Disney Frozen Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness

by Jen Calonita, Mari Mancusi

Anna, Queen of Arendelle, has been tirelessly preparing for the Polar Night's Celebration that is held every year to welcome the time when the sun doesn't rise in the Polar Circle. She has been working so hard, her fiancé Kristoff suggests she take a night off to visit her sister Elsa, the Snow Queen. Anna loves the idea. Accompanied by Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, Anna reunites with Elsa in the Enchanted Forest. After telling spooky stories around the campfire, Olaf swears that one of the creatures of their tales has come to life! Who else is responsible for the sudden onset of storms and the earlier than normal darkening of the skies? Why else is everyone starting to become so forgetful? Anna and Elsa join forces to determine what is going on. Together they recall Kristoff's terrifying tale about a princess who turned into a draugr—an undead creature that steals memories in an effort to make others forget the misdeeds it committed when it was alive. Is it possible that Kristoff inadvertently unearthed memories of a draugr, and thus unleashed the monster upon Arendelle? Anna and Elsa must uncover the real story behind the tale before everyone in Arendelle forgets who they are and is cast into darkness forever….

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Family

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2022

About the author

Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).

I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!

I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin Burke who struggled with the fame game. I have also written the stand-alone novels Sleepaway Girls, it's companion book, Summer State of Mind and the Belles series.

I've been writing middle grade too and am having so much fun with my series Fairy Tale Reform School! The fourth book in this series about a school run by former villains is called Tricked and will be out March 2018. Ever wonder what it would be like if your parents got a job with someone like Taylpr Swift? My other middle grade series, VIP, follows super fan Mackenzie Lowell as she tours with her favorite band, Perfect Storm.

I promise to give book updates here, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or my website. I hope I hear from you!

xo
Jen

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Polar Nights, Cast Into Darkness by Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi
From the Disney Frozen series.
“Darkness can hide inside long-forgotten memories.”
After a night of scary stories in the Enchanted Forest there are unusual storms, darkening skies and increasing forgetfulness among the kingdom. Anna and Elsa join forces to determine what’s going on.

An emotional and touching story of a set of sisters and their story that’s lost to history. Anna and Elsa make everything right and rediscover their closeness and the special bond of sisterhood.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I have come to realize that I really enjoy books like this. Books that take a (specifically) Disney movie and make a new story. Something that comes after. It's just such a cool thing to have more of my favorite movies. One of my favorite books last year was Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr by Mari Mancusi so I was extra excited to see what else she did alongside Jen Calonita to give us more Frozen!
I think these 2 ladies gave us the Frozen character perfectly. I always worry with books like this that the characters won't come across as they do in the movies. I didn't have to worry with this one. It felt like an extension of the movies instead of an extra piece that almost fits, but not quite.
We get a ton of Elsa and Anna as well as quite a bit of Olaf and a little Kristoff as well as some new characters too.
The actual story was really well done. It is different than anything we get in the 2 movies, but it ends up tying in with something from the movies. I think one of the biggest themes around these movies is family and sisters and we also get that in this book, but with different sisters.
Definitely a fun one to check out if you are a Frozen or Disney fan!
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Audiobooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

It starts with two sisters… throw in a magical snowman, a reindeer and a golden retriever fiancé telling a scary folk story that turns out to be TRUE and you have this book!

Calonita and Mancusi are experts at bringing these Disney characters to life with a brand new adventure with a spooky vibe.

After Kristoff tells a scary story on a rainy night he inadvertently summons a creature from nightmares. Not only does this creature bring about bad luck, but also bad weather and memory loss! The entire kingdom is affected and it’s up to Anna and Elsa to figure out what this monster is and save their home.

After a scary run in with the creature has Anna and Elsa second guessing everything they knew. There is much more to the story…

I absolutely loved this story!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savannah - 4⭐'s "It was really good but a little scary."
Cal - 5⭐'s "It was a really good story. I liked it."

Overall - 4.5 ⭐'s

[Lieke Timmermans · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disney Frozen Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness by Mari Mancusi & Jen Calonita is a great young adult/middle grade novel that brings us the wonderful cast of Frozen in a new adventure that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this spin off of the Frozen franchise. I loved revisiting all of the amazing characters that were in the Frozen movies as they experience mystery, suspense, surprises, and battle evil past and present.

I enjoyed the plot, the pacing, the ending, and of course anything Frozen is right up my alley. Definitely recommend this for any Disney fan.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Disney Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/19/22.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brand new adventure for Elsa and Anna set about 3 months after the end of Frozen 2. The story was good, the mystery was intriguing. I liked the way Anna and Elsa worked together to solve the mystery and save Arendelle. However there were some plot elements I didn’t care for and parts of it were very sad. Not my favorite Frozen story.

[Myth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. While. Parts of this. Were fine. Overall it was not great.

(I might have asked what in the sarah janet frozen hell was going on on multiple occasions)

[Mariah Spletter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it captured my attention right away! I like all the unexpected twist and turns. Hope this book inspires Frozen 3

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Frozen and Frozen II so this was an amazing book for me. Of course, anything by Jen Calonita is an automatic 5 stars for me. I've never read anything by Mari Mancusi until now, but I love how she and Calonita together capture the voices of all the characters perfectly. I was hearing Elsa's voice in my mind as I read the dialogue, and same for the other characters as well. It was so easy to get immersed into the Kingdom of Arendelle and work together with Elsa and Anna to solve the mystery of the Draugr. This book was captivating and fun, and a great addition to the Frozen world.

[Darci Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an advanced copy of this book and as a complete Frozen Fan I can honestly say I loved it! The characterizations of Anna and Elsa were so true to the films I felt like it was a beautiful continuation of their story. I finished this book in two days, I couldn’t put it down!
I am so excited for the book to finally release in July so I can talk about it with more people! There was so much new Frozen Lore to explore!

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

While i’m getting very tired of twisted tales, i really enjoy those books that take our beloved characters on new journeys! I really loved this story, full of twists, and a nice parallel to frozen 1

[Stacie (MagicOfBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks

Set after “Frozen II,” “Frozen: Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness” by Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi follows Anna and Elsa as they attempt to save Arendelle from a monster who is causing terrible storms and loss of memory.

I have read all the books part of this “Frozen” extended universe, and I didn’t really like this one that much. I absolutely loved “Forest of Shadows” and “Dangerous Secrets,” so I expected to go into this loving it, but no. I don’t know what it was. I found some of the plot in this a bit boring and very predictable. Something about the writing felt a bit cringy and silly. And I still just don’t buy Anna as queen of Arendelle. I did like the opening of the book with Anna and Elsa and company telling scary stories around the campfire, and next thing they know, one of the monsters from their tales comes to life and starts causing havoc. But it’s after all of this that went a bit downhill for me unfortunately. The narrative just felt like a not-so-good retelling of plot points from the first “Frozen” movie. Because this story also revolves around two sisters from 50 years ago and the tragedy that befell them. As I very random sidenote: was this book some sort of secret origin story to the character of Red from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride over at Disney World? That really threw me out. Don’t get me started on Anna and Elsa travelling from one point to another in a matter of minutes. They visit a neighboring kingdom at one point over the course of a page, and that should have taken them days. And people bitch about travelling on “Game of Thrones.” I don’t even want to hear it! So to conclude I suppose, I was definitely very disappointed and frustrated with this installment within the “Frozen” extended universe. You could very easily skip this one. Just stick to “Forest of Shadows” and “Dangerous Secrets” and you’ll be happy.

[Crystal P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. The authors and narrators did a fantastic job capturing all the characters but especially Olaf and Kristoff. As always, we get a beautiful story about sisters! There is a scary element to this book that made it a perfect October read!

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of 2023 is a buddy read with Lily! We had so much fun reading this together! The draugr was seriously scary at first, but the more you read, the more you can’t keep from trying to guess what’s going on. We hope this duo will write more Frozen books together in the future!

[Sarah Tellas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but honestly not my favorite. In terms of the Disney books I read, this one just felt very juvenile and predictable. Plus the beginning was confusing and took a bit to get in to it. Once it started getting going though it was a great story even though it was predictable!

[Satur♄o · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is fine, but I noticed inconsistencies with respect to what I saw in Frozen 2. However, they are not so serious and it is an enjoyable book, although basic given the age level it is aimed at.

[Kendy Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute & a fun addition to Frozen lore!

[Hayley Goodpaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so inspiring. I highly recommend it.

[Sreenidhi C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes place post frozen 2. If you haven’t seen that, you will be confused about some of what goes on.
Otherwise, a very entertaining tale.

[Miki Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read- I listened to the audiobook, which to no fault of the narrator made the book campy at times, but it is Frozen, so what can you do. I liked that it expanded their world and allowed the sisters to develop more of their bond, though I could have done without some of the ways they chose to write Anna, making her more childish than she would have been at this point in her life.

[Meg GlitteryOtters · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Disney Frozen Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness" by Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi was a cute read. Having watched the Frozen movie tons of times with my nieces, it was fun to read more about Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, and the gang. The town of Arendelle is having a memory problem. So Anna and Elsa set off to see why the draugr is making everyone lose their memory. I absolutely love Olaf and how he was trying to run the town while Anna and Elsa were away. I enjoy Mari Mancusi writing style and look forward to reading others by her. She makes you feel like you are right there with the characters.

[Annika Shanti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to Disney Audiobooks and Netgalley for an ARC (advanced readers copy) in exchange for a review.

I think it’s likely I would’ve greatly enjoyed the book when I was 7 to 18 years old. (28 now)

Even though I really enjoyed the Frozen movies, and both are 4/5 stars for me and are some of my favorite movies ever, this book just wasn’t very appealing to me. I don’t think it’s a bad book though, and it’s probably primarily because of my age.

At 42%, the book became little more interesting to me, and at 67%, the book again became a little more interesting to me, and at 76%, it became yet again a little more interesting to me.

What I liked:
- the characters
- some of the humor
- a lot of the magic
- the romance
- the complexity of the truth behind the mystery of the story

What I didn’t like:
- a stretch in the book where it felt like the same kinds of things were happening over and over again and the plot wasn’t really going anywhere
- most of the book was kinda boring to me

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content: some creepy content, I would recommend it for 7th grade and up.

I initially had a hard time getting into this book, but at about halfway through it suddenly pulled me in. It's a fun adventure starring some already beloved characters. I did enjoy the read, but had a difficult time accepting the characters in the book as the same characters from the movies. They were just a little off. It was like staring at a picture of someone you are supposed to know but don't recognize. Except Oaken. He was pretty much right on.

[1hoornprin6 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the previous frozen books and the frozen world so I was very excited for this book.
It used characters from and locations from the other books so if you olnly saw the movies you might be confused. I did not like the way some of the characters talked ( Elsa saying ´go grandma´ made me groan out loud) and some sentences were taken straight from the movies (I should know, I can talk along to the first one). I did like that Olaf and Kristoff were left behind in some parts so that the book followed Elsa and Anna and their relationship more.
Background lesbians are my favorite part of any book and I happy to report that this book has two lesbian couples! (one couple we met in another frozen book)
This book is the perfect gift for any teenager who sectretly enjoys frozen very much but might think the movies too childish. And also any adults that know more about Arendelle then necessary (me)

[Dana Brigoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A supposedly a solid 4.5/5! It’s really good! I am ecstatic to see beyond Frozen 2 and of course it is a good plot to see the memories lies taking back 50 years ago. Loving your sister has a greater power than anything else. It’s a good plot to focus in this story! I am into Frozen and it was amazing! ❄️

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review:
9/10


I chose to read this book because it was Jen Calonita who everyone knows I love. If you look at my website, half of the books are hers. And so when I saw she was doing another Disney book, I was excited. I have never read a Mari Mancusi book, but I was excited to start one. I like the way Jen always writes in a way where you can visualize what the person's doing and saying. Perspective taking. It's two authors. Let’s talk about Mari Mancusi first. I have never read a Mari Mancussi book, but I know that in order for Disney to take on an author to do a movie retelling or something, they have to have a good resume. So I was excited about that. I could see when Jen Calonita was writing. And I think because I'm such a fan of her, I can just visually identify when she's writing, because her writing style is so unique. Jen and Mari DID NOT disappoint me. In the beginning I was iffy on the story line, but it soon got very interesting.

I feel like I didn't really click with the book in the beginning. To be honest, in the beginning, I was kind of not really interested in the story because the theme is on sisterhood. And I am not a girl, and I don't have a sister. So I don't know what it means to be like sisters. But I do have a brother. Yes. And we're not close, like the characters Anna and Elsa. In the beginning I was just like, because I am, I've grown up. I am not really a Frozen fan. It has passed my generation. I was like Lion King, Aladdin and stuff. So it was past my generation. So it never really clicked. And also I couldn't really understand it because it's sisters and I don't have sisters. So at the beginning, I was just like, oh, this is boring, because I didn't really want to read a book about sisterhood, which I knew it was going to be about. Because you can't tell the tale without the two sisters. But the dialogue felt like there really was not enough action in the words, which is a big thing for me. It was like what they were saying was so scripted. It felt like, I think that's what didn't connect with me. Those are the points of dislike, but there were many wonderful things about this book.
It was hard for me to just fit right in the shoes. But then once I got, like, 65% of the book, there was this major plot twist that made me drop my jaw. That plot twist just grabbed all my attention, and it made me interested in the rest of the story, which I really liked because I really wanted to enjoy it. The thing with Disney movies, when they retell a tale and stuff, is the characters, you know, you know them by heart, like you, you love them. And I think when Disney does retellings, they pick the right authors like Jen and Mari to take on what the sisters and the characters would say. Like whenever Olaf spoke in this book, I completely could picture Josh Gad saying the lines. It was so spot on. (which made it more enjoyable)
It's basically about a scary story that comes to life. And it's haunting the Kingdom of Arendelle. It was like this thing where it's like, if you tell the story of this monster on the day they died, the monster will come back and haunt people and the kingdom of Arendelle. The major themes were Sisterhood and how it bonds people and how you need to stick together. Not those are the two things. The other theme was lying and truth telling. The perspective switching didn't really affect it because it's not like their past and present, it is the same events just from different eyes.



OVERALL:
I don't really like the characters as much as other characters from Disney. So it'd be harder for me to write a Frozen book rather than Aladdin, which is my favorite character. It'd be so much easier for me to write in Aladdin Tale than Frozen. And I think part of that was not just dialogue, but also the other part of the reason was it's frozen. I'm like, I'm too old for that kind of thing, right? And because I'm not a girl, or I don't have a sister, I can't figure out a sisterly bond.
Any fan of Frozen, or of Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi, should definitely pick up a copy of this book when it comes out. This will be perfect for collectors too. I am so happy for both the authors of this book, and can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeves.

[Samantha Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to start? I gave 4 stars overall, but ladies, it's because of what material you were left to work with after Frozen 2 and what you're allowed to do by Disney - because you absolutely get a 5 star from me for taking the mess that Frozen 2 made of the Frozen characters/ franchise and making an enjoyable original story that centered on the sisters, and thank you for rescuing their personalities!
Fans of Frozen, whatever side of the divide F2 made you're on, there is a very good chance you will like this book.
Warning: if you love Frozen 2, you might find some of my own personal opinions about that movie to be upsetting, so you might not want to read further than this, but I don't want to offend anyone, I want to give an honest opinion on this book from the point of view of someone who absolutely loves everything Frozen *before* Frozen 2 and was badly disappointed by that movie and the books/comics set afterwards. This book is the exception to the bland and boring separated sisters stuff since F2.
When I first heard of Polar Nights I was excited to read it and pre-ordered it, because I believed in these two authors, but I'll admit that it's taken me until now to be brave enough to read it, because I'd read some posts that made me think I would definitely not like this because I don't like much of Frozen 2 ( Specifically I don't like the sister's separation one bit, or the way F2 retconned the original movie/everything before F2, and the trend since F2 of Disney comics and books focusing on OOC "Queen" Anna and Kristoff happily getting on with their royal life without Elsa, and Disney leaving Elsa mostly out or having her visit on rare occasions and also being completely OOC, basically a forest ranger reduced to her powers, who is happy to give up everything and be away from her sister again, trying to justify the separation and mistakes of F2 as something good). Let me just say right now to anyone else who feels like me about F2, that this book is not like that thankfully!!!
While this book is set after F2 and I get that the authors were limited to what they could do by Disney and a possible F3 ( so there are a few parts I wasn't so keen on but that they had to put in there because of F2) these ladies went all out to try to get Anna and Elsa back into character and actually having an adventure *together* literally, as well as fill in some of the plot holes from F2. The chapters are told by Anna and Elsa in turn but they are together in this story, there's only a small part in the forest at the start, because for the rest of the story they are working & adventuring together in/around Arendelle and a neighbouring country, laughing together, solving the mystery together and showing their love for each other - and I'd say they are a million times more like themselves than they were in F2. This is a sister-centric story, with Frohana moments in there. I loved that the 2 authors went back to what we loved before F2 and knew their characters better than Disney does at this stage. I loved the references to the original Frozen, Olaf's Frozen Adventure, Frozen Fever, Northern Lights, Forest of Shadows, Dangerous Secrets, the sisters love for each other, a scene that should never have been deleted from the F2 movie is included, and I have to say the part in Oaken's sauna with the portraits of Hans and Kristoff was golden! Also the parts with Olaf which surprised me in a good way and I was laughing at his role near the end! The F2 spirits Nokk, Bruni and Gale play natural roles in the story but it's not focused on them. Elsa has her personality back and there is quality sister time in here. Also there's a wonderful part where it's confirmed that Anna and Elsa do not want to be separated and live their lives away from each other (it ties in with the other set of sisters in this book so I'm not going into more details and spoil it). This original story does have some scary parts so you might want to read it first before giving it to younger readers, but it's good. There are good messages in there. Oh and Pirates! need I say more? ^_^
Well done Mari and Jen!