Frostforge: Passage One

Frostforge #1

by Morgan Rice

“Action-packed …. Rice's writing is solid and the premise intriguing.”
--Publishers Weekly (re A Quest of Heroes)

“I await each release by this author eagerly and have never been disappointed!”
--Book Reviewer (Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From #1 bestseller and USA Today bestseller Morgan Rice, whose books have over 10,000 five-star ratings, comes the debut of a spectacular new fantasy series, FROSTFORGE, ideal for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas, and Callie Hart.

When 18-year-old Thalia Greenspire is sent to the legendary Frostforge Academy to harness arcane powers and tame wild creatures, she never imagined facing a chilling betrayal. In a place where friendships are as mercurial as the shifting snows, and passions burn hotter than fire magic, Thalia must unravel who her real friends and enemies are.

As she fights to survive her perilous first year trials amidst blossoming romances and bitter rivalries, Thalia will her flame be extinguished? Or will she emerge as unbreakable as ice?

In this magical romantasy series, enter a fantasty world that's unlike anything you've encountered, where thrilling adventure teems with danger and potential. As Fate steers Thalia through enchantment and passion, her quest is marked by surprising turns and enthralling thrills. This tale is sure to ensnare the imagination of both newcomers and seasoned aficionados of fantasy, ensnaring your heart as you find yourself unable to put the book down.

Future books in the series are available!

“Loved it. Kept me on my toes like the whole time. It made me want to keep reading even when I was supposed to be sleeping.”
--Book Reviewer (Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The beginnings of something remarkable are there.”
--San Francisco Book Review (re A Quest of Heroes)

“Has all the ingredients for an instant plots, counterplots, mystery, valiant knights, and blossoming relationships replete with broken hearts, deception and betrayal. It will keep you entertained for hours, and will satisfy all ages. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re The Sorcerer’s Ring

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Ebooks, Romance

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

About the author

Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising 8 books; of the new epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books (and counting); and of the new science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES. Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals), ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer’s Ring) and RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Kings and Sorcerers—Book #1) are each available as free downloads!

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Reviews

[James Gosteli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to be begin... Frostforge has an interesting premise, but the execution struggled to keep me engaged. The prose felt highly repetitive, relying heavily on what seemed like stock phrases, like "practiced movements," "practiced precision," "dancing shadows," and “precise footprints in the snow,” seemed to occur frequently.

The pacing also suffered from excessive descriptions of unimportant details. While the wording was colourful, it often felt like filler that slowed the momentum of the plot. Furthermore, the magic system remained vague; it wasn't clear if magical ability is an innate gift or a learned skill, which created some confusing plot holes. (Or perhaps I missed a detail on that specific concept.)

Specific to the Audiobook: I found this version particularly difficult to finish. There were at least 10 instances where entire sentences were repeated, clearly intended to be edited out but left in the final cut. While the narrator has a clear, velvety voice, the delivery lacked the enthusiasm needed to carry the story, often leading my mind to wander.

The story may have potential, but I can't say it was riveting enough for me to continue on with the series. It could probably benefit from another thorough editorial pass.

[Noone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to around 20% and then I skimmed around for another hour or so.
I don't know where to start so I'll do what I usually do. Just start ranting, here we go.

Character dialogues are very linear. For example, if someone drops something and someone else picks it up mid-conversation, people wouldn't pause the exchange until it has been picked up. But the writing makes it seem like these happen in sequence. Actions and dialogue feel much more natural when being woven together in an organic way. You can walk from one place to another while talking at the same time.

The author is making an effort to show things instead of telling where possible. The problem is just that really bad showing is worse than decent telling. The "showing" here is really stilted and unnatural because it's really just badly disguised exposition. But because the author doesn't trust its reader to get it, one of the characters has to repeat it out loud. Now we have the worst of both worlds. Awkward showing, followed by stilted telling through dialogue. This happens constantly, and it gets tedious fast. I felt like I was being treated as an imbecile that has to be told everything twice.

On top of that, the nice characters praise each other for the most trivial things in a way that feels nauseatingly fake. It gives strong "everyone is a winner, everyone gets a trophy" vibes. I dislike this on its own but it makes even less sense in a supposedly brutal, unforgiving survival setting.

This has another side effect. It makes the characters come across as much younger than they're supposed to be. Their behavior reads like they're ~15, even though they're supposed to be of age. You could subtract three years from everyone and nothing in the story would change. If anything, it'd be more believable. Which means, yes, this is very much YA.

That leads me to a broader point: there's no subtlety whatsoever. The lack of trust in the reader goes beyond exposition. Whenever the author wants the reader to notice or understand something, she hammers it home multiple times. It's like being force-fed the "point" of every scene.
This should not be too surprising to anyone. It's a dark academia YA after all.
Every scene has an obvious purpose and goal, like the author was working through a checklist of bullet points.
The intent is so obvious that it almost felt like reading the author's outline rather than the actual story.

Sure, there are some tweaks to the usual formula: a fantasy setting, a military academy that teaches magic through survival. But the author didn't lean into any of it in the stuff I've read. It felt more like the setting was an obstacle.

Then there are the inconsistencies. Everywhere. Every second paragraph contradicts something from earlier. It's not a handful of nitpicks. It's constant. It affects everything, what characters know, believe, or can do, facts about the world and its magic, even basic continuity.
Magic is available to everyone in this world, but the book is written as if the MC is exploring your typical hidden magic in the secret magic school. It makes this all feel strangely surreal. For one, she knows quite a few things already and yet acts like this is some amazing new stuff at the same time. And then she knows almost nothing about most things magic that should really be common knowledge, like your typical clueless MC that functions as a surrogate to teach the reader. But this doesn't make any sense here! She already lived in this exact world for 18 years! Again, I could go on and on about lots of these kinds of things. Some issues are world-building like the one above, others are details changing over time. But it all lacks coherence and consistency. I cannot even put into words how incoherent this book is. Not a single thought was spent on thinking about the world and what consequences any of the differences compared to our world might have.
I kind of want to sit down and write all these in the margins in red. I bet every page is going to be red. There is SO MUCH it is ridiculous. Who were the other pairs of eyes that read and corrected this before release? Were they paid anything? Because if they were, they should be fired and find another job in another discipline. Because I would call what they did (or rather didn't do) here a scam.
But it cannot possibly be the fault of the copy editor alone. Just normal revision should have fixed at least 90% of these before the copy editor ever put their hands on the manuscript. Maybe the copy editor saw this mess and just gave up and waved it through. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't even blame them that much.
It reads like it's just vibes no brain. "Internal consistency you say? Can you eat that? I'm hungry."

It's honestly baffling to me because there isn't anything else in here. It's not like there just is a different focus that explains why these story aspects are half-baked. There is some budding (extremely shallow, clichéd, and trite) romance but it's not explored much in this first book. What makes it even stranger is how the story then doubles down on the magic like it is a focus. Like it is a system that can be understood and which behaves in at least semi-predictable ways. But that is just not the case. There is no rhyme or reason to the magic. It's just the classic mix of the rule of cool and a plot device you see in so many other stories. But the author pretends like it's a system. And I don't understand why.
Maybe I shouldn't be surprised as the characters are not any more reasonable. So it's not really a problem with the magic in particular. The entire setup of this "academy" makes no sense. I think the only way to build an academy that is worse at accomplishing what it's supposed to is by actively designing it with the goal of sabotage.
The "teachers" are either sadistic or incompetent, usually both. Most of the students are racist and bigoted to a comical degree that is hard to distinguish from satire.
I haven't read far enough to tell how inconsistent and stupid the other students are, but I don't see a reason to expect them to be any better.
But I can already tell that most of the characters are built from tired tropes and are as flat as cardboard. Every academia stereotype can be found here.

What I wanted to write initially is that these are all the hallmarks of a new author. But this author has been publishing since 2011! This is why I am not holding back on a new book with so few ratings or reviews. This author is not going to improve based on some well-meaning feedback.
I think the best option is to just avoid this one. To me, it's low effort slop, no excuses.

A note about the audiobook: The narration is a bit strange. The narrator has a slow, rhythmic, gentle, and lingering way of speaking that wasn't unpleasant precisely but it felt forced to me. And it drew my attention away from the story at times. I don't really know how to put it into words but I'd definitely suggest you listen to the sample before buying it. What I found more distracting are the many outtakes that are left in the narration. In lots of places there are two or three tries of the same line. I've rarely listened to a book that didn't have at least one of those. But there are dozens of them in this one. Not sure how this even happened, if the narrator only provided the raw version with timestamps and the author thought it was the final version. Or if some editor just did a very poor job or if the narrator forgot to mark these outtakes while recording. Who knows. But it's weird and distracting and unprofessional.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf, very slow.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great.

[Ruuyah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frostforged reads like “Harry Potter in a snowstorm” or, more generally, your standard fantasy academy setup with a frosty aesthetic. The premise itself is decent enough: a school training students for an ongoing war, wrapped in a harsh, wintry setting. That alone was enough to keep me from DNFing the book halfway through. Unfortunately, the execution falls apart the closer you look.

The biggest issue by far is the sheer number of plot holes and inconsistencies. Details don’t just get fuzzy, they outright contradict each other from one chapter to the next. A shattered leg turns into a broken rib overnight. Scarce medical supplies are suddenly abundant when convenient. Rules that are clearly established (like not retrieving bodies after the Frost Walk) are casually ignored later on. It often feels like the author forgot what she wrote just a chapter earlier.

Continuity isn’t the only problem. The characters are defined by a handful of repeatedly mentioned traits rather than actual development. Certain descriptions get hammered in so often that they stick, not because they’re meaningful, but because they’re impossible to forget. At the same time, important aspects like skills, training, or progression are barely shown. Characters rank highly in their class without the reader ever seeing why (e.g. our protagonist can’t do magic and almost dies during the Frost Walk, but she ranks in the TOP 5).

The worldbuilding is equally underdeveloped and, at times, questionable. Students adjust to extreme conditions within a couple of pages. Not because they are trained or properly equipped, but because the story simply needs them to. The protagonist doesn’t even have adequate clothing or footwear when she first arrives (to the point where basic survival should be an issue), yet this is quickly brushed aside. It feels less like a system and more like a series of convenient fixes.

The school itself is supposedly preparing students for a war, yet that war has no real presence or consequences in the story. Students from different kingdoms train together against a shared enemy, but the logic behind it is never fully explored in any meaningful way. It all feels more like a backdrop than a functioning world.

Then there’s the issue of internal logic. Relationships stagnate, characters who spend months training together barely interact in any meaningful way. The “Frost Walk,” which should be a major, high-stakes event, is where things really start to unravel. The setting, the number of participants, and the outcomes don’t add up. We’re told a third of the class dies, but the numbers don’t match the rankings given a few pages later. Students seem to vanish and reappear as needed, and the entire sequence becomes more confusing than tense.

There are also multiple other plot threads that go nowhere. Sabotage is hinted at but never properly resolved. Conflicts are introduced and then quietly dropped. It gives the impression that ideas were added without any real plan for follow-through.

Towards the end, the pacing suddenly speeds up in a way that feels unearned. The introduction of a school break, where students can simply go home between years, comes out of nowhere and is something that was never established before. It feels like a last-minute addition rather than a natural part of the story. By the end, the book feels like it was written in isolated chunks, with little effort spent on maintaining consistency across chapters. Important details change, setups don’t pay off, and the overall structure suffers as a result.

That said, the core idea isn’t terrible. The setting has potential, and the concept of a winter-bound academy could have worked well with tighter plotting and better editing. As it stands, though, Frostforged is frustrating to read. Less because of what it tries to do, and more because of how often it contradicts itself while doing it.

And finally, the structure of the series itself raises eyebrows. Splitting what feels like one loosely constructed story into eight relatively short books (around 250 pages each) doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It comes across less like a deliberate narrative choice and more like an attempt to stretch limited material across multiple installments.

[Avid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly excellent!

I almost passed on this free audio thinking it was another 1/2 done, quickly put-together book for a series only to cut you off right as the action begins to get you to buy the remaining books in the series. (Sort of like buying a book that has 20 chapters, but it has been torn apart into 4 sections.)

This book did not fail. It was novel, creative, full of action, interesting, a bit reminiscent of The Hunger Games, full of danger, and very entertaining. The decision to trust or not to trust while facing the challenges the characters are enduring is not about friendship. It becomes much more. Survival and self-reliance are crucial, but if you find an alliance, count yourself lucky. There are enemies within. Beware!

Recommended 👍

📚📚📚📚

My only complaint is that the audio has serious flaws! It will go back and repeat itself several times in many spots. Even with this, I still recommend it. 👍

[Lilithya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprise. I had no actual expectations for this book, just a light funny read and I ended up hyptonized by this book.

The writing style is very simplistic, some might even say that it takes the reader's hands to hide it. But I found it to be one of the book's biggest strengths, it creates an atmospheric sensation that pulls you into the story right away.

I enjoyed the FMC and her friends, there is definitely potential to develop their characters. I loved how the FMC figured out pretty quickly the twist at the end and wasn't dumb.

Her dynamic with Brynn was cool, I enjoyed how she was actually used more at the end instead of having her being a cliché bully.

The biggest strength is the wordbuilding, the school really seemed deadly and the 'only the best survive' was believable considering the country is clearly divided and on the brink of a war with another nation.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book and I enjoyed it.

This was the first of a new fantasy story where Thalia Greenspire is taken from her southern warm home to the frozen north to be trained as a soldier for the on-going war.

Frostforge Academy is a cold and unforgiving place as are the tutors. Harnessing magic to meld with nature, specifically ice, fire and metal, is the goal.

Thaila struggles with the cold, is held in distain by the supposed stronger northerners and collects a murderous enemy.

I liked Thalia for her strength, kind heart and determination. I was intrigued by the magic elements and the plot as a whole. There are villains and a mix of other interesting characters. The descriptions of the harsh environment was well done.

Well-written and engaging.

Recommended.

[Carol Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise reminds me a little of the Hunger Games - unwilling participants drafted to go to a deadly academy, in order to learn skills to protect the land from invaders. The students have to overcome uncaring instructors - “let the strong survive”, lack of trust, and active animosity from some of the students. Alliances are forged and enemies are made. And through it all, students rise to the challenge. I’m looking forward to book two. I have an audio copy from Chirp books. Periodically, it will stop and reread a sentence. This happened a number of times. I don’t know if that’s the case with other audio streaming services. The narration was well-done.

[J Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recruited for death!

On the day of Selection, Thalia Greenspire knew she would be recruited for Frostforge. Her mother did not have enough money saved to bribe the recruiters. The warm southern climate was soon replaced by the ice and cold of the north. Southern students are viewed with disdain in the frigid clime. The weak will be weeded out in the trials and sent home in

Morgan Rice is a master of action-packed paranormal adventure. This promises to be an exciting series. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Qui2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabbed me right from the start and held my attention throughout. The writing paints vivid scenes that were easy to picture, which made the story feel immersive and engaging. I listened to this book on Chirp, as it was a Friday freebie book. The narration was good overall, though there were too many moments where it seemed to skip and replay words, almost like an old record catching on a groove. Even with that issue, I enjoyed the experience and will definitely continue with the series.

[Monty G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh .. it entertaining but could have been better

This book was a slog. It started off slow and irritating, with the main female character constantly swirling into anxiety attacks and the constant repetition throughout the book. There were also a lot of plot holes that were irritating and disappointing. However, I did really like some of the characters and am looking forward to seeing what happens.

[Julie Petre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought when I started reading this book ….. oh here we go …….. another academy training school with enemies to lovers theme. Boy, did I have a rude awakening! This book had me eating it up it was so good. It is a kind of academy but not your normal type and the premise of the book kept me turning the pages. I also like the idea of a potential love triangle and I hope by the end of the eight books the FMC can keep both and why not!!!!
I look forward to book 2.

[Giobbster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frostforge Academy Dangers

First things first This is the beginning of yet another amazing series by Morgan Rice! Thalia is an amazing survivor and healer. I'm looking forward to seeing her grow and change. I do want to see who is sabatoging the other southern students ? Who could be evil enough to get rid of the students

[Kenny B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooooo Good!

This is a fantastic read that kept me interested even without the spice!! If Hunger Games and Magical Academy had a baby, it would be this book!!

So warning - to my smut readers there is none! There are potential love interests though.

I need to start book two ASAP!

[Rick Edginton Edginton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this story in February left me chilled

It a mix between the Mocking Jay tales and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts.
Great character development and the knowledge of a sort of happy ending.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an entertaining story about action, strength, and endurance. The main character is enchanting as she crosses each obstacle and continues to move on.

[Sandy Van Dyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan Rice again draws a book addict in

Yes, I will read the entire series. Yes I will forgo some sleep. I will again be grateful for an author’s great skill!

[Dot Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

I am thoroughly enjoying this read. The characters come alive on the pages, to keep me enchanted. The story unfolds slowly but brilliant. Thank you for sharing your talents.

[Ameira · Rating 2 out of 5]

idk

I don’t know what this is
Lots and lots of telling , lacks engagement
A bit of a slog
I find myself not caring about what happens & therefore this has become a dnf.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read. Reminds me a bit of the Hunger Games, except, this is an everyday challenge of survival. I had the first book from Audible. It was so well done.
Had hopes that the following books will be offering the remaining series in Audible soon.

[Luna_Roja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The setting pulled me in right away, the icy, mysterious world of Frostforge Academy felt vivid and alive, and I liked how the author mixed danger, rivalry, and bits of romance without overdoing any of them.

Thalia was easy to root for. She’s strong but not perfect, and I liked watching her grow through all the challenges, betrayals, and surprises along the way. The story moves fast, and even though some parts felt familiar (as most academy fantasies do), it still kept my attention the whole time.

The writing flows well, the world has potential, and the ending definitely made me curious about what’s next. It’s not flawless, but it’s engaging, entertaining, and full of promise. I’ll definitely keep reading the series!

[Gretchen Lebeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent story overall. I listened to it on audio, and while I enjoyed the plot, I didn’t really care for the narrator, which affected the experience a bit.

Story-wise, I’d describe it as Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games — competitive, high-stakes, survival-driven fantasy with training and tension woven throughout. It had that fast-paced, dystopian-fantasy energy that keeps you listening.

It’s part of a multi-book series, and I can see how the world and stakes could expand in future installments.

Final Thoughts:
A solid 3-star read for me. Enjoyable concept and storyline, but not quite immersive enough (or well-narrated enough) to push it higher.

[Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good and I am interested in continuing the series though I felt the description of the book did not quite match what actually happened. There was no taming of animals(besides a brief mention of such a class existing) and there was not actual betrayal by friends. The future books in the series all though written are not all available making that part of the description misleading as well.