Reviews of Frost

This story was very, very interesting and very, very good. One can see the world a frozen land; where most people work their fingers off and few are privileged. Lia is head of the household since her parents were killed. Her small family consists of her older brother, who had an accident when he was a child has left him unable to walk, and her younger sister, whom is very ditzy and likes to dream and wonder off. They have been told all their lives to stay out of the forest after dark and to keep the flowers close when they go out and Lia must go out very often. She must go into town to deliver her quota and exchange for supplies. They also have been told that “Fathers” are dangerous and “Watchers” are worst. But when ditzy finds a hurt Father in the woods one day while daydreaming, she wants to help him and therefore recruits Lia to help. I love dystopian stories and this is a very good one, I am looking forward to reading the next one. However, with Frost ending the way it did, I can’t wait to see what’s Kate has in mind.

"We all have a fear of the unknown, what one does with that fear will make all the difference in the world" (Lillian Russell quote). Thought this quote was fitting for the book since so much of it is fear of the unknown.

Lia lives just outside the gates of the Village on a small farm her parents had bought way before the Watchers killed them. No one else wanted it because it was too far from the safety of the Village gates. But now that they are gone, Lia is left to care for her crippled brother and scatterbrained younger sister...all while trying to make quota each week for the Village. And sometimes it proves to be too much for the young girl. So when her sister demands they care for a dying Farther, one of the very people the Elders have warned them against, Lia believes this could be the final straw that could finally tear her family apart.

Lia is breaking all the rules and possibly putting her family’s lives at risk to care for this young man. But there is something about him that pulls her in and soon feelings start to grow. Lia thinks she is crazy for falling for a Farther of all people. But this is just the beginning of the story...more and more secrets unravel and now Lia must help him escape her people and his own to get to safety. Lia will sacrifice everything she has ever known for him, but in the end is it worth it or will it cost her her life and the lives of those she loves?

This book to me was like some crazy mix up of The Village (M. Knight Shyamalan) and The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan) all jumbled together...in a very good way. I was creeped out through a majority of it wondering what the Watchers really were. I only know of a handful of books that have brought on such intense feelings of fear and this one did it. That shows the author knows what she is doing and doing it well.

Loved the intensity and emotion that Frost had flowing through it…you will have a hard time finding a stopping place. The author throws a few twists out at you, having you remember things from the beginning you thought meant nothing. I thought the whole storyline was great and loved how it all played out in the end. Would definitely love to read more about these amazing characters and hope the author plans to continue on with it.

Frost by Kate Avery Ellison belongs with books like Matched and Under The Never Sky. I got this book from a LibraryThing giveaway, and I had high hopes. Honestly, the cover had me convinced that this book was professionally published, though I didn't see any mention of a publisher on the Smashwords page.

Lia Weaver lives in the Frost, a monster-filled forest next to the mountains. Her parents were killed by the Watchers, monsters that live in the forest, and she now has to struggle to keep their farm and her siblings together. To stay independent they have to meet their quota of yarn for the townspeople, and they receive supplies in return. If they don't meet quota they will be split up and the farm will be abandoned.

Then one day Lia's sister goes off into the woods alone and finds a Farther, someone from the totalitarian empire far south of the frost, bleeding to death in the cold. Against all reason and against the strict rules of the community, Lia brings him home and nurses him back to health. Lia has to figure out how to get him to a place called "the Gate," and keep the townspeople from knowing that he's even there. But she doesn't even know what "the Gate" is.

One thing I liked about this story is that even though it is a very standard love story (heroin nurses the savage foreigner to health, while falling into a forbidden love), it has elements that make it much more believable. Lia is a survivor and it isn't in the "I'm a badass" kind of way. Lia is torn between how easy it would be for her to get married and leave the farm,and keeping her family safe. Doing so would mean her sister would be sent to very harsh labor and her brother might not be taken care of at all because he was lamed in an accident when he was six.

When she meets the Farther, there isn't just the feeling that she has to do this because he's a human being. Noble as that is, it's the reason everyone does this in every forbidden love dying man romance. That is there, but the real reason is love at first sight, though she won't admit it to herself. Why do I think this is better than the way everyone else does this? I'm quite honestly sick of the hate leads to love cliché (though it's kind of in there as well), and though love at first sight is also a cliché, it's kind of gone out of style. "I hate you. No. I love you" is now en vogue. This at least gives some motivation, and makes the love story less ridiculous. it almost seems natural. I don't want to read a book and have a romantic story arc smashed in when two characters have simply been insulting and horrible to each other for most of the book.

The world is well-developed, and I felt like I understood how everything worked. Last names told you what the person did in town. the idea of ribbons and flowers as protective charms against the Watchers stayed consistent, and was used nicely through all of the action scenes.

I highly suggest this book and I'm giving it 4 stars.

*Received a copy for a honest review.

I have got to say Frost is not your typical read. It is in the shadows and the darkness.

Lia Weaver lives with her siblings, her sister, Ivy and her brother, Jonn. Her parents were killed by watchers. In Frost there are secrets that could kill you and if you roam around you won't live for long. The Watchers watch your every step. They are monsters. The Fathers are from another land. It all starts when Ivy finds him lying on the snow bleeding. By Lia looking after him it means betraying the villages trust. But when they find out that he (Gabe) is a Father and a rouge, Lia's world turns upside down. She finds secrets that have been hidden from her and also finds love. But some time's it can be too late.

Hold on, i need to breathe! I just can't stop boasting about this! Everything was perfect except *one little thing*, and i repeat: "one little thing." Anyway, moving on. First things first: i love Kate Avery Ellision! Her writing is so beautiful and the way she puts twists in her story! The plot of this story is set in a fantasy world, where people live in Frost and the Fathers live in a world of dull days. There are also Watchers (god are they creepy!) Every time, the pop up into the story it sends you shivers down your spine (and let me tell you, it's not in a good way.) These people do not mix together! And oh how i loved it! I just loved each and every single thing about the plot, the Fathers and the Watchers.

The only thing that annoyed me was that Lia, our main character, was brave but she couldn't make her mind up! Seriously! Make your mind up, girl!! Gabe, i thought, was a interesting character but he was more of a normal guy to me. The story didn't really look into him in more detail of his feelings and i would have loved it if there was. The only things we know are little detail was his story of how he got here. Other than these things i loved every single thing about it!

The mystery in this story is just mesmerising. You can't help but wait in anticipation (and maybe skip a few words or paragraphs.) The different characters in this book are all for a purpose and oh was i shocked when i found out some things. Some of these characters don't even look like they could kill people!

So, in the end, i have to say i loved reading Frost! It's one of my favourite book for a creep-you-out read. And i would highly recommend to read Frost or one of Ellison's work.

I loved this story, it was enchanting and magical. The setting was so well described I could actually almost feel the chill on my skin. The characters were awesome and believable, I only wanted to know them more and read more about them. The story itself was definitely amazing; the author spun a tale of originality with dread and suspense laced in the folklore of the world. I was on edge on the scenes with the Watchers, I really want to know what they are specifically but boy I would not want to meet one! The touch of romance was definitely a plus!

To make a world all nestled in the cold of ice, snow and frost and still maintain the vivid imagery to get the story flowing is extremely difficult but this author did it perfectly. I want to read the sequel and I want to read more about the complexity of a great cast of characters: Lia, Gabe, Ivy, Ann, Adam and Jonn. The Farthers were perfect villains and I loved to hate them but I would definitely like to see what their world is all about too.

Overall a thrilling, enchanting read that I would love to read again, which is something I rarely do. Great job!

I was lucky enough to be given a free copy of this book to review by the author through Goodreads. I had read and reviewed The Curse Girl, by Kate Ellison, and I was really excited to be given the opportunity to read this one as well. I was not disappointed! Though this book was brief compared to what I usually read, the world was very well built and the characters were nicely fleshed out. I really liked Lia a lot. It was great to have a strong young female protagonist and I really felt for her. I liked Gabe, Ivy, and Jonn as well. I was expecting the twist at the end, but I wasn't expecting the *who*. I feel like I should have, but I thought it was going to be someone else. It was fun. At first I thought the person I suspected was good, then thought thatnerson was going to be the ultimate evil one of this installment. It was fun to be a bit surprised! :)

I did have two issues. The first is that there were so many questions left unanswered for me--it wasn't so much the questions that I can see being answered in later books, like, "Who is Gabe, really?" but things that I felt may have been obvious to Kate Elliott when she was writing that didn't quite make it into the story. Things like the relationship between Lia and Ann--though it's mentioned a few times that they are close friends, I never really got that feeling. Maybe it's because they were both tormented by their own issues so were deliberately being distant toward each other, maybe it's a function of the story being told from the first person perspective. The second is that Lia and Gabe's relationship felt a little rushed to me. However, I will readily admit that may be due to my sadness that the story was over so quickly--I didn't want it to end!

I am VERY happy I read this book. I really loved it and can't wait to read the next in the series and see where things go. I've only read two books by Kate Ellison and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

First things first, I got a free copy of this book from the author via Goodreads group Shut up and Read, for a fair and honest review. I do not know the author personally.
I give this book five golden stars.
Ok folks honestly I am going to sound like a crazed fan but this book is amazing.
I do not give five stars very often, I have high standards and this book met those standards.
I got hooked into the storyline, pulled into the characters plights, absorbed into the world of the novel.
The author does a great job with creating characters that you can bond too, and cheer on (or boo for the villains).
The descriptions used in this book are perfect. I could easily visualize the village of Iceliss, isolated and locked away in a frozen landscape.
The twist in the book, was sufficiently foreshadowed without being over done. I loved the feel of a good Zing in a book.
If I were to find one fault in the book, it would be that it was too short. (195 pages)
I recommend this book without any hesitation to readers of the dystopian, science fiction, young adult, and adventure genres.

Kate Avery Ellison captured my interest with Curse Girl. I loved her writing style, and that did not change this time around. Ellison is gifted with telling stories without littering them with fluff.

The world of the Frost is eerie and intriguing. I found Lia to be a great MC with realistic feelings and actions throughout the book. Ellison's other characters are written with a genuine feel as well. The villains were horrible and the heroes heroic. I have to say I was hoping for a different outcome in the end, but I am fine with what happened too.

I left this read with questions even though this story was wrapped up nicely. I look forward to reading more from this bright author. Although I didn't enjoy Frost as much as Curse Girl, I still loved it.

The setting for this book is a land where winter never ends and an orphaned girl and her two younger siblings struggle to make ends meet, where remnants of technology are dangerous, and the forest is filled with deadly creatures called Watchers. Life is all about survival and the young female protagonist in this story knows it better than most; she is the sole provider for her household with a young sister and crippled brother to protect. A mysterious injured stranger drops into her life and the inevitable romance ensues with secret organizations, enemy soldiers, and dangerous escapes thrown in. Despite the stereotypical romance and fairly predictable characters, I found Kate Avery Ellison's story world intriguing. In subsequent books, I'd love to discover more about Frost and Aeralis and the history behind their world (although I'd hope to see the characters developed much more thoroughly).

Lia Weaver has lost her parents and is trying to follow the rules of her society, keep her brother and sister feed, and together. When finding a stranger in the woods that is injured and in need of help Lia takes him home to care for him. Struggling with the decision of what is right, following the rules that society puts down or helping somone in need. This was a very good book, you could empathize with Lia and her struggle to do what needed to be done to survive and grow.