A Soul As Cold As Frost: 1 (The Winter Souls)

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I also loved the “magical system.” The way the author introduces curses, the parallel universes existing together, the Truth orbs from the Dead King… all of this immersed me into the world. Zane My eyes crept over, and sure enough, there was that weighty sphere in my hand, clear as crystal, encompassing an ivory and gold haze that glowed ever so slightly like the active molten core of a planet. I approached sluggishly to keep it from springing away, and I crouched to study the specimen while my mind raced with explanations based on things I’d read in books. It imparts that lovely cosiness of a good tale told by a bard next to a roaring fire, mostly because of the vivid and absolutely enthralling descriptions, but also because sixteen-year-old Helen Bell is one character any reader is bound to root for.

I jogged for it, chiming a small bell as I entered, and was immediately encompassed by the scent of pie crust, freshly ground coffee beans, and the sour impatience of old ladies shivering in skirts just like my aunt’s. I held the ball away from my body, positive it needed to be anywhere but in my hands. My palms were sweating in my mitts, even in this crisp air. This is how Helen's magical journey to Winter begins. A fast paced adventure with hurdles at almost every corner, full of bravery, epic battles, sacrifices, prayers, hope and quite a bit of fun.

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I had to drop it. I would drop the glass ball on the sidewalk and leave. And I would never, ever think about this moment again; the moment I realized I was losing my mind. Chapter, The Second Jennifer Kropf has a poetic style of writing that slides like hot chocolate down the throat, warm and gooey in a good way. There is an abundance of adjectives throughout that occasionally distracted me from the action but otherwise the writing is solid. Her prose is ideal for a Christmassy read, strongly reminiscent of Narnia, with solid world-building and vivid settings.

I slid into the chamber where amber light danced along every surface from the candle on the coffee table, and I dragged a chair across the rug Sylvia told me she found in the Middle East, biting my lips when the chair leg caught a tassel and ripped it right off.

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The Chronicles of Narnia meets Harry Potter. This fantastic winter tale is the perfect blend of classic portal fantasy and the magical world co-existing with our own. This magical Christian fantasy adventure totally hits the spot and got everything right. It is a beautiful reminder of what is truly important in life." ( USA Today best-selling author Astrid V. J.) Zane was amazing. I really, really liked him. I feel like I didn’t get to know him quite as much as I wanted to but I’m hopeful I’ll see him in book two.

I had only one memory of my father chasing us into an ocean of snow so unblemished. My sister Kaley was just a baby, and my brother Winston and I could barely run on our toddler legs. After Winston and I had exhausted ourselves building forts, my mother had brewed hot chocolate on the stove, and we’d spent the day listening to my dad sing off-key Christmas carols while decorating the tree with popcorn we’d strung ourselves. The figure appeared over my sprawled frame in snow-powdered boots with silk laces that gave off the potent scent of sweet spices and pending excuses. He or she was a solid shadow against the sun burning through the yellowish fog overhead. I do think that the book was a little bit slow to get into the action but once you got there, it did not stop. I think for a debut novel for this author, it was a very strong beginning the character development, and the way that Helen was resistant to this new world felt realistic. It didn’t feel like she was just immediately accepting of it like a lot of modern world meets fantasy world books do.I lifted my mitten but before I could ask what the rush was about, the girl shoved something into my palm: a glass ball about the size of a tennis ball. Helen receives a glass ball on the street from a girl she doesn’t even know. And all of a sudden, strange things start happening. Her eyes are now able to see a whole different fantasy world. A boy named Zane then explains what the glass ball is. And he warns her that her life is in danger. A witch with a soul as cold as frost will be coming for both it and Helen’s life, with everything she’s got in her power.

Mara Rouge ("bitter red", huh?) was a sly and intimidating antagonist, one who was surely inspired by C.S. Lewis' White Witch and Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen. I do really wish that the Quarrel of Sword and Bone had lasted longer and that we could've seen more of the mental and spiritual war that Mara Rouge was supposed to wage on Helen, but this is just a small shortcoming in the grand scheme of things. This is a cute Christmas-themed fantasy with lots of Christian elements woven in that are subtle and sweet. The themes of faith and truth are well explored and tug at the heartstrings. Overall, the world and its characters are fun and magical. However, it's not immersive enough.Notes on the audiobook: If you are considering reading ASaCaF, I would highly recommend the audio version. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw truly brings the story to life, and she made some moments unforgettable for me. (And Zane is that much more amazing with the accent she gives him!) My mittens rubbed my numb face as I looked to where Sylvia had disappeared inside the bakery. She was probably already shuffling a pie into her bag and digging through her purse for change. The setting is enchanting, the characters endearing, the magical creatures downright fabulous and the narrative a delight. I sighed, wondering if a good night’s sleep would fix me since most of the medical journals in the Waterloo Region Library advised that rest was the best remedy for people out of sorts.