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Once Upon a Curse #1
Gathering Frost
Will the prince's kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart? Don't miss GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.
"I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood--my mother, my life, my very world. But I'm not. I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.
Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Under his relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known--and, more importantly, whose side she's really on.
"I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood--my mother, my life, my very world. But I'm not. I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.
Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Under his relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known--and, more importantly, whose side she's really on.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2015
296 people are currently reading
5367 people want to read
About the author
Kaitlyn Davis
51 books1,714 followersBestselling author Kaitlyn Davis writes young adult fantasy novels under the name Kaitlyn Davis and contemporary romance novels under the name Kay Marie. Publishers Weekly has said, "Davis writes with confidence and poise," while USA Today has recommended her work as "must-read romance."
To learn more about her contemporary romance novels, visit her Goodreads author page for Kay Marie here: https://www.goodreads.com/Kay_Marie
Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she's not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found playing fetch with her puppy, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her--about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general--you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com
Sign up for Kaitlyn's newsletter to stay up-to-date with all of her new releases and more! http://bit.ly/AuthorNewsletter
Like her on Facebook here: Facebook.com/KaitlynDavisBooks
Follow her on Instagram here: Instagram.com/kaitlyndavisbooks/
To learn more about her contemporary romance novels, visit her Goodreads author page for Kay Marie here: https://www.goodreads.com/Kay_Marie
Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she's not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found playing fetch with her puppy, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her--about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general--you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com
Sign up for Kaitlyn's newsletter to stay up-to-date with all of her new releases and more! http://bit.ly/AuthorNewsletter
Like her on Facebook here: Facebook.com/KaitlynDavisBooks
Follow her on Instagram here: Instagram.com/kaitlyndavisbooks/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
May 10, 2015
An earthquake hits New York.
Young Jade is yanked away from her mother and ensnared into the evil Ice Queen's clutches. The Queen Deirdre reign begins as her castle rises from the rubble of New York's shattered remains. She ensnares the people under her realm with magic that puts them in thrall. Meaning they have cold hearts and swear allegiance to her and her only.
(EVIL QUEEN BOOK FOR THE WIN!!!)
Jade grows up under the queen's thrall and is one of her finest guards. She doesn't listen to the commander over her one day and meets the queen's runaway son. Asher.
Asher has joined up with the rebel army hoping to destroy the queen and release her minions from under her thrall.
Jade is taken as his prisoner to their underground compound where she is released from the Queen's coldness.
I'm not going to give away the rest of the story. It's not a bad little book, it's a quick read and I think that took from the story some. You don't really have a chance to get involved with the characters since the storyline moves so fast.
There is of course some romancy fancy in the story but it didn't make me want to kill it with fire.
For a fairy tale based story this is one of the better ones I've read. I think the fangirls will like it. The old haters like me will tolerate it.
Young Jade is yanked away from her mother and ensnared into the evil Ice Queen's clutches. The Queen Deirdre reign begins as her castle rises from the rubble of New York's shattered remains. She ensnares the people under her realm with magic that puts them in thrall. Meaning they have cold hearts and swear allegiance to her and her only.
(EVIL QUEEN BOOK FOR THE WIN!!!)
Jade grows up under the queen's thrall and is one of her finest guards. She doesn't listen to the commander over her one day and meets the queen's runaway son. Asher.
Asher has joined up with the rebel army hoping to destroy the queen and release her minions from under her thrall.
Jade is taken as his prisoner to their underground compound where she is released from the Queen's coldness.
I'm not going to give away the rest of the story. It's not a bad little book, it's a quick read and I think that took from the story some. You don't really have a chance to get involved with the characters since the storyline moves so fast.
There is of course some romancy fancy in the story but it didn't make me want to kill it with fire.
For a fairy tale based story this is one of the better ones I've read. I think the fangirls will like it. The old haters like me will tolerate it.
December 16, 2024
╭ ✦ •
│
│ ⊹ 𝟺 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis is a unique mix of fantasy and dystopia, taking inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and weaving it into a story with its own twists and turns. The book introduces us to Jade, a member of the queen's guard who has been stripped of emotions along with everyone else in the castle. When the queen gives her a mission to let Prince Aster, the queen's runaway son, capture her and gain his trust so that Jade can let the queen know his secrets, everything changes for Jade. As she begins to feel emotions and question everything she has ever known, she wonders whose side she is really on.
The book takes place in a version of New York that has been replaced by a village and castle straight out of a storybook, complete with enchanted forests, dragons, and mythical creatures. The author has done an excellent job of creating a fully-realized world with its own history and mythology. While the book is meant to be a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, the nods to the classic tale are subtle and the story stands on its own. It's well-developed and has a very imaginative, descriptive world.Jade, the main character, is not immediately relatable, as her emotions have been stripped away. However, as she begins to feel again, her character becomes more sympathetic and likable. She is not perfect, but she is strong, compassionate, and adept at playing a long game. It's refreshing to see a female character who is not defined solely by her romantic interests, as Jade is primarily focused on completing her mission for the queen. Similarly, Prince Aster is a refreshing departure from the typical alpha male or strong silent type that often populates YA novels. He is intelligent, witty, and charming, and the interactions between him and Jade are one of the highlights of the book.
One of the most interesting characters in Gathering Frost is Queen Deirdre. She is an evil character, but the author has given her understandable motivations and vulnerabilities that make her more than just a one-dimensional villain. You can't help but feel a sense of pity for her, even as she commits heinous acts.
The romance between Jade and Prince Aster is sweet and heartwarming, but it never overshadows the main plot. While the book is fast-paced and full of action, it is also a character-driven story with well-drawn relationships between the characters.
Although I loved reading this, I would have liked more world-building; more descriptions. While the book does an excellent job of introducing us to its world, I would have liked to know more about what is happening in other countries and how the events of the story are affecting the wider world.
Gathering Frost is a well-written and enjoyable YA novel. It's a great mix of fantasy and dystopia with strong characters and an imaginative world, if you like these genres then I definitely recommend this! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Withering Rose.
*an audiobook copy was provided by NetGalley*
_________________________________
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
│
│ ⊹ 𝟺 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis is a unique mix of fantasy and dystopia, taking inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and weaving it into a story with its own twists and turns. The book introduces us to Jade, a member of the queen's guard who has been stripped of emotions along with everyone else in the castle. When the queen gives her a mission to let Prince Aster, the queen's runaway son, capture her and gain his trust so that Jade can let the queen know his secrets, everything changes for Jade. As she begins to feel emotions and question everything she has ever known, she wonders whose side she is really on.
The book takes place in a version of New York that has been replaced by a village and castle straight out of a storybook, complete with enchanted forests, dragons, and mythical creatures. The author has done an excellent job of creating a fully-realized world with its own history and mythology. While the book is meant to be a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, the nods to the classic tale are subtle and the story stands on its own. It's well-developed and has a very imaginative, descriptive world.Jade, the main character, is not immediately relatable, as her emotions have been stripped away. However, as she begins to feel again, her character becomes more sympathetic and likable. She is not perfect, but she is strong, compassionate, and adept at playing a long game. It's refreshing to see a female character who is not defined solely by her romantic interests, as Jade is primarily focused on completing her mission for the queen. Similarly, Prince Aster is a refreshing departure from the typical alpha male or strong silent type that often populates YA novels. He is intelligent, witty, and charming, and the interactions between him and Jade are one of the highlights of the book.
One of the most interesting characters in Gathering Frost is Queen Deirdre. She is an evil character, but the author has given her understandable motivations and vulnerabilities that make her more than just a one-dimensional villain. You can't help but feel a sense of pity for her, even as she commits heinous acts.
The romance between Jade and Prince Aster is sweet and heartwarming, but it never overshadows the main plot. While the book is fast-paced and full of action, it is also a character-driven story with well-drawn relationships between the characters.
Although I loved reading this, I would have liked more world-building; more descriptions. While the book does an excellent job of introducing us to its world, I would have liked to know more about what is happening in other countries and how the events of the story are affecting the wider world.
Gathering Frost is a well-written and enjoyable YA novel. It's a great mix of fantasy and dystopia with strong characters and an imaginative world, if you like these genres then I definitely recommend this! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Withering Rose.
*an audiobook copy was provided by NetGalley*
_________________________________
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
June 3, 2020
So.. is this next book about them.. or someone else?
Gathering Frost was an interesting book to dive into. Not really sure when I last dove into a retelling kind of book. So, I was kind of excited to dive into this one. Without any expectations set, I just dove into it and enjoyed the wild ride. At first glance, the characters were interesting and they had some kind of spark. I also wont lie that I found it interesting on how easily powers could be transferred in a way as well.
In this, you will meet Jade. At a young age she was taken from her mother and her own heart was inches away from being frozen forever. Or so it felt. She works for the evil queen and is on a mission to bring back her son, the prince. Along the way she didn't expect to fall for him or vice versa. Yet, they did and it brought them both back to life. A life where love is alive and thriving.
The whole curse was kind of easy to defeat which annoyed me a little but it is book one of this series. Not sure how I feel about the actual ending just yet but I might dive into the next book whenever I find the time.
Gathering Frost was an interesting book to dive into. Not really sure when I last dove into a retelling kind of book. So, I was kind of excited to dive into this one. Without any expectations set, I just dove into it and enjoyed the wild ride. At first glance, the characters were interesting and they had some kind of spark. I also wont lie that I found it interesting on how easily powers could be transferred in a way as well.
In this, you will meet Jade. At a young age she was taken from her mother and her own heart was inches away from being frozen forever. Or so it felt. She works for the evil queen and is on a mission to bring back her son, the prince. Along the way she didn't expect to fall for him or vice versa. Yet, they did and it brought them both back to life. A life where love is alive and thriving.
The whole curse was kind of easy to defeat which annoyed me a little but it is book one of this series. Not sure how I feel about the actual ending just yet but I might dive into the next book whenever I find the time.
May 1, 2015
This is going to be more of a commentary than a review.
3 Stars.
The book is easy and sweet to read. I read it all in one-go in a few hours. I was never exactly bored, but it didn’t keep me completely engaged and excited either. I just feel like something big is missing from it.
My favorite character would have to be the queen. A part of me pitied Queen Deirdre while at the same time I hated her for stealing love and free will from people. It really surprised me that she was also vulnerable and insecure and I loved it because it showed a human side to her. For several moments, I actually wanted Jade and Asher to fail. If they had, I would still like the story. Honestly, I would like the story more if Jade and Asher did fail. It's true. A non happily ever after would have been awesome and different for once.
Overall, Gathering Frost is a pretty neat Sleeping Beauty retelling and I look forward to the author’s upcoming Beauty and the Beast retelling.
ARC via Netgalley.
3 Stars.
The book is easy and sweet to read. I read it all in one-go in a few hours. I was never exactly bored, but it didn’t keep me completely engaged and excited either. I just feel like something big is missing from it.
My favorite character would have to be the queen. A part of me pitied Queen Deirdre while at the same time I hated her for stealing love and free will from people. It really surprised me that she was also vulnerable and insecure and I loved it because it showed a human side to her. For several moments, I actually wanted Jade and Asher to fail. If they had, I would still like the story. Honestly, I would like the story more if Jade and Asher did fail. It's true. A non happily ever after would have been awesome and different for once.
Overall, Gathering Frost is a pretty neat Sleeping Beauty retelling and I look forward to the author’s upcoming Beauty and the Beast retelling.
ARC via Netgalley.
June 3, 2015
I wasn't sure what to expect walking into this one, but I definitely liked it and I'll most definitely be reading the next book/s.
I love fairy tales! Always have, always will. This was really different, I can't really think of anything to compare it too. I thought it was nicely written, and I liked the characters. The ending was fun, and its caught my interest for the 2nd book.
3 stars... because I wasn't totally in love with it, I can't really say that there was any real connection with anyone. It was just a really good story...I did enjoy it immensely, so that is what is important :)
I love fairy tales! Always have, always will. This was really different, I can't really think of anything to compare it too. I thought it was nicely written, and I liked the characters. The ending was fun, and its caught my interest for the 2nd book.
3 stars... because I wasn't totally in love with it, I can't really say that there was any real connection with anyone. It was just a really good story...I did enjoy it immensely, so that is what is important :)
October 23, 2019
So, I love retellings. I have for as long as I can remember. So whenever I see a new retelling, I pretty much already know it has to be mine. Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney movies when I was a kid (ok so they were all sort of my favorite), mostly because my cousin owned a copy and I didn't. As I got older I realized that it was the pretty magic scene with the cake, and the fact that watching it was a rarity, that made it more of a favorite. I really liked the direction that Davis took this story. While it is sort of a retelling, and there's definitely the elements of the fairy tale there, this story is so completely original and a refreshing look at the old tale. I loved finding the similar elements, while not feeling like I was reading the same story I read a hundred times before.
I really enjoyed our main character, Jade. She was such a bad ass, which is a favorite trait of mine. Such a far cry from the damsel in distress role most female characters in fairy tales occupy, Jade worked her way to the top of the queen's guard by proving herself better than all of her male peers. And even while under the queen's spell, she still knew that she craved freedom.
Asher, while sweet, warmhearted, and easygoing, was also brave. He did everything he could to protect people from the fate they should never have had to endure. Towards the end I also started to feel sympathy for the queen, which we all know is a sign of a well portrayed villain. She was still evil, but I couldn't help but feel a bit bad about her lot in life.
This was a cute start to what I'm sure will be a fun series. Plus, the next book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which still is one of my favorite fairy tales.
I really enjoyed our main character, Jade. She was such a bad ass, which is a favorite trait of mine. Such a far cry from the damsel in distress role most female characters in fairy tales occupy, Jade worked her way to the top of the queen's guard by proving herself better than all of her male peers. And even while under the queen's spell, she still knew that she craved freedom.
Asher, while sweet, warmhearted, and easygoing, was also brave. He did everything he could to protect people from the fate they should never have had to endure. Towards the end I also started to feel sympathy for the queen, which we all know is a sign of a well portrayed villain. She was still evil, but I couldn't help but feel a bit bad about her lot in life.
This was a cute start to what I'm sure will be a fun series. Plus, the next book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which still is one of my favorite fairy tales.
June 20, 2016
I really liked this book! I hope the second book is as good as this one. I really love everything about it, the writing, the characters and the story line.
February 23, 2015
Jade won me over in a first chapter when she introduced herself:
"And I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood – my mother, my life, my very world.
But I’m not.
I’m not the good guy.
I’m the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
You immediately know that Jade is going to be an unconventional heroine. So, prepare yourself for some great and emotional scenes while Jade ponders what makes us human…
"Am I human? Am I something else? A puppet that the queen controls with strings. A zombie. A brainless, emotionless weapon. Can something like that ever be free?"
When she is not having philosophical thoughts or exploring libraries, Jade, as a member of the royal guard called Black Hearts, is fighting and proving that girls can excel in the professions that are dominated by man. In fact, Jade is the only female soldier in the guard.
"And I was not sure if even the commander could convince the guard to accept me, despite my training or maybe because of it. I was better. I was a woman. Those two facts were enough to ostracize me from the pack."
Jade is living in a city that is a mix of old fantasy medieval village and post apocalyptic New York. It’s interesting to see how modern people are getting by, since a lot of electric devices do not work.
"Magic. It’s the reason the electricity turned off. It’s the reason it won’t come back on. They say magic has an electric charge of its own, different. One that interferes with the old electricity of Earth. I say who cares. I’m no scientist."
This clash of fantasy landscape and Earth creates a fascinating setting. Lately there are more and more novels that do this and I am glad, because it is always fun when genres collide.
As for the romance – it’s simply delightful. No love triangle in sight. With slow buildup that will cause many cute and swoony moments. Kaitlyn Davis can make a simple touch of hands more exciting than some sex scenes I read in novels by other authors.
"I realize how close I’ve allowed him to walk. The prince is within a few feet of my body, close enough that our swords could dance, maybe even close enough that our fingers could touch."
In the summary, they promised us a book similar to the Once Upon A Time and La Femme Nikita. Honestly, I don’t see a resemblance to either. Jade is separated from her family and made into a tough warrior, but I do not think that this is enough to compare her to Nikita. And there is no mix of fairy tale characters like in the tv show Once Upon A Time.
Gathering Frost is also promoted as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but, again, there is not enough resemblance to label it as such. Kaitlyn Davis combined evil sorceres and true love’s kiss into a completely new story.
But, Gathering Frost does have that fairy tale vibe. There is an underlined sense that good will prevail. And sometimes, things are just too convenient (like first aid kit in an abandoned cabin when you need it). Or some situations play out just right.
IN THE END…
Gathering Frost is oriented more for young adults, but if you don’t mind fairy tale atmosphere, like me, then you are probably going to enjoy it. There is a kick-ass heroine who will win you over, interesting setting, nice romance and a lot of action.
I am looking forward to the Withering Rose, next book in Once Upon A Curse series, which should be based on the Beauty & The Beast. And in the meanwhile I might check out other books by Kaitlyn Davis, because I really liked her writing style. I think the bunch of quotes I used in review shows that.
Looking for something similar? Try The Host, Red Queen, Throne of Glass, …
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Ya Bound Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
"And I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood – my mother, my life, my very world.
But I’m not.
I’m not the good guy.
I’m the one who puts the good guys in their graves."
You immediately know that Jade is going to be an unconventional heroine. So, prepare yourself for some great and emotional scenes while Jade ponders what makes us human…
"Am I human? Am I something else? A puppet that the queen controls with strings. A zombie. A brainless, emotionless weapon. Can something like that ever be free?"
When she is not having philosophical thoughts or exploring libraries, Jade, as a member of the royal guard called Black Hearts, is fighting and proving that girls can excel in the professions that are dominated by man. In fact, Jade is the only female soldier in the guard.
"And I was not sure if even the commander could convince the guard to accept me, despite my training or maybe because of it. I was better. I was a woman. Those two facts were enough to ostracize me from the pack."
Jade is living in a city that is a mix of old fantasy medieval village and post apocalyptic New York. It’s interesting to see how modern people are getting by, since a lot of electric devices do not work.
"Magic. It’s the reason the electricity turned off. It’s the reason it won’t come back on. They say magic has an electric charge of its own, different. One that interferes with the old electricity of Earth. I say who cares. I’m no scientist."
This clash of fantasy landscape and Earth creates a fascinating setting. Lately there are more and more novels that do this and I am glad, because it is always fun when genres collide.
As for the romance – it’s simply delightful. No love triangle in sight. With slow buildup that will cause many cute and swoony moments. Kaitlyn Davis can make a simple touch of hands more exciting than some sex scenes I read in novels by other authors.
"I realize how close I’ve allowed him to walk. The prince is within a few feet of my body, close enough that our swords could dance, maybe even close enough that our fingers could touch."
In the summary, they promised us a book similar to the Once Upon A Time and La Femme Nikita. Honestly, I don’t see a resemblance to either. Jade is separated from her family and made into a tough warrior, but I do not think that this is enough to compare her to Nikita. And there is no mix of fairy tale characters like in the tv show Once Upon A Time.
Gathering Frost is also promoted as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but, again, there is not enough resemblance to label it as such. Kaitlyn Davis combined evil sorceres and true love’s kiss into a completely new story.
But, Gathering Frost does have that fairy tale vibe. There is an underlined sense that good will prevail. And sometimes, things are just too convenient (like first aid kit in an abandoned cabin when you need it). Or some situations play out just right.
IN THE END…
Gathering Frost is oriented more for young adults, but if you don’t mind fairy tale atmosphere, like me, then you are probably going to enjoy it. There is a kick-ass heroine who will win you over, interesting setting, nice romance and a lot of action.
I am looking forward to the Withering Rose, next book in Once Upon A Curse series, which should be based on the Beauty & The Beast. And in the meanwhile I might check out other books by Kaitlyn Davis, because I really liked her writing style. I think the bunch of quotes I used in review shows that.
Looking for something similar? Try The Host, Red Queen, Throne of Glass, …
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Ya Bound Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
August 31, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me this book to review.
When Jade was a young girl, an earthquake struck New York and replaced half of it with a village and castle that could have come from a story book. Ten years later Jade, and everyone else in the castle, has been stripped of emotions and she is working as a member of the queen’s guard. However, everything changes for her when the queen gives her a mission, to let Prince Aster, the queen’s runaway son, capture her and gain his trust so Jade can let the queen know his secrets. But life outside the queen’s control is not what Jade expected as she begins to feel emotions and she starts to question everything she has ever known in the last 10 years and she wonders whose side she is really on?
I really enjoyed Gathering frost as it is a unique mix of fantasy and dystopia but while it is meant to be a reimagining of sleeping beauty, I did not notice it much as it was very subtle. It is a sweet fast paced read with good action and romance. I would have liked a bit more world building, especially what is happening in other countries.
Jade is not relatable at the beginning but as she got more in touch with her emotions I liked her better as she is not perfect but strong, compassionate and good at playing a long game. I am liking the change happening in YA male leads as Asher is intelligent, witty and charming and not an alpha male or a strong silent type. I also like Queen Deirdre as she was an evil character but in an understandable way.
I will definitely be reading the next book in this series Withering Rose. I would recommend Gathering Frost to fans of Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe and other books Kaitlyn Davis.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
When Jade was a young girl, an earthquake struck New York and replaced half of it with a village and castle that could have come from a story book. Ten years later Jade, and everyone else in the castle, has been stripped of emotions and she is working as a member of the queen’s guard. However, everything changes for her when the queen gives her a mission, to let Prince Aster, the queen’s runaway son, capture her and gain his trust so Jade can let the queen know his secrets. But life outside the queen’s control is not what Jade expected as she begins to feel emotions and she starts to question everything she has ever known in the last 10 years and she wonders whose side she is really on?
I really enjoyed Gathering frost as it is a unique mix of fantasy and dystopia but while it is meant to be a reimagining of sleeping beauty, I did not notice it much as it was very subtle. It is a sweet fast paced read with good action and romance. I would have liked a bit more world building, especially what is happening in other countries.
Jade is not relatable at the beginning but as she got more in touch with her emotions I liked her better as she is not perfect but strong, compassionate and good at playing a long game. I am liking the change happening in YA male leads as Asher is intelligent, witty and charming and not an alpha male or a strong silent type. I also like Queen Deirdre as she was an evil character but in an understandable way.
I will definitely be reading the next book in this series Withering Rose. I would recommend Gathering Frost to fans of Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe and other books Kaitlyn Davis.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
May 18, 2017
Gathering Frost is a surprisingly well thought out book and a lovely kick-off to a new series based on fairy tales. Our first tale is that of Sleeping Beauty and yet nothing like Sleeping Beauty. It's clever in its use of the idea of being asleep or emotionless and has some great characters.
Yes it's a young adult book so there is the required romance and all that. But while there are moments where I roll my eyes a good 85% of this book is solid story telling. With interesting and believable characters Kaitlyn Davis provides us with a magic system and fantasy world that (literally) crashes with our own and creates unique and interesting scenarios.
I didn't go in with very high expectations necessarily but without a doubt I am blown away by what a good read this is. It's so rare to find interesting and unique retellings of fairy tales (Cinder is another amazing one). Goodness knows there are enough retellings out there right now!
Additionally I couldn't help but have major feelings about the photo walls. It reminded me so much of our real world and the search for lost ones after crises or the average milk carton missing child. Very sad and difficult to deal with. This use of a photo wall was easily a major turning point for me to realize that Davis had really thought out this idea of a split world and wasn't just slapping words on the page.
Overall it's a nice, light, well built read. Gathering Frost measures up in an over saturated genre of typical fairy tales. Looking forward to more in this series!
Read this and more of my book reviews at: Epic Reading & Reviews
Yes it's a young adult book so there is the required romance and all that. But while there are moments where I roll my eyes a good 85% of this book is solid story telling. With interesting and believable characters Kaitlyn Davis provides us with a magic system and fantasy world that (literally) crashes with our own and creates unique and interesting scenarios.
I didn't go in with very high expectations necessarily but without a doubt I am blown away by what a good read this is. It's so rare to find interesting and unique retellings of fairy tales (Cinder is another amazing one). Goodness knows there are enough retellings out there right now!
Additionally I couldn't help but have major feelings about the photo walls. It reminded me so much of our real world and the search for lost ones after crises or the average milk carton missing child. Very sad and difficult to deal with. This use of a photo wall was easily a major turning point for me to realize that Davis had really thought out this idea of a split world and wasn't just slapping words on the page.
Overall it's a nice, light, well built read. Gathering Frost measures up in an over saturated genre of typical fairy tales. Looking forward to more in this series!
Read this and more of my book reviews at: Epic Reading & Reviews
September 2, 2020
3.5 stars
June 9, 2017
Gathering Frost Review
Book Rating: 5 stars out 5.
Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. There was an earthquake that changed New York forever. Enter the Ice Queen. She strips people's emotions to control them. Jade was one of the people that were under her control. Jade eventually runs into Prince Asher, the Queen's son, that got away from her. They start to fall in love with each other. This book was a really interesting take on Sleeping Beauty. I found a lot of the events in this story were entertaining. I love when Jade and Asher meet for the very first time. A lot of their interactions were funny also. The ending really did surprise me. I love when authors leave a cliffhanger. It made me want to read the second book.
Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Jade was interesting. She was on the Queen's guard. She had her emotions stripped from her by the Ice Queen. Jade was cold. It was hard to connect with her at first, but once she started to feel emotions I really fell in love with her. It was nice to read her reaction to emotions she hadn't felt since she was a young girl.
Asher was my favorite character. He was strong. He was able to break free from his mother's control, but for a certain reason. (I won't be spoiling.) Asher was a breathe of fresh air. He made the story funny and entertaining especially his interactions with Jade.
Writing Style: 5 stars out 5
Book Rating: 5 stars out 5.
Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. There was an earthquake that changed New York forever. Enter the Ice Queen. She strips people's emotions to control them. Jade was one of the people that were under her control. Jade eventually runs into Prince Asher, the Queen's son, that got away from her. They start to fall in love with each other. This book was a really interesting take on Sleeping Beauty. I found a lot of the events in this story were entertaining. I love when Jade and Asher meet for the very first time. A lot of their interactions were funny also. The ending really did surprise me. I love when authors leave a cliffhanger. It made me want to read the second book.
Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Jade was interesting. She was on the Queen's guard. She had her emotions stripped from her by the Ice Queen. Jade was cold. It was hard to connect with her at first, but once she started to feel emotions I really fell in love with her. It was nice to read her reaction to emotions she hadn't felt since she was a young girl.
Asher was my favorite character. He was strong. He was able to break free from his mother's control, but for a certain reason. (I won't be spoiling.) Asher was a breathe of fresh air. He made the story funny and entertaining especially his interactions with Jade.
Writing Style: 5 stars out 5
May 23, 2015
I thought this was a good take on a fairy tale. I love when authors write about these tales, especially if they are different.
There is an earthquake that brings the old world into the new world. This brings the old evil queen into our world and she enthralls as many people as she can, they have no feelings and they do all of her bidding.
There are other parts of the world that is not in her grasp where the world still has power and is somewhat normal with real people. Prince Asher, her son, is one of them. He can't be enthralled by his mother. She can die and transfer her magic to him but that doesn't mean he has to be a troll like she is.
We have Jade who is supposed to be the Snow White type. She is a guard in the Queen's army. She has no feelings and nothing scares her because of the grip the Queen has on these poor people. They can't even remember their families or even care to.
The Queen has some stupid idea of sending Jade in to get captured by her son, Asher, so she can spy on the rebels. This doesn't work as the Queen planned. I'm going to leave it at that.
I thought the story was really good and I look forward to reading the next book because it ended on a sort of cliffhanger. Let's just say the Prince dropped a bomb and ran off with Jade on his butt after him :)
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
There is an earthquake that brings the old world into the new world. This brings the old evil queen into our world and she enthralls as many people as she can, they have no feelings and they do all of her bidding.
There are other parts of the world that is not in her grasp where the world still has power and is somewhat normal with real people. Prince Asher, her son, is one of them. He can't be enthralled by his mother. She can die and transfer her magic to him but that doesn't mean he has to be a troll like she is.
We have Jade who is supposed to be the Snow White type. She is a guard in the Queen's army. She has no feelings and nothing scares her because of the grip the Queen has on these poor people. They can't even remember their families or even care to.
The Queen has some stupid idea of sending Jade in to get captured by her son, Asher, so she can spy on the rebels. This doesn't work as the Queen planned. I'm going to leave it at that.
I thought the story was really good and I look forward to reading the next book because it ended on a sort of cliffhanger. Let's just say the Prince dropped a bomb and ran off with Jade on his butt after him :)
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
October 13, 2015
I really liked the concept of this book. The dystopian setting was great and I love fairy tale retellings. But it was all way too mediocre for me to really love it and lack world and character building.
I thought the start of the book was good witht the way the magical world merged with earth and a queen appearing (gotta love evil queens!). But like I said it lacked world and character building. Maybe the book was a little bit too short to really build the world and character. It could've been better.
I didn't much care for Jade. I couldn't connect with her or any of the other characters for that matter. The only one that was a bit more intriguing was Deirde, the evil queen of the story.
The romance, especially, was a bust for me. There was simply no developement whatsoever. The only thing that was slightly interesting was the cliffhanger ending, so I'll probably will read the second book because apparently it's a beauty and the beast retelling.
I thought the start of the book was good witht the way the magical world merged with earth and a queen appearing (gotta love evil queens!). But like I said it lacked world and character building. Maybe the book was a little bit too short to really build the world and character. It could've been better.
I didn't much care for Jade. I couldn't connect with her or any of the other characters for that matter. The only one that was a bit more intriguing was Deirde, the evil queen of the story.
The romance, especially, was a bust for me. There was simply no developement whatsoever. The only thing that was slightly interesting was the cliffhanger ending, so I'll probably will read the second book because apparently it's a beauty and the beast retelling.
June 10, 2016
On-sale Feb 17th!! SO FREAKING EXCITED for you guys to read this! First time I've written in first person, and I have to say, I'm hooked! I think you will all love this story of adventure, strength, and most of all, love!
March 26, 2019
I WAS EXPECTING MORE THAN I GOT
"I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who puts the good guys in their graves.
I have a thing for fairy tale retellings, and since it is not that often that I find Sleeping Beauty retellings I was really looking forward to this book. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations.
When Jade was a child an earthquake hit New York City. However, it wasn't a normal earthquake. This earthquake brought magic and an evil queen into the world. Now Jade is grown, working as a guard for the queen who took her home and her emotions. The queen has a special quest for Jade - to find the missing prince, Asher, earn his trust and bring him back to the palace. But when Jade meets Asher, suddenly her emotions flood back to life and her heart wakes from a long slumber.
THE GOOD STUFF
Sleeping Beauty: We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, who slept for a hundred years but was awoken by the princes' kiss. Jade isn't really asleep, though. It's her emotions and her heart that is sleeping. I liked this take on the traditional fairy tale, because it allowed for Jade to be an active participant not only in the story but also in her own salvation.
THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF
Lacking world building: Somehow, two worlds merge - our world and a magical world. Nobody knows why, but the world becomes a dystopian almost medieval state. The magic somehow prevents electricity. However, this magic is never explained, it's just called 'magic' - but to me, there are so many ways to interpret that, and that was never touched upon. Is it blood magic? Is it spells? Is it wands? Is it emotional? It frustrated me that this 'magic' was just this unknown, unexplained thing that I was supposed to feel some type of way about, but I simply couldn't, because I didn't understand it. Another thing that really bothered me was that the extent of the magic was never explained. It seemed as if the magic only affected New York City, because there was electricity in New Jersey, but Jersey was still in a dystopian state of unrest. How could that be if the magic only reached New York City? Futhermore, there are allusions to the magic/merge affecting the entire world, but no explanation WHY! Really, am I just supposed to by this world spanding dystopia without any explanation at all? Really, I was SUPER bothered by this!
Predictable: Even before the great final battle I had a hunch about what was going to happen. While I didn't get it all, I got the most important thing and that made me sad. I hate when I can predict the outcome of a book. Please, surprise me!
Fairy tale retelling?: Yes, I did say that I liked the take on the Sleeping Beauty story. But honestly, if I hadn't known it was fairy tale retelling beforehand, I woulnd't have guessed simply from reading this book. So that was disappointing as well.
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"I'm not the good guy. I'm the one who puts the good guys in their graves.
I have a thing for fairy tale retellings, and since it is not that often that I find Sleeping Beauty retellings I was really looking forward to this book. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations.
When Jade was a child an earthquake hit New York City. However, it wasn't a normal earthquake. This earthquake brought magic and an evil queen into the world. Now Jade is grown, working as a guard for the queen who took her home and her emotions. The queen has a special quest for Jade - to find the missing prince, Asher, earn his trust and bring him back to the palace. But when Jade meets Asher, suddenly her emotions flood back to life and her heart wakes from a long slumber.
THE GOOD STUFF
Sleeping Beauty: We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, who slept for a hundred years but was awoken by the princes' kiss. Jade isn't really asleep, though. It's her emotions and her heart that is sleeping. I liked this take on the traditional fairy tale, because it allowed for Jade to be an active participant not only in the story but also in her own salvation.
THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF
Lacking world building: Somehow, two worlds merge - our world and a magical world. Nobody knows why, but the world becomes a dystopian almost medieval state. The magic somehow prevents electricity. However, this magic is never explained, it's just called 'magic' - but to me, there are so many ways to interpret that, and that was never touched upon. Is it blood magic? Is it spells? Is it wands? Is it emotional? It frustrated me that this 'magic' was just this unknown, unexplained thing that I was supposed to feel some type of way about, but I simply couldn't, because I didn't understand it. Another thing that really bothered me was that the extent of the magic was never explained. It seemed as if the magic only affected New York City, because there was electricity in New Jersey, but Jersey was still in a dystopian state of unrest. How could that be if the magic only reached New York City? Futhermore, there are allusions to the magic/merge affecting the entire world, but no explanation WHY! Really, am I just supposed to by this world spanding dystopia without any explanation at all? Really, I was SUPER bothered by this!
Predictable: Even before the great final battle I had a hunch about what was going to happen. While I didn't get it all, I got the most important thing and that made me sad. I hate when I can predict the outcome of a book. Please, surprise me!
Fairy tale retelling?: Yes, I did say that I liked the take on the Sleeping Beauty story. But honestly, if I hadn't known it was fairy tale retelling beforehand, I woulnd't have guessed simply from reading this book. So that was disappointing as well.
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March 3, 2023
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 33/100
💫Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
����ARC🎧
Narrated by:
Ellie Gossage
✨✨✨✨✨
Wowzzzza🪄✨
👸🦸♀️🤴🐉🖤🗽
This gave me both Shatter Me & The Selection vibes, yet it was a fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty/ Snow Queen with a few twists. I’m a huge fan of this genre! This was a very clean romance with the theme of learning how to love and personal growth ❤️ I loved the characters…YES, even the Queen. Jade a badass, stubborn, and brave warrior. Asher was just adorable as well and that ending 🤯 Anyways, the story goes like this….There’s a Magical Kingdom in the city of New York but then an Earthquake changes it all. The heartless Queen takes hold of NY and it’s people. Jade becomes one of her best warriors and is sent on a mission. I absolutely loved this one even if it was for Teens/YA and highly recommended it. The narration was perfect 🤩
✨✨✨✨✨
💫Thank you @netgalley for this fantastic read in exchange for an honest review.
📖Book 33/100
💫Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
����ARC🎧
Narrated by:
Ellie Gossage
✨✨✨✨✨
Wowzzzza🪄✨
👸🦸♀️🤴🐉🖤🗽
This gave me both Shatter Me & The Selection vibes, yet it was a fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty/ Snow Queen with a few twists. I’m a huge fan of this genre! This was a very clean romance with the theme of learning how to love and personal growth ❤️ I loved the characters…YES, even the Queen. Jade a badass, stubborn, and brave warrior. Asher was just adorable as well and that ending 🤯 Anyways, the story goes like this….There’s a Magical Kingdom in the city of New York but then an Earthquake changes it all. The heartless Queen takes hold of NY and it’s people. Jade becomes one of her best warriors and is sent on a mission. I absolutely loved this one even if it was for Teens/YA and highly recommended it. The narration was perfect 🤩
✨✨✨✨✨
💫Thank you @netgalley for this fantastic read in exchange for an honest review.
March 9, 2023
I don’t read much sci-fi but I did enjoy this one. It was a pretty cute little love story in which both characters were willing to die for each other but in the end their love saves each other.
🌀Synopsis
Jade is numb. She remembers the world before but she doesn’t have any feelings about it. When she is given a special assignment from the queen, she willingly takes it.
Meeting the prince changes Jade. In the resistance community she finds friendship and people who not only remember the world before- they fight for it. They remember loved ones lost and keep trying to find them. This, in turn, reminds Jade of her feelings. When she finds out the only way to save the world is to kill the queen and then the prince- she knows she has to stop it.
She loves the prince too much to let him kill himself. So, when the queen is going to make her the heir of the power she goes along with it. She’s determined to kill the queen but in the end she can’t do it. Someone else can though and suddenly- Jade has the magical powers for the whole kingdom and the prince she loves too.
🌀Synopsis
Jade is numb. She remembers the world before but she doesn’t have any feelings about it. When she is given a special assignment from the queen, she willingly takes it.
Meeting the prince changes Jade. In the resistance community she finds friendship and people who not only remember the world before- they fight for it. They remember loved ones lost and keep trying to find them. This, in turn, reminds Jade of her feelings. When she finds out the only way to save the world is to kill the queen and then the prince- she knows she has to stop it.
She loves the prince too much to let him kill himself. So, when the queen is going to make her the heir of the power she goes along with it. She’s determined to kill the queen but in the end she can’t do it. Someone else can though and suddenly- Jade has the magical powers for the whole kingdom and the prince she loves too.
April 16, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Where is the next book?!
Seriously, I can't stand the thought of having to wait even another week to read the next book in this series. This book was just so...fantastic.
The book starts off by introducing us to the main character, Jade. I loved Jade from the very beginning,. mostly because she doesn't even try to act like a stuck up heroine that makes out like she's better than everyone else in the book. Her character just feels so real, and that is hard to come by in a lot of books anymore.
In the beginning of the book, there is a huge earthquake, and up out of the ground rises a castle and an old city, and Jade immediately is drawn to the beautiful "princess" she sees, and runs to her, much to the dismay of her mother. She believes this princess will keep her safe, like the princesses in the stories that her mother tells her. However, this isn't the case, and Jade is drawn under her icy curse.
Sounds fantastic already, right? And all this happens during the first few pages of the book. The entire book is full of action and jaw-dropping excitement. There wasn't a single chapter where I thought "Wow, I'd really like this book to just end already, it's so boring." I do that with a lot of books (and to be honest, I have a lot of books I didn't finish because they were so boring). There is no love triangle, but there is a romance in the book (that didn't seem like one of those unbelievable insta-love relationships that make you want to puke). The romance in this book is the kind that makes you all happy inside.
The only reason I took one star off is because after the entire book is so perfectly thought out and well written, I felt like the ending was just...I don't know...disappointing. In my opinion, the book ended like it should have plot-wise, but that dialogue between Jade and Asher at the end of the book just seemed forced and completely out of character for the both of them - kind of like they are just two regular teenagers discussing prom or something. I don't know. In either case, this book has definitely won a spot on my favorites shelf, and I will be picking up the next book in the series as soon as it comes out!
Where is the next book?!
Seriously, I can't stand the thought of having to wait even another week to read the next book in this series. This book was just so...fantastic.
The book starts off by introducing us to the main character, Jade. I loved Jade from the very beginning,. mostly because she doesn't even try to act like a stuck up heroine that makes out like she's better than everyone else in the book. Her character just feels so real, and that is hard to come by in a lot of books anymore.
In the beginning of the book, there is a huge earthquake, and up out of the ground rises a castle and an old city, and Jade immediately is drawn to the beautiful "princess" she sees, and runs to her, much to the dismay of her mother. She believes this princess will keep her safe, like the princesses in the stories that her mother tells her. However, this isn't the case, and Jade is drawn under her icy curse.
Sounds fantastic already, right? And all this happens during the first few pages of the book. The entire book is full of action and jaw-dropping excitement. There wasn't a single chapter where I thought "Wow, I'd really like this book to just end already, it's so boring." I do that with a lot of books (and to be honest, I have a lot of books I didn't finish because they were so boring). There is no love triangle, but there is a romance in the book (that didn't seem like one of those unbelievable insta-love relationships that make you want to puke). The romance in this book is the kind that makes you all happy inside.
The only reason I took one star off is because after the entire book is so perfectly thought out and well written, I felt like the ending was just...I don't know...disappointing. In my opinion, the book ended like it should have plot-wise, but that dialogue between Jade and Asher at the end of the book just seemed forced and completely out of character for the both of them - kind of like they are just two regular teenagers discussing prom or something. I don't know. In either case, this book has definitely won a spot on my favorites shelf, and I will be picking up the next book in the series as soon as it comes out!
Read
April 1, 2017I've often seen Kaitlyn Davis' Midnight Fire series around, but I'm not really into paranormal, so it never appealed to me. When I heard that she was coming out with a new series entitled Once Upon a Curse , I was immediately intrigued. Fairy tales are right up my alley! The first novel, GATHERING FROST, is more of an original retelling than it is based on anything specific. If the summary hadn't claimed that the story was tied to Sleeping Beauty I would have never suspected it, for the ties binding the two together are very loose. (The queen actually reminded me of The Snow Queen!) It didn't matter to me, though, because the story was so interesting and kept me reading to the point where I'd groan when I had to go to work or finish my lunch break. The next novel in the series, WITHERING ROSE, sounds like it will be much more closely connected with its inspiration save for a big twist: The beast will be the one to save Beauty!
The series centers around a new world: A major earthquake has forced our modern world to combine with one straight out of a fantasy. Young Jade sees a beautiful princess emerge and, in our Disney Princess-obsessed youth, thinks she will make everything right, never suspecting that she's actually embracing an evil queen. With the merger of two worlds, the New York City skyline is gone along with electricity and other modern conveniences. In its place is magic. The queen of Kardenia is able to wield it and bestow upon her subjects the gift of indifference. Nobody cares about their loved ones or has the ability to have feelings save for the occasional twinge of fear to keep them on their toes.
Jade was only six when the world shattered and remembers nothing about her former life. She's the only female in the queen's guard and a skilled fighter. She's okay with the ice in her heart; it's been there as long as she can remember. When the queen's son Asher resurfaces after being AWOL since the earthquake, the queen involves Jade in a plot to gain his trust and bring him back. Jade allows Asher and the rebels to capture her and bring her to their base. In gaining Asher's trust, however, she finds her frozen heart thawing and realizes that, away from the queen's influence, she is able to have emotions again. Can Jade really embrace her past in favor of her newfound comrades when the queen still has an icy grip on her heart, or will she betray her new friends in order to finally be free?
I really enjoyed the way GATHERING FROST had the feel of a fairy tale despite being a completely original story. At only 200 ebook pages, I wished it was longer because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters, but the length will feel perfect to many readers who feel bogged down by longer page counts. The romance was handled well, and had a lovely quality to it that will appeal to both younger and older readers, a line that's very hard to draw and walk along in YA. It's also more of a slow-build than it is insta-love, which I always appreciate, and it still had a fairy tale quality to it. I also really liked the way Jade grew as she learned to have her own thoughts and emotions. I wasn't anticipating the direction the novel took, either, and it kept me turning pages to figure out how the final climax would shake out. I really like the way the modern era merges with a more archaic one, and am excited to see that this has happened in more places around the world than just NYC (Sorry to all the characters facing crazy, evil monarchs, but !!!!!), which means many more books set in this world..and hopefully exploring many other countries and cultures!
GATHERING FROST was a fun, fast, engaging read, and I would definitely be willing to read another book from Davis in the future!
The series centers around a new world: A major earthquake has forced our modern world to combine with one straight out of a fantasy. Young Jade sees a beautiful princess emerge and, in our Disney Princess-obsessed youth, thinks she will make everything right, never suspecting that she's actually embracing an evil queen. With the merger of two worlds, the New York City skyline is gone along with electricity and other modern conveniences. In its place is magic. The queen of Kardenia is able to wield it and bestow upon her subjects the gift of indifference. Nobody cares about their loved ones or has the ability to have feelings save for the occasional twinge of fear to keep them on their toes.
Jade was only six when the world shattered and remembers nothing about her former life. She's the only female in the queen's guard and a skilled fighter. She's okay with the ice in her heart; it's been there as long as she can remember. When the queen's son Asher resurfaces after being AWOL since the earthquake, the queen involves Jade in a plot to gain his trust and bring him back. Jade allows Asher and the rebels to capture her and bring her to their base. In gaining Asher's trust, however, she finds her frozen heart thawing and realizes that, away from the queen's influence, she is able to have emotions again. Can Jade really embrace her past in favor of her newfound comrades when the queen still has an icy grip on her heart, or will she betray her new friends in order to finally be free?
I really enjoyed the way GATHERING FROST had the feel of a fairy tale despite being a completely original story. At only 200 ebook pages, I wished it was longer because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters, but the length will feel perfect to many readers who feel bogged down by longer page counts. The romance was handled well, and had a lovely quality to it that will appeal to both younger and older readers, a line that's very hard to draw and walk along in YA. It's also more of a slow-build than it is insta-love, which I always appreciate, and it still had a fairy tale quality to it. I also really liked the way Jade grew as she learned to have her own thoughts and emotions. I wasn't anticipating the direction the novel took, either, and it kept me turning pages to figure out how the final climax would shake out. I really like the way the modern era merges with a more archaic one, and am excited to see that this has happened in more places around the world than just NYC (Sorry to all the characters facing crazy, evil monarchs, but !!!!!), which means many more books set in this world..and hopefully exploring many other countries and cultures!
GATHERING FROST was a fun, fast, engaging read, and I would definitely be willing to read another book from Davis in the future!
December 20, 2020
A riveting retelling of Sleeping Beauty mixed with Ice Queen that kept me enthralled through every chapter. The Ice in the story could be also an allegory of a soul's journey through the dark stages of depression. Jade, the heroine is a caged fire trapped inside a thick frost. Only the Prince's touch can awake her emotions. Again I have to say I'm in awe by the author's writing. It's like she brings in life every angle, every muscle, every character's feeling! Definitely I will delve into all her books!
May 23, 2020
A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, where the girl - Jade - instead of literally sleeping is without any emotions due to the Queen's magic. The icy feeling in her chest begins to melt when she meets prince Asher, of course!
I like Jade, who is strong and capable of taking care of herself, but it's prince Asher that wins my heart with his caring and generous way.
For a long time I don't see how we're gonna get a happy ending in this story, but of course we do! And maybe this isn't all that original, but I enjoyed listening to the audiobook!
I like Jade, who is strong and capable of taking care of herself, but it's prince Asher that wins my heart with his caring and generous way.
For a long time I don't see how we're gonna get a happy ending in this story, but of course we do! And maybe this isn't all that original, but I enjoyed listening to the audiobook!
March 2, 2023
I started this book yesterday and finished it today.
I was hooked.
This is a story like I've never read before, part fantasy/fairytale and part dystopian. While you think that might make it seem like just another Marissa Meyer book, that was not the case. It was reminiscent of Divergent meets Melanie Cellier's fairytales stories, and I loved it.
I was hooked.
This is a story like I've never read before, part fantasy/fairytale and part dystopian. While you think that might make it seem like just another Marissa Meyer book, that was not the case. It was reminiscent of Divergent meets Melanie Cellier's fairytales stories, and I loved it.
August 30, 2019
** listened to this on audio, but the librarians apparently haven't added an audible copy to this.**
March 9, 2015
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
I don't think I've ever read a dystopian/fairy tale crossover, but it is a rather intriguing idea. Gathering Frost is part fantasy and part dystopian with a heart-warming (yes, pun intended) romance. The blurb calls it a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but it seems more of a mash of several different fairy tales. I liked the way the story began, with the earthquake in New York and the emergence of the ice queen's realm. Little Jade was angry at herself for crying-- little did she know the queen would rob her of emotions.
Jade was a great character. Even emotionless, there was just something special about her. She was the only female in the queen's guard, and the queen herself took a special interest in her. Jade knew she was the bad guy, but due to her emotionless state, she didn't really care. And yet, that never quite seemed true. I appreciated Jade's strength both physically and mentally... it's just not something I've been seeing enough of in YA.
Prince Asher was a joy-- witty and charming, warm and caring. It was hard to believe he was really the queen's son. The interactions between Jade and Asher were by far the best part of the story. I found the world created by Ms. Davis intriguing and quite imaginative as well. Just because the story is based on a fairy tale, don't assume you know what's going to happen. Lots of twists and turns kept the story interesting.
I admit, I love fairy tale retellings, and Gathering Frost was quite enjoyable. If you like fantasy with an urban/dystopian twist, lots of action, and fun characters, then I think you'll enjoy this novel.
I don't think I've ever read a dystopian/fairy tale crossover, but it is a rather intriguing idea. Gathering Frost is part fantasy and part dystopian with a heart-warming (yes, pun intended) romance. The blurb calls it a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but it seems more of a mash of several different fairy tales. I liked the way the story began, with the earthquake in New York and the emergence of the ice queen's realm. Little Jade was angry at herself for crying-- little did she know the queen would rob her of emotions.
Jade was a great character. Even emotionless, there was just something special about her. She was the only female in the queen's guard, and the queen herself took a special interest in her. Jade knew she was the bad guy, but due to her emotionless state, she didn't really care. And yet, that never quite seemed true. I appreciated Jade's strength both physically and mentally... it's just not something I've been seeing enough of in YA.
Prince Asher was a joy-- witty and charming, warm and caring. It was hard to believe he was really the queen's son. The interactions between Jade and Asher were by far the best part of the story. I found the world created by Ms. Davis intriguing and quite imaginative as well. Just because the story is based on a fairy tale, don't assume you know what's going to happen. Lots of twists and turns kept the story interesting.
I admit, I love fairy tale retellings, and Gathering Frost was quite enjoyable. If you like fantasy with an urban/dystopian twist, lots of action, and fun characters, then I think you'll enjoy this novel.
August 16, 2018
So that turned out to be a colossal waste of time and paper.
March 7, 2023
When I read the premise and setup to Gathering Frost, I was ready for a new take on the Sleeping Beauty tale. Despite the interesting world building and decent characters and some gripping twists, I found myself not fully engaged due to some clunky prose, reliance on cliches, and the pacing possibly being too fast.
The idea of a post apocalyptic world mixed with magic is typically a good way to get me to at least start reading. The world gets slowly built over the course of the book, and kept me hooked for the first half or so of the book as we’re learning the lay of the land, as well as the characters. But it felt like around the last third, the world building petered out. The magic also sounded interesting, but it did feel like not enough was explained and felt confusing to follow along. I wish there was more depth than just “world destroyed, fighting rebels because the electricity went out” in the conflict though.
Honestly, I felt more Snow Queen vibes than Sleeping Beauty, with Jade being an emotionless slave to the heartless Queen. Jade herself had a bit of depth, fighting between her cold self and the warmness she feels once she gets to the rebel base. She was rather surface level and comes off as a typical “tough girl”, but I can understand as she was under the Queen’s control for most of her life and trying to figure out who she is, though her thoughts started to feel repetitive by the end with not much development. Asher was interesting too, contrasting her hardness with warmth and some surprising reveals to him as well. The Queen had her own depth, which I was surprised about as the story continued. The other characters mostly felt there, sadly, even Maddie, who I wished had more to her.
The story had its share of twists and turns, surprising me a few times, and when the prose was at its best, it was visceral. However, the prose felt repetitive and clunky in a lot of spots and it wasn’t engaging, oftentimes tuning out. Also, the pacing might have been too fast for its own good, and could have used more development for characters and the world, plus, it might have relied a bit too much on tired cliches and the ending felt underwhelming. The narrator’s voice was alright, but not my favorite to be honest.
Even with the mixed feelings, it was a nice, short listen, and I would be interested in more of the series.
*I received a review copy of the audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.*
The idea of a post apocalyptic world mixed with magic is typically a good way to get me to at least start reading. The world gets slowly built over the course of the book, and kept me hooked for the first half or so of the book as we’re learning the lay of the land, as well as the characters. But it felt like around the last third, the world building petered out. The magic also sounded interesting, but it did feel like not enough was explained and felt confusing to follow along. I wish there was more depth than just “world destroyed, fighting rebels because the electricity went out” in the conflict though.
Honestly, I felt more Snow Queen vibes than Sleeping Beauty, with Jade being an emotionless slave to the heartless Queen. Jade herself had a bit of depth, fighting between her cold self and the warmness she feels once she gets to the rebel base. She was rather surface level and comes off as a typical “tough girl”, but I can understand as she was under the Queen’s control for most of her life and trying to figure out who she is, though her thoughts started to feel repetitive by the end with not much development. Asher was interesting too, contrasting her hardness with warmth and some surprising reveals to him as well. The Queen had her own depth, which I was surprised about as the story continued. The other characters mostly felt there, sadly, even Maddie, who I wished had more to her.
The story had its share of twists and turns, surprising me a few times, and when the prose was at its best, it was visceral. However, the prose felt repetitive and clunky in a lot of spots and it wasn’t engaging, oftentimes tuning out. Also, the pacing might have been too fast for its own good, and could have used more development for characters and the world, plus, it might have relied a bit too much on tired cliches and the ending felt underwhelming. The narrator’s voice was alright, but not my favorite to be honest.
Even with the mixed feelings, it was a nice, short listen, and I would be interested in more of the series.
*I received a review copy of the audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.*
January 29, 2017
Gathering Frost took the premise for the fairytale I've wanted to read since I was fifteen: a story about a protagonist cursed to feel nothing. Forget princesses enchanted to sleep and princes turned into beasts—those are brilliant in their own right, but a story about a character suffering from emptiness on a fantastical level (like, it’s actually a curse) has always been irresistible to me, my personal muse for years. So for that reason, this book could have looked horrible and I still would have picked it up. But it actually looked pretty okay—and that’s about what it is. It’s okay. It’s not particularly good, but maybe if you’re less critical and more into airy, silly entertainment, you’ll enjoy it more than I did.
This book is a weird, weird beast. The story is basically that an earthquake hit New York City, inserting an old-fashioned fairytale world with magic and evil queens right into the modern world, and the people who didn’t escape were put under the queen’s spell and turned into a bunch of emotionless, obedient subjects. But rebels have scattered underground (literally) and are plotting to bring about the demise of the queen and free their people. It’s kind of like The Host meets The Snow Queen, which sounds like a much cooler novel than Gathering Frost actually is—much to my dismay, because that concept is kind of badass.
So even though the whole “fairytale world meets post-apocalyptic New York City” premise is kind of bizarre, the story itself isn’t very original. Basically, Jade works for the queen, but then she is sent to spy on the prince and the rebels, and what do you know it? She starts to switch sides and fall in love with the prince. No, it’s the premise—a broken, empty girl slowly learning to feel again through love—that really would have made it worth it. But Gathering Frost is too unambitious to understand the brilliance of its central concept, so as a result it doesn’t do nearly as much with Jade’s character arc as it could. Maybe I’m just being too harsh on a simple little fantasy novel because I’ve been so attached to this premise for so long, but I feel like the story of an unfeeling girl starting to feel again has to be really, really delicate, carefully tracking each little change and not having it happen too fast. Jade’s ability to feel fluctuates almost every page, and the moments she comes to life are far too easy. It’s overly simplistic for such a potentially complex subject. Yes, I know I’m being nitpicky, but I’m being nitpicky because the idea is so fantastic. It deserves a better execution.
And, wouldn’t you know it, around the halfway mark, the book spirals downward. It did pull the rug out from under my feet by suddenly deciding to execute a plot development I was certain would be saved for the final chapter (and would have been better in the final chapter), and decides to approach the story in a completely different way. It is not, I feel, a change for the better. The rest of the story hinges on some very simple issues that could have been resolved if the characters just came clean to one another or sat down and talked things over like rational human beings—and Jade’s reasons for keeping quiet are particularly stupid. It goes on way longer than it has any right to—the misunderstanding that should have covered no more than four chapters suddenly ends up consuming about forty percent of the novel. And where the story was once underwhelming yet mildly entertaining, it suddenly turned boring. Not to mention that it had the most blasé reaction to a curse being broken ever. Curses are kind of a big deal in fairytales; when one is broken, there should be some celebration! This book glosses over it in a sentence. Just like, “Eh, it’s gone.” Come on! Audiences deserve more payoff than that.
And, of course, I’m all for “love will break the curse” solutions in my fairytales—that’s kind of the central concept of most fairytales, at least in their newer form—but you have to work a little harder than Gathering Frost did for that trope to not seem lazy and trite.
To be fair, the book was different and there were times when I genuinely wasn’t sure where the story was going. There were a lot of cool ideas—as I think I’ve emphasized enough already—that weren’t given proper development. Though I wasn’t overly fond of the meta-reference with Sleeping Beauty: I feel like that’s kind of taboo in retellings and the best ones don’t do that. (Plus, I don’t really think this is a Sleeping Beauty retelling; I can see where the parallels are, but they’re kind of a stretch. If anything, it reminds me more of The Snow Queen, though it’s too close to that one either.)
The writing is pretty basic, with the occasional rookie screw-up in past versus present tense and proper version of a word (“creek” versus “creak”). It’s also…trying too hard? It seems like Davis was really into the rule of three, a trick I used an awful lot in high school to fill up page space and make my writing seem more sophisticated. Sometimes it works, but when it’s used too much it becomes tedious—and Davis uses it in every other paragraph. My guilt is a red-hot flame, burning me, consuming me, reminding me I’ll never be free. Asher’s eyes are flowing, blazing, sparkling with the promise of a new life, a new future, a new me. The frustration gnaws at my insides, throbs inside my chest, forces me to remember all that I’ve done. WE GET IT.
I never believed Gathering Frost would be fantastic, but I was hoping for some light, passable entertainment. But it’s just a little too draggy and silly near the end to really call it “good.” For reasons that I’ll admit are somewhat personal, I still adore that premise of the unfeeling heroine—but the best treatment of the “protagonist cursed not to feel” fantasy has yet to come. Still, points to this book for trying.
2 stars.
This book is a weird, weird beast. The story is basically that an earthquake hit New York City, inserting an old-fashioned fairytale world with magic and evil queens right into the modern world, and the people who didn’t escape were put under the queen’s spell and turned into a bunch of emotionless, obedient subjects. But rebels have scattered underground (literally) and are plotting to bring about the demise of the queen and free their people. It’s kind of like The Host meets The Snow Queen, which sounds like a much cooler novel than Gathering Frost actually is—much to my dismay, because that concept is kind of badass.
So even though the whole “fairytale world meets post-apocalyptic New York City” premise is kind of bizarre, the story itself isn’t very original. Basically, Jade works for the queen, but then she is sent to spy on the prince and the rebels, and what do you know it? She starts to switch sides and fall in love with the prince. No, it’s the premise—a broken, empty girl slowly learning to feel again through love—that really would have made it worth it. But Gathering Frost is too unambitious to understand the brilliance of its central concept, so as a result it doesn’t do nearly as much with Jade’s character arc as it could. Maybe I’m just being too harsh on a simple little fantasy novel because I’ve been so attached to this premise for so long, but I feel like the story of an unfeeling girl starting to feel again has to be really, really delicate, carefully tracking each little change and not having it happen too fast. Jade’s ability to feel fluctuates almost every page, and the moments she comes to life are far too easy. It’s overly simplistic for such a potentially complex subject. Yes, I know I’m being nitpicky, but I’m being nitpicky because the idea is so fantastic. It deserves a better execution.
And, wouldn’t you know it, around the halfway mark, the book spirals downward. It did pull the rug out from under my feet by suddenly deciding to execute a plot development I was certain would be saved for the final chapter (and would have been better in the final chapter), and decides to approach the story in a completely different way. It is not, I feel, a change for the better. The rest of the story hinges on some very simple issues that could have been resolved if the characters just came clean to one another or sat down and talked things over like rational human beings—and Jade’s reasons for keeping quiet are particularly stupid. It goes on way longer than it has any right to—the misunderstanding that should have covered no more than four chapters suddenly ends up consuming about forty percent of the novel. And where the story was once underwhelming yet mildly entertaining, it suddenly turned boring. Not to mention that it had the most blasé reaction to a curse being broken ever. Curses are kind of a big deal in fairytales; when one is broken, there should be some celebration! This book glosses over it in a sentence. Just like, “Eh, it’s gone.” Come on! Audiences deserve more payoff than that.
And, of course, I’m all for “love will break the curse” solutions in my fairytales—that’s kind of the central concept of most fairytales, at least in their newer form—but you have to work a little harder than Gathering Frost did for that trope to not seem lazy and trite.
To be fair, the book was different and there were times when I genuinely wasn’t sure where the story was going. There were a lot of cool ideas—as I think I’ve emphasized enough already—that weren’t given proper development. Though I wasn’t overly fond of the meta-reference with Sleeping Beauty: I feel like that’s kind of taboo in retellings and the best ones don’t do that. (Plus, I don’t really think this is a Sleeping Beauty retelling; I can see where the parallels are, but they’re kind of a stretch. If anything, it reminds me more of The Snow Queen, though it’s too close to that one either.)
The writing is pretty basic, with the occasional rookie screw-up in past versus present tense and proper version of a word (“creek” versus “creak”). It’s also…trying too hard? It seems like Davis was really into the rule of three, a trick I used an awful lot in high school to fill up page space and make my writing seem more sophisticated. Sometimes it works, but when it’s used too much it becomes tedious—and Davis uses it in every other paragraph. My guilt is a red-hot flame, burning me, consuming me, reminding me I’ll never be free. Asher’s eyes are flowing, blazing, sparkling with the promise of a new life, a new future, a new me. The frustration gnaws at my insides, throbs inside my chest, forces me to remember all that I’ve done. WE GET IT.
I never believed Gathering Frost would be fantastic, but I was hoping for some light, passable entertainment. But it’s just a little too draggy and silly near the end to really call it “good.” For reasons that I’ll admit are somewhat personal, I still adore that premise of the unfeeling heroine—but the best treatment of the “protagonist cursed not to feel” fantasy has yet to come. Still, points to this book for trying.
2 stars.
June 4, 2020
Thoughts with side commentary:
❄️ I kept putting this book on the back burner but I'm really mad that I did
❄️ This book kind of gave off "The Cruel Prince" vibes minus the fae aspect and so I knew I was gonna love it
❄️ However, I do think that the summary was a bit misleading about Asher's character. The summary made him seem just like Cardan but in reality, he was the complete opposite
❄️ I also loved the concept of the story. The idea that were living above a "storybook" world and that a giant earthquake brought us together in the worst of ways
❄️ I also loved the ending and the thought that Asher is about to get a dagger shoved where the sun don't shine😂
❄️ I kept putting this book on the back burner but I'm really mad that I did
❄️ This book kind of gave off "The Cruel Prince" vibes minus the fae aspect and so I knew I was gonna love it
❄️ However, I do think that the summary was a bit misleading about Asher's character. The summary made him seem just like Cardan but in reality, he was the complete opposite
❄️ I also loved the concept of the story. The idea that were living above a "storybook" world and that a giant earthquake brought us together in the worst of ways
❄️ I also loved the ending and the thought that Asher is about to get a dagger shoved where the sun don't shine😂
April 30, 2023
Thank you netgalley for letting me review this book.
This is a dystopian retelling of sleeping beauty. I really enjoyed the plot line of this book.
Will feelings develop between the prince and Jade?
There were parts of this book where I found Jade to be annoying, but in the end I could understand why.
#netgalley
#gatheringfrost
This is a dystopian retelling of sleeping beauty. I really enjoyed the plot line of this book.
Will feelings develop between the prince and Jade?
There were parts of this book where I found Jade to be annoying, but in the end I could understand why.
#netgalley
#gatheringfrost
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