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Friday, April 28, 2017

Fireblood (Frostblood #2) by Elly Blake ARC Review

Format: Paperback ARC, 408 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown
Pub. Date: September 12th, 2017
In this action-packed sequel to the New York Times bestselling Frostblood, Ruby must choose between her fiery homeland and the icy king who loves her.

Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his powerful throne. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby's powers and past....

Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fireblood queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax—which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, how can Ruby decide whom to trust? The fate of both kingdoms is now in her hands.



Reading Fireblood pretty much tested my sanity. My emotions were all over the place, and my heart could barely handle all of the constant twists, challenges, and heartaches in this book. I had so much energy and adrenaline while reading that I couldn't sit still. I had to pace, jump, and yell—all while psychotically flying through the pages of this glorious sequel.


I have to say, I am absolutely thrilled to see how much Elly Blake has grown as a writer. While she gave us an intriguing and icy world in Frostblood, we now have Sudesia—the home of all the Firebloods—and the contrast of settings is fantastic. Also, there are lots of new characters introduced, and I adore them all! So yes, this book was HOT . . . in more ways than one. 


This book was so good, guys. Even now, I'm struggling to write this review because since I love this book so much, it's hard to put my feels into coherent sentences. Also, though I originally had my worries regarding the love-triangle that is mentioned in the synopsis, I was ultimately beyond happy with how the story progressed. In fact, whenever I currently have a spare second, I'm sneakily petting the book and rereading my favorite sections.

Click the button to read some spoilers about the love triangle mentioned in the synopsis. :)

So please, do not feel deterred by the love-triangle mention in the synopsis. This book is absolutely marvelous. All in all, Fireblood is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far, so I hope you will love it as much as I do! :)


1) Fireblood's plot made me freak out multiple times. I couldn't sit still while reading this book because every other page was making me jump around with panic.

I went from this . . .


To this . . .


I was overwhelmed, shaking, and I couldn't tear through the pages fast enough. My heart was pounding, adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and I just couldn't believe how many twists there were to this book. To say that Elly Blake keeps you on your toes is putting it lightly. 

2) I have to give Blake props for how much she's grown as a writer. I love Frostblood, but there is an obvious improvement in the writing and the plotting from that book to this one. There is a whole new depth to the characters in this story, and there is a new, enchanting setting to explore that utterly captivated all of my senses. It was as if the world and characters were coming right off the pages, and the book suddenly flowed like a movie in my mind. There was this wonderful balance of action and repose, and at the same time, there was never a dull moment.

3) It was obvious that everything wasn't going to be all puppies and rainbows for Arcus and Ruby, and I really enjoyed watching their struggle. I know, I'm horrible. I just love to watch my favorite characters suffer haha. It was fascinating to watch them, as well as their relationship, evolve, especially with Arcus now on the throne of Fors, and Ruby not being the only Fireblood around anymore. Watching their struggles just made me ship them even harder than I did before. Like with the first book, these two are on even ground—both leaning on each other for strength and love. I just. I love them so much.


4) There is a lot of new magic introduced in Fireblood! Honestly, some of the fantasy books I've been reading recently have been a bit lackluster in this department (with a couple exceptions, of course) but I loved the new displays of sorcery in this book. Elly Blake explores more of each character's powers and we see them develop in new ways. It's truly exhilarating! 


5) Kai. Oh, he was so delightful. Honestly, I originally didn't want him in the book at all because I was afraid he'd threaten my ship, but he just oozes with charm and makes it impossible to resist him. He also has a wonderfully compelling backstory, and I love his dynamic with Ruby. 


1) The wait for the conclusion to this trilogy might actually kill me . . .


"I told him this helps me think."

"And does it?"

"Yes. It helps me think of you."
"I always fancy I smell singed meat when the Fireblood girl is near," she said in a booming whisper.

The lovely Marella, who sat on the other side of the table, caught my eye and tilted her head to indicate Lady Blanding. "I always fancy I smell mothballs when the old crow dines with us."
"Will you stop talking nonsense and help me back into bed?"

He raised his brows in mock surprise. "I hardly know which statement to address, the accusation that my compliments are nonsense, or the invitation into your bed." 

17 comments:

  1. I can't tell you how happy this review makes me! I was soooooooo worried about this sequel and really, you've made me look forward to this instead of just biting my fingernails and avoiding it an nervous anticipation!

    Wonderful review!

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  2. Ahh now I need to read Frostblood even more so I can hurry onto this one!! This series just looks BEYOND AMAZING - and I love all those points you made.

    Amazing review as always :)

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

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  3. Is this a trilogy?!? Ahhh I peeked at the spoiler and I am satisfied hehe. Thanks for the awesome review Brittany <3

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  4. Ahh I can't wait to get my hands on this one! I loved frostblood!

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  5. I'm glad you liked this one!! I really want to read Frostblood now, since this sounds amazing!! We'll see ;) Wonderful review!!

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  6. Oh, I'm so happy you loved it. Can't wait to read it. Great review! :)

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  7. I'm glad you enjoyed this book, Brittany. Those updates, though! 😆

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  8. I'm so glad to see how much you loved this one! It's always nice to read book 2 in a series and love it as much as you loved the first one. Great review =]

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  9. Awesome that this was so good! The new setting and magic details sound fun, and it's always nice when you can see an author's progression from book to book. That's a good sign for the next one. Although yeah that waiting is the toughest... :)

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  10. Wow, sounds awesome! I want to try this series. Glad that you loved this book so much.
    Anyway, I love your review. The gifs are so cool and fun. And I love the little updates. :)

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  11. I still need to start this. But maybe, maybe it'll be worth waiting until all three are out. I didn't read your review very closely about the details of the story, wanted to keep them all for when I read. But your opinions make me very excited to try these books out! I love that you do the same kind of updates on Goodreads when you're reading like I do! Great review!

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  12. Oh wow! I was actually a little on the fence about continuing this series because I had mixed feelings about Frostblood. You have me completely sold on continuing now though!

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  13. You've just blown me away with this review, Brittany!! I LOVE all of those Goodreads updates you've included, too. They're so cute!

    You have DEFINITELY convinced me that I NEED tor read this book, as well as the first one in the series, of course! These characters just sound SO AWESOME, and the plot twists guarantee that a reader will absolutely not get bored.

    Thanks for your enthusiastic, insightful thoughts, as well as for the GREAT quotes!! <3 <3 :) :)

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  14. AHHHHH!!! BRITANNY I AM SO JEALOUS THAT YOU READ THIS BOOK WHILST I AM DYING AND SUFFERING HERE FOR ARCUS AND RUBY!!!!!!! I AM GOING CRAZY RIGHT NOW!!!! And Kai sounds so dreamy and swoon worthy!!! I want to read this book now!! YES I love it too when the characters are tortured especially for two people who love each other!

    Great review! :)

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  15. I'm so so excited you loved Fireblood. I loved Frostblood so much and I can't wait to read Fireblood! I didn't read your spoilers though, even though I really really wanted to, because I need to dive into this book as soon as I get a copy for myself.

    Great review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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  16. Lovely review Brittany :D Yay for enjoying this book a lot. <3 I'm glad you weren't disappointed :) I don't think they would be for me.. the triangle would bother me a lot :\ but so so glad it did not bother you :D That's the best. But yeah, I would probably not feel the same way, haha :) But the rest of the book sounds awesome. <3

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  17. I haven't read the first book, but yeah, now I really want to read both it and this book! Great review! Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

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