"Witches." Emma pointed out. "And murderers. Surely, that's more important than dancing and tea cakes."
A Breath of Frost is the first book in the Lovegrove Legacy trilogy (which, is actually a duo with a novella), and let me tell you from page one it's an action-packed YA historical fantasy with everything you could possibly want in that kind of book.
Characters - There's a slew of characters, but you never get lost with who is who. Harvey does a spectacular job keeping them all in check with unique and engaging voices. The POV was the only thing that threw me off. It was limited omniscient, which can always be a little challenging to read. The book did center around Emma, so you saw mostly her perspective, along with her love interest, Cormac. *insert swooning here*
Setting - London in the 1800's with the addition of all things magical. Need I say more? Harvey dropped us in, set the background, but allowed for the use of your imagination. Many fantasies utterly fail here, trying to force their view of their world onto you with unneeded description that weighs the story down. There's none of that here!
Plot - As with all fantasy, the plot is twisted. Harvey makes it so you'll find yourself as tangled in it as the characters. That ending. I did not see it coming! I was glad to see a HEA - ish for Emma and Cormac, but was left wondering what happened to Theodora?!
Conflict - What a delightful morsel that was. Emma is a Lovegrove and so many other things. It's not enough that she and her cousins are witches. I love that we got thrown into that world with them as they learned who they were and that things weren't as they seemed.
Resolution - Perfect, action-packed magic.
Overall, this is a five-star read that packs a punch with the perfect combination of action, gore, and romance.