This isn’t so much a review as a squealing* fangirl review of to her to say how awesome the books are. You see, Tanya manages to make me so very willing to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to books. I love PNR. No doubt about it. I don’t particularly care for mysteries (I’m a know it all/impatient), so there are times when the ‘who done it and why’ magic is lost on me. Again, I’m impatient.
The Darkest Frost Volumes 1 & 2 weren’t your typical mysteries. Of course we come in thinking—based on Denieve’s suspicions—that Doctor Frost is our murderer. Now we just need the proof, right? That part in itself would have been beautifully written on its own. Still, I found myself to be a bit confused by the notion that this was a gothic paranormal romance with a twist. Where was the paranormal part? Trust me when I say finding out was sooooo worth it.
A short segue, I write PNR/Fantasy. I read it endlessly. I love devouring new ways for authors to twist the paranormal to their own ends to make it uniquely their own. In this, Tanya masterfully unveiled her paranormal world without falling into a generic trap. I won’t reveal what the paranormal element is, but I will say it is delicious. I want to know more. I want to pull her aside and just ask endless questions about what led her to choose that particular name, type, powers, etc. Seriously, I want to see her world building notes because I am fascinated by the glimpse I caught.
Now for the romance, gods the romance. That twist applies not only to the book as a whole, but to everything. For the longest I was picking teams, deciding that she should be with this guy over that one. Then wham! Tanya hits me with a ‘bet you didn’t see that coming’ and…Yeah. I didn’t sleep when I read the books.
Let me go back for a second for the mystery. No spoilers, promise. Nothing worse than someone who takes the OMG out of a mystery, right? Anyway, it’s never what you think. That is the general rule for mysteries, right? Well, a mystery tossed in a paranormal plot is doubly interesting. Not only is there finding out who did all the things, but also—in Tanya’s case—trying to decipher the breadcrumbs to her big reveal for the world she built.
Also, cliffhanger ahead. She warns you. I am glad that I picked the books up after Volume 2 was released. I HATE cliffhangers. This one would have made me f-ing insane. My recommendation, get both at the same time. No need of having to run back to one-click the next one and wait those precious seconds while it downloads. Trust me. WORTH. IT.
I‘ll close my fangirl “review” with this. World building is a big, big, big deal to me. Tanya does it in a way that seems so effortless that I am in literal awe. The Darkest Frost Volumes 1 & 2 are examples of her seemingly effortless storytelling. You will rage, laugh, cry, and elation will flood over you when you finally know the who done it and why. Really, this was a glorious read.
*No eardrums were harmed in the making of this review.
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