Review: I enjoyed Allai very much!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2013
First reviewed at New Adult Addiction - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.I gave this book a 4.5 - but I round up.Frost Fire has a lot going for it. I, for one, am not ashamed to admit that I decided to review this book based on the cover. I love winged dudes and this guy here is all sorts of awesome! This is low fantasy novel and while I admit that I'm not all that much into fantasy, I do enjoy urban fantasy and this book certainly has some elements of that going for it.Allai lives with a faction of Demons and she is sort of the adopted daughter of the leader of this faction (The Sentinel). This is the part of the story that I think really shines above everything else - and that is the relationship Allai has with these Demons, and most importantly, her father, Shieldak. I'm very interested in learning more about this father daughter relationship because it hints at two conflicting realities and while I'm leaning in one direction about Shieldak, I'm not sure. I realize you have no idea what I'm talking about, but I don't do spoilers, so I can't say any more. I just think Olivia Rivers nailed the whole familial relationship thing in this book. If the reality of the situation - the way in which Olivia Rivers writes the relationship between Shieldak and Allai - is true, then all I can say is poor Allai. I feel for her and while I'm not generally into hesitant female characters, this was a major blow and she deserves her moment of crippling doubt and vulnerability.The main love interest is Drake and I thought Rivers did a very good job describing the complicated emotions that Allai has for him. Some of the plot devices were simple - like the lockgem. That's just asking for trouble! But all in all, this book was well-written, fresh, and kept my interest the entire time. I would've liked to see a deeper level to Drake and Allai's relationship, but it was built up at an appropriate pace.I'm really looking forward to the next book and I hope it sheds more light on Allai's childhood. She hints all kinds of "preparation" and I'd just like to get to the bottom of why Shieldak invested so much time and effort in her.