Hey, hi, hello. It's been a hot second. How are you doing? How's life? Read any good books lately?
Let me tell you, I have. And that's why we're here. I literally just finished A Kingdom of Frost and Fear by the incredibly talented and kind-hearted Whitney Dean. Frost is the second installment of The Four Kingdoms series, with A Kingdom of Flame and Fury. Let's just talk about these books, shall we? I have a lot to say.
Synopses
Below are the synopses of A Kingdom of Flame and Fury and A Kingdom of Frost and Fear. Please only continue reading this article if you have read the first book. If you haven't, read the synopsis of Fury and get yourself that book. It's available on Kindle Unlimited, at Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million.
Fury
At ten years old, Raven was mysteriously willed to be the next ruler of Seolia, a kingdom nestled within the realm of The Four Kingdoms.
Orphaned as a baby, she has spent fifteen years ruling over a kingdom she believes she did not earn all while hiding her secrets: she possesses dark magic and she thirsts for blood.
Now at almost twenty-five years old and with a sudden addiction to stealing life, Raven must fight through her new procured darkness to save her soul, but when a mysterious stranger arrives in her kingdom, she starts experiencing vivid dreams that detail who she truly is. As she slowly starts to unravel her story, what she uncovers at the end of the spool will change the course of her life and her kingdom forever.
Frost
After years of wondering where she came from and what her story was, Raven received the answers she had been craving: she has a family and is the true heir to the throne of Seolia. But the answers she so hopelessly sought only bred more questions. As she digs deeper into her past, she wonders if maybe she should have stayed hidden in the shadows, safe from the pain and agony of knowing her happily ever after may not be so happy after all.
Zeke had been right all along: she hates him for what he'd hidden from her. Now, with Raven desperate to learn who she is, he's desperate to win her back. But while still holding secrets of his own, doing so will come at a price he may not be able to pay.
And all the while, magic is slowly reawakening in the realm of The Four Kingdoms and not a soul is prepared for the new black magic Raven is now in possession of.
My Thoughts
A Kingdom of Frost and Fear begins directly after the events of A Kingdom of Flame and Fury. If you haven't read the first book, this is where you tap out.
At the end of Fury, Raven learns she is the lost princess of Reales and the daughter of Queen Celestina, who was murdered by her father, King Leonidas of Seolia. Raven, heartbroken, finally learns who she truly is. But that isn't all. War is about to start. And Queen Mira, Raven's sister, plans to use Raven and Zeke as a pawn to get what she wants: complete power over the Four Kingdoms.
There are so many twists in this book, it's insane. And you don't see them coming. They completely come out of the blue and just make you sit there. Thinking. That's what I'm doing right now. Just thinking about what I just read.
I laughed. I cried. I spoke to friends about how much I wanted Zeke to be real and how amazing Raven is. And how we all hate Cade. Cade can jump off a cliff. He isn't welcome here.
I loved watching the friendship grow between Jeanine and Raven. She has to be one of my favorite characters, as well as a few who we meet in this book. So many of the characters are just so wholesome and I felt like I was becoming friends with them.
Here is how I decide what a good book is: based on how emotional it makes me, whether I feel like I'm getting lost in the book/world, and how I feel towards the characters. If that book checks all those boxes (positively) -- which this one did --, then that book is deemed a good book for me.
Whitney kept me guessing. And when I thought I read a spoiler (which I was so unhappy about), I was so focused on preparing myself for that (which didn't even happen), that the ending caught me completely off guard. And I processed. And I got mad. Then I cried.Then I cried while being mad. June cannot come soon enough. I need that third book.
I truly believe that the best books are the ones that make you feel. And this one gave me all the feels. There was a crap ton of romance (which I loved). Magic, action, so many secrets revealed that it makes my head spin.
This book has the following tropes: love triangle, "enemies-to-lovers," found family. We love a good found family book. Especially when it is executed well.
I cannot express to you in words how much this book made me feel, so I shall resort to memes. You're welcome:
Please read this book, this series. It is so good. But make sure you read the trigger warnings first. If you do and feel this book isn't right for you, that's a-okay. Each reader is different.
That is all, fellow book worms. What's one series/book that completely blew your mind? Leave them in the comments below! Let's start a conversation.
XO,
Kaylee
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