(Cover and blurb taken from Goodreads)
Official blurb:
Romance, drama, and mystery abound in this telenovela-inspired upper-YA romantic fantasy for fans of multi-POV stories, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, family sagas, royal intrigue, and mysterious magic.
A forbidden fae kiss could be deadly.
Naia was raised in the shadow of her twin brother, the crown prince, who has iron magic much more powerful than hers. But Naia has wishes of her own. They awaken when she finds a white fae almost dying in the woods. She only heard of them in stories; the dreaded race that razed cities to the ground, killed her grandparents, almost rid Aluria of humans—until they disappeared. Now, almost twenty years later, are they back? Is there another war coming?
But the fae is evasive and secretive—and also alluring and fascinating, more beautiful than anyone she’s ever seen. And then it happens: Naia kisses him—and nothing will be the same again.
In another kingdom, Leah, a necromancer princess, has to find a husband in less than four days, during the gathering, when royals from all over Aluria meet. Her family makes it very clear that she can pick any prince she wants—except one: Naia’s brother. And it turns out that he’s the one; the one who makes her heart beat faster.
Meanwhile, war looms over the land. One of the kingdoms is amassing immense power. The White Fae might be returning. Amidst it all, Naia and her brother struggle with newfound magical powers, family secrets, and most of all, their own treacherous hearts.
Frozen Hearts and Death Magic is book 1 of the Duology Of Fire and Fae, recommended for readers 16 and up.
My rating: five out of five stars
What an interesting read! The style is a little different and very dramatic, as it’s based on telenovelas. I quite liked the pace and the banter between the characters.
There are four main characters, and the way their journeys intertwine and details are revealed is really clever. It took me a while to like Leah, but she won me over in the end. I loved Naia and her curious nature, River and his fae tricks, and Fel with his strong will. I wanted to scream at them when they did silly things and just missed getting what they wanted, but that made me want to turn the pages even more.
Marriage, relationships, and coming-of-age are huge themes in this book. There’s a lot of insta-love, but it’s also rooted in reality. And there’s also some enemies to lovers (and lovers to enemies?) going on.
I love the magic system in this world and the mystery surrounding everyone’s magic, as their magic doesn’t seem to play by the rules. Plus, it’s rare to see necromancy pop up in a YA book (at least in my experience), and I was so there for it! And then you can forget everything you think you know about magic and events when huge twists are introduced.
I love how it all comes together and is revealed at the end. And of course I won’t give away any spoilers here.
There will be a second book, Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic!
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