I read this book with my 8 year-old and we both loved it! A real page turner where you just have to have one more chapter before bed.

This book was sent to me by the publishers last month and it’s one of my favourite books to read this year! I’d definitely recommend reading it in the cold, wintry months to come. It’s an adventure set in and around the city of Adranna where a sacred and mountain sits on the outskirts. Tensions are rising between cities and war seems to be on the horizon, something the people of Adranna aren’t prepared for. The world and it’s politics are so well written, I really appreciated the write up towards our heroine’s journey as you get a real feel for how things are going in the places around her, and how worried and on edge the adults in her life are feeling. Sabira is our main character, a young girl who ends up being the one chosen to traverse the dangerous mountain and bond with a Frostsliver. The Frostsliver, a fragment of a living glacier, is an interesting character in itself with a voice of its own. I really enjoyed its interactions with Sabira as they get to know each other in such a disastrous and intense situation, I especially love how they come to care for each other as time goes on and how witty and entertaining it’s personality could be. Sabira is equally as interesting however, she has an awful lot of bad things thrown at her and despite all this pushes through no matter what. She’s very brave and will do whatever it takes to avoid anyone getting hurt, a truly admirable lead for the story. I sympathised with her and the loss of her brother Kyran, the mystery surrounding his disappearance into the mountain is unravelled later on and it’s such an engaging part of the book, I was excited to see how it turned out and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. Whilst travelling to the top of the mountain an avalanche traps Sabira and her companions, starting a perilous and desperate journey to get back home safely. Through these series of events we see her survive against all odds and grow as a person, we see just how menacing people can be and how important friendship and solidarity is in the face of conflict. We see an imperfect world and I girl who is willing to change it for the sake of all that is good and peaceful. I was completely absorbed by this story and it’s world, it’s a real survival adventure with magic and compelling characters throughout. It was original, fantastical, emotional and overall just so brilliant to read, I couldn’t recommend it more for fans of great fantasy adventure stories!

A fast middle grade book that was a pleasant underrated surprise! Sabira finds herself an unlikely hero when she an avalanche on an icy mountain traps her with the enemy (and yetis that may or may not be good). She hears of a plot that will devastate her village so it’s up to her to save them. Didn’t expect much going in other than some good reviews from friends who made me aware of this. While the characters aren’t as three-dimensional as I would have liked, and Sabira does come across a little flat sometimes, I still found myself wanting to know the outcome. A great polar fantasy that is rather short but enjoyable to read all the same.