Title: Nightborn 

Author: Lou Anders 

Series: Thrones & Bones, #2 

Publisher: Random House Children's Books 

Imprint: Crown Books for Young Readers 

Publication date: July 14th, 2015 


My rating: 4.5 of 5

  

  (Book read on July 10th to 13th, 2015, from the ARC received from the publisher, in exchange of an honest review.)

  
  

Summary:

 

 

Karn Korlundsson is a gamer. Not a riddle solver. But in order to rescue his best friend, Thianna Frostborn, he will need to travel to the faraway city of Castlebriar (by wyvern), learn how to play a new board game called Charioteers (not a problem), decipher the Riddle of the Horn, and tangle with mysterious elves.
 
Meet Desstra. She’s in training to join the Underhand — the elite agents of the dark elves. When she crosses paths with Karn, she is not all that she appears to be.
 
Everyone is chasing after the horn of Osius, an ancient artifact with the power to change the world. The lengths to which Karn will go in the name of friendship will be sorely tested. Who knew that solving a riddle could be so deadly?
 
The novel includes instructions for playing the board game Charioteers. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more!

  

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

  

 

Frostborn - the first Thrones & Bones novel - was one of my top favorite reads in 2014. An absolutely amazing fantasy adventure with lovable main characters & imaginative magical world, so of course I was excited to read more...

 

Nightborn - the sequel & the second book in the series - overall doesn't disappoint. It might not be as amazing as Frostborn, but I had lots of fun reading this book, once again following Karn & Thianna on their adventures, and meeting a new favorite character, as well as lots of other interesting characters, and new places & cultures. Definitely entertaining, imaginative, action-packed, and quest-like adventure, with great ending.

 

From the beginning the storyline is quite interesting.  It will take you on a magical fast-paced adventure, with rich history & myths, and lots of magical creatures. Just pure fantasy fun, for children & adults alike!
 
It starts with the dark elves, and we meet Desstra & Tanthal, and learn about their society. I loved Desstra as a character, she's dangerous & cunning, but also nice, and I loved getting to know her & seeing her character development. As for Karn, he's at home, finally doing what he was supposed to do, at least until he's called on a mission. I won't go into details any more, but I loved the puzzle aspect, because I'm a sucker for quests & missions in fantasy books. I loved seeing Orm again, as well as Karn & Thianna. There was hardly any character development when it comes to Karn & Thianna (they were fully developed in the previous book, so I guess, the readers should definitely read Frostborn first), but Desstra's was done well, and I enjoyed every second of it. And the cast of secondary characters (both friends & foes) was interesting, and they all told a story that will suck you in & don't let go until you're done!

I highly recommend this book to every fan of fantasy books, no matter the age. And I think that the author had achieved what he had set out to do - Nightborn is a great fantasy adventure both for boys & girls, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! 

 

 

Challenges:

   
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015
- COYER Scavenger Hunt: #46 - Celebrate 2015: read a book that's number 2 in the series

Title: Frostborn

Author: Lou Anders

Series: Thrones & Bones, #1

Publisher: Random House Children's

Imprint: Crown Books for Young Readers

Publication date: August 5th, 2014

My rating: 5 of 5 

(Book read on August 4th, 2014, from the eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He'd rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones.

 

Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She's too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant.

 

When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you're being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants.

 

Readers will embark on a sweeping epic fantasy as they join Karn and Thianna on a voyage of discovery. 

 

Antics and hair-raising escapades abound in this fantasy adventure as the two forge a friendship and journey to unknown territory. Their plan: to save their families from harm.

 

Debut novelist Lou Anders has created a rich world of over twenty-five countries inhabited by Karn, Thianna, and an array of fantastical creatures, as well as the Thrones and Bones board game.

 

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

First of all, before I start gushing about the awesomeness of this book, I need to point out that I've been in a reading slump, and nothing worked for me, so I've been staying away from books for a while. But, Frostborn & the world Lou Anders created was exactly what I needed, and my cure, so I'll love it forever. And I'm not biased, I would've adored this book even when I wasn't in a reading slump.

So, from the moment I started Frostborn, I was hooked. I was actually ensnared by the story, and couldn't keep my mind straight until I finished it. The main characters of the story are Karn (a human boy) & Thianna (a half frost giant & half human girl). 

I adored both of these characters, despite their differences, but if I had to choose, my most favorite was Thianna. From the moment she stepped into this story, I loved her. Actually, I fell in love with her, and not love like I have a crush on her, but love like I totally adored her as a character & her personality. She's awesome, and I would've loved for her to be my friend & go on an adventure with her. And that rarely happens. Yes, I loved her that much.

Karn is what we'd call today a little bit of a nerd. He is smart, and a bit of a dreamer, and he doesn't want to be a farmer. He just wants to go & see the world, and to play his favorite game Thrones & Bones. He's also a little bit naive, but that comes with his age I guess. And if he wasn't naive, how would he grow up? And he definitely did.

I also adored the friendship that developed between Thianna & Karn. They helped each other, saved each other, trusted each other, and worked great together, they were quite the team.

Now, for the story. I adored every second of it. Lou Anders has created a magnificent viking-inspired world, with rich history & mythology, well-thought-out countries & creatures & magic, that will leave you eager for more.

I adored the diversity of the creatures Thianna & Karn met on their adventure, quite often those creatures made me laugh out loud, and quite often I didn't know what will happen next, or who they'll meet next. To be honest, I had such a great time reading Frostborn, that I didn't even try working it out what will happen next. Usually, while reading (or watching something), my mind tries to solve the puzzle itself & usually I'm right when predicting what will happen next, so I'm rarely surprised. And despite the two times when I knew what will happen (one of them was that whole Lion King déjà vu moment, though I didn't mind), I had quite the adventure, with lots of surprises along the way, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lou Anders is a great writer. His words captured the imaginative world he created perfectly, the world-building was quite amazing & magical, his characters were interesting & lovable, the story was addicting, and the dialogue & all the characters' interactions were fun, which delivered one amazing & highly entertaining run-for-your-life adventure that the reader wouldn't want for it to end.

I also appreciated that this book had an ending. While reading, I was a little bit afraid that there will be a cliffhanger, and I kept thinking that it will be a torture to wait for the sequel, but thankfully, Lou Anders didn't do that. This book can stand for itself, although, if you're like me, you will be left eager for more, and I can't wait for the next book in the Thrones & Bones series. I found a new favorite for my alltime favorites pile.

I highly recommend Frostborn to all fans of fantasy adventures, no matter the age. Despite being a MG novel, this book will capture the imagination of younger children & adults like me. Pretty much anyone who adores a good fantasy adventure, or just classic fairy tales. Frostborn is one of the best books I've read this year, and one of those books that is staying with me long after I've finished it, so I can't recommend it enough!

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge