My favorite Charlie Holmberg book. ( )

After the Paper Magician Trilogy, and the somewhat weird 'Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, this is yet another Charlie N Holmberg book that I enjoyed. There's not a lot of action, but it still captivated me.

Poor Smitha is cursed, and since that curse of her threatens her environment, she soon finds herself an outcast, hunted by the peasants of villages she gets too close to.
However, there is one people who are willing to take her in, because her curse can actually help them.

At first, Smitha isn't a very likable character, but she learns a lot in the course of a few years, and she undergoes some changes that change her life yet again.

The narrator did a good job once again, and the book was enjoyable. ( )

Enjoyable read

If your a fan of Charlie's work you will enjoy this book as well. I chose three stars due to the storyline feeling a little slow in parts. Great characters and definitely worth reading. ( )

Another fascinating tale with just a slight dash of magic to grab your attention, but truly speaks about the human characteristics that are thriving in all of us: loneliness or, taking things for granted. This was a good read, but Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet was a greater and more in depth tale. ( )

Followed By Frost tells the story of Smitha, a 17 year old woman, who, rather cruelly, dismisses the repeated romantic overtures of a young man. The young man turned out to be a wizard who promptly cursed her "to be as cold as her heart". She was doomed to be physically cold, with winter flowing her wherever she goes. It becomes a problem as those in her town become sick and die due to the relentless cold that follows her.

As the death of one person nears, she realizes that her curse allows her to both see and converse with Death himself, who soon becomes as obsessed with Smitha as was the young wizard. Smitha leaves home for the sake of her village, and the story follows her during the next four years of her cursed life.

I was drawn to the story because mainly because of the presence of a Death Incarnate figure. Although I was concerned that there may be more romance than I prefer, that turned out not to be the case. This was a story of a young woman coming of age, maturing, coming to grips with her plight and finding a place for herself in the world. I listened to the audiobook, which was extremely well narrated. The characters were all well developed and their interactions and conversations were very realistic. An enjoyable reading/listening experience. ( )