Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston

Goodreads Summary:
From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

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 to take her 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? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

My Review:
I was offered a copy of Frozen to review in exchange for a honest review. Frozen takes you through an unknown land. A time when the world is drastically changed. The world is not the same place. It is covered in snow and ice. Cities have been destroyed. The world building that goes into Frozen is pretty intense. There was so much detail. You could really see what was going on in the book. I really enjoyed learning about the world in it's new state. It's not only the world that has changed but, also the people. There is a new kind of people out there. People with special gifts. However, these special gifts seem more like curses as time goes on. I had a lot of questions while I was reading but, by they end a lot of things were clear. I never knew what to expect. The paranormal aspect was very unique. I was not something I have read about before.

Nat is a blackjack dealer in New Vegas just trying to survive. Nat needs to get out. Her secret puts her in constant danger. She needs a way to escape New Vegas and try to get to The Blue. A fabled place of peace, clean water, and without snow. A place where Nat will be safe. A place where she can live her life without fear. When the opportunity presents itself Nat takes it. She has the heat credits to hire a crew of runners to help her escape New Vegas. This is not an easy thing to do. There are seekers who's job it is to keep people in not let people escape. The road ahead of them is treacherous and full of danger. Will Nat and Wes and his group of runners make it through this trip? Will her secret put her in serious danger yet again?

I really liked Wes. After being around him and the other guys, Nat starts to have feelings for Wes. Wes is the manly leader type. He finds out about Nat's secret yet doesn't seem to care. He wants to help her even more. I had to keep reminding myself that these were teenagers. The lives that they lived were hard and they grew up waaaay to fast. By 16 Wes had been in the "army" and do some pretty crazy things to make a living. Food is a hot commodity in the world now because of the ice. These two find strength in each other. Even in life and death situations. They have survived seekers, pirates, and monsters. Will they find their safe haven?

This was a very fun read. The ending took my by surprise but, was very exciting. What Nat turns out to be is pretty cool. I am really interested in seeing what's going to happen next!  I will definitely be picking up the next book.