Review: "Frostborn" (Thrones & Bones) by Lou Anders

Synopsis:

 

Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He’d rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones.

Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She’s too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant.

When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you’re being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants.
 *(summary courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review:

I am very pleased with this book. As much as I love fantasy based books, I tend to be a bit wary of ones containing dragons. This is a children's book, so be prepared for the young, naïve voice of both protagonists and POV characters, Karn and Thianna, because I honestly wasn't ready.

 

Back in the day when I was a kid, I wasn't much of a reader;  now I remember why. Reading the POV of a preteen character makes me want to pull my hair out! Karn, one of the protagonists, had me shaking my head every scene I read with him in it. I just don't get how his character can be written as quick-witted in dire situations, but completely and utterly clueless in other situations such as those regarding is uncle. It's basic common sense! Then again, common sense isn't so common, as Thomas Paine wrote.

 

Thianna wasn't much better in my eyes. I didn't quite like the self hatred she had. Instead of trying to fit in with the other giants, I wish she would have seen herself as one of a kind with her half human/ half giant mix. Add that to the fact that she was a thick-skulled. I kept wanting to hit her on the forehead and say, "should have had a V8".

Other than that, I liked the story and the Norse influences throughout it. The dragons were kind of funny, although they weren't really in this book as much. I saw right through that Karn's Uncle right from the beginning. When everyone finally figured it out, I was like "DUH!!". The ending was is a cliffhanger --- so hang on tight everyone!

Favorite Quote:

"For if you stand you'll surely fall. And if you fall, stand you will for now and all."

352 pages

Published August 5th 2014 by Crown Books for Young Readers

 

Rating:  🔔🔔🔔🔔  

 

Recommend?   It was good in my eyes.