Review: Frostfire by Zoe Marriott

FrostFire by Zoë Marriott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source: Library

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Frost is cursed - possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Desperate to find a cure, she flees her home, only to be captured by the Ruan Hill Guard. Trapped until she can prove she is not an enemy, Frost grows increasingly close to the Guard’s charismatic leader Luca and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between two very different men, Frost fears that she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.

Frostfire is kind of a companion novel to Daughter of the Flames but they tell different stories and can easily be read independently of each other.

Zoe Marriott is a fantastic writer- I have loved everything she has written. Her writing completely sucks me in and transports me into another world. While reading this book I was so emotionally involved with the characters, and just felt really there. I was up a mountainside in winter, afraid for my life... and I had to come back down to earth with a jolt- in the staffroom at work during a lunch break, on a hard ripped chair, under flourescent lights- and it's time to go back to work.

Zoe Marriott's stories always manage to really stir up my imagination. And Frostfire creates the best sort of fantasy world- it is vivid and beautifully described, but the focus is all mainly on the characters and their dramas- and they are all so damaged, vulnerable and totally relatable.

At the start of the book Frost is very much alone and fending for herself. She believes that she is cursed, does not trust strangers and avoids people at all costs. She is very independent but also timid and extremely vulnerable and afraid. I did admire her resoursefulness and relisience though. She is a character that you can really feel for and root for, and when she is in pain you want to support her.

Luca is also my favourite type of romantic hero. He is good and self-sacrificing, and a soldier and leader who genuinely cares, and who would do anything for the benefit of his troops. He works so hard and has given up so much but he really believes in his cause. When he meets Frost he just wants to help her because it is in his nature to want to look after everyone.

From strong leader Luca, to defensive best friend Arian, the kooky and funny soldiers in the camp, and especially Frost herself, everyone grows in confidence and power through their battles, and their support of each other. Through many threads of intertwined plotlines they all take joint and personal journeys in the course of the book.

I love the fantasy world, the endearing and romantic tragic love story, the feisty and noble characters, the magic, and the excitement of the story that pulled me in. The bonds of friendship and loyalty between the characters is just fantastic, and I love how the writing has the power to really stir up my emotions and make me feel for these characters.

Probably the only critisicm I have of this book is of the blurb on the back cover, which led to expect that there would be a love triangle- and there really isn't one. And the book is so much better because of that. I wish I had gone into it blind and not read the synopsis.

I highly recommend you read this book. If you love a good story and enjoy a fantasy world with some kick-ass fight scenes thrown in, and characters to believe in and root for- then this book will move you like it did me.