Review: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

Frozen (Heart of Dread, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz  & Michael Johnston
Publisher: Putnam
Publication date: September 17th, 2013
Number of pages: 336 pgs
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

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.

Frozen is something that's been in the works for quite a while, Melissa and her husband co-authored this and it was fabulous. Melissa's first try at Dystopia and it has worked so well.
It's different from anything else, which is not an easy thing to accomplish when you have so much dystopian things out there and it's not easy to find something that hasn't been done before.

Natasha, otherwise known as Nat lives in New Vegas, which is basically old Vegas but is now covers in ice. She works as a blackjack dealer at one of the casinos, but longs for something more. There is a rumor about a place that is glorious. There is free-flowing water, no ice, food and basically her version of heaven.  The question is, how does one get there, and if it does exist, is it worth risking her life to find this place? She doesn't have much to lose at this point..

Nat discovers there is a group of rebels who know a way to get to the Blue, and the leader of the group is, Ryan. They connect instantly, but she doesn't understand what she is feeling for him, although she can't let it affect her because her main purpose is to find this place, and that's it. She finds herself able to trust Ryan and she can't figure out why, since she hardly even knows him. She'll have to work out what is between them, and if it is worth exploring. The closer they get to her drop off point, Nat grows close to the group to the point they start to feel like her friends, if not, family.

This is told in dual POV. Ryan and Nat. It's interesting to see their journeys toward one another. But this is not about the romance. This story is so much more. The world building is fascinating, although I am not surprised since Melissa de la Cruz is great at building up great stories.  I have loved most of her books in the mythology genres, and so it's only natural this was going to be just as wonderful as the rest.

There is so much potential for this series. I can't wait until book 2, to see where the journey takes both these characters, and this world they are in.

An action packed adventure that people will sure to love. Make sure you get your hands on this book ASAP. It's not to be missed.

4.5 Stars