Thursday 17 October 2013

Review: Frozen (Heart of Dread #1) by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

Publication Date:
September 17th, 2013
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 336
Series: Heart of Dread
Source: Library
Rating: 2.5/5
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Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature- freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "the Blue." They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light. 


But the passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible and her only shot is to be on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all. 


This review is going to be pretty short. Besides not having much to say, I can't seem to find the energy to write a more thorough review. This may be because I felt that this was just a lazily written book. This being my first de la Cruz book I don't have anything to compare it to. But reading Frozen doesn't make me want to pick up her Blue Blood series.

The most disappointing bit is this book had so much potential. It was just, obviously, not utilized. Frozen is a mix of post-apocalyptic, dystopian and fantasy. Three genres I love. And what made me interested in reading this.
The world is covered in ice and snow. The oceans are toxic. And new governments have sprouted up. But there's also rumors of this "Blue." A place where it's lush and warm. Pretty much a paradise.
Also, overtime, kids have started to develop powers. Like telekinesis, healing, etc... And like with anything new and different they've been prosecuted and shoved into working hospitals.
Nat, our heroine, is in search of the "Blue." And thus hires Wes and his crew/

Nat has some kind of hidden power. She doesn't know the extent of what she can do. But after learning more about this new world it becomes pretty obvious how powerful she will be by the end of the book.
I'm pretty indifferent on her as a character. She didn't really annoy me. But there was never a time when I was really putting a face to her in my head. I didn't really care what she could look like.

At sixteen, Wes has been through the military and had a bright future as a higher ranking official. But decided he didn't want any part in that. So he took to doing more "shady" activities.
I like Wes. He's pretty smart and loyal towards his crew.
The unfortunate part is the romance. It's pretty much forced upon the reader. Even the dialogue between Nat and Wes seems forced. Nothing about it happens naturally.

The story is pretty predictable and slow. There was not one page where I couldn't have guessed what was going to happen. And what does predictability lead to? Boredom. Which leads to skim reading, just so I wouldn't DNF. I hate DNF'ing...

We'll see if I end up continuing with this series. There's every hope the second book will be better. But I won't be in any rush to see.

Happy reading!

Brittany

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