The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly

 

Askia became heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh because of her devotion to her people. But her realm is facing a threat she cannot defeat by sheer will alone. The mad emperor of the Roven Empire has unleashed a horde of invading soldiers to enslave her lands. For months, her warriors have waged a valiant, stealth battle, yet they cannot stop the enemy’s advancement. Running out of time, she sets sail for sun-drenched Vishir, the neighboring land to the south, to seek help from its ruler, Emperor Armaan.

A young woman raised in army camps, Askia is ill-equipped to navigate Vishir’s labyrinthine political games. Her every move sinks her deeper into court intrigues which bewilder and repel her, leaving her vulnerable not only to enemies gathering at Vishir's gates, but to those behind the palace walls. 

And in this glittering court, where secrets are worth more than gold, Askia fears that one false step will expose her true nature. For Askia is a witch gifted with magical abilities—knowledge that could destroy not only her life but her people. As her adversaries draw closer, Askia is forced to make an impossible choice—and no matter what she decides, it may not be enough to prevent Seravesh’s fall.

---

 Around the middle of last year, I downloaded a Kindle book and started reading, only to realise that due to a bug, the book had opened several chapters in and I'd missed all the set up for the story. Reading The Frozen Crown felt like that. I learned more from reading the blurb than I did from the early chapters of the book.

Now, I know that a lot of readers love this style; dropping straight into the middle of the story and finding out important things through flashback. They'll love this one, but it didn't suit me at all, I'm sad to say. It's hard to care about a country we don't know anything about, and when a guy we've seen for a handful of pages tries to murder someone we've seen for only a few pages more...ok? The narration says they've been friends for years, but I didn't get any sense of that from their interactions.

I hope this does really well, because the world building was good and the characters were all individuals and well written. The style just didn't suit me, I'm afraid.

 

 

 

The Frozen Crown publishes on the 12th January, 2021.