Book Review: Frost by Wendy Delsol

Frost (Stork #2) by Wendy Delsol


Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover:
Publisher: Candlewick (October 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763653861
ISBN-13: 978-0763653866
Source: ARC provided by Teen Book Scene
Cover: I am so in love with this cover. When I received the ARC, I fell even harder. The icicles are absolutely gorgeous in person and the model on the front is perfect for the new character! I love her cold expression. Amazing!
First Sentence:


Mini-Review: An imaginative and exciting fairytale re-telling, and an excellent sequel with just as much fun as the first!


Book Summary:

Wendy Delsol’s FROST, is the sequel to her YA debut STORK. 

After the drama of discovering that she’s a member of the Storks, a mystical order of women endowed with powerful abilities, Katla Leblanc is finally settling into her life in chilly Minnesota. In fact, the ex-California girl even hopes for a white Christmas. But Katla’s wintry wish unexpectedly turns into the snowstorm of the century, drawing the attention of Brigid, a gorgeous environmental researcher with an amazing array of fur coats and an unusual interest in Katla’s boyfriend, Jack. 

Inspired by Norse mythology and Hans Christian Andersen’s THE SNOW QUEEN.

Book Review:
Because of Stork's unique nature, I had very high expectations for its sequel Frost. It exceeded those expectations exponentially, wrapping up all I loved about the first novel and improving them to provide an exciting new adventure for Katla and her friends. From the setting to the story to the mythology, Frost is a winner!

Katla is back and is stronger than ever in this new installment. After the events of the last novel, she's more confident in herself, trusting her own instincts even without the guidance of Hulda. It was nice to see a lead that is willing to make risky decisions and instead of whining about the consequences, she excepts them and resolves to do something about it. Katla's strength gave this novel that extra sparkle and truly made her unforgettable. Her journey to find herself took her to the ends of the earth-- literally-- and really brought her character to life. I also really enjoyed that we got to see more sides of Kat here. In the last novel, she loved fashion and maintained it in this one but we also found out she could dance. Those scenes helped to round her out as a character.

While the other characters we'd gotten to know in the first novel such as Penny and Pedro didn't play as large a part as in this novel, we did get to know Kat's family and their roots better. Jack managed to be his same amazing self during certain parts and that just made his absence even more noticeable. I really enjoyed getting to know Kat's grandfather better and their journey to the roots of their origin was a fresh breath of air. Kat's kind and loving relationship with her grandfather is another things that gives me more respect for her. You can tell she cares because she donates much of free time to his shop and looking after his well-being. Brigid was wonderfully wicked, both sweeter than sugar and colder than ice, and it was great that she didn't fool Kat for a second.

I really enjoyed the changing of the scenery too. While the small town still felt like home, it was great to travel to Iceland with Kat and visit her roots. It gave the novel a perfect breath of fresh air to keep it exciting. The problems with voice that I found in the first novel have completely disappeared in this newest installment, the plot is fast pace and this story felt more cohesive as a whole. While the last left a lot of strings up in the air, this novel finished many plot lines which was satisfying. As with the previous installment, it mixed many new mythologies and blending them together in an exciting plot. The parallel to The Snow Queen was wonderful and helped me remember my love for that story and worked nicely with the legends of the Storks, selkies and of course, Jack Frost.

It's rare when a sequel can surpass it's previous installment, especially one as vastly different and interesting as Stork. Frost takes all the elements that made Stork unforgettable and melds them together with an entirely new story. I loved watching Katla blossom and overcome and can't wait to see what she and Jack will accomplish in the next novel. Frost truly is just like a snowflake, one of a kind and all the more beautiful for it!

Rating: