Frozen Reign

Burning Glass #3

by Kathryn Purdie

Fear reigns in Riaznin.

Former emperor Valko has kidnapped the youngest Auraseer and provoked a civil war. Now, he’s hunting his brother, Anton, and leading Shenglin troops across the border. But with her empathic powers gone, Sonya doesn’t know how to protect the people she loves or the nation she helped free. She can’t sense who to trust. She can’t track Valko. She can’t tell if her beloved Anton is safe. She only knows danger is coming. And there’s nothing she can do to stop it.

Until Sonya hears a tale of an Esten Auraseer with a mysterious ability to heal, and suddenly her situation doesn’t feel as impossible as it once did. But without her powers, finding the legendary Auraseer will be dangerous. And if she doesn’t succeed, the peace she sacrificed so much to achieve will be shattered forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Magic

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Kathryn is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the BURNING GLASS series, the BONE CRIER'S MOON duology, and the THE FOREST GRIMM duology. Her love of storytelling began as a young girl when her dad told her about someone named Boo Radley while they listened to the film score of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Kathryn is a trained classical actress who studied at the Oxford School of Drama. She also writes songs on her guitar for each of her stories and shares them on her website. Kathryn lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children.

Instagram: @kathrynpurdie
TikTok: @kathrynpurdie

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was... slightly better than the second novel, but still not anything to write home about. Mercifully, the plot focuses more on the political dilemma than the love triangle, and the romance takes a much-needed back-burner to the action. This helped me get through the book much more quickly than I did with the other two, and I was grateful to Purdie for at least making it a quick and easy read. I'm still not a huge fan of this series, however, as all of the problems I had with the first two books (an unlikeable main character, a forced romantic subplot, abusive and icky characters, etc.) were still present in this one.

Frozen Reign, much like its predecessor, begins right where the last book left off. Sonya, who has just been gravely wounded by the former emperor Valko, wakes up in the convent to find that all of her ability to sense aura has completely vanished. Devastated, Sonya is unsure how to take her place in the Riaznin revolution, living her days taking care of soldiers who have fallen ill with consumption. When an Esten Auraseer named Genevie arrives at the convent seeking refuge from a bounty hunter, however, Sonya learns of a powerful Auraseer who might be able to help her regain her abilities. Determined to help end Valko's latest rise to power, Sonya ventures to the land of Esten on a mission to forge an alliance with Esten, while also seeking a way to regain her lost power.

As I said above, this book suffers from many of the same problems I had with the first two. Sonya is still bland and whiny, Valko is still terrible, and much of the plot feels rushed, with the pay-offs and plot twists seeming un-earned. One improvement this book made was actually focusing on the overall political issues going on in this universe, though still not enough for me to really see what was happening outside of Sonya's personal bubble. It would have been really interesting to see the perspectives of some of the other governors, or to switch points of view to see what was happening elsewhere in the world. As it currently stands, it feels like nothing outside of Sonya and her friends even mattered in what was supposedly a massive revolution, and that really killed any hope I had to see a big, epic fantasy series with this trilogy.

Another huge issue this book (and the entire series) has is pacing. As with the other books, it feels like not a lot happens until the last third, when Sonya flees with the Esten Auraseers and is captured by a bounty hunter (side note: what is it with this series and bounty hunters?!). From this point on, it seems like the story wraps up ridiculously quickly, with everything neatly tied up in a little bow. Anton just so happens to be in the area, along with Valko and Dasha. Sonya gets her confusing powers back at exactly the right time, and both Valko and the bounty hunter are killed quickly, without any real loss on the side of the heroes. For a series that clearly had no issue adding stakes in the first two books, I was shocked to see that Purdie ended it without there being a single consequence to the heroes' victory in the end. Even Genevie, who I really liked but felt was expendable, survived due to some stroke of luck. The only real loss is Sestra Mirna, and she dies from an illness rather than at the hands of an enemy soldier.

This is yet another thing that annoyed me about this series as a whole. Characters who really don't learn or grow from their mistakes are continuously rewarded for no reason, sending a mixed and confused message to the reader. Sonya ends the series as pretty much the same whiny, slightly useless, and reckless character that she began, only she has (thankfully) been stripped of her extra powers. While this is a good thing (that woman did not need the ability to manipulate others, considering how poorly she's used it in the past), it made little sense that she gained back her basic powers at the most convenient time possible. It seemed as though Sonya put in very little effort to achieve this; she spent ten minutes with Madame Perle discussing buried memories, and was then gradually rewarded her powers for very little work. Once again, Sonya's powers make little sense: what exactly made her lose them, and how was she able to partially regain them? Furthermore, why were they not completely returned? So little is explained about the origin and mechanics of Auraseers that I stopped caring completely when Nadia also gained her power back, even though she'd never gone to Esten to have it restored. I found myself saying, "Sure, why not?" and moving on to get the book finished faster.

Anton and Sonya continue to be a bland couple, their romance still feeling forced and unearned. Anton never truly confronted Sonya for manipulating him, and she never really faces any consequences for it aside from brooding for weeks about how much he "must hate her." He seems completely unaffected, however, mooning over her for no apparent reason. Because Sonya feels very much like a Mary Sue, her romance with Anton turns him into a Gary Stu by proxy. Sonya sucks everything unique and likeable out of him, making him just as boring and needlessly sappy as she is. Like I've said before, I adore romance, but it has to be done right for me to feel invested in the characters and their relationship. Sonya and Anton's relationship is neither healthy nor realistic, and I found myself not really caring whether or not they ended up together at the end of the series.

As with the other books, I found myself really enjoying the side characters. It baffles me that Purdie can write such fun and interesting side characters, while sucking the life out of her romantic leads. Dasha, Genevie, Sestra Mirna, Nadia, Tosya, and all of the other secondary characters are a lot more fun and interesting than Sonya and Anton, and I read this book wanting to know far more about their struggles and victories than I did about Sonya's. It was refreshing to see Dasha, a little girl with the same abilities as Sonya, use those abilities in a much better way. Though she also lacks control, Dasha (who, again, is only a little girl) is far more responsible with her power than the adult Sonya, who commits the most atrocious crimes with her power when she isn't whining about how difficult her life is. I was glad to see that, in the end, Sonya's full power never returned, as she has proven throughout this series that she is the last person to whom power should be granted.

My last gripe with this series is the fact that, because the ending was so rushed, many characters never got closure. Many plot threads are never resolved, one such plot thread being the relationship between Dasha and the leader of the Romska. We never get to see him meet his daughter or come to terms with the fact that he is the father of a princess, and the two are never given any real closure.We see very little of Nadia, one of my favorite characters, and the conclusion to her romance with Tosya feels rushed and unsatisfying. Sonya never faces any real consequences for her terrible actions; she gets to be with Anton, is still friends with Nadia (despite killing her mother), and is even granted the title of governor for the Auraseers when it was her negligence that almost wiped the convent out in the first book. We never get to see Riaznin grow and build its democracy (something an epilogue would've fixed), and we never get any sort of resolution for characters like Delphine and Kira. This whole book felt extremely rushed, and I wish Purdie would've slowed down a little bit to really explore the large cast of characters she created for this world. Everything in this series seems to revolve around Valko, Anton, and Sonya, the three LEAST interesting characters. Meanwhile, characters I actually wanted to see were left without any real development or attention.

Overall, this series is a bit of a mess. As I said in my last review, it's not the worst fantasy I've ever read, but it feels unfinished. It's bland, with carbon copy main characters and side characters who never get the chance to develop because of the novel's focus. The scope and politics of this universe are never fully explored, which is a shame considering how interesting this series might've been if we knew more about the fictional nations warring within it. Sonya's powers needed more fleshing out, and she needed to face real consequences for her actions when she messed up. Because she was granted a happy ending without putting in any real work, it feels as though Sonya didn't grow at all from the first book to the third, making her journey seem a little pointless in the end. Again, I've read much worse, but I'm honestly disappointed that a series with such an interesting premise and great potential wound up to be this lackluster and average. It is my hope that Purdie will continue to improve, and that her next series will build upon the things she does well... while cutting out the pieces that cause this story to get lost amid a raging tide of bland YA fantasy.

[lookmairead · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I joined a Goodreads group to help jog my
memory because for the life of me, I couldn’t remember name of the series I read years ago.

The reasons:
1: It was driving me insane. It’s rare I wouldn’t remember author or partial title. Not a good sign, I realize this.
2: I kept thinking of this series when I was reading the Shadow & Bone series. There are some interesting similar elements. If you enjoyed Bardugo’s world, I would recommend this series.
3: >>>whispers<<< IMHO, Sonya > Alina. In voice, like ability etc.

I would rate this series 3.75/4 out of 5

[Sarah Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy gave me so many feelings. I found myself wanting to ball my eyes out multiple times just within this last book. I will be rereading this series again and again!

-full review to come-

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
as far as conclusions go, this lacked for me and i had a problem with the weird inclusion of the french language

[Shaylee Durfey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good way to end the trilogy, I want to say this was probably the best book out of all three

[Lanell Gardiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this series just got worse the more I read it. I really enjoyed the first book, with it's setting and writing style, but I feel that it should've ended there. It could have been a stand-alone, or at the very least gotten better. I feel many authors feel there's a standard for writing fantasy, where it has to be a series and it has to be a trilogy for that matter. I just lost interest the more I read and wish I had stuck with only reading the first one.

[Gervais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series!! Book 3 was fantastic! I hit the point of no return about half way through, I couldn't put it down.

I am very excited for Kathryn Purdie's next book release! She is climbing the ranks in my top author list! Her imaginative plot lines and characters suck me in! I love her brand of Magic.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good ending for the series, though I do wish certain aspects of the story had been wrapped up more . . . definitely. At the very least, it could have benefited from an epilogue several months or a couple of years later. As it is, I'll just have to let my imagination wrap it up and remind myself that it could have ended poorly.

I like how Sonya progressed from the start of the first book to the end of this one. She came to value herself beyond her abilities as an Auraseer and learned to control and trust herself more. I remain an enthusiastic fan of Anton. By chance, both this book and the one I just finished listening to earlier today (Year of the Reaper) have male protagonists who are particularly good with children.

I've enjoyed reading this series. The concept of auraseers--people (only females, it appears) who are able to sense and feel the emotions and feelings of others as if they were their own--is quite interesting.

If I were writing this review during the day, I might have more to say; however, it's late and I'm tired.

How it ends: Sonya has been living in the convent with Nadia and Sestra Mirna, nursing the soldiers stationed there who have fallen ill. Her survival is kept secret, and she the only communication she receives from Anton is seed packets that are sent for the auraseers. Genevie, the Estan auraseer Sonya had met when Floquart de Bonpre came to discuss a possible marriage between the king's niece and Valko, arrives seeking safety from a bounty hunter.

A soldier formerly stationed at the convent let it slip that Sonya was alive, and Feliks also gleaned it from the poem Tosya wrote. Feliks sends Anton on a journey to Estengard to secure an alliance with them against Shinglin, and then he goes to the convent to persuade Sonya to cooperate by threatening Kira's life. Feliks finds out Sonya has lost her powers, but he doesn't care and wants to use her anyway. Genevie tells of an auraseer in Estengard that might be able to help Sonya restore her powers, so he agrees to allow Sonya to travel to Estengard as part of Anton's delegation. She has a deadline and must secure the alliance and then cooperate with him, or else she'll be sentenced for her pervious crimes. Sestra Mirna, who has become ill, dies.

Anton returns to the convent, but Sonya hides from him because she's dirty, he doesn't know she's lost her powers, and she is not sure how things stand between them. Nadia and Genevie eventually get her to come inside, where Anton is waiting for her. He still loves her, though, and tells her she's always been enough. He had heard Feliks was going to the convent and wanted to make sure Sonya was safe.

Nadia decides to stay at the convent. Genevie accompanies Sonya in Anton's delegation. On the way, they are found by the bounty hunter, who has Kira (she had run away from Feliks). They arrest him and send him to a prison. They find the bodies of two of Genevie's auraseer friends, who were killed by the bounty hunter.

In Estengard, auraseers are treated with disdain and condescension; they're basically slaves. Sonya disguises Genevie so that Floquart and others don't recognize her immediately. The Esten auraseers are all in the dungeon because they attempted to gain their freedom. Anton is old friends with Delphine, the king's niece. Genevie and Sonya use secret routes to visit Madame Perle, but they discover she isn't in her quarters. Instead, they find Delphine, who had also been seeking her. They eventually find out that she is being kept in a room just off of the king's room, under lock and key.

Delphine agrees to help Sonya speak with Madame Perle. During Delphine's birthday ball, Floquart reveals to Sonya that Anton had previously been betrothed to Delphine and that the only alliance the king would be open to would be based in marriage. Delphine gives Sonya the key to Madame Perle's room and distracts Floquart while Genevie and Sonya seek her out. Madame Perle is able to help Sonya regain some of her memories of her mother and Sestra Mirna, but that's it. She refuses to leave because she wants to stay and help the auraseers as much as possible.

Floquart confronts Sonya and Genevie. He knows who Genevie is and accuses them of starting the fire that distracted the guards and of stealing the king's key. There's a struggle, and Genevie shoots him with his own gun. Guards come, arrest her, and lock Sonya in her room (Genevie insisted that Sonya was innocent). Delphine visits her and takes the key so it's not found in her room. Sonya says she knows about the betrothal, and Delphine insists Anton's affections lie with Sonya. However, Sonya insists that for the good of Riaznin, Delphine must marry Anton and secure the alliance.

Guards come to search her room for the key, then pack up her things and lead her to the stable. Delphine is there to see her off and explain that Anton negotiated for the release of all the auraseers, who would go with her. Sonya takes this as a sign that the marriage treaty has been agreed upon.

Sonya, the auraseers, and the Riaznin guards travel in search of the Estan Romska. It's winter, and they have few supplies. They are sheltering in a ravine when Tosya, Kira, and the Romska find them. They are taken back to their camp and taken care of. Sonya emits aura again though she cannot feel others' auras. They have a memorial service for her mother, Sestra Mirna, and Genevie.

They receive word that Valko has been conquering and destroying, and they assume he is in Torchev now. Tosya is going to go back to fight against him, and Sonya insists on going, too, to do what she can to bring Dasha back to them and get her away from Valko. Kira also fights to go with them, and Sonya agrees she can go so she can return to the convent. The two of them are practicing meditation so that Sonya can hide her aura like Anton did when they are discovered by the bounty hunter, yet again. He has been hired by Feliks to find Sonya.

As they are journeying, they take shelter in the ruins of an old manor, which Sonya discovers is where Anton grew up. While the bounty hunter is sleeping, she manages to free herself using a sliver of glass. While she searches for her weapons, she recognizes an aura and goes outside. Valko has come with soldiers and Dasha, who told him that Anton was there. Valko plans to kill Anton in order to quell the rebellion for good. He and Sonya are at odds, and Sonya tries to convince Dasha that he's using her, that she should return to the convent with her. During the commotion, Dasha freezes both of them and wants them to get along. Sonya fights against the compulsion, and the two of them get free at the same time. Anton arrive and kills Valko. He and Dasha both grieve the loss of a brother.

Anton had refused the marriage alliance because Sonya is the only person who he ever wants to marry, and he realized that he was unwilling to ally with a nation as bigoted as Estengard. The king had agreed to free the auraseers in an attempt to change Anton's mind. Then he'd locked him up while he forced Sonya to leave. Delphine eventually convinced the king to free Anton.

They return to the convent, which Nadia has been running in their absence. She has found some more auraseers, as well. It appears that she and Tosya will reconcile, despite the poor choices she made in the previous book. Sonya is feeling auras again, though she can no longer control them. Genevie is there--Delphine freed her before her execution. Nadia and Sonya will run the convent.

Anton returns. He and Dasha are getting to know each other. At dinner, he announces that Tosya has been accepted as a Romska governor in the Duma. Anton has convinced the Duma to allow an auraseer governor, too, and everyone votes for Sonya. The Imperialists are still unsatisfied and the Duma don't always agree, but the Shanglin are retreating and the civil ware is over. Feliks has been reigned in. Sonya accepts the role as governor but will live at the convent, going to Torchev for a few days every month when the Duma meets.

My main gripe is that there's no definite bond between Sonya and Anton. So they want to marry--are they going to? She's going to live at the convent and only go into Torchev a few days each month? How's that going to work? Where's he going to live? Are they going to get married and then live at the convent together? What's up? So yeah, give me an epilogue where they're married and have a home, please.

Note: Can't recall anything bad.

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars
Sonya’s gift to read other's auras is gone - and as much as it made her life challenging in so many ways, it was also an essential part of her. Moving forward in a country at war, on two fronts no less, feels nearly impossible without her ability to read emotions. Life doesn’t stop, however, and if she and Anton, the former prince, have any chance of succeeding and leading their new country to victory, Sonya has to find a way to contribute on new terms. With a kidnapped princess and an evil former emperor to content with, she knows the odds are against them.

Turns out, this is the third in a trilogy - but the author did a great job helping me find my feet and I never really felt lost in the action. The world building is interesting - the only magical element is this female ability to read others’ emotions and it’s so unique and rare that much of the plot revolves around not just Soyna but others with this gift. I liked this twist on magic, for the most part. Sometimes the discussion about it felt a little repetitive but the action moved right along and I was always happy to pick it up.

[MistyWish · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute whirlwind of emotions, at times my heart couldn't handle it all whether it was pain or sadness. Our cast of characters been through so much, they've gained and lost throughout the trilogy and the development of powers and just the characters.
Sonya is such a complex and astounding heroin, she's kind and gentle with a fierce loving heart.
I find that books have a way to convey and to release the emotions of the readers so to have a trilogy to that actually USES and surrounds itself with a protagonist who can constantly feel and alter others emotions is unbelievable. I loved it

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

[⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reviews of all three books in this series: Burning Glass, Crystal Blade, Frozen Reign

Frozen Reign is ultimately the strongest of the three books and was a decent read, but I am left feeling a bit unhappy with the ending, merely because it's one of those things where I'm like "okay it's happy but it's one of those vague circumstances that, in reality, would make it hard for the love to endure" and then we don't have a nice epilogue set like five years later when they marry and all is well, so I'm a little miffed.

Despite trying to build up a war and what not, very little of that actually matters in the end. We never really see much battle or anything and the conflicts are either easily remedied or just... ignored and we're left to presume it'll all be okay.

I got through the story fairly quickly. I liked Sonya's relationship with the other girls, that was a really great part of the book, but outside of it, it was just a pretty generic "revolution by a girl with a strange power" sort of story line. Not terrible, but not special either.

I think I put this in a similar vein to Defy in that it's a serviceable enough read, but it never dug down deeply or did anything exceptional with its characters, world, or plot. I think overall the series floats around a 3 for me. I'm not upset to have read it, but it didn't live up to what I'd hoped I'd get from it, nor is it something I'd be super keen to read again. I'm still undecided as to whether or not I'll sell my hardcover copies of the trilogy.

[Samantha Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable and very addicting, I couldn't put this book down. It has romance, high-stakes politics, a bitter civil war between two brothers, and a sister whose powers could change everything.

What I LOVED:
1. Sonya learns to depend on her inner strength, not just her aura powers. Her character growth is one of the best parts of the entire series.
2. Anton never ceases to surprise me (and that's a good thing). No spoilers.
3. The fantasy world expands to Esten (a France-like country) where auraseers are treated like slaves. Sonya's story has inspired the auraseers to seek independence and freedom, even at the cost of their own lives.
4. Friendship continues to be essential as both men and women support each other, trust in each other, and work together to bring about positive change.
5. The romance is both sweet and just the right amount of sexy. And the dance scene in the convent? It was smoking hot.

Don't miss this heart-wrenching, beautifully written conclusion of an unforgettable series.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing end to a series that had a strong start and interesting idea. As the series progressed, influences from ACOTAR and Shadow and Bone Series became more glaringly apparent. Characters waffled between extreme emotions, major betrayals of trust, and then never mentioned again. Pacing is shot out the window as the main character makes a 6 week journey and makes dumb decisions along the way, continuing to demonstrate her inability to recognize rules and customs, court culture. Very little survival instinct. No payoff that explained why Nadia and Sonya suddenly/gradually regained parts of their powers. Story was wrapped up in a surprise 10 pages. With death of main character, war is magically over and all is peachy. Majorly unrealistic and ignores all the building tensions shown in first two books between nobles and peasants (which would have continued after the emperor's death). Overall, series took a major turn into young young adult and seemed geared more toward 10-12 age group than the older YA of the debut novel.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really feel like that as the books went on they got worse and worse. I think this whole book was very rush it seemed like everything happened just too perfectly. I didn't get much of a sense of character development with Sonya. For about 85% of the book she seemed so worried about not having her powers and I feel like a lot could have been done with her learning how to live without them. Her an Anton's relationship just didn't feel very solid to me. I think there should have been more point throughout the book that they talked about all the things that had happened. It seemed like they moved on to just being happy really quickly. Valko's death wasn't as satisfying as I think it should have been. It would have been more interesting to see the aftermath of all this destruction. Overall I feel as though the story was rushed and more things could have been more detailed.

[The Reading Raccoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
Confession time: I can’t say these books linger with me. I read a lot so this happens but I still wish there were a few pivotal moments in this series that stuck with me. They are well written and Sonja is great. They are a little chaste for me. I’m like “this dude is supposed to be 19?”. Maybe it’s supposed to be one of these “clean YA” series I keep hearing about? But I’m old AF so I like a little naughty stuff to keep my interest.

[Shaylene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes down an icy path as it slips up in its narrative and takes a sluggish pace in its storytelling. Frozen Reign does in fact seem to be frozen in time as this conclusion tries to bring fire to melt its icy way.

warning: spoilers from the first two books Burning Glass and Crystal Blade

The finale takes place a tiny bit after the events of Crystal Blade with Sonya at the convent once again and things plunged into chaos. With Valko gone to to try to bring down the democracy, Sonya needs to figure out how to save her kingdom once again from the former emperor.

That is, after trying to regain her strength and find who she is once again.

Now, I'm sorry to those who liked Sonya. Though I don't understand those who liked her going all controlling in Crystal Blade with her trying to freaking take away people's free will. I've seen a villain do the same thing and he was not supposed to be cheered on.

So anyway, I just couldn't sympathize with Sonya losing her powers since she did do those immoral things. Who hasn't heard the whole abusing power concept? Well, that's what she did. She got her karma, comeuppance, the whole goes around comes around end of story.

BUT I did feel a little bad at the fact that there were even more consequences of her losing her power and I won't say for spoiler's sake if she does regain them or not. You'll have to see. What I will say is this:

real power is not the power you wield but it is your will and determination to set things right.

Take what you will from this, but from Sonya losing power if or if not she gained it back, she needed to learn this. As well, that power can corrupt even the best people or unfortunately, it can be given to those with dark hearts already corrupted.

To say I wasn't connected to Sonya would probably be accurate since her immoral action changed my opinion of her. Though I am a still on board the Anton/Sonya ship in which was nice to see in some small parts of the story.

Though, the reason I gave this not a very good rating is because the plot was pretty slow in the beginning and the whole time it felt like filler even though this is a finale.

Plus, I don't if there was just some lazy writing but things seemed to get resolved a little too easily AND some miscommunication where a character only assumes instead of puzzling it out and actually finding evidence to actually know

Another part that seemed not well thought out was the war. It did not feel like a war at all. I just did not feel the enormity of it, the big remorse that lives could be lost, that there was actual fighting. In fact, it was not the climax I was hoping for.

what I did like: the romance of Anton/ Sonya was sooo sweet.

- the resolve and character development that Sonya gained
- the different landscape of Estengarde
- a little bit of drama involving a certain former lover
- and the power of the Auraseers


Even if this finale was not totally all in order, the end of it was satisfying itself. Let's just say that Sonya found her way again to be who is and find happiness once again.

[Avidreader365 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Plot spoiler in plot break down throughout read at your own risk..

The third novel in the burning glass novel was better then the second in the series. However, it still not bring enough engery and umph for me to give it the full four stars.

Let me start off with the main issue, in the last book we were left of with Sonya loosing her powers due to prior injury 'presumed dead' and the loss of her powers made her character development 'weak' and a bit of a 'Mary sue' if I am being honest.
Anyways, continuing on she is found by feliks and he wants her for propaganda and initally refuses and travel to go and find an auraseer who can help Sonya regain her powers.

On the journey they hear a scream and who could it be Dasha maybe. No, it Kira another character being attacked by the bounty hunters🙄, another that I felt the author made seem to be weaker than she was in prior book, but that's another point to focus on later. Further developments on in the book lead us to finding Dasha, who has run away from Valko in a dream world predicting the end events to our final battle. After journeying long and far, Sonya, Anton and Genieve make it to King Leopold and they discover the other auraseers are going to be put up for execution. However, Sonya and Genieve stop this event after killing Floquaret getting arrested. Anton saves them and instead Sonya, Genieve and the other auraseers get exiled and Genieve is presumed dead.

During the next part of their journey back Sonyas power are beginning to re-emerge and they meet back up with the Romeska, who inform the group of the current war status from a dead man pocket letter meant for the king. Kira and Sonya leave and bump into another bounty hunter after Sonya sent by Felik and Valko appears for the final battle with Dasha. During the final battle, Dasha has conflict of intrest not knowing whether she is right or wrong and who trust, but understand what Valko plan is (to kill Sonya and Anton) and attempt to change the course of nature.

Dasha decide to go to the 'good' side and work with Sonya to funnel their powers together and fatally injure Valko with Antons help resulting in Valkos death. Furthermore, Sonya and Anton relationship blossoms and Sonya become part of the government after all of the auraseers vote for her and Genieve is found alive (the end).

Final thought, this series was okay not the best but not the worst would recomend this series for 13-18 years old as it had a engaging initial presence which dwindle in the second but came back for the third. As a result, I enjoyed the character development from the main characters, however the plot was nothing new and predictable enjoyable but not going to be keeping the book on the shelf to re-read.

[Cinnamon Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was such a satisfying and wonderful finale to the trilogy. Holy cow, I can't believe it's already over!

Right, so if I would sum up what each book is kind of like, I would say:

Burning Glass is like the BOOM action and then like, wait there are consequences?? oops
Crystal Blade is like, gee I didn't think the consequences would be this massive, I mean they're kind of tearing me apart but it's for a good cause, right?
And then Frozen Reign is like ok now we need to wrap all this up.

And that's really what Frozen Reign is: it's basically an entire book just about the conclusion.

It's just kind of uneventful. I feel this could have just been a duology, with a slightly longer second book. I mean look at the ACOTAR series. Acotar is 400 pages, Acomaf is 600. So it's not really a problem, but ya, I just feel this wasn't really necessary.

But nonetheless, the ending was so beautiful and nostalgic, I honestly just want to reread all the books. I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH AND THE WAY EVERYTHING IS HANDLED AT THE END. Usually with the death of a villain, people remember all the worst parts about that person. But Valko's death — although it was that typical kind of it-had-to-be-done death — the response from Anton and Sonya was just so warm. Remembering how Valko's life wasn't easy, and when he suddenly had everything he wanted (being emperor and all that) it was taken away from him. Just imagine how tough that would be to suddenly lose the one thing that makes you happy. It just warmed my heart so much. And when Dasha almost felt it wrong to even say Valko's name, but Anton reassured her and says something like "I have good memories with Valko too". Don't mind me, my heart is literally turning to liquid at this point. It was just so perfect. And when Sonya was standing at the convent, just thinking how this was the place where everything that had happened started. The moment she met Anton in the troika. The fire. All those moments right at the start. ughhhhhhhhh the feeeeeeeeeeeellllssssssssss.

Anyway, this trilogy is so perfect. All the small details remind me how much I love these books and these characters. Just how perfect they are too. I remember saying how these books have the best character development I have ever seen, and it's so true. So please, read them. They do not disappoint. AT ALL. GOD THEY WILL PROBABLY DESTROY YOU. (in a good way tho ;))

[Teenreadsdotcom · Rating 4 out of 5]

FROZEN REIGN, the final novel in Kathryn Purdie’s Burning Glass trilogy, captures the last installment of Sonya’s struggle to defeat her vile enemy, the ousted emperor of Riaznin, Valko, who still holds onto a portion of his precious kingdom. With the help of Valko’s handsome and kind brother, Anton, Sonya hopes she can finally end Riaznin’s brutal civil war. Still, Sonya struggles with the loss of her empathic powers, seeking help from her Auraseer sisters to restore them before it is too late to save her loved ones from the danger that approaches. After learning of a powerful Esten Auraseer, Sonya departs from the safety of her convent in the hopes of recovering her abilities, but will she forfeit the tentative peace she has built in the process?

The epic finale Purdie crafts in FROZEN REIGN stalls at moments, but will satisfy devoted readers of the trilogy with a sincere conclusion. Sonya’s struggle to cope with the loss of her abilities presents an interesting internal character conflict, as she fights to understand her role in Riaznin’s revolution without her powers. The development of Sonya’s character as an active participant in the war, despite her recently developed powerlessness, demonstrates her mental strength and personal growth from the beginning of the series. Sonya’s relationship with Anton supplies tender moments, contrasting carefully with the violence of the civil war. The drive Sonya expresses in her fight to save her family and friends is heartening and emotional, and the novel’s focus on the role of female friendship seem especially fitting in the light of current events. Purdie’s narrative of feminine empowerment in the mutual support Sonya shares her Auraseer sisterhood encourages Purdie’s readers, too, to rely upon the power of friendship between women.

Occasionally, however, the plot loses a concrete sense of time. Sonya’s narration skips to the next day in one moment, and then to the next week, without always providing clear distinction between time jumps. Still, through Sonya’s thoughts, the reader uniquely understands both the gentleness and the hatred of Sonya’s emotions. The complexity of Sonya’s feelings deepens the reader’s connection to her character, allowing the reader to root for her in the novel’s most dramatic moments. In all, readers looking for a rewarding conclusion to the Burning Glass trilogy will find what fulfilment in Kathryn Purdie’s FROZEN REIGN.

[Eiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This triology has so many elements I love/hate the same time.

When I read Burning Glass and started to be introduce to our little Auraseer, Sonya. The first time reading about her was stressful. I kept asking why is she behaving like this,weird..troublesome and starts to self center herself when she starts staying in the palace and demand so much attention from the two handsome prince. I never felt like I wanted to strangle the MC that much before. But as I try to understand her situation and why she was like this, I actually felt sympathy.

She was an Auraseer but was untrained so she couldn't control her own feelings or the others around her that make great impact to her.Throughout the story she was guilty for causing an unwanted accident and hurting herself. She even thought as a Sovereign Auraseer, she belongs to the Kingdom and has to act her role for the sake to protect the people she cared.

We have two handsome prince in this story. The eldest, Valko. He was more like Darkling to me.Cruel but still has a heart. He was power hungry. Abusive and obsessive with Sonya.I'm not sure because of her power or just lust. But I have times where I am rooting for the two of them to be together. I guess I like a confuse bad boy ;)

Then we have the other prince, Anton. Secretive motive but caring. He was the one who brought Sonya to the palace to become the Sovereign Auraseer but knows his brother is wicked and he became so protective to Sonya.

In Crystal Blade, the story became more politics which is awesome~and somehow I am not sure how I feel about Valko.It's like a love/hate situation. I don't know who to trust in this book.Who is the bad guy and who is good?There were a lot of things I did not expect to happened.

Finally, In Frozen Reign Sonya's character became more wiser and her strategy game was getting better. She became brave and became the symbol to the other Auraseer.This book was more about saving a lot of people than romance, which was a good thing. They kept that politic element. In the end I was glad even if the bad guy lose, they were no hate or grudges. They remember the good side of him.

This triology was about power obsession, sisterhood and stood up to what was right. The most part I am going to miss here is Valko.Oh my Darkling~

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75/5 stars

Wow, Kathryn Purdie never ceases to amaze me!

It seems like so long ago that I began this journey with Sonya, Valko, Anton, Toysa, Dasha, Kira, and all the other characters! I loved the first novel, but the sequel was not as enjoyable for me. However, Frozen Reign was absolutely amazing!

I loved being immersed in this magical world, and reading about Sonya's story! This was the perfect conclusion to the series, and it was everything I wanted it to be!

I really loved Genevieve, she was so sweet and kind, and so strong and courageous as well. I loved the bond of sisterhood and friendship she and Sonya developed over the course of the story. I loved the sweet moments between Sonya and Anton, they're perfect for each other, and I love how simple and cute they are together!

I appreciated the powerful ending, with Anton ending Valko, and the reunion between Dasha and Kira. And I really liked how Sonya had to deal with the loss of her power throughout the novel, and really examine herself and rediscover who she was.

I was so sad that Sestra Mirna died; she was always one of my fav characters, and I miss her so much! But I loved how Nadia and Genevieve become the next sestras of the convent, and how warm and cheerful the final moments of the novel were!

Overall, it was a wonderful conclusion to this epic series!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the previous book, this story seemed to drag on in the first half. But once the second half too place I couldn’t put it down. So much happened so quickly that I was engulfed in the story without even realizing it.

One thing I will admit to admire the most about this storyline is that there is only ever one love interest for the MC, and that decision never waivers throughout the trilogy. Although there are some portions where she is led to believe otherwise, you always know her true feelings and desires. And I also liked that they were never separated for more than a chapter at a time. It gets rather boring otherwise.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. My absolute favorite was the backdrop of the timeline. Medieval Eastern Europe. The mystical, magical, and wondrous landscape of presumably the Russian/Slavic region, consisting of wintry mountains, trickling streams and dense forests, and magical castles plated in gold.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up without having read the previous two books in the series, however that doesn't hurt at all. There's enough background given that it's easy to follow the storyline, without trying to tell the other two books again.

Sonya struggles a lot through this book with feelings of being powerless due to her loss of auraseeing abilities. However as the story develops, she gains mental fortitude to keep fighting and to push through her doubts. She grows a lot as a character from the beginning of the book to the end. Anton is wonderful! I enjoy the sisterhood that the Auraseers all feel and how much they rely on each other.

Good themes throughout. The book doesn't hold a lot of mystery and doesn't try to make you guess what is going to happen next. There's not a lot of suspense. It's just a good story being told. I really liked that about this book.

[Cosmo and Wanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like I got less and less content in the series the more books there were. Less pages too.

Really wanted to love the book as the characters grew on you.

-Valko the most complicated character, a good antagonist
- Sonya not the usual main character because she was unpredictable, you expect her to develop and reach a turning point.
-Anton the stable knight in shining armour was good to ground the story.
-Other interesting side characters like Dasha, Tosha added some charm.

Semi Spoilers below:-

After building the plot and characters in the first and second book, Sonya didn't quite have a huge turning point other than slowly growing mellow. The ending was the most unexciting resolution where warring kingdom's simply ended because the plot demanded it and no one knows how it came about. And what happened to Feliks and the gypsies? Conflict unresolved.

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. One of the worst books I've ever read and I only kept reading because the concept is great, and the magic system is five stars for me. I love a magic with a cost, and especially emotional stability as the price. I kinda liked the world and the action, but in this book, everything just fell apart. I wish I could purge my brain from the pain I went through.

For weeks after, I had these small flashes of the scenes that I had hated. That may be a testament to the author's ability to create impactful scenes, and shock the reader. However, I'm an avid fantasy reader, and nothing has made me feel as ashamed of a main character as this. And honestly, I doubt she will get better at the end. I just don't trust the author anymore.

If you read the first bo0oks and didn't like them, it's not worth it to continue.

[Ghada · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I was really hoping to love this book as much as the first two. The thing I really liked about the Burning Glass trilogy is Purdie's way with language and how the prose is so flowery and beautiful. There wasn't much of that in this one. So I thought the focus this time was more on plot, and at first the plot was amazing, but at some point I felt like it's dragging for way too long and things just didn't happen till the last 100 pages and everything was rushed. There wasn't a true flow to the story. It truly pains me to write this review because I really loved the first two books. Nevertheless, I enjoyed going back into the world of Riaznin, and there was that Sonya/Anton romance that we were all opting for.

[Felicia Spence · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried so hard to get through this book! I was seriously near the end when I gave up completely!! As I was sitting there trying to read this one, my mind was wandering. This book just fell flat and I quickly became bored. Sometimes its just me and I'm in a reading funk. Sometimes the book sucks. There's no way for me to tell the difference. I'll never know what happens at the end of this series. I'll never know if the bad from the very beginning finally gets what he deserves. I'll never know if our love birds get together all the way and live happily. AND I'M TOTALLY FINE WITH THAT. I could care less, and that's why I never finished this one and gave it a 2 star rating.

[Nicholas (was Allison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a satisfying conclusion to the Burning Glass trilogy. It had a really good ending, and I enjoyed reading about the journey that Sonya goes through during these three books. Everything in this book intrigued me and I just wanted to know what happened next, so it was a fast read. At times it was a bit predictable, which was why I did not give it five stars. I'm just so glad that Sonya got a happy life after all of the struggles she went through, and I can only hope that more people read these books because they're just so good.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐-4 stars

I really thought this series was decent. I liked all of the action and stuff. I also felt like the conclusion was a little weird.

💗SPOILERS💗

So basically Valko is killed. The war ends. All the Auraseers go back to the convent.
Yet....Sonya stays at the convent while Anton goes back to the castle???
I thought there was gonna be some romantic ending where Sonya and Anton ride back to the castle and live happily ever after.

It's a good series but it just had some ups and downs.