When a book is compared to Nevermoor, How to Train Your Dragon and Frozen, three things that make me happy, it’s hard not to be dubious.

Ash is an unlikely hero. Feared by the villagers in the small, isolated stronghold his parents left him in, the only person who can be found to raise the troublesome lad is a similarly outcast, very gruff yeti by the name of Tobu. Ash longs for friendship, family and adventure and clings to the lullaby his parents left for him despite the villagers’ fear of music. Just as things become particularly grim for Ash, a chance of escape is offered by the arrival of the Frostheart, a Pathfinder sleigh captained by the fierce Tuk and her colourful crew. The Frostheart turns Ash’s life upside down, plunging him into a death defying adventure as he starts to unravel the mystery of his missing parents.

This is Jamie Littler’s first project as writer as well as illustrator and he has absolutely smashed it. I loved this book. The unforgiving, icy landscape is both bleak and intriguing, there are characters to love, to fear and to gradually warm to, there is humour and heart, suspense and heart ache and a narrative that has left me so desperate for book two.

Frostheart is everything I love about middle-grade. It’s a celebration of friendship, an exploration of difference and acceptance with a heavy dose of adventure and more than a dash of whimsy. The illustrations are just absolutely stunning, I can’t wait to see the completed artwork in the finished book!