Frozen Hearts: A Fairytale Retelling (European Fairytales Retold)

My 7.5 and almost 6 year old daughters loved this story! They loved Axel but especially his sister Catrine. In the end they were in love the snow queen. They were afraid for the sick people in the town. They loved the descriptions of the snowy environment. "It's like Christmas!"They were happy with the ending but a little sad for Zabina. I had to explain a few things to them in the midst of the story, but they are young. They will likely enjoy it again when they are a few years older.Cara Ruegg writes beautifully and I will forever love her style of description and storytelling. I enjoyed the story and appreciated that it has Christian elements without being too much. It was just naturally part of the story.After listening to the audio, my sister came to visit. My children asked her to read it to them again!My children now have a source of imagination for their play. Already, several times they've played that one in the snow queen, another Catrine, and my son being the hobgoblin. They are happy to play with their new found characters while they await Cara's next fairytale retelling.

Askel is different from the other kids in his village. Maybe ti different. Catherine loves her brother very much and refuses to be left behind when tragedy forces them to embark on a dangerous adventure. Can they trust in God to see them and their loved ones through? Or will the cold overcome them all?The author pares the love of Christ with the story of the Ice Queen. Magic and mystical creatures give this tale a special twist while the author keeps the pace fast. The plot is simple and straightforward but told in an endearing and well writen way. My only complaint is that descriptions seemed a bit to brief in a few spots. But other readers will love how the story jumps in to excitment and mystery. A perfect story for people of all ages.

For the record, I don't think I've ever read the original story that this is a retelling of. My review is based strictly on THIS story and how it stands on its own merits.This one was a wonderful read! I would compare it to Chronicles of Narnia, except this one is overtly Christian rather than allegory. The characters pray to God and directly talk about Christ in this, and Christian forgiveness/redemption plays a vital role in the main story arc. Christian families looking for a good fantasy read will definitely want to snap up this book. It gives me STRONG Narnia vibes in style and genre. It reads a bit more like an old-time storybook rather than a more modern fantasy. To me, it reads very pretty.I think the content is pretty safe for kids of all ages, except possibly a rather tame murder scene. Even that scene is done tastefully and with very little description. Basically, imagine someone getting furious and pushing another murderer off a cliff. Done. You don't see much else besides something like that. If you're okay with that for your kiddos, you'll be fine with the content in this story.The characters are cute and charming in their own ways, but my favorite aspect of the story was the adventure to meet the Snow Queen, the magic, and the fantasy creatures that popped up. In this way, again, it gave me Narnia vibes, but with elves, hobgoblins, and fae. The magic of the characters was pretty neat, too, although I would have loved seeing more of the protagonist's use of magic (including him messing up with it, because it's mainly shown as a positive). There was a lot of fun stuff crammed into this little book. I honestly would have liked it to be longer so I could experience everything more, but it's perfect for a Narnia-sized read.I highly recommend giving this a try if you're looking for something like Narnia, but with overt Christianity. Also, this book is PERFECT for Christmas. It feels all wintery from start to finish, and I felt I was reading it at the perfect time of year! Give it a read~ It's cute, sweet, and has that beautiful redemption arc. It has a great message to share!I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.

I loved how the characters are believable and pull you into the story. And it keeps you guessing on the outcome of the story.

I was able to read a preview copy of this for the author! I do recommend it, as it was quite well-written and very interesting. I admit it took me two to three chapters (which are brief) to fully grasp the ancient story, but once I did, and saw what was going on, it was quite amazing!There is mystery, spiritualism, and redemption. There are surprises throughout, and we learn where powers have come from. It is good vs. evil, and just as we know that Christ has already won the battle for earth, yet it seems often that Satan is "winning", the good will win out in the end of the story as well.I'm being vague for a reason, as I'm restraining myself from giving away the story. I think it would be a great "read aloud" story by a parent to middle school children, and even young teens, while they stop to discuss some of the themes, and how this story relates to what they may have seen on screen!You won't be disappointed. If, as I, you struggle for understanding at the beginning, keep going! Everything will become more clear soon enough.Cara Ruegg has written another wonderful story!