Thursday, March 19, 2015

"Fire in Frost" by Alicia Rades

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Fire in Frost
(Crystal Frost Book 1)
by Alicia Rades


Fire in Frost is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.


Description
Crystal Frost has spent her whole life believing she's ordinary, and her mother has long held the secret of her heritage. When Crystal begins seeing the ghost of a dead classmate, her life spirals out of control. She’s faced with the threat that everyone will find out she’s a freak, as if the struggle to figure out her new-found abilities wasn’t enough pressure.
Crystal has to find some way to save the people who have come to her for help all while trying to keep her abilities a secret. Will she be able to fulfill these overwhelming demands while solving the mystery that is the ghost of Olivia Owen?


Book Video


Excerpt
My heart pounded on the walls of my chest, reverberating through my ears as I neared the door. I began to feel faint. I grabbed the handle with my damp palms and twisted slowly, and then in one quick motion, I whipped the door open.
My heart beat slowed when I found nothing in the storage room but a bunch of boxes. I switched off the light and let the door fall shut with a click.
Once I was back in the dark hallway by myself and ready to leave, the humming noise caught my attention once again. What was that? I followed the sound and pressed my ear against the door that led to the break room.
I could hear muffled voices, but I didn’t see a light under the door. Who was in there? The sound, I realized, was a woman humming a stagnant note.
“We’re here to help you,” Sophie’s voice rang over the humming.
I didn’t take a moment to consider what they were doing behind the door. Once I was sure it was my mother and her friends, I wasn’t scared anymore.
I had only a split second to take in the scene. The three girls sat in a circle around the break table, their hands connected as if in prayer. Candles lit up their faces. Just beyond the table stood another girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. Olivia Owen’s ghost stared back at me with that same look of urgency.


Praise for the Book
"I loved this book from the very beginning. Alicia's style is quite brilliant. It wasn't fake, it wasn't forced, it was believable. Every idea seemed to float really well overall. Her characters are relatable. You get points where you sympathize with the characters and at other points you shake your head, saying really? I loved that. The way she worked the backstory in of each character was perfect [...] It all blended perfectly. I was really impressed with this book and I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great read." ~ yavannie111
"What I liked best about Fire in Frost was it kept my interest and didn't have too much information on each character. I got into the character of Crystal Frost in about five minutes, and read the entire book in nearly 3 hours. The characters were great additions and didn't slow the story down, and the end wrapped up really well. I hope there is a second book, because it was a great read. Great book for people who have never read a YA novel (like me), and fans of YA should definitely pick it up." ~ Mrs. Fink
"It was with absolute excitement that I embarked on reading this book. I've read other short stories by the author, and was looking forward to reading this full length novel. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I couldn't put the book down and finished it within a few hours. Rades has a very fertile imagination. The main character, Crystal, is a very charismatic as you get to know her 'situation' and follow her growth and decision making as the story grows. I'm anxiously awaiting book 2 in the series! I recommend this book to young adults and up." ~ Heather

My Review


By Lynda Dickson
Olivia Owen died a year ago, so why can Crystal see her? When fifteen-year-old Crystal Frost walks in on her mother, Andrea, conducting a séance with her friends, Crystal finds out her mother is a psychic. Not only that, but she discovers that she's a psychic herself! So when the ghostly Olivia asks her to help out a friend, how can she refuse? As Crystal struggles to use her new-found powers, she keeps more and more from her best friend, Emma, threatening to ruin their relationship. But who can Crystal trust with her secret? And should she?
This story of a teenage girl struggling with a very big secret started off slow but kept me entertained and wondering what would happen next. There is a nice mix of the paranormal, suspense, and mystery, with a hint of romance to come. The book's name is a nice play on the main character's name, while the main character's name is a nice play on her affinity with the crystal ball. Even though this story is complete, the ending sets us up for Crystal's next "psychic adventure".
A quick, entertaining read. I look forward to the next one.

About the Author
Alicia Rades has always had a passion for writing and wrote her first poem when she was 8. Although most of her writing continued as poetry and eventually as song writing, she wrote a few short stories along the way. In 2010, Alicia began freelance writing, creating blog posts and other online content. Today, she is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor who lives in Wisconsin with her husband. When inspiration strikes, she's also an author.


Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win some great prizes (open internationally).

Links