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The Fire Mage Trilogy #1
Frost Arch
In a future where ignorance has destroyed the world that we know, humans are slaves and Mages - advanced beings with abilities beyond everyday reach - rule the land.
Avalon is one such Mage. Barely eighteen years of age, she wields the gift of fire yet she is unable to control it. She leaves her family in the dead of night and heads to the city of Frost Arch, her future seemingly grim.
Will Avalon be able to overcome the trials that befall her? Will she be able to save the ones she loves and stay strong within herself?
Time will tell.
Avalon is one such Mage. Barely eighteen years of age, she wields the gift of fire yet she is unable to control it. She leaves her family in the dead of night and heads to the city of Frost Arch, her future seemingly grim.
Will Avalon be able to overcome the trials that befall her? Will she be able to save the ones she loves and stay strong within herself?
Time will tell.
356 pages, ebook
First published February 8, 2012
52 people are currently reading
2666 people want to read
About the author
Kate Bloomfield
12 books241 followersKate Bloomfield was born in Enfield, London in 1989. Her parents relocated to Australia in 1991 and Kate grew up in New South Wales. In 2015, aged 26, Kate moved back to the UK with her partner.
Her debut novel 'Frost Arch (Book 1: The Fire Mage Trilogy)', a dystopian fantasy, was published through Amazon's KDP Select Program in February 2012 making it available for purchase as an eBook.
The novel acheived success, recieving thousands of downloads within the first three weeks of its publication. Spurred by its success, Kate continued writing. By 2014 she had published a total of six full-length novels. She is currently working on her seventh novel, 'Five', a psychological thriller.
Kate currently resides in Birmingham, England, where she works as an in-house Graphic Designer and writes in her spare time.
Offical Website: www.bloomfieldkate.com
Follow Kate on Twitter: @KateBloomfield
Check out Kate's blog for updates on her writing: www.katebloomfieldauthor.blogspot.com.au
Her debut novel 'Frost Arch (Book 1: The Fire Mage Trilogy)', a dystopian fantasy, was published through Amazon's KDP Select Program in February 2012 making it available for purchase as an eBook.
The novel acheived success, recieving thousands of downloads within the first three weeks of its publication. Spurred by its success, Kate continued writing. By 2014 she had published a total of six full-length novels. She is currently working on her seventh novel, 'Five', a psychological thriller.
Kate currently resides in Birmingham, England, where she works as an in-house Graphic Designer and writes in her spare time.
Offical Website: www.bloomfieldkate.com
Follow Kate on Twitter: @KateBloomfield
Check out Kate's blog for updates on her writing: www.katebloomfieldauthor.blogspot.com.au
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
October 2, 2012
1 Oct. '12
As you can see by how long it took me to read this, I had to trudge through in order to finish this book. I think it was fairly obvious from the get-go where things were leading. Our protagonist is a Fire Mage, and she runs off to a town/city named Frost Arch, which is perpetually snowing and ruled by the mysterious Elvira Frost.
Frost. Snow. Get it? And our heroine is a Fire Mage? Yeah. I could write this book in my head.
The most evident issue I have to take up with, in terms of technicalities, is that Frost Arch would have benefited greatly if it had been run through an editor . There are quite a lot of grammar, spelling mistakes - even the unforgivable, elementary mistake of misusing you're for your.
But more than just grammar and spelling issues, an editor would have also helped cut down the bulk of this novel. Yes, this isn't a particularly long book, but over half of its contents were simply fillers , useless material that I honestly could have done without.
Maybe those "useless scenes" are in fact a set-up for the sequels. Such as the entire ordeal with Noah; the fact that our protagonist, Avalon, looks like his ex-fiancée - or what even happened to his fiancée in the first place. The relevancy of this entire mini-plot, which took a great deal of the first half of the book, mind you, is absolute zero.
That was not the only mini-plot that bears no relevance , by the way. The whole existence of Seth Swaggart bears no meaning. He only served as a warning that Avalon was going to die. A narrative hook, perhaps? Well, not a very convincing - nor effective - one, I'm afraid.
Now that I've mentioned Avalon, I have to admit that she was, in large, a great part of why I disliked this novel. Asides from being your average YA heroine , (you know, extremely beautiful, but never actually admitting that she is beautiful, and always surprised when someone says she is beautiful - which is infuriatingly annoying in itself) she is also so clueless and stupid that it aggravates me to no end.
During her stint as a servant, she constantly repeats everything told to her - all the instructions given to her, repeated. Rephrased. And we, the readers, have to go through the entire process of reading her superiors giving her detailed instructions, and also read it rephrased in Avalon's head, also in detail. Tell me how this does not bog down the story.
As evidence of her stupidity , Avalon is so slow to infer things. No; in fact, she never infers anything at all. It's pretty Obvious with a capital "O" where, or what, Phoenix Arch is, and yet it took her another mini-plot to discover the truth of it - and even then, she needed it to be spelt out to her. Again, we readers have to sit there and wait until she catches up to our own deductions and get the story going.
Not only is she clueless and stupid and naive, by the way she trusts everyone at the drop of a hat; Avalon is also unbearably selfish . She ran away from home, hitching a ride with a friend of the family's, and how does she repay him? She steals the animal he was entrusted to deliver to someone. And never - not even once - did she consider the implications it might bring him. How it might ruin his reputation, his business, at the least - how it might cost him his life at the worst .
This novel barely has a plot. It seems as if we're moving along at a leisurely crawl, and all of a sudden, Random Things Happen that propels our protagonist into action. And of course, the Random Things That Happen are always, always a product of Avalon's own stupidity.
First, there is the Mysterious Disappearance of her pet, Hawthorne. Whom would never have disappeared if she hadn't been throwing a tantrum and violently hit him in the first place. A tantrum, I must add, which came from her sudden panic attack that someone foretold her death.
Second, we have her suddenly On The Run for being a wanted criminal. Which happened because she was snooping into her Master's Observatory, which she had been strictly warned not to do. And there is no actual purpose of her going into the observatory at all. AT ALL. So forgive me for being exasperated, but it really seems as if the author just ran out of ideas to get the story going, to get some semblance of a climax in motion, that she wrote down the first convenient thing that crossed her mind.
What confuses me largely, is why people are always so keen on helping Avalon . I'm serious. Random strangers warn her of her short life expectancy, and tries to save her. Random barkeepers would rather have his bar trashed and brush up against the law, also turning down massive rewards, simply to protect a girl he had never seen before in his life. Mysterious, aloof singers are ready to unveal their secret identities and embark on a quest to help her rescue her pet - her, a girl whom she has no previous dealings with!
It all reads like a poorly-plotted RPG game, where you have sudden, unexpected, random travelers join your party for no other reason than just because.
There were many inconsistencies. The most outstanding one was Avalon's main reason of running from home, which was because she couldn't control her powers as a Fire Mage, and since her younger sister is not a Fire Mage, she could do her some serious harm.
However, as we move along with the story, it became evident that she exhibits none of this "lack of control". In fact, when asked to demonstrate her powers to her potential Master, she does so without a sweat.
Another minor inconsistency is her actions as a servant. I'm very annoyed at the trend in YA novels where, our protagonist being the special cookie she is, gets to demonstrate behaviour that would normally get her in trouble. Asking questions to your Master? Walking into rooms as you please? Snooping around? No, Avalon. That is not what servants do.
I did like the character of Jack - until! one particular scene, where Avalon was almost raped and had to be rescued by Jack, and--
And speaking of that almost-rape scene, here is another reason why I detest Avalon:
He was going to rape you, idiot girl! You don't wonder why he left, you should just be glad he's gone! You shouldn't be making excuses for him! I cannot believe I'm reading this. It had only been that one night my hat! It seems that when all's said and done, everything's a-ok as long as you're a good looking fellow.
But those are the majority of my complaints for Frost Arch. Needless to say, I won't be picking up the next book.
27 Sept. '12
Not sure I'm liking the writing so far...
18 Sept. '17
Hmmmmmmmmm..... is it just me or have I seen this cover before on another book? Or two million others.
As you can see by how long it took me to read this, I had to trudge through in order to finish this book. I think it was fairly obvious from the get-go where things were leading. Our protagonist is a Fire Mage, and she runs off to a town/city named Frost Arch, which is perpetually snowing and ruled by the mysterious Elvira Frost.
Frost. Snow. Get it? And our heroine is a Fire Mage? Yeah. I could write this book in my head.
The most evident issue I have to take up with, in terms of technicalities, is that Frost Arch would have benefited greatly if it had been run through an editor . There are quite a lot of grammar, spelling mistakes - even the unforgivable, elementary mistake of misusing you're for your.
But more than just grammar and spelling issues, an editor would have also helped cut down the bulk of this novel. Yes, this isn't a particularly long book, but over half of its contents were simply fillers , useless material that I honestly could have done without.
Maybe those "useless scenes" are in fact a set-up for the sequels. Such as the entire ordeal with Noah; the fact that our protagonist, Avalon, looks like his ex-fiancée - or what even happened to his fiancée in the first place. The relevancy of this entire mini-plot, which took a great deal of the first half of the book, mind you, is absolute zero.
That was not the only mini-plot that bears no relevance , by the way. The whole existence of Seth Swaggart bears no meaning. He only served as a warning that Avalon was going to die. A narrative hook, perhaps? Well, not a very convincing - nor effective - one, I'm afraid.
Now that I've mentioned Avalon, I have to admit that she was, in large, a great part of why I disliked this novel. Asides from being your average YA heroine , (you know, extremely beautiful, but never actually admitting that she is beautiful, and always surprised when someone says she is beautiful - which is infuriatingly annoying in itself) she is also so clueless and stupid that it aggravates me to no end.
During her stint as a servant, she constantly repeats everything told to her - all the instructions given to her, repeated. Rephrased. And we, the readers, have to go through the entire process of reading her superiors giving her detailed instructions, and also read it rephrased in Avalon's head, also in detail. Tell me how this does not bog down the story.
As evidence of her stupidity , Avalon is so slow to infer things. No; in fact, she never infers anything at all. It's pretty Obvious with a capital "O" where, or what, Phoenix Arch is, and yet it took her another mini-plot to discover the truth of it - and even then, she needed it to be spelt out to her. Again, we readers have to sit there and wait until she catches up to our own deductions and get the story going.
Not only is she clueless and stupid and naive, by the way she trusts everyone at the drop of a hat; Avalon is also unbearably selfish . She ran away from home, hitching a ride with a friend of the family's, and how does she repay him? She steals the animal he was entrusted to deliver to someone. And never - not even once - did she consider the implications it might bring him. How it might ruin his reputation, his business, at the least - how it might cost him his life at the worst .
This novel barely has a plot. It seems as if we're moving along at a leisurely crawl, and all of a sudden, Random Things Happen that propels our protagonist into action. And of course, the Random Things That Happen are always, always a product of Avalon's own stupidity.
First, there is the Mysterious Disappearance of her pet, Hawthorne. Whom would never have disappeared if she hadn't been throwing a tantrum and violently hit him in the first place. A tantrum, I must add, which came from her sudden panic attack that someone foretold her death.
Second, we have her suddenly On The Run for being a wanted criminal. Which happened because she was snooping into her Master's Observatory, which she had been strictly warned not to do. And there is no actual purpose of her going into the observatory at all. AT ALL. So forgive me for being exasperated, but it really seems as if the author just ran out of ideas to get the story going, to get some semblance of a climax in motion, that she wrote down the first convenient thing that crossed her mind.
What confuses me largely, is why people are always so keen on helping Avalon . I'm serious. Random strangers warn her of her short life expectancy, and tries to save her. Random barkeepers would rather have his bar trashed and brush up against the law, also turning down massive rewards, simply to protect a girl he had never seen before in his life. Mysterious, aloof singers are ready to unveal their secret identities and embark on a quest to help her rescue her pet - her, a girl whom she has no previous dealings with!
It all reads like a poorly-plotted RPG game, where you have sudden, unexpected, random travelers join your party for no other reason than just because.
There were many inconsistencies. The most outstanding one was Avalon's main reason of running from home, which was because she couldn't control her powers as a Fire Mage, and since her younger sister is not a Fire Mage, she could do her some serious harm.
However, as we move along with the story, it became evident that she exhibits none of this "lack of control". In fact, when asked to demonstrate her powers to her potential Master, she does so without a sweat.
Another minor inconsistency is her actions as a servant. I'm very annoyed at the trend in YA novels where, our protagonist being the special cookie she is, gets to demonstrate behaviour that would normally get her in trouble. Asking questions to your Master? Walking into rooms as you please? Snooping around? No, Avalon. That is not what servants do.
I did like the character of Jack - until! one particular scene, where Avalon was almost raped and had to be rescued by Jack, and--
Jack stepped over Noah's limp body and looked at me, sprawled across the bed, my uniform hitched around my waist. The look her gave me quite clearly said I told you so.
And speaking of that almost-rape scene, here is another reason why I detest Avalon:
Another part of me still had feelings for Noah Forsythe, as stupid as that was. Had he not been a perfect gentleman in all our evenings together? It had only been that one night of disaster where he had lost control. I often wondered why he had left the morning after.
He was going to rape you, idiot girl! You don't wonder why he left, you should just be glad he's gone! You shouldn't be making excuses for him! I cannot believe I'm reading this. It had only been that one night my hat! It seems that when all's said and done, everything's a-ok as long as you're a good looking fellow.
But those are the majority of my complaints for Frost Arch. Needless to say, I won't be picking up the next book.
27 Sept. '12
Not sure I'm liking the writing so far...
18 Sept. '17
Hmmmmmmmmm..... is it just me or have I seen this cover before on another book? Or two million others.
February 15, 2015
This review first appeared on my review blog, The Book Drunkard.
Summary:
Frost Arch, by Kate Bloomfield, is the story of Avalon "Ava" Redding, a Fire Mage who lives in a world where Humans are slaves, Mages are in charge, and how you live depends on how much power you have. Avalon, whose power is midlevel, moves to the city of Frost Arch, a place where curiosity and telling the truth can make your life very difficult. She works as a maid for the Forsythe household. While there, she becomes friends with a Healer, Jack Greenwood, and, with his help, raises the winged fox (named Hawthorne) that she rescues earlier in the story. As the novel goes on, Avalon's life repeatedly gets threatened with each secret she uncovers, from her Master's hidden collection, to the reason why Frost Arch is stuck in a constant winter. It all eventually leads to a deadly battle between Avalon and the most powerful Mage in all of Frost Arch.
My Thoughts:
Oh, Frost Arch...I wanted to like you so much. Your premise is so promising: magic, mystery, clever animals, and an underdog main character...what could be better? Unfortunately, the delivery didn't live up to the promise. Even when I overlook the many spelling and grammar mistakes (which were truly excruciating), it's still impossible for me to like this book. One of the biggest marks against Frost Arch is its main character.
Avalon Redding is one of the most annoying characters I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Almost all of her misfortunes are the result of her own selfishness, carelessness, and downright stupidity, and what's worse is that she and her friends barely even acknowledge it. In fact, I don't get why her friends even like her, let alone risk their lives for her. She constantly disregards other people's wishes, she gets angry at every little thing (especially when someone dares to tell her "no"), and she has an awful habit of pointing out the obvious and thinking she's "clever" or something. Now, I'm not saying that the main character of a story has to be good, or even likeable; on the contrary, unlikable characters can be just as interesting as the more pleasant ones, sometimes even more so. However, even the most unlikable protagonist should have something relatable or understandable about them; it shouldn't be the case that a character who the author clearly wants you to like is so annoying that you have to stop reading every 10 pages.
Something else that really bothered me about Frost Arch is the fact that Bloomfield (or at least, Avalon) seems to think that "ugly" = bad, or otherwise undeserving of affection. There are several points in the book where Avalon, sometimes accompanying Jack, sometimes not, has to interact with the woman who runs the town's post office. Avalon is so repulsed by the appearance of this woman, who is described as a "large, older woman with long, grey fly away hair," that, when Jack flirts with and jokes around with her, calling her a "lovely lady," Avalon's first thoughts are "this Gretchen was far from lovely. She reminded me of a pug-dog. She even seemed to have a moustache." She starts to feel guilty, but the feeling doesn't last. The next time we see Gretchen, there are mentions of wobbling double chins, plump figures, and of course (and this is more on Bloomfield than Avalon), a "mouth full of pastry." Earlier, Avalon even shudders at the thought of being friendly with her. Strangely, the "ugly = unloveable" mentality doesn't really go the other way. Two of the main villains are described as being very good-looking, even when they hurt Avalon. But then, maybe that's part of the reason I don't like this aspect of Frost Arch; there's so much description of physical beauty, and the awe that Avalon feels when she sees a pretty face, that it's almost like Bloomfield's main priority was always physical description first, story second. In fact, every time the character Raeven appears, there's always a pages-long description of just how amazingly beautiful she is.
My last problem with Frost Arch is the quality of the writing, specifically word-choice. This isn't a huge deal, but it does get really annoying when the same word or phrase is repeated over and over again for no reason. In this case, the word "trundled" appears 8 times, all of them when Avalon is out in the snow. Bloomfield could have easily used the words "walked," "rolled," "trudged," "waddled," "plodded"...you get the idea. There's no need to use the same word (especially this particular word) so many times. Once or twice is enough. Also, not every redhead needs to be described as having "fiery hair" or a "fiery temper." People who write about redheaded characters: please find some different words and phrases with which to describe them!
Thankfully, there are one or two bright spots in this book. The best parts have to do with Avalon's companion/pet, Hawthorne. Hawthorne is intelligent, strong, and protective. He can camouflage his coat, and he can fly. The scene where Hawthorne first learns how to fly is probably one of a few great passages. When Bloomfield describes Avalon's feelings as she soars through the air on Hawthorne's back, it's almost as though I were there in her place. I love reading about the sensation of flying, and Bloomfield does a very nice job with those scenes. The second good part is the final battle. We finally get to see Mages use their powers in cool ways, and it. Is. Awesome. Fire and ice are fun elements to read about, and when they're paired against each other, the results are usually exciting. That battle is the only section of Frost Arch where I didn't check to see how many more pages I had until the end.
Final Verdict:
1 out of 5 stars
Sorry, Frost Arch, but a couple of good parts can't make up for the rest of a book being terrible.
Note: I received the Frost Arch e-book for free from Shut Up & Read's Read It & Reap giveaway.
Summary:
Frost Arch, by Kate Bloomfield, is the story of Avalon "Ava" Redding, a Fire Mage who lives in a world where Humans are slaves, Mages are in charge, and how you live depends on how much power you have. Avalon, whose power is midlevel, moves to the city of Frost Arch, a place where curiosity and telling the truth can make your life very difficult. She works as a maid for the Forsythe household. While there, she becomes friends with a Healer, Jack Greenwood, and, with his help, raises the winged fox (named Hawthorne) that she rescues earlier in the story. As the novel goes on, Avalon's life repeatedly gets threatened with each secret she uncovers, from her Master's hidden collection, to the reason why Frost Arch is stuck in a constant winter. It all eventually leads to a deadly battle between Avalon and the most powerful Mage in all of Frost Arch.
My Thoughts:
Oh, Frost Arch...I wanted to like you so much. Your premise is so promising: magic, mystery, clever animals, and an underdog main character...what could be better? Unfortunately, the delivery didn't live up to the promise. Even when I overlook the many spelling and grammar mistakes (which were truly excruciating), it's still impossible for me to like this book. One of the biggest marks against Frost Arch is its main character.
Avalon Redding is one of the most annoying characters I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Almost all of her misfortunes are the result of her own selfishness, carelessness, and downright stupidity, and what's worse is that she and her friends barely even acknowledge it. In fact, I don't get why her friends even like her, let alone risk their lives for her. She constantly disregards other people's wishes, she gets angry at every little thing (especially when someone dares to tell her "no"), and she has an awful habit of pointing out the obvious and thinking she's "clever" or something. Now, I'm not saying that the main character of a story has to be good, or even likeable; on the contrary, unlikable characters can be just as interesting as the more pleasant ones, sometimes even more so. However, even the most unlikable protagonist should have something relatable or understandable about them; it shouldn't be the case that a character who the author clearly wants you to like is so annoying that you have to stop reading every 10 pages.
Something else that really bothered me about Frost Arch is the fact that Bloomfield (or at least, Avalon) seems to think that "ugly" = bad, or otherwise undeserving of affection. There are several points in the book where Avalon, sometimes accompanying Jack, sometimes not, has to interact with the woman who runs the town's post office. Avalon is so repulsed by the appearance of this woman, who is described as a "large, older woman with long, grey fly away hair," that, when Jack flirts with and jokes around with her, calling her a "lovely lady," Avalon's first thoughts are "this Gretchen was far from lovely. She reminded me of a pug-dog. She even seemed to have a moustache." She starts to feel guilty, but the feeling doesn't last. The next time we see Gretchen, there are mentions of wobbling double chins, plump figures, and of course (and this is more on Bloomfield than Avalon), a "mouth full of pastry." Earlier, Avalon even shudders at the thought of being friendly with her. Strangely, the "ugly = unloveable" mentality doesn't really go the other way. Two of the main villains are described as being very good-looking, even when they hurt Avalon. But then, maybe that's part of the reason I don't like this aspect of Frost Arch; there's so much description of physical beauty, and the awe that Avalon feels when she sees a pretty face, that it's almost like Bloomfield's main priority was always physical description first, story second. In fact, every time the character Raeven appears, there's always a pages-long description of just how amazingly beautiful she is.
My last problem with Frost Arch is the quality of the writing, specifically word-choice. This isn't a huge deal, but it does get really annoying when the same word or phrase is repeated over and over again for no reason. In this case, the word "trundled" appears 8 times, all of them when Avalon is out in the snow. Bloomfield could have easily used the words "walked," "rolled," "trudged," "waddled," "plodded"...you get the idea. There's no need to use the same word (especially this particular word) so many times. Once or twice is enough. Also, not every redhead needs to be described as having "fiery hair" or a "fiery temper." People who write about redheaded characters: please find some different words and phrases with which to describe them!
Thankfully, there are one or two bright spots in this book. The best parts have to do with Avalon's companion/pet, Hawthorne. Hawthorne is intelligent, strong, and protective. He can camouflage his coat, and he can fly. The scene where Hawthorne first learns how to fly is probably one of a few great passages. When Bloomfield describes Avalon's feelings as she soars through the air on Hawthorne's back, it's almost as though I were there in her place. I love reading about the sensation of flying, and Bloomfield does a very nice job with those scenes. The second good part is the final battle. We finally get to see Mages use their powers in cool ways, and it. Is. Awesome. Fire and ice are fun elements to read about, and when they're paired against each other, the results are usually exciting. That battle is the only section of Frost Arch where I didn't check to see how many more pages I had until the end.
Final Verdict:
1 out of 5 stars
Sorry, Frost Arch, but a couple of good parts can't make up for the rest of a book being terrible.
Note: I received the Frost Arch e-book for free from Shut Up & Read's Read It & Reap giveaway.
September 28, 2012
Let me start by saying that I wanted to love this book. The cover is beautiful and the premise appeared to be interesting. However, due to the many grammatical errors, it was a difficult read. I find it hard to enjoy a book that contains so many sentence fragments and repeated word choices.
The character development is at times confusing. Avalon Redding is an immature character, with random thoughts and behavior. When she meets someone, she is only interested in their physical appearance. When she meets Raeven she thinks, ‘Her beauty scared me.’ Many of her thoughts are actually contradictory. ‘She looked exactly like me. I was quite sure that I was not as pretty as this lady.’
Avalon has very rambling thoughts. She thinks about her family when in the middle of town on errands, not in the quiet moments in her room. During most of The Frost Arch narrative, the events and Avalon’s thoughts are not quite related. When she has just been kidnapped and is being pulled into an alley by what she thinks is a dangerous man, she has a realization, ‘I had left home to protect myself from Helena. To protect myself from the fact that she was Human and I did not want to be caught hiding her from the Realm of Mages. I had run away to live and not be imprisoned for this crime.' Really? She’s in the middle of being kidnapped and that’s what’s on her mind??? Not thinking about escape or the current situation?
Avalon quirks, ‘I do seem to be a magnet for bad luck’. Yeah! Self-inflicted bad luck because of her own poor choices and a curiosity that she refuses to control.
She is attracted to Noah Forsythe, simply because of his physical appearance. She has been told by the only two people she knows and trusts that it could be dangerous to be alone with him. When she finds out that Noah can control someone completely by his mind, she asks him,‘Show me.’ Right!! Anyone could guess where that was eventually headed.
I found Jack to be a one-dimensional character. His father was mistreated by the master of the manor, yet he has no thoughts of leaving and starting a life on his own. When Avalon asks him, ‘Have you ever thought about… going to look for him?’ ‘A lot.’ Jack replies, ‘But… I guess I’m scared to leave and to go alone.’ I wanted to see more of his character development.
When Avalon is about to get locked in the forbidden secret room she thinks, ‘If I had to hazard a guess, I would say he was in his mid sixties, so it would be perfectly normal for him to forget something simple like locking his secret room.’ What?? I’m almost sixty now so I guess I’m automatically forgetful. I wish I had forgotten to read this book!
The character development is at times confusing. Avalon Redding is an immature character, with random thoughts and behavior. When she meets someone, she is only interested in their physical appearance. When she meets Raeven she thinks, ‘Her beauty scared me.’ Many of her thoughts are actually contradictory. ‘She looked exactly like me. I was quite sure that I was not as pretty as this lady.’
Avalon has very rambling thoughts. She thinks about her family when in the middle of town on errands, not in the quiet moments in her room. During most of The Frost Arch narrative, the events and Avalon’s thoughts are not quite related. When she has just been kidnapped and is being pulled into an alley by what she thinks is a dangerous man, she has a realization, ‘I had left home to protect myself from Helena. To protect myself from the fact that she was Human and I did not want to be caught hiding her from the Realm of Mages. I had run away to live and not be imprisoned for this crime.' Really? She’s in the middle of being kidnapped and that’s what’s on her mind??? Not thinking about escape or the current situation?
Avalon quirks, ‘I do seem to be a magnet for bad luck’. Yeah! Self-inflicted bad luck because of her own poor choices and a curiosity that she refuses to control.
She is attracted to Noah Forsythe, simply because of his physical appearance. She has been told by the only two people she knows and trusts that it could be dangerous to be alone with him. When she finds out that Noah can control someone completely by his mind, she asks him,‘Show me.’ Right!! Anyone could guess where that was eventually headed.
I found Jack to be a one-dimensional character. His father was mistreated by the master of the manor, yet he has no thoughts of leaving and starting a life on his own. When Avalon asks him, ‘Have you ever thought about… going to look for him?’ ‘A lot.’ Jack replies, ‘But… I guess I’m scared to leave and to go alone.’ I wanted to see more of his character development.
When Avalon is about to get locked in the forbidden secret room she thinks, ‘If I had to hazard a guess, I would say he was in his mid sixties, so it would be perfectly normal for him to forget something simple like locking his secret room.’ What?? I’m almost sixty now so I guess I’m automatically forgetful. I wish I had forgotten to read this book!
September 17, 2023
A Write to Review
Note: I received this book from the author for an honest review.
In a dystopian future where ignorance has led to the downfall of society as we know it, humans are enslaved while Mages, advanced individuals with extraordinary abilities, hold dominion over the land. Among them is Avalon, an eighteen-year-old Mage with the power of fire at her disposal. However, her inability to control this formidable gift forces her to make a difficult decision—she leaves her family behind in the dead of night and embarks on a journey to the city of Frost Arch, facing an uncertain and challenging future.
Avalon's path is fraught with trials and hardships, and her ultimate test will be whether she can conquer the adversities that come her way. Along the way, she must find the strength to save her loved ones and stay resolute in her quest for self-discovery and survival.
I was terribly wrong; I do not always enjoy fire mages, especially ones named Avalon Redding. By her own design, Ava’s bad luck runs amuck. Not only does she come off stupid but the book reads like she is overly obsessed with physical beauty. I did not really find any redeeming qualities in her character. Her whole thought process was slow making the story draw out when the reader was already able to get to the point over fifty pages before she did. Jack was a one-dimensional character who never was fully developed. I read the book expecting more out of him. The only character I actually liked in the book was Hawthorne. He was an intelligent being and highly protective.
I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. It has a good premise and an eye-catching cover. Besides having to get over all of the grammatical mistakes (I can usually ignore them because my grammar is atrocious too) the book ended up being too drawn out with no substance to the plot. I doubt if I will be able to make it onto the next book in the trilogy.
(two stars for the cover)
Note: I received this book from the author for an honest review.
In a dystopian future where ignorance has led to the downfall of society as we know it, humans are enslaved while Mages, advanced individuals with extraordinary abilities, hold dominion over the land. Among them is Avalon, an eighteen-year-old Mage with the power of fire at her disposal. However, her inability to control this formidable gift forces her to make a difficult decision—she leaves her family behind in the dead of night and embarks on a journey to the city of Frost Arch, facing an uncertain and challenging future.
Avalon's path is fraught with trials and hardships, and her ultimate test will be whether she can conquer the adversities that come her way. Along the way, she must find the strength to save her loved ones and stay resolute in her quest for self-discovery and survival.
I was terribly wrong; I do not always enjoy fire mages, especially ones named Avalon Redding. By her own design, Ava’s bad luck runs amuck. Not only does she come off stupid but the book reads like she is overly obsessed with physical beauty. I did not really find any redeeming qualities in her character. Her whole thought process was slow making the story draw out when the reader was already able to get to the point over fifty pages before she did. Jack was a one-dimensional character who never was fully developed. I read the book expecting more out of him. The only character I actually liked in the book was Hawthorne. He was an intelligent being and highly protective.
I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. It has a good premise and an eye-catching cover. Besides having to get over all of the grammatical mistakes (I can usually ignore them because my grammar is atrocious too) the book ended up being too drawn out with no substance to the plot. I doubt if I will be able to make it onto the next book in the trilogy.
(two stars for the cover)
July 19, 2012
Eh, I like the premise of the book and it's a cute story (you'll love Hawthorne, Jack, and Raeven) but there are some problems with how the story is told.
There's a lot of choppy parts to this story where it blends from scene to the next with no transition.
The main character is self involved to a point of annoyance.
The villains aren't fleshed out.
You'll question how one girl can garnish so much loyalty from people she just assumes will help her.
My biggest pet peeve: the author uses the word QUITE too much. I'm a Yank, with that being said, I love English dialect and authors----I found myself annoyed with the word quite by the time I was done with the novel. Now, I typically roll my eyes when people bitch about grammar and editing (it's an ebook folks, there will ALWAYS be some issue) but if bothered me so much that I just dedicated an entire paragraph of my review to it.
Read the book, I'll be reading the second one, but just expect some irritation towards the author because it's a given.
There's a lot of choppy parts to this story where it blends from scene to the next with no transition.
The main character is self involved to a point of annoyance.
The villains aren't fleshed out.
You'll question how one girl can garnish so much loyalty from people she just assumes will help her.
My biggest pet peeve: the author uses the word QUITE too much. I'm a Yank, with that being said, I love English dialect and authors----I found myself annoyed with the word quite by the time I was done with the novel. Now, I typically roll my eyes when people bitch about grammar and editing (it's an ebook folks, there will ALWAYS be some issue) but if bothered me so much that I just dedicated an entire paragraph of my review to it.
Read the book, I'll be reading the second one, but just expect some irritation towards the author because it's a given.
June 16, 2012
This is a book that needs some serious editing! Between the whining heroine, the glaring references to the X-men (even if the author isn't aware of them) and the editing that obviously wasn't done, I gave up on this book.
The premise had promise, a lot of promise, but the execution left me shuddering.
The premise had promise, a lot of promise, but the execution left me shuddering.
September 27, 2018
Nope, sorry. Can't do it. When absolutely none of the dialogue is correctly punctuated and there are way too many homophones - such as 'queue' used in the place of 'cue' - I simply don't have the patience. Typos are one thing: not having a grasp of the written English language is another.
I will try again when my standards are not quite so high.
I will try again when my standards are not quite so high.
September 28, 2012
Notes:
- Author provided a copy of the book for an honest review.
- I also read the prequel short story (before reading this book) which briefly introduces the tension between Jack and Camryn, and the history of Mages and Humans.
Character Development: 8/10
Avalon's initial predicament is very believable. The setup was believable, and it was presented appropriately. Jack's role in the manor is appropriate, considering his back story, and the fact that Camryn and Jack work together is also believable. Additionally, the Forsythes embody the stereotypical rich person, not bothering with "the help". The mystery surrounding Raeven is appropriate and characteristic of her name and appearance (as well as her backstory)
Character Continuity: 5/10
Story-telling Continuity: 6/10
There are many awkward transitions from one scene to the next without any visual cues. The book is sizable, and with only 21 chapters, there's definitely space to break things up a little bit more. Most scene transitions could benefit from either a new chapter or some sort of horizontal line-break to indicate that the topic and subject is about to change.
There were also a few loose ends which never got tied in:
- Camryn:
- Noah:
- Seth:
Story / World: 9/10
The world was believable. Humans vs Mages resulting in the enslaving of Humans (although Human is simply a term for Powerless Mage, yes?). The lack of technology is easily explained by the Mages forsaking that which is the result of the Human condition (technology), as their Powers exist, rendering much of the technology obsolete.
I was definitely invested in the story, and can only imagine just how expansive it can be, considering this story took place in just 1 city.
Story Pacing: 6/10
The pacing of the story was quite slow. A lot of time was spent on the daily tedium of Ava's work in the manor, and an exceptional amount of time was spent around Hawthorne (though he serves as a highly motivating factor in the end). At 40% into the book, I still had no idea where it was going, and there was very little suspense.
There are TONS of great ideas and story elements in here, but the execution in pacing is a little bit off.
Etymology: 4/10
One thing that sets the Harry Potter's of the world apart is the unique names for everything. Everyone in the story is understood to be human, biologically, with the addition of Powers. Any other term, such as Powerless (which serves 2 purposes), would be a much more effective term to convey the hopelessness of being a human.
Overall: 8/10
Overall, the story has a believable background, it's far enough removed from present times to be completely foreign, but still remain on Earth, explaining some of the artifacts. Avalon, Jack, and Raeven's characters are both believable and extraordinary. Hawthorne is the obligatory Animal Not to Scale, and his absence leaves an empty feeling, serving its purpose.
Minor issues in execution, but the core is definitely there, and definitely gripping. I certainly appreciated the opportunity to read this book, and will likely be purchasing the second book, after I finish a few more in my Kindle queue
- Author provided a copy of the book for an honest review.
- I also read the prequel short story (before reading this book) which briefly introduces the tension between Jack and Camryn, and the history of Mages and Humans.
Character Development: 8/10
Avalon's initial predicament is very believable. The setup was believable, and it was presented appropriately. Jack's role in the manor is appropriate, considering his back story, and the fact that Camryn and Jack work together is also believable. Additionally, the Forsythes embody the stereotypical rich person, not bothering with "the help". The mystery surrounding Raeven is appropriate and characteristic of her name and appearance (as well as her backstory)
Character Continuity: 5/10
Story-telling Continuity: 6/10
There are many awkward transitions from one scene to the next without any visual cues. The book is sizable, and with only 21 chapters, there's definitely space to break things up a little bit more. Most scene transitions could benefit from either a new chapter or some sort of horizontal line-break to indicate that the topic and subject is about to change.
There were also a few loose ends which never got tied in:
- Camryn:
- Noah:
- Seth:
Story / World: 9/10
The world was believable. Humans vs Mages resulting in the enslaving of Humans (although Human is simply a term for Powerless Mage, yes?). The lack of technology is easily explained by the Mages forsaking that which is the result of the Human condition (technology), as their Powers exist, rendering much of the technology obsolete.
I was definitely invested in the story, and can only imagine just how expansive it can be, considering this story took place in just 1 city.
Story Pacing: 6/10
The pacing of the story was quite slow. A lot of time was spent on the daily tedium of Ava's work in the manor, and an exceptional amount of time was spent around Hawthorne (though he serves as a highly motivating factor in the end). At 40% into the book, I still had no idea where it was going, and there was very little suspense.
There are TONS of great ideas and story elements in here, but the execution in pacing is a little bit off.
Etymology: 4/10
One thing that sets the Harry Potter's of the world apart is the unique names for everything. Everyone in the story is understood to be human, biologically, with the addition of Powers. Any other term, such as Powerless (which serves 2 purposes), would be a much more effective term to convey the hopelessness of being a human.
Overall: 8/10
Overall, the story has a believable background, it's far enough removed from present times to be completely foreign, but still remain on Earth, explaining some of the artifacts. Avalon, Jack, and Raeven's characters are both believable and extraordinary. Hawthorne is the obligatory Animal Not to Scale, and his absence leaves an empty feeling, serving its purpose.
Minor issues in execution, but the core is definitely there, and definitely gripping. I certainly appreciated the opportunity to read this book, and will likely be purchasing the second book, after I finish a few more in my Kindle queue
January 9, 2016
DNF.
I have so many questions and there is a lot of confusion going on with this book. I think it has a great idea, but still, NOPE. I wanted to like it so much, plus, the cover totally bought me! But I don't think I could handle this one...
I have so many questions and there is a lot of confusion going on with this book. I think it has a great idea, but still, NOPE. I wanted to like it so much, plus, the cover totally bought me! But I don't think I could handle this one...
September 23, 2012
Be sure to check out my blog, at Michelle’s Paranormal Vault of Books for more reviews and extras. You will find an expert of Frost Arch at my review there.
This book totally hooked me in, hook, line and sinker, right from the start. Its such an interesting story, and not at all what I expected. It was a totally original idea to me.
The whole idea of magic people, called Mages, like our main character, Avalon, is a Fire Mage, she can control fire, produce it, everything. There are many different types, Ice Mage, Healers, like her friend Jack. Ones that can read minds, etc. Anyone who does not have a power, is treated like garbage, called a Human, which to them is like an animal, slaves, etc. Its like 500 or more years in the future, and technology does not exist anymore, everything is controlled with the magic of the Mages. Its quite interesting how the evolution of the Mage, changed over the years. It was fun and intense to read.
Avalon, our Fire Mage in this story is quite the character. I love her friend Jack, he reminded me of Puck in the Iron Fey series, his personality just reminded me so much of him. Happy go lucky type, and he is a great friend to Avalon. I will say, Avalon is one tough cookie, to go through what she does, it would have drove me insane. I wont tell you what, its quite disturbing really, but overall this is a great story. I am so happy it’s a series, and very glad it had a pleasant ending, not some giant cliffhanger. I am going to get the second book as soon as I can, as I am anxious to read what happens next.
I loved Ræven Blacklock, she was an amazing and unique character. And who wouldn’t love Hawthorne, I am not telling you who he is, you get to discover the wonder of Hawthorne yourself, he is amazing!
The only thing I was missing in this book, is a romantic relationship for Avalon. She is 18, and should have one, I mean, her and Jack are close, but it’s a best friends type thing. Although, I think they have feelings for one another, but it could be one of those that develop over the series, which is fine, as I get a little sick of the insta-love we find in so many books nowadays.
Give this one a try. But keep in mind, it’s got some disturbing abuse type parts, and really more for mature readers. I mean, mature 16-17 year olds should be fine reading it, the story as a whole would attract a wide range of ages, so its why I mention it.
Flamethroat is the 2nd book in the Fire Mage Trilogy, and I am looking forward to it. I also downloaded the free Prequel of Jack Greenwood before meeting Avalon, its said to read this Frost Arch first. (get it at Smashwords Jack Greenwood at Smashwoods I read that we should read Frost Arch first, before Jack Greenwood, just FYI
Also, just seen that another free Prequel will be coming soon, called Ræven Blacklock, you can see that amazing cover at authors blog, or at her Goodreads page.
5 out of 5 stars for me!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review from the group at Goodreads called Shut Up & Read.
Other books in series:
July 30, 2017
In a postapocalyptic future, Mages - those who have developed supernatural powers - rule and regular humans without such gifts are enslaved. Avalon is a fire mage who has trouble controlling her powers. Afraid she will inadvertently hurt someone, especially her little sister who hasn't deveoped powers of her own for an unknown reason, she runs away in the middle of the night, hitching a ride from an acquaintance on the way to the city of Frost Arch to make a delivery. Finding that the cargo is a strange animal potentially intended for nefarious purposes, she promptly makes off with it and takes on a position as a servant in the manor of the wealthy Forsythe family where she can put her gift to use while hiding her mysterious fast-growing pet from her employers, which is getting increasingly difficult.
Some interesting ideas in the premise, but the execution was lacking in many ways. The book could definitely have used an editor - I feel compelled to dock it one star merely for the extreme annoyance caused by repeatedly mixing up "your" and "you're" (if you can't get those right, you have no business writing a book, damn it!). Some plotlines, like the Seth Swaggart character with his dire prophecies, didn't seem to go anywhere or have any purpose at all. The writing style needs practice, often sounding overly simplistic and amateurish. What put me off most about this book was the protagonist, though: Avalon is an ignorant, selfish little moron who gives no thought to the consequences her ill-advised actions might have for others (case in point: Jefferson) and needs everything spelled out for her because she is apparently incapable of forming a single useful thought in her oh-so-pretty head.
Some interesting ideas in the premise, but the execution was lacking in many ways. The book could definitely have used an editor - I feel compelled to dock it one star merely for the extreme annoyance caused by repeatedly mixing up "your" and "you're" (if you can't get those right, you have no business writing a book, damn it!). Some plotlines, like the Seth Swaggart character with his dire prophecies, didn't seem to go anywhere or have any purpose at all. The writing style needs practice, often sounding overly simplistic and amateurish. What put me off most about this book was the protagonist, though: Avalon is an ignorant, selfish little moron who gives no thought to the consequences her ill-advised actions might have for others (case in point: Jefferson) and needs everything spelled out for her because she is apparently incapable of forming a single useful thought in her oh-so-pretty head.
September 24, 2012
I really loved this book, I thought it was well written, had engaging characters and an interesting storyline that just seemed to flow.
storyline
It was an engaging story and I liked the fact that humans were not the superior species and that mages were. The idea of low level mage's working for the rich or high level mage's was a brilliant idea and the fact that there is a mage for practically every job.
There was a few slow bit's but mostly the story flowed nicely with all the characters working together. A bit more action would have been a little nice.
characters
Avalon- I find her to be a little on the weak side to begin with but has the story progressed she started to become a strong character who could stand her own.
There were times when I found her to be moany and always complaining but then she changed and I like the character.
Jack- I found Jack to be a little annoying another one of those male characters with a hero complex, but has the story progressed and Avalon grew stronger has a character he became a more likeable character.
My favourite character had to be Howthorne .
Elvira Frost- she was not a very bad baddie but then she wasn't really in it long enough to be bad which was a little disappointing.
My only problem with this book is it didn't seem to have a definate plot, and am not sure what they is to follow on but I bought the second book so I'll find out.
storyline
It was an engaging story and I liked the fact that humans were not the superior species and that mages were. The idea of low level mage's working for the rich or high level mage's was a brilliant idea and the fact that there is a mage for practically every job.
There was a few slow bit's but mostly the story flowed nicely with all the characters working together. A bit more action would have been a little nice.
characters
Avalon- I find her to be a little on the weak side to begin with but has the story progressed she started to become a strong character who could stand her own.
There were times when I found her to be moany and always complaining but then she changed and I like the character.
Jack- I found Jack to be a little annoying another one of those male characters with a hero complex, but has the story progressed and Avalon grew stronger has a character he became a more likeable character.
My favourite character had to be Howthorne .
Elvira Frost- she was not a very bad baddie but then she wasn't really in it long enough to be bad which was a little disappointing.
My only problem with this book is it didn't seem to have a definate plot, and am not sure what they is to follow on but I bought the second book so I'll find out.
September 11, 2012
I'm a teacher in a middle school, where we work our butts off trying to teach our kids to write well and use good grammar. I therefore found it very distracting that this book, which I purchased on my Kindle, was full of punctuation mistakes, misused synonyms and other grammatical errors. If you spent all this time writing your story, why wouldn't you read it thoroughly to correct such mistakes? Lest you think I'm an incredibly picky English teacher, I actually teach math and still found the mistakes distracting and hard to ignore.
I thought the story was engaging and creative. Parts were a bit predictable, but who doesn't enjoy guessing what will happen next? I hope that Ms. Bloomfield will be continue to tell her stories, but be more aware of writing in a more professional and polished manner.
I thought the story was engaging and creative. Parts were a bit predictable, but who doesn't enjoy guessing what will happen next? I hope that Ms. Bloomfield will be continue to tell her stories, but be more aware of writing in a more professional and polished manner.
September 25, 2012
Avalon Redding is a Fire Mage with little control over her power, which makes her dangerous in the eyes of many...including herself. To keep her family, especially her very human sister, safe from harm, Avalon runs away to the city of Frost Arch. Here she makes friends, something she has never had before, and enemies.
I enjoyed parts of this book, but really got tired of all the many, various trials that Avalon encountered. Parts of the book were slow but then others were interesting. This book did not draw me in but it was an entertaining read. The ending...eh. No spoilers here so you'll have to read it for yourself.
Thanks so much to Kate Bloomfield & Shut Up and Read for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!
I enjoyed parts of this book, but really got tired of all the many, various trials that Avalon encountered. Parts of the book were slow but then others were interesting. This book did not draw me in but it was an entertaining read. The ending...eh. No spoilers here so you'll have to read it for yourself.
Thanks so much to Kate Bloomfield & Shut Up and Read for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!
November 24, 2014
I liked the plot, I liked the characters. Normally that would mean a four- or five-star rating from me. However, I really think someone should have proofread this before putting it up in the kindle store. It was polluted with grammar and spelling errors.
The phrasing that struck me hardest was the mention of a "chicken coup". This piqued my interest. Were these chickens in battle? Which piece of poultry had performed the aforementioned heroic deed? Or did she mean "chicken coup d'etat"?
If she felt the need to include chickens overthrowing the government in her story, I feel she should have followed up on that plot point, instead of mentioning it once and never again.
On another note, I liked the Jack character.
The phrasing that struck me hardest was the mention of a "chicken coup". This piqued my interest. Were these chickens in battle? Which piece of poultry had performed the aforementioned heroic deed? Or did she mean "chicken coup d'etat"?
If she felt the need to include chickens overthrowing the government in her story, I feel she should have followed up on that plot point, instead of mentioning it once and never again.
On another note, I liked the Jack character.
February 28, 2012
I borrowed this from the Kindle free Lending Library. It started out okay. There are a great many typos in the book. I found sympathizing with Avalon very difficult. After a while the plot reminded me of a Syfy made for TV movie.
Here is what I DID like (I why I did not stop reading): The premise is a good one. I would have liked this story from a human POV, not Avalon's but okay. The world building was not too shabby, although I would like to know why every village is called an "arch". Raeven is a very cool character.
Overall, I did not like it enough to continue reading this as a series. I think an editor would have greatly improved the pacing, grammar, and characterization.
Here is what I DID like (I why I did not stop reading): The premise is a good one. I would have liked this story from a human POV, not Avalon's but okay. The world building was not too shabby, although I would like to know why every village is called an "arch". Raeven is a very cool character.
Overall, I did not like it enough to continue reading this as a series. I think an editor would have greatly improved the pacing, grammar, and characterization.
February 25, 2015
While this was an interesting book I was distracted by the many grammatical errors. The plot was excessively simplistic and had no depth. I was sadly reminded of Bella and have to wonder if she and Avalon are related.
August 19, 2012
The Frost Arch (Fire Mage Trilogy) is book with science fiction and fantasy mixed together. It was a great book and I found it hard to put down.
Can you image human slaves in a science fiction book? This is nothing like the slavery that took place in America. I have to hand it to this author for putting a little bit of history into such a fantastic book.
It is interesting to think about what it would be like to have an obsession for the human way of life as Master did, even after it has been destroyed by humans.
Mistress Elvira Frost had a wonderful idea when she came up with Frost Arch Law. I thought it was awesome that if you crossed Mistress Elvira Frost you are going to be imprisoned immediately and it really left me wondering how much it would take to cross her. I got a little laugh out of her character.
My heart was just filled when I read about Avalon and how she felt that Jack loved her, such romance she has. It is just so touching and sweet.
One will have to read the book to find out if Avalon can control her dangerous powers, it left me guessing, but I was a bit surprised after reading the book, but I loved the character all the same.
I am excited to read on and see what is in store for the readers in the next book. I love to read books that leave us on the edge and wondering what comes next.
It is great when authors like Kate Bloomfield write books that are geared towards young adults but in reality it is a book for anyone who love fantasy. It is a book everyone will enjoy.
It is a must read, even for the joy of finding out really happens at the end. Once a book catches my attention as this one did, I have to keep reading till the end. I hope that you enjoy the books as much as I did.
Can you image human slaves in a science fiction book? This is nothing like the slavery that took place in America. I have to hand it to this author for putting a little bit of history into such a fantastic book.
It is interesting to think about what it would be like to have an obsession for the human way of life as Master did, even after it has been destroyed by humans.
Mistress Elvira Frost had a wonderful idea when she came up with Frost Arch Law. I thought it was awesome that if you crossed Mistress Elvira Frost you are going to be imprisoned immediately and it really left me wondering how much it would take to cross her. I got a little laugh out of her character.
My heart was just filled when I read about Avalon and how she felt that Jack loved her, such romance she has. It is just so touching and sweet.
One will have to read the book to find out if Avalon can control her dangerous powers, it left me guessing, but I was a bit surprised after reading the book, but I loved the character all the same.
I am excited to read on and see what is in store for the readers in the next book. I love to read books that leave us on the edge and wondering what comes next.
It is great when authors like Kate Bloomfield write books that are geared towards young adults but in reality it is a book for anyone who love fantasy. It is a book everyone will enjoy.
It is a must read, even for the joy of finding out really happens at the end. Once a book catches my attention as this one did, I have to keep reading till the end. I hope that you enjoy the books as much as I did.
September 24, 2012
Title: Frost Arch
Author: Kate Bloomfield
Format: ebook
Genre: YA Science Fiction, Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Dystopia
I gave Frost Arch three stars. The story was interesting but not much on the romance side. It has a few errors but none that I can recall at the moment therefore not too bad since I can’t remember any. People with different abilities that manipulate fire, cold, some who can fly and some that heal, there are even some that can communicate with animals. There is also a siren that can make anyone feel bliss with just one song but can also drive you insane.
Avalon Redding is a fire mage and is superior to those Humans that are void of power. She meets Jack Greenwood, Seth Swaggart, Camryn and Gretchen as soon as she arrives at Frosh Arch and starts working at Forsythe Manner as a servant.
Avalon Redding does things without thinking of the consequences. She seemed a little selfish and immature when it came to her actions and her family. She puts people that try to help her in danger and only thinks about her problems. Her friends help her out of difficult situations without batting an eye.
After reading this book I think it is geared more toward a younger group. There was a slight cliff hanger but nothing you can not live not knowing. I would say I would like to read the second book but with no romance and geared toward such a younger audience I don’t think I will be. Great story but not what I was expecting.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Arch-Book...
Author: Kate Bloomfield
Format: ebook
Genre: YA Science Fiction, Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Dystopia
I gave Frost Arch three stars. The story was interesting but not much on the romance side. It has a few errors but none that I can recall at the moment therefore not too bad since I can’t remember any. People with different abilities that manipulate fire, cold, some who can fly and some that heal, there are even some that can communicate with animals. There is also a siren that can make anyone feel bliss with just one song but can also drive you insane.
Avalon Redding is a fire mage and is superior to those Humans that are void of power. She meets Jack Greenwood, Seth Swaggart, Camryn and Gretchen as soon as she arrives at Frosh Arch and starts working at Forsythe Manner as a servant.
Avalon Redding does things without thinking of the consequences. She seemed a little selfish and immature when it came to her actions and her family. She puts people that try to help her in danger and only thinks about her problems. Her friends help her out of difficult situations without batting an eye.
After reading this book I think it is geared more toward a younger group. There was a slight cliff hanger but nothing you can not live not knowing. I would say I would like to read the second book but with no romance and geared toward such a younger audience I don’t think I will be. Great story but not what I was expecting.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Arch-Book...
March 8, 2012
It's happened. Technology destroyed our planet. Earth is now fire and ice. Humans are forced to live underground for 500 years. Some humans have a rare genetic code that allows them to survive in the radiation. Through the years, they evolve even more and have special powers. The humans with special powers are now called Mages. Humans have become ignorant beings, slaves of the Mages. Avalon Redding is a Fire Mage. There is only one problem. She can't control her powers and so she ends up hurting innocent people. She wants to control the power, she just doesn't seem to be able to. On top of that, her younger sister has shown no powers which places her in great danger. She will be viewed as a human and sent to prison or become a slave somewhere. To protect her, Ava will do anything. It's one of the reasons she decides it's time to leave home. What she doesn't know is her troubles and adventures are just beginning.
I loved this book! The setting, to me is very realistic. I can see our world ending up just as it's described in this book. The characters are some of the best I've seen in a book of this type. Believable, caring, loving and protective. It's amazing to see just how Avalon's adventure unfolds. You are always there rooting for her to overcome whatever obstacles that are put in her way. This is a book worth buying, reading and passing on to friends. You will enjoy it immensely.
The only problem I found is the lack of a love story. It had all the other elements, mystery, intrigue, wonderful characters... just little to no love story. I think Avalon deserved to have one.
I gave this one 4 out of 5 books because Avalon didn't have a great love story.
I loved this book! The setting, to me is very realistic. I can see our world ending up just as it's described in this book. The characters are some of the best I've seen in a book of this type. Believable, caring, loving and protective. It's amazing to see just how Avalon's adventure unfolds. You are always there rooting for her to overcome whatever obstacles that are put in her way. This is a book worth buying, reading and passing on to friends. You will enjoy it immensely.
The only problem I found is the lack of a love story. It had all the other elements, mystery, intrigue, wonderful characters... just little to no love story. I think Avalon deserved to have one.
I gave this one 4 out of 5 books because Avalon didn't have a great love story.
August 28, 2012
So I see some negative reviews and to be honest a person I watch reviews on rated it a 1. Further, they called it an x-men rip off. To be honest, I love X-men, I grew up even reading their comics...so I was like SIGN ME UP. Even a watered down version of X-men has to be great! Well, let me say it has nothing to do with x-men, nor is it anything like it. The book is amazing.
So the plot..
Something happened years previous were not really told what but there was some sort of catastrophe and a huge genetic change in the human population. as man got ever more destructive, ready to nuke himself out of existence or kill the planet with industrial pollutants, the humans mutated and were left gifted. There are barely no longer any people left without some sort of mutation, and the few left are used as slaves. The "humans" and can't even talk (sounds more planet of the apes at this point) and it is a capital punishment to not turn a human in and/or to try and give them rights as you would a mage. Now imagine basically people running around with different powers, and the powers are genetic, AKA Fire girl marries fire boy = fire babies. Then Kate magically makes the world cohesive. You get glimpses of past technology which is not needed and obtuse in the new world. The magic is so in grained its part of you and the characters are well hashed. Oh, and while many things can be forgotten, love just isn't one (God I love that morality in a book, life is depressing enough sometimes no need to be overtly pessimistic in my reading too). There was a lot of foreshadowing in the book which often gave away any surprises, which was a bit of a disappointment.
So the plot..
Something happened years previous were not really told what but there was some sort of catastrophe and a huge genetic change in the human population. as man got ever more destructive, ready to nuke himself out of existence or kill the planet with industrial pollutants, the humans mutated and were left gifted. There are barely no longer any people left without some sort of mutation, and the few left are used as slaves. The "humans" and can't even talk (sounds more planet of the apes at this point) and it is a capital punishment to not turn a human in and/or to try and give them rights as you would a mage. Now imagine basically people running around with different powers, and the powers are genetic, AKA Fire girl marries fire boy = fire babies. Then Kate magically makes the world cohesive. You get glimpses of past technology which is not needed and obtuse in the new world. The magic is so in grained its part of you and the characters are well hashed. Oh, and while many things can be forgotten, love just isn't one (God I love that morality in a book, life is depressing enough sometimes no need to be overtly pessimistic in my reading too). There was a lot of foreshadowing in the book which often gave away any surprises, which was a bit of a disappointment.
September 25, 2012
A copy was provided by the author for a honest review.
Frost Arch was an excellent read. It has minor flaws but kept me interested, nonetheless. Avalon Redding powers are wild and uncontrollable and fears that she will harm her sister, so runs away from home. Avalon has escaped to Frost Arch. At the same time, she finds an unusual creature in a cargo. It's a fox with wings. She can't hide it forever though. It's rapidly growing.
Our protagonist, Avalon Redding, is the one thing i am not sure about. I don't know if i like her or not. Now and then, she is reckless and sometimes she is sensible and mature. On the other hand, i thought Jack was mature and sensible but was humorous when the story needed it. I also liked Raeven and Seth Swaggart. Both of their characters were mysterious and intriguing at the same time. Although, i really liked Seth Swaggart i couldn't really fully appreciate his character, because he wasn't in the book most of the time.
Plot wise i thought that it was interesting and fascinating. What i was really interested about when i first read about it was how humans were slaves to the mages and how this was set in the far future. Contrarily, there was nothing about where the story was set. The pace of the story was great, regardless the rushed start. But it soon became steady and flowed nicely through out the story, so i didn't mind it much.
Despite, the minor flaws in all of the topics, Frost Arch, overall, was a enjoyable read with a engaging story line with a great, steady pace. The characters were all fun to know about. I would recommend to read it if you ever get a chance, or get your own copy and read it now.
Frost Arch was an excellent read. It has minor flaws but kept me interested, nonetheless. Avalon Redding powers are wild and uncontrollable and fears that she will harm her sister, so runs away from home. Avalon has escaped to Frost Arch. At the same time, she finds an unusual creature in a cargo. It's a fox with wings. She can't hide it forever though. It's rapidly growing.
Our protagonist, Avalon Redding, is the one thing i am not sure about. I don't know if i like her or not. Now and then, she is reckless and sometimes she is sensible and mature. On the other hand, i thought Jack was mature and sensible but was humorous when the story needed it. I also liked Raeven and Seth Swaggart. Both of their characters were mysterious and intriguing at the same time. Although, i really liked Seth Swaggart i couldn't really fully appreciate his character, because he wasn't in the book most of the time.
Plot wise i thought that it was interesting and fascinating. What i was really interested about when i first read about it was how humans were slaves to the mages and how this was set in the far future. Contrarily, there was nothing about where the story was set. The pace of the story was great, regardless the rushed start. But it soon became steady and flowed nicely through out the story, so i didn't mind it much.
Despite, the minor flaws in all of the topics, Frost Arch, overall, was a enjoyable read with a engaging story line with a great, steady pace. The characters were all fun to know about. I would recommend to read it if you ever get a chance, or get your own copy and read it now.
December 9, 2012
Frost Arch is a rare book that takes you into a futuristic place that could be us in the future. The world is destroyed and humans are slaves. Mages are advanced beings with strong abilities that rule the world. Humans have to do whatever they are told or risk being killed. What kind of life is this for humans?
In Frost Arch we meet Avalon who is a Mages. She has the gift of fire. See each Mages wield one of the elements and they have to learn to control it and wield it at will and some are better than others at controlling their gift but Avalon is not. She is afraid she is going to hurt her family and friends so she decides she is going to leave them and maybe then she can learn to control her gift of fire. So she heads off to the city of Frost Arch where she can get some help. But when she gets their she finds out that things are not always wheat they seem and danger is lurking in the depths.
Will Avalon every be able to control her gift? Will she ever be able to find love and not have to worry about hurting that person? Or will she have to fight for the ones she loves and keep them from being ensnared by evil? Come along for the greatest journey and see what happens to Avalon and if she can control her gift of fire.
In Frost Arch we meet Avalon who is a Mages. She has the gift of fire. See each Mages wield one of the elements and they have to learn to control it and wield it at will and some are better than others at controlling their gift but Avalon is not. She is afraid she is going to hurt her family and friends so she decides she is going to leave them and maybe then she can learn to control her gift of fire. So she heads off to the city of Frost Arch where she can get some help. But when she gets their she finds out that things are not always wheat they seem and danger is lurking in the depths.
Will Avalon every be able to control her gift? Will she ever be able to find love and not have to worry about hurting that person? Or will she have to fight for the ones she loves and keep them from being ensnared by evil? Come along for the greatest journey and see what happens to Avalon and if she can control her gift of fire.
August 25, 2012
The prologue gives an excellent overview of the setting and culture where Avalon lives. This is a world over 1,000 years after the collapse of our world, a popular setting. There was a huge war between the magic power-weilding Mages, and the technical Humans. The Mages won, and all Humans were treated as nothing more than work beasts, without rights or feeling or language. ---- It was feared that Avalon's little sister had been born a human, and their family went to great lengths to hide her.
The book is fairly well written, and I found myself easily drawn into the characters and the story. It was easy to become involved in the world, but it did seem to take forever to develop the plot. Plus, if you were reading carefully, the ending is quite predictable. It is a lengthy book, but enough new material keeps popping up to keep it more enjoyable than not.
For Full Review: http://oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/...
The book is fairly well written, and I found myself easily drawn into the characters and the story. It was easy to become involved in the world, but it did seem to take forever to develop the plot. Plus, if you were reading carefully, the ending is quite predictable. It is a lengthy book, but enough new material keeps popping up to keep it more enjoyable than not.
For Full Review: http://oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/...
September 18, 2012
Well things get a little crazy for a Avalon, after she abruptly runs away from home. Rescues a furry friend. She looks to Frost Arch to find refuge and a new beginning. Avalon befriends quickly and turns up with more friends than she would have expected. Landing a job within moments of getting through the gates. Things seem to be taking a turn for the best. That is until a snowball effect of critical events takes place landing her worse off than she started. Fast friend John is her comfort and support on this journey. I really loved the book. Smooth and intriguing at every turn. The personalities of everyone introduced are well written. Easy to digest I found myself enjoying every minute reading.
Avalon holds fast to her self and moves forward. Her road is not he easiest but it is her journey. I can't wait to see where it will take her.
Avalon holds fast to her self and moves forward. Her road is not he easiest but it is her journey. I can't wait to see where it will take her.
June 30, 2022
Did not finish this one. I have way too many good books to read to waste any more time on this lemon. Our main character is thoughtless, impulsive, and not too bright. She thought nothing of leaving her family without a word and not bothering to let them know she was ok, of stealing from and lying to a family friend, and more along the same vein. Plus the book is in need of a good editor and proofreader.
March 10, 2019
It was realistic and I could picture it. i really liked the book (and the edgy cool cover), but Ava totally need a good love story- a light one is just fine. anyways im looking forward to the sequel! 4 1/2 stars
September 14, 2012
I enjoyed this book. It had an interesting premise and I'm enjoying the relationship between Jack and Avalon as it grows. I will definitely watch to see where this goes in the next book.
October 15, 2017
Did not finish.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2019
Tried but it did not hold my attention.
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