Little, Brown and Company, 2017.

There’s little better than reading the first book in a series and loving it. The feeling of having books cued up for the future can’t be beat! Despite its title, Frostblood left me with all the first-in-a-series warm fuzzies.

There’s nothing 17-year-old Ruby wants more than to practice her skills as a fireblood: learning to direct and control the heat and fire that shoot from her body. But the gift is unpredictable – and dangerous in a country ruled by Frostbloods– and her mother begs her to ignore it for her own safety. When Rose doesn’t, she pays with her mother’s life, her own imprisonment, and the destruction of her village.

Ruby has lost everything. Her mistake informed the king’s forces, to whom she is a threat to be exterminated, but it also informed those who would rise against the king, who see her as a weapon. Soon Ruby is caught up in a world of secrecy and intrigue as she trains and becomes more and more drawn to the mysterious young man who helps ready her to commit treason.

I loved this book! The story is compelling. The world building feels effortless and never gets in the way of the story. The language is beautiful and evocative, beginning with the very first page:

“I offered my hand to the fire.

Sparks leaped from the hearth and settled onto my fingers, heat drawn to heat, and glittered like molten gems against my skin.”

The romance is a lovely alliance between two flawed, but honorable individuals. It’s out in five days! Put this one on your To Read list; add it to your collection.

I read Frostblood as an advance reader copy courtesy of Netgalley and Little, Brown, Co. in exchange for an honest review.