Beasts of the Frozen Sun

I will admit this book took me almost 2 months to read. It was a little hard for me to get into but once I did, I finished it in 2 days. I absolutely loved this story and cannot wait to continue! The mythology of this book is so rich and unique. There was always something to learn about the gods of this world. The book took place on one island but there is a whole world to discover. I’m thinking more of this will be provided in the next two books and I can’t wait to read more about it. When looking back on the book, not a whole lot happened. It was a lot of being free, getting caught, then free again, oh but wait we’re caught again. This provided a lot of tension and are they ever going to get away but at the same time a very repetitive plot line. However, the ending of this book was wild! I was not expecting that twist and it was so good.

I am obsessed with the characters. I thought it was interesting that Mira’s point of view were all in first person while Reyker was in third. It threw me off a little but it was easy to get used to since Reyker’s chapters were never too long. The two different point of views though definitely brought a little more depth into the story which I always appreciate. Mira was a great protagonist and I loved her personality. It was very realistic with all of the turmoil she went through but coming to accept Reyker. And then poor Reyker who is just so easy to love… even if he is a beast. The communication barrier between them was realistic which also brought another element which was easy to get behind. I’m also a sucker for any enemy to lover story. I just know that book two is going to be a rollercoaster for them.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell was such an amazing read. Even though I struggled in the beginning to get into the book and there is a repeating plot line, I absolutely loved this book. I flew through it once I was finally into it. The mythology of this book drew me in and I can’t wait to learn more about this land. Mira and Reyker are amazing main characters and I am already anticipating the hurt that is going to occur for them to be together. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed fantasy, enemies to lovers, and heavy lore.

BEASTS OF THE FROZEN SUN features lush world-building, compelling characters, and a captivating plot that make it an engrossing read. Aillira (Lira) is a young woman in a land with little respect/prospects for women. Her father is a younger son of the chieftan and, as such, is a commander of the forces but will likely not become chieftan himself. One girl a generation is gifted with powers through the lineage of the original Aillira, and Lira is this girl.

Lira is a soul-reader, which means that she can see the truth of someone and their memories when she touches their chest. Her powers are sometimes used to determine someone's guilt in a trial, something she is not always comfortable with. She is considering her future options where she can either join the women at the Daughters of Aillira, where women with gifts are trained and live out their lives, or she can get married to a man that would be politically advantageous.

Across the ocean, Reyker is a trained killer working for Draki, the Dragon. Reyker hates him and what he does, but he feels powerless to stop it all. Death seems better, but Reyker does want to live. When he travels to Glasnith and his path collides with Lira's, they begin to find new truths and fight to stay alive. All this in the shadows cast by the gods of Glasnith and of the lands of the Frozen Sun from where Reyker comes.

Lira and Reyker were easily complex and compelling characters that propel the story. The villains were also well-crafted albeit they sparked some gruesome descriptions, making this better suited for older readers (warnings for implied rape, demonic-like possession, character death, battle sequences, torture, and necromancy). The plot takes many twists and turns that keep the reader highly engaged. The world is built well in this book, and I would definitely be interested to learn more from the future books.

I do wish we had gotten further into the powerful women of the book, as they feature as tertiary characters here, popping up every now and again. Most of the characters, aside from Lira, are men, and it would have been nice to more fully explore the female side of things, particularly since many of them wield magical gifts as the Daughters of Aillira. However, it was still a highly engaging story (and those twists at the end were quite a surprise). It does have an open ending to pave the way for the next book, but it didn't feel like too big of a cliffhanger. I would certainly recommend to fans of YA fantasy like SKY IN THE DEEP, FURYBORN, and DANCE OF THIEVES. This is quite an engrossing new story.