewhat soon! 🤞

This was a pretty cool start to a series! It takes some time to really get into it, but by the end I was fully invested in Maeve's story. The Land of the Frost has an interesting world, some loveable characters, and a steamy romance as well.

Read if you like:
- extensive worldbuilding
- training sequences
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- "touch her and die"
- political intrigue

Our FMC Maeve has some strong Rapunzel vibes as a locked up princess with magical hair (that dies when cut). I found her to be a little difficult to like at first because she's 100% the cat that we worry about being killed by curiousity. I love an inclined FMC when they want to get strong or smart but Maeve spends so much time feeding her curiosity by being rash that I kept getting frustrated with her. I did grow to love her though and I also kept reminding myself that she was sheltered and didn't understand a lot of things so it is natural that she's curious and ignorant much of the time.

I really loved the other main and side characters! I think they were all super compelling and I liked their relationships and interactions with one another as well. I hope to see more of Finn and River in book 2!

The extensive worldbuilding is really awesome and is definitely desired by a lot of fantasy readers. However, personally I think it may have been better to put just the family tree and pronunciations at the front of the book along with a note to find a full glossary at the end of the book. 20 full pages of detailed notes on the entire world is a touch overwhelming at the beginning of a new book and I'm not sure I would've kept going after seeing that had this not been an ARC I already committed to review. That being said, I do love the attention to detail there, I just don't think it's necessary in the front of the book.

My only real complaint is I had a lot of trouble with the pacing of the book. It took until halfway for me to truly get captivated and even then the plot is a little non-existent (but it does help that the characters become more enjoyable at that point). The gist of the premise is that it's a revenge story but with no clear plan as to how the revenge is happening other than training to become strong. That could definitely work if the plan is to get a revenge body, but that's clearly not the plan here so most of the story felt a little meandering.

Eventually we uncover other elements and the plot becomes more intricate. Now that all this is in play, I'm so into this world and I can't wait to read more about this story! Fantasy and Romantasy readers will eat this up. This book is perfect for fans of The Winner's Curse and A Court This Cruel & Lovely.

Thank you to Azala Press, Whitney Welsh Gibbs, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you to Azala Press, Whitney Welsh Gibbs, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book! I appreciate how thorough and informative the guides at the beginning were. I don't often see such detailed guides, and it was so helpful to better understand the world as I began my reading journey. I initially skipped the pronunciation guide, but when found myself getting attached to the characters, I had to go back and learn their true names. I spent have the book calling Eoghan “Enough” in my head before learning his name 😂
I stayed up well beyond my bedtime two nights in a row to finish this book.
The plot is captivating, and the characters are all so unique.
I loved that the world itself is so vibrant, and detailed. The contrasting terrain in each territory makes for a fun adventure where you never feel bored reading about the landscape. I can’t wait to learn more about the other territories in the upcoming books.
I don’t know if it’s just me, and because I read through it so quickly, but it did feel like some things were a bit rushed. I found myself wanting a little more yearning.
The twist was also a little predictable, but also what I’d want to happen in order to make the next book more intriguing. The Land of Frost took over my life for the last few days, and I can’t wait to read the next one!

An intriguing beginning for what looks like a fascinating series.
The FMC, Maeve, is a princess who witnesses her family being killed and swears to exact her revenge. During her journey, she's forced to reconsider and confront some of her beliefs.
The story was captivating. Admittedly, the abundance of names, places, species and intricacies of their magic system and politics were a bit challenging to navigate, but I got used to it.
The characters felt alive, I loved the interactions between to romantic leads, the ending sets up an intrigue for the next book.

I will always say this but I'm a sucker for great world building. The world building in this was amazing and it really captivates its readers..One thing that I really enjoyed and that I feel as though most fantasy books should have is the glossary section. The glossary explained the different types of lands, religion, languages, creatures, social systems, certain terms and pronunciations. This was a great addition to the book because it allows for readers to easily understand the world building and can allow for them to go back if needed without having to search for where certain things were mentioned. The Land of Frost was phenomenal from beginning to end. It was filled with an amazing plot, action, banter, and the perfect amount of romance.

WOW!
Seriously, this book was soooooo good!
It has everything survival, revenge, romance, awesome banter and one-liners, betrayal, twists, love, and a Fire Daddy! The characters and world were so captivating, I felt like I was right there with them.
I had so much trouble putting this book down, but when I absolutely had to I was thinking about it non-stop. Right from the first chapter I knew this was a new favorite.

The in depth glossary and pronunciation guide was also an great touch!
The only problem is now waiting for book 2.

Thank you Whitney for this amazing book!

I really enjoyed Maeve as a main character. She was vulnerable but showed character growth and resilience throughout the story that was relatable. The slow unraveling of her past was interesting as well. The tension between her and the MMC had the right amount of push and pull to keep me hooked, and I enjoyed learning more about him as well. Their dynamic added so much to the story, and I loved watching it develop.

That said, I struggled a bit with the setting. The prison felt a little inconsistent—there was a town nearby, prisoners seemed to have a strange level of freedom, and the magic rules weren’t always clear, which made it hard to fully immerse myself at times. The plot also had moments where I felt a bit lost, but the overall progression kept me engaged.

Despite those inconsistencies, this was a solid read with great character development and tension-filled relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for an eARC of this book!

What a fabulous fantasy read!!!

This a new to me author. The synopsis drew me in. From the first page we were BAMM! into the action. Maeve is a strong heroine. She is trying to navigate her new reality while surrounded by the worlds worst criminals. And then their is Eoghan. Wow.....he is all dark and broody with a soft little heart hanging in there. I loved watching Maeve's curiosity bloom around him and their friendship build.

Here is my one picky detail. And it might just be me, but I honestly almost put the book down after the forward and end page materials. PAGES--of decryptions and pronunciations and back story. I did muddle through that. I don't think it was necessary--maybe the name pronunciations and a map---. But the author did a great job with world building and I wasn't left questioning anything. I know some readers love to have all that, but I enjoyed the story (nope-- I didn't read all the details in the front of the book) as it stood.

Great intro to this author and to this wonderful fantasy realm!

This is a cliff hanger so hold on while we wait for the next book in the trilogy. I really can not say enough how epic this story is. Grab it today!

The Land of Frost by Whitney Welsh Gibbs, was such a captivating fantasy book! I fell in love with all the characters but the growth that Maeve made throughout the whole book was amazing. She went from a clueless person to someone who could hold her own. She might not have been as strong as the guys but she never gave up! Eoghan was swoon worthy; at the beginning he came across as the "villian" but it was really a front in the effort to protect the princess. The end though killed me; I hate, hate cliffhangers! I will definitely be look out for the second book because I must know what happens!!!! Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Absolutely addictive!

I nearly DNF'd this (because Maeve was annoying me so much at the beginning) but I'm so glad I didn't. I was glued to the pages, cheering her on and warming to her more and more as we got to see into her backstory.

I adored Gálgalesh (probably more so than Eoghan)

Everybody needs to add this to their TBR!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ARC Review ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to Azala Press, Whitney Welsh Gibbs, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Land of Frost has many great characteristics, and some characteristics I felt needed a little more work. I’ll start with the good and then find my way to what I think could have been better.

The worldbuilding is phenomenal. There is an extensive glossary at the beginning that breaks down the different providences of the kingdom, the different types of magic, religions, languages, creatures, objects, and a pronunciation guide. It was almost overwhelming to be hit with right from the beginning but was great to have access to throughout my read. The book starts with a lot of fast paced action and immediately grips you into the story. The spice is fun, and the characters are well fleshed out. The ending had me excited for book 2!

Now for some areas I felt needed a little work. Overall the pacing at times felt weird. Sometimes it felt more like we were forcing the story to a certain point instead of letting the story naturally evolve. Like if we wanted two characters together we had to awkwardly write the way there. I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. It felt like it took a while to decide what the driving narrative of the story was going to be. And the buildup of the main love interests relationship did not necessarily feel like it evolved naturally. The main character Maeve was at times a bit intolerable, but thankfully the side characters also recognized that and called her out anytime she was too weak or too whiny.

Overall though, this was a fun read. I enjoyed the read and the world building a lot. I am excited for book 2 and to see how we explore the world even more. I gave this book 3.5 stars. I think it has the makings of a good romantic fantasy series and will definitely add the second book to my TBR!

As much as the plot twist is rather predictable, this first book definitely gets off to a good start, so much so that it kept me glued to its pages for two consecutive days. The characters are of some depth and, although certain shifts in sentiment are a bit odd even in hindsight, the story flows and is also compelling. Now I only hope that the next volume in the series won't make me wait too long, otherwise I'll forget everything that happened till now.

Per quanto il plot twist sia piuttosto prevedibile, questo primo libro parte decisamente bene, tanto da avermi tenuta incollata alle sue pagine per due giorni consecutivi. I personaggi sono di un certo spessore e, anche se certi cambi di sentimenti sono un po' strani anche con il senno di poi, la storia scorre ed é anche avvincente. Ora spero soltanto che il prossimo volume della serie non mi faccia aspettare troppo, altrimenti mi scordo tutto....

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I was so grateful to have a chance to read this book as an ARC.

Maeve’s story was compelling, emotional and action packed.
The beginning felt quite disjointed with the story jumping from one area to another without much transition, but overall I very much enjoyed this book and the characters created within it.

Maeve starts as a sheltered and naive princess but goes through wonderful growth. She becomes more aware of the world she lives in, who her family was, her own strengths and weaknesses and what trust really is.
It is wonderful to see her developing throughout the book, growing, maturing and strengthening as the story progresses which makes her such a likeable lead.
The MMC Eoghan is a fantastic complex character that shows many different sides to his personality and is a believable yet captivating love interest.
So many of the supporting characters are fantastic additions that add so much to the depth of the story. Galgalesh is perfection and adds so much to the book. I also really love the interactions with Finn and River, they add some much needed levity to the story but also show a warmer side to Eoghan, I hope they will feature in the next book more.
The villains in the book are distinct and hateful and definitely made me feel suitable levels of outrage at their behaviour.
The surprise at the end was one I guessed earlier in the book, but I assume that the reader is supposed to guess based on the hints left throughout the book.
But even having guessed it, the reveal has still left me desperately wanting to know what happens next.
I’m very much looking forward to the next book.

Holy moly...this is a top notch romantasy! Banter, betrayal, adventure, and jaw dropping moments. Everything you could want in an addicting, page turning fantasy.