Frost Fever

Cloak Games #2

by Jonathan Moeller

In 2013, a gate to another world opened, and Elves used their magic to conquer Earth, crushing all resistance before them.

Three hundred years after the Conquest, the exiled Elven High Queen rules an orderly but stagnant Earth, with humanity forced to fight in the High Queen’s war against the traitors on the Elven homeworld.

Nadia Moran doesn’t care about that. She wants freedom, and she wants power. Unfortunately for her, she has little enough of either. To make matters worse, her baby brother Russell is dying of a rare magical disease, and the only one who can cure him is the cruel Elven archmage Morvilind.

If that were not enough, Morvilind demands a steep price for his cures.

Specifically, he wants Nadia to use her skill and magic to steal treasures for him, and this time he’s sent Nadia to steal a priceless relic from the ambassador of the frost giants.

And the frost giants never forget a grudge…

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Fae, Audiobook, Romance, Paranormal

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

Standing over six feet tall, USA Today bestselling author Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.

He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is second in a series and, like most UF, they very much build a consistent character and story progression. So you probably want to read them in order.

Having read the first, you know about what you're getting with this one. Which is good. It is, in fact, episodic in nature (as I speculated in my review of the first). At least so far. I found it interesting that Corvus isn't really in this one at all. Which makes sense because Nadia is in a completely different area this time and shoehorning him in would have felt awkward. I really liked the story developments and the sides being drawn around "opposing the Dark Ones".

I begin to have concerns about special girl syndrome (if I can make up a syndrome). Nadia is in no way a Marry Sue, but developments in this story veer that direction.

Anyway, I'll leave it here and summarize that it's on the short side but that size fit the story very well and I'm glad the author has the guts to keep it the size of the story he has to tell. I'm also glad that his ebook prices are commensurate with the size and that's nice, too. I'll rate this as 4½ stars that I'm rounding up based on the pace and still-engaging heroine.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

“Games, games, games,” I muttered to myself. “Damned games. Damned stupid games.”

So Nadia has ten days to steal a priceless amulet from around a Frost Giant's neck without being able to use most of her magic skills (because they could detect it) while surrounded by Elves and government figures who would be more than happy to interrogate or kill her for even existing? And if she fails its not just her, but her brother's life on the line as well?

What could go wrong?



We also get to meet some people from Nadia's past (dangerous Rebels more than willing to kill her because she dropped a dime on them 2 years ago) as well as meet a dangerous new...possible ally in the Knight of Greyhold who trades his help in the form of a future favor...that I have a feeling will come back to bite Nadia in the butt in later stories.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2. Which has not yet revealed why the series is called "Cloak Games." Some spoilers ahead. . . .

No major changes in the Elf-Queen-ruled future Earth much like the present-day otherwise.

It opens with Nadia talking to a fence about goods she stole in the last book -- but what really matters is that is where the anthrophages find her, and they're annoyed. She manages to survive with some difficulty, and she gets summoned again, to steal a valuable amulet from the giants coming to do diplomacy with the Elf Queen.

It includes a past boyfriend who had tried to frame her, centerpieces, pipe bombs, an ancient Assyrian, a woman whose preparations for the welcome including preparing for her husband's return in the honor guard, trees with dangerous leaves, and more.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

$1.99 Kindle and Kobo sale, Dec. 19, 2023.

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short, quick, enjoyable read. It’s amazing how much happens in a book less than 150 pages with nothing missing, everything smoothly goes together

[Jay Sprenkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kick butt heroine that you can empathize with, evil Elves, and Lovecraftian horrors from the void. What's not to like?

These books are like popcorn. You just can't stop. Smoothly written with an interesting world. If you enjoy the Harry Dresden books I recommend these to you.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as Nadia interacted with a "normal" human and may actually be verging on a friendship. Nadia has found that pretending to be involved in an upcoming event is the best way for her to infiltrate and be able to steal whatever object Morvilind has his sights on. Unfortunately, the Rebels have other ideas, forcing her to flee to the Shadowlands.

She encounters an entirely new-to-her magical entity while in the Shadowlands. Whether he is friend or foe is yet to be determined. He does seem to aid her in acquiring the desired object as well as enabling her to survive facing the frost giants.

These new characters are adding a dimension to the story that up until now, she had been unaware of. I like where it's headed.

[Jayna - TheChaotic_TBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Frost Fever – Book # 2 of the Cloak Games series by Jonathan Moeller

My rating: 4 stars.
Reading Time: 1 day.

Great sequel to book #1 in the series, Frost Fever continues to impress. Nadia’s smart mouth is still getting her into trouble. The tasks Morvilind sets for her increase in difficulty and risk. Plus by the end of the book she is beholden to another powerful being who will no doubt collect on that favour at a later date, likely at a very inconvenient time.

Plot Overview: Nadia continues her servitude under elf noble Morvilind, completing the increasingly difficult tasks he demands of her. This time she is to steal a magical amulet from an envoy of the Frost Giants who are newly allied to the Elvin High Queen. Any error could cause a huge set back in diplomatic relations between the two species, not to mention a high likelihood of her losing her life either by order of the High Queen or Morvilind himself, if the Frost Giants don’t get there first.

A very pleasing sequel to book #1 in the Cloak Games series by Jonathan Moeller. Nadia’s less than perfect character continues to be relatable even if her choices and reasoning not necessarily of the highest moral standards. We can’t all be perfect! New characters are introduced which will allow for diversity as the series continues. I found a few assumptions I made at the start of the book about how I expected the story to progress were not correct which is always fun. I even found myself power-reading through some of the more exciting sections to see what would happen next and had to force myself to re-read so I didn’t miss anything important.

Overall, another enjoyable read and I have already started book #3.

Review posted to #GoodReads & my Facebook profile. Unfortunately, was unable to post to #Reedsy at this time.

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my review of the first book I mainly praised the author's general body of work. Now I want to focus solely on this second book. I really love this book, the adventure of Nadia Moran are a fun mix of urban fantasy and caper/heist adventure in a vague dystopian science-fiction setting. The writing is in the first person view, I style that I usually don't care for, but here I barely notice it; in fact I only notice halfway throughout the second book... Moeller is a very (prolific) talented storyteller, the adventures of Nadia flows easily and are always fun and engaging. The characters are interesting, the pacing of the story is perfect, the different hints and mysteries keeps you glued to the story and the frequent trip to the Shadowland by the main character offers great opportunities for atmospheric horror filed tense action sequences. The clean writing style of Mr. Moeller makes reading this book a breeze and insure that the reader his rapidly invest in the world, the characters and the adventure.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In order to save her younger brother's life Nadia must continue to work for Morvilind the Elven archmage who is the only one who can cure Russell of Frost Fever. She has six more years until the cure is complete but every job she does for Morvilind puts her life in great danger and she knows that if she dies Russell will to. This alone keeps her battling for her life.

This time she must steal an amulet from the wearer but the event she attends to do so is disrupted by bombs. Once she escapes she finds she must do another job for someone else before she can get back to her original job.

I like Nadia, she is a tough cookie who only wants her brother to live the life that he should and she will do anything to make that happen even though she knows that Morvilind will try to end her life the minute he has no use for her.

Fun, fast read!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

when the life of a loved one is at stake, you just have to suck it up and keep enduring and that is what this strong willed MC does. But as the storyline continues, layers upon layers of complications just keep getting in her way. I am feeling that there is way more to this character than we are being told so far, and I love it. There are obvious parallels in this book to many present day concerns and I am in agreement with this authors point of view. Looking forward to the next! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.

[S.J.Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadia is still a smart mouthed, kickass heroin. I love her character and her can do attitude despite her vulnerabilities. The story line is good, developing the world and characters and moving the story along very creditably. The potential love interest takes a back seat in this book whilst Nadia progresses in power, abilities and knowledge and we learn along with her, very well written. Looking forward to the rest of the series. This is my first taste of Jonathan Moeller and I'm pleased to see he has many other works on the shelf and looks like new series for Nadia, once this one finishes.

[Kimberly Souder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second story in the series. It continued on with all the things I enojyed in the first one, but there were a few parts of the story that just didn't make a lot of sense - like her picking up centerpieces days before an event (not only would the florist not have them all ready, but the flowers would not do so well sitting in the back of her truck for days). Still was a good book and I enojyed it.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books. They are fast paced, full of snark, and quick, entertaining reads. I think Moeller does a good job of developing his world and his storyline. Sometimes the characters feel a little two dimensional or maybe too close to stereotypes, but it's worth overlooking for the story. I do hope that he develops Nadia some...the bad girl, devil-may-care attitude is good in moderate amounts, but I need to connect more to her to continue caring about her wellbeing.

[Bruno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable fantasy series

Our hero is slave bound to a powerful mage elf named Morvilind to act as a thief for his bidding , because her brother will die of frost fever if not cured magically for 6 years time . With this setting we have the shadowlands where monsters beyond your imagination dwells and lots of politics and games of power between races. There is no dull moment in the book

[Francis Chamberland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cloak Games: Frost Fever Review

Dear Jonathan, another book in the series and once again extremely difficult to put down once begun. Nadia is a wonderful character full of many surprises and a glib tongue. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone interested in reading a great story. Thanks for the entertainment and exciting adventure.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia second adventure has her stealing a bracelet from the jarl of the frost giants.no easy task to say the least.along the way she is given aid by a mysterious knight who occupies a place known as the grayhold.will nadia get what she seeks or will the creatures of the shadow land bring her adventure to a abrupt end.

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said less than pleasant things about the narrator of the previous book in this series. She's improved a bit but still her voices for male characters could be improved. The story is great and I like the protagonist, although she's a bit young and naive. The series is like Mission Impossible on steroids. But enjoyable.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta say I like how the main character is someone different in every book. I was hanging on for a Corvus appearance but not yet it seems. New characters introduced and the same kick ass thief. Need to read the next one.

[needra little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing story

Like the twists and turns of each story plot. Like all the characters and can't wait for the story plot to unfold. Like the way every page builds upon the next one.

[Jackie]

It's a good thing to learn more information.

Nadia is thrust into chaos when the Rebels attack the capitol. What she learns, once again, leads to more questions. This story has twist and turns, moral dilemma, and really awesome characters.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, these are fine. The audiobook narrator is doing most of the work here, and there's an intriguing concept, but some elements get repetitive. They're short enough, and there's a cool idea, but... Not sure.

[Ed And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun reading 📚. This story is very fast paced and engrossing.

This series of books are fun to read and the intrigues woven into the fabric of this saga continues. Addicting.

[E.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm liking this series so far. Hope that it continues to get better.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as the first one.

Language: High Moderate
Violence: Moderate.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series. Slowly builds up towards the end can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[John Patrick Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action

Good story, good characters. The story keeps moving and you keep turning pages. Mr. Moeller has created an interesting universe.

[Eurico Chagas-filho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be better

Not great, too verbose. It look as if the writer was making the book whithout a plan and making up the story as it was going, no plan.

[Catherine Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Step

Each task brings more danger to Nadia. This series is a fun mix of humans, Elves, magic and monsters. There is, also, a bit of mystery which is intriguing.

[Stuart Macmartin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read. A few magical rescues that actually made sense. Much of the technology 300 years from now is identical to today? A convenient choice I guess.