Review: Frostbite by Lynn Rush

Title: Frostbite
Series: Touch of Frost
Placement in Series: 1/3
Author: Lynn Rush
Format: e-arc
Blurb:

Amanda gives a whole new meaning to cool…

Amanda Smith is sick of getting chased from town-to-town. So when she lands in tiny Trifle, Arizona, she hopes it’s her last move for a long time. Despite hating the smallness of the town, she settles in and finds a best friend, and even a boyfriend. Normality at its finest.

But for a girl who can shoot snow from her hands and lift a two-ton truck over her head like a bag of feathers—normal is not an option.

The scientists who murdered her mother come barreling into Amanda’s quiet life. She must decide if she’ll run again or stay and fight. The price of either choice might be her life or the lives of those she’s come to love…

Review:
Spoiler warning: This review is only slightly spoilery. I promise I don't give anything big away

Okay, I really enjoyed this one. I was lucky enough to receive an e-arc copy of this book (the first of a new trilogy by Lynn Rush), and I was super excited to dive into it! A girl with super strength and ice powers? Sold! Add in an action-packed plot where the protagonist is always on the run from people who murdered her mother (who had the same powers as she does) and father, some incredible characters I can't wait to read more about, and plot twists that left me on the edge of my seat with my mouth on the floor, and I'll have devoured the book in no time. Which is exactly what happened with Frostbite.

The book begins with Amanda, our protagonist, and her brother Scott living in a small town in Arizona as they attempt to stay hidden from the Coats - the name they've given to the white coat-wearing 'doctors' that have been tracking them down since their parents died. In Arizona, Amanda has made one friend, Georgia, and is trying to keep out of trouble for the few weeks left until she can graduate high school. But it is not only her poor attitude toward school and multiple tardies and absences that threaten her from achieving this milestone - the Coats have found her again, and she must decide if she wants to run again and leave behind Georgia, who is like a sister to her, and Zack, an unexpected romantic interest.
(Slight spoiler alert:) Amanda decides to stay; she and Scott have been running for so long, and she is too close to graduation to mess it all up now.

I really enjoyed all of the characters, but Amanda's spunky attitude was fun, entertaining, and refreshing - not all female protagonists need to be scholastic role models! (I for one did not enjoy school, nor did I have the greatest grades, so reading a protagonist who also lacked the interest was nice - is it just me, or do a lot of YA students get B's and A's without really trying?).

Georgia's develpoment as a character was fun to read. Seeing her go from timid - around her parents, at least - to brave in the face of danger, had me cheering her on, and made me question if I liked her more than Amanda or not (I think I've decided it's a tie).

I am still not sure how I feel about Zack, Amanda's love interest. I like his character, but if something happened to him and/or if Amanda moved on, I could live with it. He's cool; I'm just not attached. Kudos to him for sticking with Amanda through everything, though. His loyalty to her is admirable and I hope he comes out of this trilogy okay.

And then there's Scott, Amanda's older, powerless (in terms of super powers, anyway) brother. I don't really know what to say about Scott. Except he can make a smoothie for me any day... :D I wish he had some powers; I feel bad for him that he's left out of everything, but he makes do. If anything happens to him by the end of this trilogy, well... Let's just not go there.

The twists in this book were unexpected (as they should be), to me at least, and I loved them. My favourite, of course, when we found the Blaze to Amanda's Kelvin. That was my favourite part of the book and I was grinning so hard. I love the suspicion the plot had me feel towards certain characters. I was wary of trusting them right up until the end of the book, and even then, Lynn Rush still had me guessing! I don't want to give anything else away, so *zips lips*

It seems Amanda's powers develop every day, and I can't wait to see them grow in the following books. I also look forward to more character development -  I definitely can't wait for more Georgia! I'd like to see some from Zack, especially. I want to like him, and I'm not going to say no to my fictional crushes list expanding, but he has some more convincing to do.

Overall, amazing story! It kept me engaged, laughing, and guessing, and I can't wait for people to read this book so I can discuss without spoiling anything! Can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy as well (and, of course, the sequel!). Can't wait to see where Absolute Zero (book 2) takes us! I had a lot of fun reading this one :)

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended for: Anyone who loves action, characters with special powers, and a fun, exciting plot. Fans of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me, Kathy Reichs' Virals series, and the Percy Jackson series will enjoy Frostbite.


Frostbite by Lynn Rush is out September 17th, 2013