Jill Criswell’s debut novel, Beasts of The Frozen Sun, was a knockout! The writing was spectacular and the characters were unique and headstrong. I’m not one to like an intricate gods system and yet, I finished this book strangely grateful for it. It was a fierce and dark tale about warring clans with a severe hatred of the unknown, a ballsy heroine who can read a man’s soul with one simple touch, and a brooding love interest forced to fight against his heart. It’s intense and addictive, and honestly I’m still reeling from that ending. Yes, there’s a cliffhanger and Criswell may be a cruel but clever woman, but I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel! This book deserves a 10 out of 10 and I urge you to pick this up, especially if you like historical fiction. It reminded me of The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson, but with a savage, Viking edge.
History has its brutal moments and as such, this book contains a lot of death, torture, and horrible treatment of women, which are all common in war. It’s definitely a book bordering perhaps on adult fiction, but again, that’s inevitable when these themes are involved and this only helped the book feel more realistic. Criswell mixes magic with brute force and it works brilliantly! Her idea of a league of ruthless, highly skilled warriors called Dragonmen led by an unnerving demi-god gave a great spin and worked seamlessly with her warring clans plot.
“Aillira, the first god-gifted daughter of Glasnith, who was so loved by the gods they blessed her with the gift of mind-reaping and vowed to bless her female descendants with gifts of their own. Aillira, who fell under the spell of the Great Betrayer and turned against the gods who loved her, bringing about decades of plague, war and strife. Her name was a curse. She was mother and villain, loved and hated. Many questioned my mother’s sense when she bestowed me with the short form of a traitor’s name. I supposed it a mark of her boldness that she didn’t listen.”
Our main character, Aillira, has had to fight her very name from assumptions and it’s only made her stronger for it. She never rolls over to make a situation more appropriate to her gender and many males see it as disrespectful and challenge her, which only gives her ample opportunity to prove them wrong, leaving them in a stupor. Her wits are sharp and she wields her words like a battle-axe.
The romance between Lira and Reyker is a hot-tempered love affair. Reyker is the literal definition of the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and not an appropriate love match for a Chieftain’s daughter like Lira. He is a beast from the frozen sun and despite her constant hesitation, Lira comes to realise how wrong an assumption can be. They have amazing banter, cute nicknames, and share a bond through their entwined souls. Their respect for one another is outstanding and they value the other’s scars. Their unique shared ability to step in one another’s memories allows them to bond on a higher emotional level that transcends most YA love stories.
“There’s the enchanting maiden, subduer of savages, tamer of beasts.’ Quinlan appeared at my side, looking handsome and mischievous as ever.”
I loved Quinlan! He’s such a sweetheart and I really hope to see more of him in the next book because he’s great and seems to lighten the mood with his humour and mischief.
Lira doesn’t have the greatest male role models either. Blood doesn’t mean anything if you don’t follow their beliefs and she finds this out the hard way several times and yet every time she’s given a way out she refuses, knowing that they are not enacting justice. She keeps to her beliefs and fights tooth and nail for those she loves, no matter the cost.
Criswell has a raw talent for words without bombarding a reader with phrases they’ve read over and over. It’s all very new, fresh, and original and I found it very hard to fault anything she wrote here and for a debut author that’s impressive. Bravo!
Although I haven’t read Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young yet, I feel like this book would be perfect for anyone who loved that one because they both feature Viking elements and a plot rife with warring clans. I also find this book to have mature themes that reminded me slightly of Game of Thrones, in both tone and scene. This was such a great novel and I cannot wait for its sequel!
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of August 6th 2019.
Will you be reading Beasts of the Frozen Sun? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
