The Frozen Crown promises an epic story of war, magic, and political intrigue as protagonist Princess Askia leaves her northern home to beg an army from her powerful neighbors to win back her throne. While I did enjoy the magic system and some of Askia's political maneuverings, much of the book was too illogical for my tastes, and I found some of the characterization lacked nuance.
It's a priority for me that books need to make sense for me to enjoy them, but The Frozen Crown fell flat for me from the first chapter. I was baffled by the idea the protagonist was going to a derelict city for aid, that her own country was only a mile away (but over a whole mountain range!) yet the war was completely contained there, and that the first course of action involved hunting and a ball rather than anything more...pressing. While the book is supposed to be about political intrigue and not really the war itself (which readers never see), the book never hooked me on its logic. Some of the political maneuvers were interesting, and it was fun to watch Askia grow from a short-sighted woman with a temper to someone more cunning, but ultimately the political intrigues never felt that twisty or clever to me, which was a disappointment.
I also thought some of the characterization in the novel was incomplete or simply not nuanced enough, which meant I couldn't fully understand the characters' motivations or what they were doing in the political intrigue, and I couldn't fully appreciate Askia's relationships with them. For instance, Askia claims someone is like a brother to her--but readers never actually get to see why.
I did enjoy the magic system in the book. While there are different types of witches, readers primarily see Askia's abilities. Kelly does a good job of explaining what Askia can do, what she ought to be able to do with more training, and what she might be able to do that would be entirely unique (you know, because protagonists always need to be the most powerful witch of their kind!). It was also fun to see how Askia approaches her magic and how she mostly uses it to help people, that it never occurred to her to use it in the more selfish ways that seem obvious to other characters.
I believe this book will be popular. As I draft my review in September 2020, there are only a few other Goodreads ratings, but they're high. I know from experience that although books drive me crazy when they don't make sense, most other readers seem not to care, so the lack of logic I see in The Frozen Crown won't be a problem for it. I also think the book has enormous YA-crossover appeal. In fact, though Askia is 21, she acts more youthful than many teen YA protagonists (which was something I did like about her!). I felt underwhelmed by this, but my official prediction that is I will be in the minority.