Review: Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire by Ethan Avery

Review: Sword and Sorcery: Frostfire by Ethan Avery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been itching to get back into children’s/YA literature for a while. I don’t think I’ve actually read a young adult novel since 2017. It’s been too long, and my critical reading skills when it comes to these demographics are rusty.

Anyway, when this book came to my attention, I jumped on it for that exact reason. The stories of Aireyal and Erevan are incredibly intriguing, and I found myself – after a time – caring for both characters equally.

Avery’s writing for both plot lines is distinct enough that they can easily be set apart, but we also see the elements that connect them. I absolutely loved this element of the story! Both plotlines are intriguing and fun, and I loved becoming acquainted with both characters!

Before we dive in further, let’s give a quick summary.

Summary

We open to Erevan and Aireyal in alternating timelines. First, Erevan and his stepfather Sir Lee are responsible for helping an unnamed courier to safely deliver a magical mirror. However, there are obstacles and enemies after the artifact along the way. Can they get her there safely before it is too late?

In the connecting timeline, we meet Aireyal and her mother Grand-Mage Ando right before Aireyal is about to be enrolled in a school for magical children. The only problem is, Aireyal cannot do magic. While she is at the school, more is discovered about the mirror that Erevan and his father are helping the courier deliver. Will Aireyal be able to find her magic and learn more about the mirror?

Characters

Erevan

I feel that Erevan’s plotline is a bit more exciting than Aireyal’s (perhaps because I’ve seen the magic school setup quite a lot at this point). I love his journey with his adoptive father and the courier and how they all try to connect and get along while achieving their respective goals.

Erevan himself was interesting to read about. I like that he has a sort of mystery to him in the beginning and we uncover small bits and pieces of information as we go along. I’d honestly love to see more of him in the future!

Aireyal

Can I be honest? While it is relatable for young children, I think Avery overdid Aireyal’s shyness and obsession with what others thought of her just a bit. I liked her – don’t get me wrong – but at a point it was just like where every little incident was a catastrophe for her, and it started to grate on my nerves after a bit.

That said, I did enjoy seeing her relationships with Zale and Morgana as she adjusted to having no magic in a school for people with magic. It was nice seeing her grow to like them both, and she even started talking back to the negative voice that was fueling her low self-esteem.

Grand-Mage Ando

I like Aireyal’s mother, both as a person and as a character. I like that Avery keeps a bit of a mystery going with her character, given what Aireyal is told once she gets to the school. It reminds me of a technique I saw in one of my favorite childhood book series (in that one, the main character’s father has some mystery to him, much like Ando).

That said, I hope there’s going to be something more to what we’ve seen with her. In other words, this mystery was started, and I want an answer to it. What, exactly, is going on with Aireyal’s mother? Even if we don’t get that answer now, I want to see it resolved at some point.

Sir Lee

Now, on to Erevan’s parental figure. Like Ando, I liked Sir Lee a lot. I see him as a genuinely good person just trying to do what is right. I liked seeing him trying to tell the courier what he could when Erevan wouldn’t. Maybe some people would see this as wrong but, given how guarded Erevan is, I like that Sir Lee tried to reassure her that Erevan’s not a bad person. I like seeing how much he genuinely cares for Erevan and will do anything to protect him. Seeing them train together and fight together throughout the story was really touching!

Before I move on, I want to give a quick comment on Sir Lee’s fate. I did see what happened coming, but I feel bad for Erevan all the same. Seeing what results from this is not surprising to me, and I hope Erevan will eventually find some peace within himself. He deserves it.

Structure

This story alternates perspectives between Erevan and Aireyal and builds individual (but connected) narratives for them. Like I said earlier, I like Erevan’s timeline a bit more, but I appreciate what Avery is doing in connecting them both.

The stories rely on each other, and it is fun to see how one chapter of one story ends to lead into the other. These transitions are very smoothly done. I also think it helped with keeping interest in the reader because, if you want the answer to a cliffhanger of one chapter, you must read the alternating timeline’s chapter before getting to that point. I can see a young reader becoming engrossed with both stories as a result!

Writing

I really enjoyed Avery’s writing. He is able to build scenes really well. One in particular that stood out to me was Aireyal’s first encounter with the mirror. The way the scene is written suggests some mystery about this mirror, and it made me want to know more!

On Erevan’s side of the story, I loved the tension Avery was able to keep up as the journey went on. One scene I remember in particular ended on a cliffhanger, and I was actually pretty upset by that, because the tension was through the roof!

Conclusion

In the end, I really enjoyed this one. It has its flaws and I wouldn’t call it perfect, but those flaws didn’t stop me from wanting to know more!

I sure hope Avery will continue this. He’s created a world and story that is – for the most part – fascinating, and I would love to see it continued and the world expanded upon.

As an opening, this one is enticing and keeps you hooked. I’d recommend it for a fantasy fan willing to juggle multiple plotlines. It can be hard to keep them straight sometimes, but it’s worth it in the end for a plot this interesting!