I had been saving Frostheart for one of my Christmas holiday reads as I wanted to be able to fully enjoy reading it and immerse myself in its world. It was definitely worth the wait.

Ash has never really fitted in with the rest of the Fira people, being passed from one guardian to the next until he ends up in the care of an enigmatic yet grumpy yeti called Tobu. Living out in the very coldest part of the monster-plagued lands of the Snow Sea means that Tobu is intent on training Ash how to hunt and survive in the wild.

When a monster attack forces Ash to accidentally reveal that he possesses the ancient magical power of song weaving, he decides to leave the stronghold where he’s lived as an outsider all his life, and join the brave crew of the explorer sleigh, Frostheart, to master his newfound power and find his missing parents.

But a power as great as Ash’s provokes fear and attracts those who might abuse his power. He can he trust to help guide him on his journey?

What an exhilarating read! Whizzing along at full speed aboard Frostheart over icy plains, being chased by truly fearsome leviathans, and dodging the sleighs of wraiths out to scupper explorers’ sleighs and plunder their cargoes!

I really enjoyed trying to solve the riddle of the lullaby sung to Ash by his parents and loved the premise of auras weaving together and battling during Song Weaving. These both added a mystical quest element which made for a great read.

I think readers will empathise with Ash as an outsider struggling to find his place in society and agonise with him as he tries to decide who he can trust and which path to follow. There are also lots of other fantastic characters, such as Lunah, who I hope to learn more about in Frostheart 2.

A great highly-illustrated read for adventurers aged 9+. It’s still, sadly, unusual to find a longer novel for this age group which is full of illustrations. Jamie’s book fills this gap beautifully and is crammed with his awesome artwork.

Library Girl.

*Thank you to Puffin Books for sending me this title to review*