Hey everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in the Bookstagram and Creative blog tour for Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell hosted by MTMC Tours!
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is the first book in the Frozen Sun Saga, a YA Fantasy series released on August 6th, 2019 from Blackstone Publishing. Check below my tour stop and make sure to visit all the bookstagram & creative stops for a chance to win the international giveaway!
Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell Series: Frozen Sun Saga #1
Published by Blackstone ISBN: 1982556277
on August 6, 2019
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon|Book Depository
Source: Blackstone, MTMC Tours
I received this book for free from Blackstone, MTMC Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.
Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of Aillira, the god-gifted mortal whose doomed love affair sparked a war of gods and men, and Lira of clan Stone knows the story better than most. As a descendant of Aillira and god-gifted in her own right, she has the power to read people's souls, to see someone's true essence with only a touch of her hand.
When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland--one of the fearful marauders from the land of the Frozen Sun--Lira helps the wounded man instead of turning him in. After reading his soul, she realizes Reyker is different than his brethren who attack the coasts of Glasnith. He confides in her that he's been cursed with what his people call battle-madness, forced to fight for the warlord known as the Dragon, a powerful tyrant determined to reignite the ancient war that Aillira started.
As Lira and Reyker form a bond forbidden by both their clans, the wrath of the Dragon falls upon them and all of Glasnith, and Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor. The battle for Lira's life, for Reyker's soul, and for their peoples' freedom has only just begun.
…The Reader’s Review…
Um, wow.
I just finished Beasts of the Frozen Sun and I’m not okay. From page one, Beasts took my breath away as it introduced a fierce heroine with the ability to touch souls and a boy Beast desperately trying to not turn into the monster his brutal clan demands him to become. And gosh, I loved every second of it!
I was expecting to love Beasts since the premise makes it sound so intriguing, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so… dark and chaotic. I think this is one of the few books I have read this year that immediately jumps into action and basically has you running, trying to catch up. It’s as if the pages dragged you into the middle of all the intense action scenes: from the moment the warriors of the west (the beasts of the Frozen Sun) start attacking villages to when the Gods suddenly decide to interfere and meddle with human lives. By the time I reached the end, my eyes were open wide!
Oh, but let me get back to my girl Lira! She’s one of the main characters and gosh, I loved her so much. She’s god-marked by the infamous goddess Aillira who once upon a time, brought war and destruction to the people of Glasnith. Now, having a gift from this goddess and being named after her, Lira faces rejection from her own people, as her father uses her to read into people’s souls and pass judgement–this often ending in her ruining someone’s life. When she saves Reyker and realizes he is one of the westlanders from the Frozen Sun, her own curiosity leads her to discover the conflicting truths about the deeds he has done under the enemy clan’s ruthless leader and to question whether or not her own people are as equally brutal, if only in a different way under the influence of Gods.
Lira is fierce, loyal, and the kind of person that puts her family above everything else. Before the Westlanders invade, she is torn about the idea of either marrying into another clan or heading into Allira’s Temple to continue to practice her own god-given gift. I felt her frustration of only having these two options, since women in her time and place were not allowed to be independent. She wanted to stay close to her clan, but also to travel and find her own place where she would not be seen as a bad omen. Totally rooting for her to accomplish this dream by the end of the trilogy!
But REYKER. Ugh, my heart weeps for this boy whose life has been filled by anger and bloodshed. Forced to work under the Dragon’s influence, he has done terrible deeds and endured it all to somehow bring the leader of the Frozen Sun clan down. I really liked the way his relationship develops with Lira, as they both try to come to terms with their roles and how they are fated to be in the middle of an ancient war between gods and a ruthless tyrant.
Lira and Reyker are star-crossed lovers through and through and I am in for it. ♥
“I didn’t trust him yet. But I’d have to try.
Beneath the dancing flares of sparkflies, beneath the steady gaze of his eyes, I placed a hand over my own heart. “Safe, Reyker.”
There’s so much to say about Beasts of the Frozen Sun, but right now I feel like I am not nailing it at all. So to wrap this up, I have to state that this book is a mesmerizing read full of magic, meddling gods, non-stop action and the enemies-to-lovers trope we love to ship.
…Top 3 Places to visit in Beasts of the Frozen Sun!…
Not only does Beasts have an epic story, but the sights in it are impressive! I know they are based and inspired by Iceland and Scotland locations, but for the sake of this mini tour, we’ll keep it all fictional and will tell you WHERE I would love to visit if I ever wandered into Beasts of the Frozen Sun and how I imagine a bit how it looks in Gifs!!! (Please note that I would prefer to travel in a time and place where there would be no danger at all!)
- Stony Harbor
“I could see Stony Harbor depicted at the very top of the map–the seat of clan Stone, ruled by Lord Aengus, my grandfather.” Our village was reduced to a name and the triad of swords that was our clan’s symbol.
My first stop would definitely be Lira’s village! I would love to visit the places she roams, particularly her home and the cliffs, to look out into the sea!
- The ruins of Aillira’s kingdom
“I knew this plance–it was Aillira’s Temple, except the ruins at the temple were nearly dust, and there were classrooms, libraries, dormitories, and monuments surrounding the grounds.”
Alright, the real reason why I would want to visit the ruins is not to see what is left of the classrooms and libraries (though it would have been amazing to have seen them in their formet glory!) but to see the Thorntree that still stands, which was planted in her palace and watered with Aillira’s tears after her lover, Veronis, was imprisoned. Aillira is the goddess that our girl Lira is descended from.
- The Tangled Forest
Our village was surrounded by the Tangled Forest where trees warred, trunks and branches couiling together, competing for soil and sun–what appeared at first glance to be single, colossal trees were actually many plants knotted in strangleholds.
I am all for visitin forests and The Tangled Forest sounds like the perfect place to finish my mini tour! I also want to watch the sparkflies at night to make the moment even more magical.
However, for a more accurate description of the wonderful places in Beasts of the Frozen Sun, check out author Jill Crisswell’s website! She even shows off the epic map from Beasts!
INTL Tour-Wide Giveaway!
Head over to my Instagram account for a chance to win one of THREE prize packs that include: One hardcover copy of Beasts + Blackstone tote bag! Open INTL!
(And don’t miss out the rest of the tour stops to get more chances to win!!!)
Tour Schedule:
August 12
@paperfury – Bookstagram + Blog
August 13
@old.enough.for.fairytales – Bookstagram
August 14
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram + Blog
August 15
@morrighanrose – Bookstagram
August 16
@novelknight – Bookstagram + Blog
August 17
@my_heart_is_booked – Bookstagram
August 18
@ernest.bookingway – Bookstagram + Blog
August 19
@tata.lifepages – Bookstagram
August 20
@ly_brary – Bookstagram + Blog
August 21
@thebibliolife – Bookstagram
Hosted by:
About Jill Criswell
Jill Criswell is a writer of Young Adult Historical Fantasy. She was born and raised in the swamps of northeastern Florida. She earned degrees in English and Psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Her greatest passion, besides reading and writing, is traveling the world; she’s visited fifty countries across six continents, falling in love with places like Iceland, Namibia, and Cambodia. She works as a university English teacher and lives in South Carolina, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and daughter (who is named after a volcano in Iceland).
Oh wow this sounds like a read right up my reading radar!!! I love a good mortal – god tangled story. It is definitely going onto my TBR pile. So sad i missed the giveaway!!!
I will prob post this book on my reading radar post coming up, but will definitely tag you 🙂
Thanks for the awesome review.
I absolutely adored this book and I really do hope you get to read it soon, Chanzie! Thanks for tagging me, so appreciate that! ♥