Of Hoarfrost and Blood is an epic fantasy with magical Fae, sorcerers, and dragons. It also has a bit of mild romance thrown in, although that’s not the main focus of the book and honestly was my least favorite part of the story, to the point where I could have done without it completely.

The story is a first person account from the perspective of Ananya, later knows as Demerise, a Fae teenager betrayed and left reeling. She’s 15 for most of the book, turning 16 later in the story and then 26 after a 10-year time skip near the end. Because of her age the story sometimes reads as YA, but I don’t think it’s intended to be and there are a lot of very adult topics touched on. It’s well written, but some parts are tough and uncomfortable, so definitely check your triggers before reading this one if you’ve got them.

We move through different places and people, with the book divided into six parts, each relating to Demerise’s relationships and interactions with different characters, which was an interesting way to break up the story. I enjoyed most of the side characters and found them all interesting, even those without their own dedicated section, although it felt like some were there more for lip service and then thrown away. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I’ll definitely read the follow up to see where it goes from here, especially since it’s pretty clear that we’ll be getting the adult Demerise.

 

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.