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Way out in the furthest part of the known world, a tiny stronghold exists all on its own, cut off from the rest of human-kin by monsters that lurk beneath the Snow Sea.
There, a little boy called Ash waits for the return of his parents, singing a forbidden lullaby to remind him of them… and doing his best to avoid his very, VERY grumpy yeti guardian, Tobu.
But life is about to get a whole lot more crazy-adventurous for Ash.
When a brave rescue attempt reveals he has amazing magical powers, he’s whisked aboard the Frostheart, a sleigh packed full of daring explorers who could use his help. But can they help him find his family . . . ?

I’ve heard such good things about this middle grade and I was recently offered a copy by a friend, so I decided to pick it up. I really wanted to read this in winter and ended up reading it in the last week of December, which was perfect! This is not a Christmassy book at all, but it’s more of a polar fantasy focusing on a boy called Ash who discovers he has magical powers and his yeti guardian, Tobu.

There’s a lot to love about this book and I can definitely see why so many people love it, but sadly it did miss the mark a little bit with me. The main downside for me was I just couldn’t help but feel a little disconnected from the story and I don’t really know why. I did read this fairly quickly, but as this one is a middle grade I expected to speed through it. I just found myself struggling to focus on what the characters were up to or really take any of the story in.

However, I did really like the found family group and the focus on the importance of friendship. This book is also illustrated throughout and has some beautiful drawings to accompany the writing that just adds another dimension to the reading experience! This one also feels so unique and stands completely alone from other middle grade books I’ve read.

I can see why this one has a lot of fans, but sadly there was just something here that didn’t keep me gripped and therefore it ended up falling a bit flat for me!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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