3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings on this one. The characters are wonderful and full of life, and I find the world very interesting, albeit a bit confusing because you're pretty much just thrust into it and have to learn as you go. On the other hand, the book description is a bit misleading. Yes, murders of debutantes do take place, but there are almost 200 pages between the first and second murders, so practically half of the book isn't about the murders at all. I went into it expecting one thing and got another, which is most of the reason this fell short of 4 stars for me. I enjoyed it, but it just felt off. That being said, I will read the second one because I did really like the characters and I'm curious where the story is going from here.

This was a pretty fabulous in the way more of Harvey's book always have been. Very supernatural, a little romance campy, but definitely a good storyline unfolding slowly.

This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for giving me this book to review.

In 1814 London, the 3 Lovegrove cousins Emma, Penelope and Gretchen, are unaware that they are witches. When Emma inadvertently opens the gates of the underworld, it lets loose horrors into Regency London. The most deadly being the Greymalkin sisters, who are killing debutantes, and Emma is somehow connected to the murders as she keeps finding the bodies. Together Emma, Gretchen and Penelope must learn and master their powers, uncover the clues and discover the secrets of their families past.

I liked A Breath of Frost, but for some reason, I’m not sure why, I felt underwhelmed with it, compared to Harvey’s other books which I love. However, it was a nice, quick paranormal read set in Regency times.

I liked Emma as she is stubborn and tough, however, both her and her cousins act too much like modern women, as they do not behave how I believe most regency girls would.

I will probably read the next book and hopefully I will connect with it more than this one. I would recommend A Breath of Frost to people who enjoy Harvey’s other books.

* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
A Breath of Frost was a quite refreshing read. Emma hooked me from the moment I started this book, and drew me in. I loved that the book started off with a bang, and that in the end it was somewhat of a mystery.

Emma has really grown up by herself with an absentee father and a crazy mother. However she had such an inner strength that I couldn’t help but love her. She wasn’t whiny, but just stubborn and she had her cousins Gretchen and Penelope to help her through anything. I loved that she wouldn’t allow her love interest Cormac to treat her terribly, she was quite willing to tell him off.

There was just alot to Emma and her cousins that was just refreshing. I also really enjoyed the mystery that came along with this book. Emma really spent most of this book discovering who she was, and it was so much more amazing than I could’ve guessed. There was an element of mystery to this novel that just really set it apart from other paranormal books set in Regency London.

Even the secondary characters shined in this book, and I find more and more that I truly enjoy it when the secondary characters are just as amazing as the main character. I really loved Gretchen and Penelope. Gretchen is just truly fierce and believes it is unfair that as a woman she cannot be a warrior. Penelope is encouraged to be herself and she is just wonderful. I’m sure the cousins will be getting their own books and I can’t wait.

Cormac, the love-interest was difficult at first to understand. From Emma’s point of view he seemed like a jerk, and I couldn’t understand why he was so hot and cold. However, once you read the scenes from his point of view it was clear he was between a rock and a hard place. Cormac really had his work cut out for him when he finally admitted he was truly interested in Emma. I did love that by the end he was fully committed to her, and willing to do anything for her.

Overall, I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars. There were times the writing seemed a little sluggish or the scenes a little long. However, it didn’t detract too much from the story, but I will be keeping an eye out for the next in the series!

* This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2013/11/a-breath-of-frost-by-alyxandra-harvey.html *

Sweet, without being cloying, is the best way to describe this YA historical witch story. Another word I'd use is entertaining. This was a fun read with a quick moving plot, an interesting system of magic and sorcery, and nicely fleshed out characters.
While this book had my name written all over it (Regency England and witches? Yes, please!) I was pleasantly surprised at the above average writing skills of the author and the depth of realism the characters possessed.
The romance was slightly silly, but somehow delicious nevertheless; and there were moments of predictability, but not too many. Overall, I very much enjoyed this novel and can't wait to read the next in the series.

I'm taking off a star for the lack of plot in the first third of the book, and the occasional gaps. But otherwise, pretty good. I like the characters, but I do wish we could have seen more of the magic.

A very absorbing historical fantasy, with likable characters in an intriguing magical world.

The ending was a bit rushed and at times the story was disjointed, but I loved everything else enough to rate this highly. Definitely will get the next book in the series!!

"I wonder if magic is always like this," Emma said wryly, "Full of murders and ghouls and mean girls, and rules that don't make sense."

This was pretty cute. It was a fun read that kept me chuckling but also completely intrigued by the plot.

Emma didn't know she was a witch. Penelope and Gretchen, her sisters, had no idea either. But when Emma breaks a container at a party and creates some pretty crazy events - it sparks dreams of burning alive in a witch burning by one of the sister. The knot on their wrist appears and they are brought into the world.

The girls are pretty funny, their little quips back and forth were so witty.

This was good. I enjoyed it.

3.5

I have to be honest: I bought this book for the cover.

But when I found out that this book sets place in "Regency London" I knew that I would not finish this book.

But I forced myself several times into reading it but I didn't get past page 130.

It was just so confusing and very poorly explained? First of all this one girl dies, then Emma finds out that she is a witch and then she is on this school, like whaaaat?

Who is the bad guy, what's wrong with her mother, why is this happening?

The potential of this book might be so enourmous and if it wouldn't have been about witches in good old London I would have liked it.

But it's just too much and I started this skimming this book at page 200. I hate to DNF books but here I am again:

DNF AT PAGE 331