Frostborn (Thrones and Bones)

Like all good frost giants, young Thianna loved a good game of Knattleikr. Gunnlod’s Plateau rang with shouts as the quick teen dodged her massive opponents. The frozen realm had been her home since the day of her birth. Yet all the frost giants, even the most foolish, could tell that she didn’t entirely belong. She had the dark eyes of the southern people, and she was short. Throughout her life she longed to be a full-blooded giant and avoided everything that reminded her of her human mother, long dead. Shortly before the feast of Winternights, her giant father knew the time had come to give his daughter a gift. Thianna took the horn in her hands, knowing only that her mother had guarded it until her final breath.As winter drew close, the frost giants trekked south to mingle with humans at the market at Dragon’s Dance. Not many humans dared to trade openly with frost giants. Korlund had come, as his people had for generations, bringing his son Karn. Both knew to stay close to the fires on the wild evening of Winternights. When Karn’s uncle drew Karn out into the woods, the simple youth never dreamed his uncle was planning his death. The treacherous man led Karn amidst the barrows, right to the corpse door, with its shining green runes binding the dead to their barrows. In the eerie light Karn awoke the dead, who vowed to hunt him down as he took flight through the dark woods.In the grand adventure that unfolds, Karn and Thianna come together in the freezing mountains. They fight for their lives as they flee brutish creatures bent on their capture. Enemies fly above churning river gorges and stalk them in ancient ruined cities. The magical excitement of Norse legend charges through the novel, accented by moments of humor. Higher themes drive through the book, making it at once a powerful and enduring tale.--Kate Calina

*I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review.*In Frostborn, Lou Anders created a fictional world with a bit of mythology and fantasy figures. Think Lord of the Rings, but for a younger crowd.Our story begins with a typical boy who has no desire to take over his family's farm. He would much rather be a kid and play his favorite game, Thrones and Bones. Each year, Karn's family travels to meet and trade with the frost giants. This year, Karn meets Thianna, a half-giant (half human, half giant). Since they're the only 2 "kids", they decide to hang out.While they're playing and talking, they develop kind of a friendship. I loved that Thianna took pride and was happy each time Karn called her big or tall. Since she was a half-giant, she wasn't near as tall as the giants and was often made fun of by some of the younger giants.When we get to the mystery involving a spirit and Karn's [evil] uncle, something bad happens. Karn is then on the run!When the giants get back to their home, there is a group of women hunting for Thianna. She, also, is then on the run!The two of them, fortunately, end up together while they're running and hiding.Once together, the two manage to get into trouble and run into creatures that no one wants to run into. However, since they were together, they were able to survive. If not together, they wouldn't have made it individually. Thianna had some frost magic and brute force, whereas Karn had brains and thinking skills.I really enjoyed that the two of them really relied on one another. They built a fantastic friendship, even though they were running for their lives. I was turning pages so quickly because I was so worried (and excited) as to what was going to come at them next. Karn and Thianna formed an everlasting and strong connection.If you are a fan of middle grade, RPGs, fantasy, LotR, or even The Lion King, you will enjoy Frostborn! Yes, The Lion King! There were so many parallels that it made my little Disney heart pitter-patter!

After I accepted the second book in the Thrones and Bone series, Nightborn, I immediately went to he library to buddy read it with my oldest. Ironic enough, Frostborn was a book I have previous checked out for him that he never got around to reading.I am not a huge middle grade reader – but it’s one category that I have been wanting to get into for a while now. Fantasy probably wasn’t the best of genres to start with though, to be honest.Frostborn had a really slow start. The story didn’t really progress until about 40%, with the introduction to the characters and world building. This is not necessarily a bad thing – but it took a lot of patience on my part to get past this.We have an array of characters; the main two being Karn, a boy next to take over his family farm and Thianna, a half-human/half-giant. Once these two are introduced, the story really picks up its pace and doesn’t let up from there. These two make a great team – with Thianna’s stubborn and tough personality and Karn’s wit. Their adventures were quite entertaining and love how everything pieced together in the end.Overall – Frostborn was a great start to a series. Minor pacing issues aside in the beginning, it’s entertaining with an interesting world with Norse history and lore, fans of fantasy books will get a kick out of this one!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. This books has transformed bedtime-stories from being very dull for me into very exciting for both me and my 5-year old son. This is his favourite book (and he is a big fan of books). The story is very compelling with lots of action and excitement and there are both a male and a female lead character. The fantasy-world setting is rich and fascinating. We highly recommend it.