Frostborn (Thrones &
Bones # 1)
By
Lou Anders (August 5th 2014, Crown Books for Young Readers)
Book Description:
12-year-old
Karn is set to inherit his father’s large farm and become a hauld. But he has
no interest in farming or trading, and would rather play a game of Thrones and Bones or travel the world.
On
a trading trip with his father, he meets Thianna, a half-giant who is dealing
with her own problematic past and feels excluded in her village of giants.
When
Karn accidentally calls upon an After Walker – an undead warrior king – and
Thianna’s mother’s mysterious past comes to haunt her, they must both leave
everything they had ever know behind and flee into the snowy wilderness of Norrøngard.
Pros:
Going into
Frostborn, I was expecting a dense, world building-heavy high fantasy, but to
my surprise and pleasure, it turned out to be something altogether
different.
The most
immediately striking thing about Frostborn is its modern sensibility, from the
language to the dialogue to the fun humor. Every aspect was executed in a fresh
and accessibly way, making it an ideal choice of young readers.
Anders
created a world that is well realized and engaging, without weighing the reader
down with dense description or overlong exposition. The history and lore were
also perfectly integrated, adding depth and personality to this already complex
world of frost giants, warriors, dwarves, and fabled dragons.
The
characters – though not amazing – are fun and likable, especially Karn, who
uses his intelligence and gaming skills to best his foes again and again. Thianna
was also a nice addition: brave, brash, and unfailing loyal. I really look
forward to seeing her evolution over the rest of the series.
Cons:
Though
there is nothing outright terrible about Frostborn, plot is definitely its
Achilles’s heel. The beginning is good enough: light, breezy, and very funny, but
the plot pretty much flatlines after the author is done setting up the world
and characters. For a big chunk of the book, we see Karn and Thianna wandering
in the wilderness (separately and together), going from small scrape to the
next without any real purpose.
There were
also a few too-convenient coincidences that undermined any sense of real
danger, and there was a very obvious bit of deceit that Karn took far too long
to see through, despite being very intelligent otherwise.
Another
problem was character development, especially Thianna’s. It was clear that
Anders had intended for both main characters to be equivalently important, but
Karn was by far the more developed and despite its name (Frostborn later becomes
Thianna’s last name), felt more like his story. I felt that Thianna’s backstory,
which ironically seemed more interesting and mysterious than Karn’s, wasn’t developed
enough, and her personal struggles didn’t feel as real as, either.
Verdict:
Fresh,
imaginative, and well written, Frostborn is a solid choice for readers looking
for a less dense, more accessible high fantasy without sacrificing any of the
immersive qualities that make the genre so popular.
Rating: (7/10)
Get
Frostborn on Book Depository
For more excellent MG book recommendations, go to Shannon Messenger's
blog.
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