Frostborn (Thrones and Bones)

I picked up this book because of a podcast interview with Lou Anders. I've been a fan of Lou's from his many podcast appearances, so definitely wanted to check it out. My boys are six and thirteen, so just barely missing the target middle grade audience of 8-12, but thought they (and me) would enjoy it all the same. The interview I listened to said Frostborn would still work well for the younger of the middle grades, so thought I'd try it on the younger son first. I asked him if he was interested in book that was likely a little too advanced, but one that had giants and dragons in it, and his eyes totally lit up. So, I read this to my six year old son, who absolutely loved it. Near the end, he was griping about only having a few chapters left and then when we were down to the last chapter, he was asking me when is book two coming out? He went crazy with happiness at the last line of the book. He's already wanting to reread it. He's also figured out that next year is 2015 and because book 2 should come out in 2015, that must mean it's only a couple months away! Right? :) Now I'm distracting him with other books, but he definitely keeps coming back to this one. For a six year old, it was a <i>little</i> advanced for him, but nothing a few well timed "this is what that word means" from me. And he was interested in it enough that, while he couldn't read it himself, by the end he was definitely picking out all the words on the page that he did know. He was very willing to try to follow along as I read it to him. He had little difficulty following the plot (a few "I don't remember that" from the early chapters), but not enough to really confuse him. We discussed a few of the forgotten things and how they applied later without much difficulty. He even figured out a few of the plot twists as they happened. He's a boy, so of course, he loved the Karn scenes, but the Thianna scenes were pretty well received, too. I think because Thianna was a lot more action oriented, her scenes still appealed to him. So from his point of view, this was an amazing book. We now "have" to make a Thrones and Bones set. A small suggestion would be to have a printable board on http://www.thronesandbones.com/ but seeing the simple hand drawn ones at http://louanders.com/thrones-and-bones-sets.html I'm not sure how much is really needed. From an adult's point of view, the book was really very good. I know I'm not exactly the target audience, but I greatly enjoyed the story. From my perspective, it may have been a little lacking in the "out on their own" section of the book only compared to the fantastic detailed beginning. I was kind of wondering where the story was going for a bit about three quarters in, before it made sense and they circled back to tie it all up in a bow. I think the ONLY thing that felt a little out of place was the reappearance of Gindri, but I would guess he plays a more involved role in future novels. So really, the rating really goes like this: The Kid: ***** I love it! I want the next book NOW! The Parent: ***** My kid is incredibly enthusiastic about reading this and even when I was too tired to read on a specific night, I was "forced" by him to read anyway. Now he wants more. Cool. The Adult: **** Pretty good. A little straightforward, but still had a twist or two that kept me guessing. Again, I'm not really the target audience, but I still liked it a lot. Very enjoyable. I want to read book two, too, to find out more about this world.

Every time I travel I take a book with me from my giant stack of reading material. Recently I purchased a tablet for myself and needed something worthy of my trip to GenCon for me to enjoy on the plane. Now normally I do not read YA fiction but, having met Lou Anders for a few years back (and having been in occasional contact) I was aware of a book he had been working on and was delighted to hear of it's release. The book, Thrones and Bones Frostborn, would be my somewhat appropriate book to read as I traveled to one of the biggest gaming conventions of the year. I say somewhat appropriate because gaming and finding where you belong are at the core of this tale. Being a "geek" all my life I have, until well into my adulthood, felt somewhat out of place in the natural order of things. Where my school mates played ball or ran track, I found myself creating Roleplaying Games or reading comics. Growing up was difficult as a geeky person in the late 80's and 90's so finding where I belonged took many years. These days pop culture has made it easy to be a geek, GenCon is one of those shows that remind you that you belong, but the pain of rejection and being an outcast still occasionally haunts me to this day. This is where this book really spoke to me. This book, the first in a series, follows two unlikely heroes, both just different enough from their communities that they feel that they do not belong. The young boy, Karn, is the heir apparent of a large family homestead and is being groomed for the task of taking over in the event of his fathers passing, however, Karn, being a gamer and a dreamer, has no wish to run the family farm. He would much rather explore, find his place in the world and of course, play Thrones and Bones, his favorite board game. Our other protagonist, Thianna, is a girl of two worlds, half Frost Giantess and Half human, she doesn't fit in either world and only knows one. She is painfully aware that she is different, but only wants to be what she grew up as, a Frost Giant, like he father. Our two protagonists eventually unite and what an adventure they have. In their journey they face Trolls, the Undead and even a Dragon all the while discovering that being different can be a benefit that can eventually save your life. For someone who was once a bit of an outcast, it was a nice reminder of how things can get better over time, something I tend to have taken for granted over the years. I look forward to the next installment of the series and can honestly say I haven't been this excited about a new fantasy series since I first read the Dragonlance Chronicles all those years ago. Give this book a go, it's well worth your while.

*I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review.* In Frostborn, Lou Anders created a fictional world with a bit of mythology and fantasy figures. Think Lord of the Rings, but for a younger crowd. Our story begins with a typical boy who has no desire to take over his family's farm. He would much rather be a kid and play his favorite game, Thrones and Bones. Each year, Karn's family travels to meet and trade with the frost giants. This year, Karn meets Thianna, a half-giant (half human, half giant). Since they're the only 2 "kids", they decide to hang out. While they're playing and talking, they develop kind of a friendship. I loved that Thianna took pride and was happy each time Karn called her big or tall. Since she was a half-giant, she wasn't near as tall as the giants and was often made fun of by some of the younger giants. When we get to the mystery involving a spirit and Karn's [evil] uncle, something bad happens. Karn is then on the run! When the giants get back to their home, there is a group of women hunting for Thianna. She, also, is then on the run! The two of them, fortunately, end up together while they're running and hiding. Once together, the two manage to get into trouble and run into creatures that no one wants to run into. However, since they were together, they were able to survive. If not together, they wouldn't have made it individually. Thianna had some frost magic and brute force, whereas Karn had brains and thinking skills. I really enjoyed that the two of them really relied on one another. They built a fantastic friendship, even though they were running for their lives. I was turning pages so quickly because I was so worried (and excited) as to what was going to come at them next. Karn and Thianna formed an everlasting and strong connection. If you are a fan of middle grade, RPGs, fantasy, LotR, or even The Lion King, you will enjoy Frostborn! Yes, The Lion King! There were so many parallels that it made my little Disney heart pitter-patter!

Like all good frost giants, young Thianna loved a good game of Knattleikr. Gunnlod’s Plateau rang with shouts as the quick teen dodged her massive opponents. The frozen realm had been her home since the day of her birth. Yet all the frost giants, even the most foolish, could tell that she didn’t entirely belong. She had the dark eyes of the southern people, and she was short. Throughout her life she longed to be a full-blooded giant and avoided everything that reminded her of her human mother, long dead. Shortly before the feast of Winternights, her giant father knew the time had come to give his daughter a gift. Thianna took the horn in her hands, knowing only that her mother had guarded it until her final breath. As winter drew close, the frost giants trekked south to mingle with humans at the market at Dragon’s Dance. Not many humans dared to trade openly with frost giants. Korlund had come, as his people had for generations, bringing his son Karn. Both knew to stay close to the fires on the wild evening of Winternights. When Karn’s uncle drew Karn out into the woods, the simple youth never dreamed his uncle was planning his death. The treacherous man led Karn amidst the barrows, right to the corpse door, with its shining green runes binding the dead to their barrows. In the eerie light Karn awoke the dead, who vowed to hunt him down as he took flight through the dark woods. In the grand adventure that unfolds, Karn and Thianna come together in the freezing mountains. They fight for their lives as they flee brutish creatures bent on their capture. Enemies fly above churning river gorges and stalk them in ancient ruined cities. The magical excitement of Norse legend charges through the novel, accented by moments of humor. Higher themes drive through the book, making it at once a powerful and enduring tale. --Kate Calina

A must read especially for youngster who enjoy Science Fiction & Fantasy. The characters Karn and Thianna become involve in adventures to save their own lives and love ones. They fight against some dangerous hunters. The other story line has the two characters discovering who they want to be and where they fit in. Orm is a villain character but I like him, he is polite and agreeable. The description of the scenery is amazing and realistic since I live in a cold state in America I can identify quickly with Thianna enjoying the snow and at the same time understand Karn trying to survive during the severe winter season. The one drawback for me, the story starts off with the character Karn however I believe Thianna seems to be the main character as I read. Thianna should have been introduce in the first chapter. I recommend this book for its action, authentic and unique characters. For Ages: 8 - 12 years

After I accepted the second book in the Thrones and Bone series, Nightborn, I immediately went to he library to buddy read it with my oldest. Ironic enough, Frostborn was a book I have previous checked out for him that he never got around to reading. I am not a huge middle grade reader – but it’s one category that I have been wanting to get into for a while now. Fantasy probably wasn’t the best of genres to start with though, to be honest. Frostborn had a really slow start. The story didn’t really progress until about 40%, with the introduction to the characters and world building. This is not necessarily a bad thing – but it took a lot of patience on my part to get past this. We have an array of characters; the main two being Karn, a boy next to take over his family farm and Thianna, a half-human/half-giant. Once these two are introduced, the story really picks up its pace and doesn’t let up from there. These two make a great team – with Thianna’s stubborn and tough personality and Karn’s wit. Their adventures were quite entertaining and love how everything pieced together in the end. Overall – Frostborn was a great start to a series. Minor pacing issues aside in the beginning, it’s entertaining with an interesting world with Norse history and lore, fans of fantasy books will get a kick out of this one!

It's difficult to write books that will appeal across age levels. JK Rowling struck gold when Harry Potter was as beloved by adults as it was by their children. Frostborn stands to inherit that throne. An epic fantasy with riveting characters. The best part- the women aren't reduced to the roles of sniveling at the sidelines while the male characters save them. Thianna is strong, smart, and capable- maybe even more so then Karn. A must read for anyone who enjoys serial fantasy. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait for the next installment!

This is a fun and quick read. Lou Anders manages to quickly build an interesting world that engages and entertains. I'm not the target market for this book but found myself caught up in the story and finishing the book in a couple of days. I recommend this to any one that has any interest in fantasy worlds.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. This books has transformed bedtime-stories from being very dull for me into very exciting for both me and my 5-year old son. This is his favourite book (and he is a big fan of books). The story is very compelling with lots of action and excitement and there are both a male and a female lead character. The fantasy-world setting is rich and fascinating. We highly recommend it.

The first book in the Thrones and Bones trilogy is a winner for kids of all ages. Thianna and Karn are fantastic protagonists who show a nice amount of growth from their introductions to the story's denoument. The Norse inspired land of Norrongard (sorry for not using the correct symbols in the name) is a breath of fresh air; I've read plenty of middle-grade and YA fantasy novels and haven't encountered anything quite like it. The draug and their leader, Helltoppr, are a real standout. Undead don't usually get much character, but all four of them have plenty of it. The story ends a little too neatly, but I trust Lou Anders has a solid plan to get Karn and Thianna together again. I'll be reading this one to my kids and getting the next book in the series soon.