Confusing and muddled. Could not connect with the story or characters. I thought the premise sounded great but the actuality fell flat for me. Disappointing.

I got accepted to review this book years ago, but unfortunately never got around to reading it. Apologies for this.

I did not enjoy reading this! The characters are flat, the plot is hard to follow, and above all, it is not very well written. I still enjoy parts of the world-building, but de la Cruz definitely has better fantasy books,

Interests have changed - no longer going to review this book as its bo my cup of tea any longer - sorry

Boring. Read about 10% before I got bored, gave this book a second chance but still couldn't get into it, did not finish

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnson is book one in the Heart of Dread series. It is a YA dystopian fantasy novel. Despite being a well known author I have never read any of Melissa De La Cruz before, but I have heard a lot about her so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me at all. I really didn't like it. I thought the plot was slow and patchy. The premise was unoriginal and dull. I found the writing to be stodgy and clichéd. The way people speak in text talk was a good example of that, I just hated that. The characters were all one dimensional. Nat was horrible, she was so full of her self I just couldn't stand her. The romance was cringe and dull. Yeh, this one really was not for me.

Unfortunately this book did not capture my attention and I did not connect with the characters. Maybe it was the mood I was in at the time, maybe it was just not my personal taste

It was just not good. I expected a lot from Melissa De La Cruz after Blue Bloods, but this was just confusing. The romance was not memorable and the world building fell flat.

This book felt like it was written to set up a series: there was a lot of filler, a lot of info-dumping, and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I wanted to love it, but I just couldn't.

I'm a big fan of Melissa de la Cruz so when I heard about this book Heart of Dread: Frozen, I immediately requested it and no regrets at all. I enjoyed every parts of it and I'm looking forward for the next books in the series.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I'm all about a fantasy world with far fetched ideas about how civilization lives and survives. But this story seemed to be a mess. First off, the spelling errors. At every single turn there were silly mistakes, like no capitalization at the beginning of a sentence for starters. People's names not capitalized either. Secondly, the main character, Nat, isn't that likable. I didn't connect with her at all. I did like Wes, the boy she ends up falling in love with (of course that's how most YA novels go). He had a fun personality, a warm heart and you were sad when he died. But wait, he magically comes back to life just to keep the story moving forward?! Then Nat seems to be dead a day later during a naval batltle to only be brought back to life by a drakken, her dragon (because all along she was actually a drakkenrydder but didn't know it). The story just kept adding unbeliveable twists and I felt it was choppy. Two stars because I've read worse. #netgalley #reviewathon

I tried many times to read this book, unfortunately every time I did so I couldn't connect with the characters, and I ended up putting this list in the did not finish pile, so I am unable to provide an honest review.

A bit predictable, a bit generic and cliche. However quite a sweet story
Not super impressed but quite well entertained by this book.
I think it has potential. Let's see where book 2 is taking us

3.5 Stars
This was a good book with a interesting premise, but for me it didn't live up to my expectations. don't get me wrong it was enjoyable at times but then often it would drag a bit too much. I found the twists and secrets a great addition to the storyline and I will probably continue and read the sequel as I believe the true story has just began, I can't wait to see what happens next.

*Many Thanks to Net-Galley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy. This did not affect my rating*

1/5

I am sorry; I just did not like this book. It was not my cup of tea.
It is a mix of post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and fantasy. Frankly, none of it was done really well. Melissa de la Cruz has put out some really popular books, i.e. The Blue Bloods series.. and I don’t know if I want to try something else by her because I was so underwhelmed.

Welcome to New Vegas! Las Vegas, but covered in ice and it is freezing cold, like most of the rest of the planet. But the world building was pretty non-existent. I want to know more about the world, why is it the way it is.
Nat wants to escape to a place known as “Blue” where the sun still shines, and the ocean isn’t toxic. But to get there is extremely dangerous. Enter cute boy, and then cue feelings.

The plot was rushed, the characters were bland, the world isn’t really explained well at all. I can’t really recommend this to anyone, which sucks because I loved the premise.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature - freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.
At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "the Blue." They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.
But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies?

*Actually 1-star*

I am not going to badmouth this book. All I will say is that I could find zero positives from this book - not the characters, the world-building...my word, not even the spelling and grammar was 2-star level.

It was just bad.

Melissa De La Cruz should know better...


Paul
ARH

A bit slow but intriguing nonetheless. I am hoping the next one moves a bit quicker.

I apologize, I tried getting into this book four different times and just couldn't get into it so this ended up on my did not finish list.

I truly wish I had read this series before several other dystopia novels. As it is, I feel as if I have reached dystopia exhaustion, which is probably unfair for this book. It has an interesting concept and I would recommend it to others who still enjoy dystopia.

I wasnt able to connect with any of the many characters in the book and I found myself putting down the book a lot because it was dull and never really catching my attention.