Book Review: Frost

Title: Frost by Wendy Delsol

Release Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 384 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC from Publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads Summary: In this sequel to STORK, Katla Leblanc has to employ her grit, spirit, and special gifts to rescue the boy she loves.

After the drama of finding out that she’s a Stork, a member of an ancient and mystical order of women, and that her boyfriend, Jack, is a descendent of the Winter People able to control the weather, Katla Leblanc is delighted when all signs point to a busy and peaceful Christmas. That is, until the snowstorm Jack summons as a gift to Katla turns into the storm of the century, attracting Brigid, a gorgeous scientist who, in turn, attracts Jack. Between the school play, a bedridden, pregnant mother’s to-do lists, and keeping an eye on her aging grandfather, Katla doesn’t have time to question Brigid’s motives or deal with Jack’s increasingly cold behavior. But Katla’s suspicions mount when Jack joins Brigid on a research expedition to Greenland, and when the two of them go missing, it becomes clear that Katla is the only one who can save her beloved Jack from the Snow Queen who holds him prisoner. Adventure, romance, and myth combine in this winter escapade for teens who like a bit of fire with their ice.

Stork was such a cool book. Katla, the main character, was a spunky girl who was struggling in a fish out of water situation after moving from stylish California to cold Minnesota. The book was a really fun read and I loved the Norse mythology, not something that find a lot of in YA. Additionally, the romance between Kat and Jack is so sweet!

Frost is an equally fun read. Portions of the story - the main storyline featuring Jack, Kat and Brigid - is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen and had wonderful fairytale-like quality to it. The story takes place in Minnesota, Iceland and Greenland and I love Ms. Delsol’s vivid descriptions of Icelandic folklore. Frost has a lot more going on than Stork did and at times, I wondered how the author was going to pull all the sub-plots together, but she does so very nicely in the end. 

I love Kat’s voice. Even though she still a bit snarky, she is also more mature in this book. As with many second books in a series, Jack and Kat’s relationship is tested and we don’t get to see them together as much as I would like. I also wanted more of the Stork Society and I hope we will see more of the Storks in the next book in the series. I’m really hoping there will be another book because while Frost does not end with a cliffhanger, it does a great job of setting up some storylines that I hoping will get resolved in the next book. 

Frost has a very satisfying ending and I recommend this series to anyone looking for something fun and different from the usual YA offerings of vamps, faeries, wolves and the ever increasing amount of Greek demigods we have been seeing lately.

Content: Kissing and violence.