Review: Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis

24402708Gathering Frost
(Once Upon a Curse, #1)
By: Kaitlyn Davis
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Feb. 17, 2015
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care…even to love. Working as a member of the queen’s guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen’s runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission–to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she’ll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen’s realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher’s relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she’s ever known–and, more importantly, whose side she’s really on.

 

1thoughts I will admit that I don’t really know the story of Sleeping Beauty. :gasp: Yeah, I know. So, I went into this story on a clean slate. I can’t say how closely related it is to Sleeping Beauty but I can say that it was an interesting story.

Ten years ago a huge earthquake hit New York City. Only it wasn’t really an earthquake, it was a magical castle being brought to our realm. When Kardenia showed up, those in it’s magical radius lost all emotions. They pretty much became the Queen’s puppets. For those who were outside that magical bubble, they fought to save those who fell under the Queen’s thrall.

Jade was just a little girl when Kardenia popped up and when she saw the pretty Queen she chose to cross over to Kardenia, leaving her distraught mother on the other side. She was raised by the commander, and has spent her childhood being groomed as a soldier. When Jade comes across a young man who is clearly a rebel, she soon realizes that he’s the Queen’s lost son. She’s later tasked with bringing him and his rebel buddies to Kardenia. So she sets out to be captured by the Prince and the rebels so that she can gain their trust and bring them to the Queen.

This was an interesting story. The whole concept of Kardenia and how the Queen influenced people was new for me. The world that the author created was kind of post-apocalyptic given how New York City changed when Kardenia showed up. The one thing I had a problem with was the writing though. It felt too polished and almost like it was trying to mimic a fairytale instead of just being a modern story with a fairytale twist. It was just the way the characters talked and the adjectives used just seemed stuffy and old fashioned. I also wish the story had a little more character depth. The whole story takes place within weeks and I would have liked if the characters had time to slowly learn to trust one another instead of their borderline insta-love. In the end I never really connected with Asher. He was just some guy running around trying to lead a rebellion against his mother. I wish we got to see him a little bit more in his role.

All in all this was an enjoyable quick read. It appears that each book in the series will follow a different fairytale and up next is Beauty and the Beast. Now, that is a story that I actually know. However, I don’t think I will be continuing with the series. It was fun and imaginative but I am just not a fan of the writing style.

 

1favequote“Hope can be a beautiful thing. It can guide you through the dark. It can make you feel sage even in the most dangerous of times. But in the wrong hands, in my hands, hope is a weapon, bait to dangle before believing eyes.”

kRISTIN

4 Thoughts on “Review: Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis

  1. I like to see what your thought are about it. I have read it, yet to do my review, but I liked it. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Thank god she didn’t get raped! The original one was like that, she was woken because she’s getting assaulted

Jump in on the discussion: click on the notify button below to follow along

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Post Navigation