FIRST FROST
The Frost Series Book #1
by Liz DeJesus
Musa Publishing
YA Fantasy
233 pages
Fairytales aren’t real…yeah…that’s exactly what Bianca thought. She was wrong.
For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”
Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.
She’s about to find out how wrong she is.
My Tidbits
I love fairy tales, so I was more than excited to get my hands on this book. I wasn't disappointed.
The first chapters started slow (a little too much backstory), but once the evil witch showed up, there was no stopping this plot. Bianca is pulled into an action packed adventure, a sweet romance and a world, which I myself wouldn't mind diving into. The seventeen-year-old starts out as a fairly quiet girl, who has a great relationship with her mother. But during the story, she learns to go beyond herself and gains a good amount of self-confidence. Yep, great character development.
I loved a integration of the old fairy tales, especially since these weren't based on the Disney versions, but on the real, sinister, not always happy original ones. A special treat was the Prince of Everafter - the charming, heroic prince, who wasn't as heroic (but still charming!) and clever as one might think.
I'd definitely recommend this one for you fairy tale fans out there. The writing is a tiny bit rough at times, but the plot definitely makes up for it. I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down.
I give this a:
CC
Where can you find it?
GLASS FROST
The Frost Series Book #2
by Liz DeJesus
Musa Publishing
YA Fantasy
260 pages
When joined together, Cinderella's slippers grant the wearer her heart's desire. But whose wish will be granted?
When Cinderella’s glass slipper is stolen, Queen Felicia sends her faithful steward Terrance to the real world to retrieve his love and witch-in-training, Bianca Frost. The power of the glass slipper, when paired with its mate, and in the wrong hands, could ruin the peace of Everafter. Bianca must gather every bit of magic she has learned in the past few weeks to find the slipper and protect her new love. Together, Bianca, Ming, Prince Ferdinand, and Terrance venture deep into the heart of Everafter to seek clues as to who has stolen the slipper and why. Along the way, they uncover what happened to the Seven Dwarves after Snow White married the prince, but also learn the awful risk of tampering with black magic and the high price that must be paid for magic, even when used for good.
Bianca and Terrance’s relationship is put to the test. Through the pain of suffering and loss, Bianca must determine if following her gallant boyfriend into his faraway world is in fact her heart's desire.
My Tidbits
I don't know about you, but often times, I'm disappointed with sequels. After the 1st book, there are expectations and, unfortunately, these are hard to meet. But for Liz DeJesus, this was no problem. I devoured this book.
GLASS FROST takes off where FIRST FROST ends and dives into the adventure without the need for any extra backstory. The bad part is that without reading the 1st book, the reader will be lost - but is that bad when both books are fun???
Like before, I wanted to dive into Liz's world and never come back. Especially when Bianca met up with her great-great-great Grandmother's 7 (well, now 3) dwarfs. It was a magical moment and very well done. The evil witch problem was very unlike the first book, which made the adventure fun to read and not like a regurgitation.
Again, I can only say 'read it'.
I give this one a big, fat:
CC
Where can you find it?
Character Bio
Bianca Frost:
She’s a seventeen year old girl that works at the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts with her mother Rose Frost. She recently found out that she’s the great-great-great granddaughter of Snow White. Her favorite color is dark purple, she loves punk rock and indie music. Her favorite book is Jane Eyre and she loves to draw. She hopes to go to college and become an art major. Her best friend is Ming Lee and the love of her life is Terrance Connor.
Ming Lee:
She’s seventeen years old and her best friend in the whole wide world is Bianca Frost. Her father is a surgeon and her mother, Mrs..Lee is a stay at home mom. Ming loves pop music and her favorite color is pink (every single shade of pink is her favorite). She’s an accomplished singer and loves to play the piano in her spare time. Her dream is to become a famous singer. She has a bit of a crush on Prince Ferdinand and she’s trying to figure out how she really feels about him.
Terrance Connor:
He is eighteen years old and is a steward for the royal family in Everafter. He’s often quiet and reserved but once you get to know him you will discover that he’s very intelligent and charming. His parents are William and Claire Connor. His grandfather is Magnus Connor aka The Big Bad Wolf. Trust me, this makes for a very complicated family dynamic. He has a great love for Bianca Frost, who he believes is his soul mate.
Prince Ferdinand:
His full name is Prince Ferdinand Anthony Charles
Ash and he is the future king of Everafter. He is a kind and charming prince who is in the constant search for damsels in distress, adventure and true love. Sometimes he comes across a bit silly and goofy but his heart is true and pure. He has grown and matured since his first adventure in First Frost but he’s still light hearted and fun no matter what situation he’s in. He’s madly in love with Ming Lee.
Rose Frost: She is Bianca’s mother and the owner of the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts. Rose has been hiding the fact that she and Bianca are witches. Rose’s main magical talents are healing and plant related. She can grow any type of plant under any conditions. She is extremely protective over her daughter Bianca and anyone she holds close to her heart.
And here she is:
Liz DeJesus!!!
Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007), The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011) First Frost (Musa Publishing, June 22nd 2012) and Glass Frost (Musa Publishing, COMING SOON).
Liz is currently working on a new novel.
And you can find her:
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Julia Dweck's background in elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what children want to read and what makes them giggle. She's collaborated with leading artists in the world of children's literature to produce over 20 Amazon eBooks. Her titles have garnered placement on Amazon's bestsellers in children's color picture books multiple times with two #1 bestsellers: PIE-RITS and Zombie-Kids. These titles have been chosen by Amazon Editors for the prestigious "Kindle Daily Deal." Many of Julia's titles have earned placement on Amazon's top ranked lists based on customer review. In her spare time, Julia is a designer of educational adjuncts for children's literature, and has worked with such notable publishing houses as Penguin Young Readers. She presented at the 2011 National Center for Family Literacy for her creative use of technology in the classroom.
For more information about Julia Dweck and her books, please visit her website, 