Followed by Frost

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Smitha has the wealth, status, and beauty that make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha’s desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her renewed hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it? (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This was a hard no for me.  Smitha is an uppity b*tch, fine, but when she rejects a marriage proposal she’s cursed.  Let’s re-read that, a female (let’s ignore further details because it doesn’t matter) rejects a male and is punished.  Where have we heard that story before?  Smitha may be a b*tch and definitely need some attitude adjustments, but I am not a fan of what Holmberg uses as her literary device.  Ok, ok, what if Smitha had rejected a woman – would I feel differently about the story?  I could have potentially forgiven the book a little more, but the rest of the book consists of a series of men who intervene to change Smitha’s destiny.  She barely takes any action on her own other than the bare minimum to survive.

Let’s be clear – I LOVE a good romance book.  I am even willing to pause some feminist tendencies for the sake of a fun and romantic story, but this one just went too far for me. 

Rating: 1 stars!

Who should read it? I’d say skip it.