Shadow Frost by Coco Ma (Review) – Sadly not a book I would recommend

I discovered Shadow Frost by Coco Ma on Netgalley and got accepted for an eARC. My first ever ARC actually! So I was quite happy and pleased with myself at the beginning :))) but that was kind of where the fun ended… I was expecting a fast paced magical demon hunting but what I got in exchange was a drawn out cliche picnic with supposedly soldiers acting like baby teenagers.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own!

Titel: Shadow Frost
Author: Coco Ma
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Published: October 1st 2019
Pages: 400
My Rating: 🖤

Let me first say I do not particularly enjoy writing this review but I still feel it is my duty as a reviewer. We are all different and NO ONE reads a book the same way. I don’t mean to offend anyone I just wasn’t a particular fan of this book…

Shadow Frost is written by Coco Ma when she was just 15 years old (!). She is now 19. Shadow Frost takes place in the kingdom of Axaria. It follows Asterin, heir to the throne and her friends who sets off on a mission to kill a demon which is ravaging the kingdom. 

I must say Shadow Frost started out really well with the prologue. It was dark mysterious and captivating but from chapter one it only went one way… (maybe Coco Ma wrote the prologue when she was 19?) I think my first problem with the books was the characters. Maybe there was simply too many characters or maybe there was too many point of views (there was seven in total) or maybe it was a third thing. I just never connected with them. I didn’t care whether they lived or died. The characters were as mess. Their character traits didn’t correspond with their age. For example Orion who is Asterin’s personal guard (which he is pretty bad at) was supposed to be in his twenties but acted like young teenager. It just didn’t make sense.

Another thing that just didn’t work for me was the plot. I loved the idea of the plot and I read the book because og its synopsis. But while reading, the storyline seemed really messy and not thought through. Some times the story progressed really slowly and other times it felt rushed. In the end the story turned out way different than I had expected and not in a good way. The plot was too predictable and with too many cliches. The characters seemed shallow and their actions impetuous.

Something else that didn’t help with the plot or the characters were the writing. There were several awkward transitions between the different points of views and a couple of flashbacks that wasn’t so smooth incorporated either. As well, a lot of the dialogue was hackneyed and pretty cliche. Sadly this didn’t help with my perception of the characters as they just seem even more naive and untested.

Lastly, I have to comment on the love interests. I didn’t get any of them. How can you fall in love with a person you barely know? Sorry but that seems ridiculous to me. There isn’t any kind of action which can justify these love interest. They were just out the blue. And I am usually a sucker for romance in YA fantasy even the most cheesy ones, but these just didn’t work for me.

Was there anything that I liked? Well I liked the idea of this book. I liked the premise of the plot but it just didn’t follow through. I also liked the cover. That was two things. 😉

No seriously, I feel like Coco Ma care a lot for her book (as she should) and a lot for here characters but they just doesn’t reach its audience. This whole amazing world and characters are all imagined in her head but they are not converted successfully to words on paper which is truly sad. Therefore, only one star from me.

Best,
Nicoline

Have you read Shadow Frost? How was your experience? Better than mine hopefully 🖤

IN THE KINGDOM OF AXARIA, a darkness rises.
Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes. 
Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm. 
Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down.
Not one has ever returned. 

When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields — though has yet to fully understand — Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless, trained soldiers have failed. To kill it. 
But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the Princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known. 
That is, of course… if the demon doesn’t get to them first.

Synopsis from Goodreads