First, I want to thank my friends at Harper Voyager for the gorgeous gifted final copy of Greta Kelly’s debut novel, The Frozen Crown! I am not usually a reader of high fantasy, but this was a fun ride and a great way to find a little bit of distraction duirng this difficult news cycle.

Askia is the princess of Seravesh, a kingdom that is war torn by an evil emporer, Radovan. Askia has magic powers she’s had to suppress in order to keep Radovan at bay. She travels to the continent of Vishir to seek help from the emperor Armaan to defeat Radovan and his Roven army. There, she meets fellow witches who teach her how to use her powers in secret and finds allies to help her in her quest to defeat Radovan.

As you can see in that brief summary, there are a LOT of different & unique names. As a novice to this genre, I found it really difficult to keep track of these different characters and lands, and while I greatly appreciated the map in the front of the book, I desperately searched for a family tree or list of dramatis personae to help me. Once I got into the story, I did find it a bit less challenging, but I think that an additon like that could be a huge help.

The novel read like a feminist Game of Thrones. There was magic, royal courts, and lots of fun political intrigue. Askia was such a fun character! I loved her perspective, her choices, and her personality. She was thoughtful, sincere, and pretty bad-ass. I can’t wait to wrap up this duology and learn more about Askia!