The Icey Brilliance That Is Frostblood + How To Make Frostblood Inspired Cupcakes
Hey lovelies!
Today is a very exciting day because I am…finally bringing the baking back to my blog! It’s been such a long time since I shared something I baked on here and it’s mostly because I’ve been wondering how to mix books and baking together.
But I finally figured a way and today, I am not only going to be sharing with you a review of a great book, Frostblood by Elly Blake but also some delicious Frostblood inspired cupcakes that are super easy and quick to make!
About the book.
Series: Frostblood Saga
Author: Elly Blake
Pages: 399
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published on: January 10, 2017
Australian RRP: $19.99
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.
All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love. (source)
Published on: January 10, 2017
Australian RRP: $19.99
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.
All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love. (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Recommended for: Anyone 12+.
{ WRITING }
VOILA! These cupcakes are so easy to make and absolutely delicious!
They’re the perfect wintery treat to eat while reading this absolutely awesome
book which I adored! (Even though it’s summer where I live. Sigh, what can you
do?)
And if you make any of these cupcakes make sure to tag me on Instagram or Twitter @sprinkledpages and I'll be sure to like/comment/share and follow!
My thoughts.
{ WRITING }
While I didn’t feel the writing of Frostblood really stuck
out for me, it was still well written and had a good, solid flow. Blake wrote
action really well, without overdoing or overcomplicating the scenarios.
Blake really hooked me in, getting to the action right away
without wasting time on background and world building, getting to that later.
While that might have not worked in all scenarios, it worked really well for
this book because from page one we are thrust into this super fast paced and
addicting novel that is incredibly hard to put down!
{ IDEA + PLOT }
So originally, not gonna lie, I wasn’t that excited for the
book because I felt the fire vs ice trope was quite overdone and already existed a lot in YA lit so I thought
this was just going to be one of those books
and while I was right, it was in the best way possible!
The idea manages to be both classic and unique, blending
these two together to form an amazing and rich story. The world-building is
simple and effective, even if it could be slightly more intricate, but
honestly, I’m not complaining because sometimes simple is better than pages and
pages of background.
There was the perfect blend of fantasy and magic and
suspense and romance. While I feel a few cliff hangers would have made this book
THE PERFECT READ it still managed to have twists and turns and unexpected
happenings.
I can’t give away too much of the plot without huge spoiler
alerts but it was incredibly enjoyable. I could NOT put this book down because
of how engaging the whole world was. The plot was not what I expected it to be
and I really liked that about this book.
{ CHARACTERS }
I didn’t feel that much
for the characters but I did love the romance!
But firstly, the characters. I could admire Ruby as she had
lost a lot in her life and continued to plod through life, with minimal
complaining. She was an enjoyable protagonist to read from the perspective of
and I liked how driven she was for justice. But, I didn’t find I connected with
her.
There was always a sort of distance between Ruby and the
reader and it was hard to really get into her head and even harder for her to
get into my heart.
While I adored Arcus, I also found I didn’t connect with him
that much either, which is a little disappointing because he is such huge book
boyfriend material!
But the romance! I felt the chemistry between these two was
really palpable and the whole hate-to-love relationship is giving me all the
feels! Basically they are my new OTP!!
{ FINALLY… }
What made me really enjoy this book I think is not going in
with any expectations. I always hear things about books before going into them
but I hadn’t heard much about this book as it was a debut novel and while there
were ARCs of it, I wasn’t caught up in the chatter and hype so I went into this
not knowing what to expect which is why I enjoyed it so much!
I didn’t know I what I was expecting but I know for sure I
was not expecting it to be this good! And the best thing is, the next book
Fireblood also comes out this year *cue squeals* I believe in September so I
cannot wait to pick that up when it comes out!
OVERALL RATING:
★★★★½
{ HOW TO: FROSTBLOOD INSPIRED CUPCAKES }
Aha, the part you all have been waiting for, am I right?
Because which book worm doesn’t love delicious sweet treats?
What you’ll need:
- Plain chocolate cupcakes (I used this recipe)
- Blue buttercream (I used this recipe, halved and added a few drops of food colouring)
- Decorations (optional but I used a variety such as silver balls, sprinkles, little hearts and icing sugar)
What to do:
1. Ice your cupcakes with the buttercream! There are a few different ways of doing this such as:
1. Ice your cupcakes with the buttercream! There are a few different ways of doing this such as:
a.
Using a piping bag and piping in circular motions
on the cupcake until you have a spiral. Any nozzle works.
b.
If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a zip
lock bag and fill the icing inside and just snip the corner
c.
You can ice using a butter knife and just spread
and smooth the icing on top.
I used a combination of these methods to decorate my
cupcakes just to show you the variety of looks that can be achieved.
2. Now to the fun part! Decoration! There are a few
different ways to do this and you can do one for all twelve cupcakes or a
variety. I’ll list all the ideas I have below for the perfect winter themed
cupcakes
a.
Dusting icing sugar on top of the cupcake to
make it look like snow
b.
Having the silver balls in the shape of a
snowflake or on the edge of the cupcake to form a border or on the middle
spelling a letter or making any other shape you want
c.
Little edible hearts that can be placed in the
corners (this is for Arcus and Ruby of course *smirks and waggles eyebrows*)
d.
Dusting blue sprinkles on the cupcakes to make
it look like shards of ice
Basically anything your heart desires! You can also cut
little snowflakes out of fondant if you wish and decorate like that but I decided
not to because I’m lazy.
And if you make any of these cupcakes make sure to tag me on Instagram or Twitter @sprinkledpages and I'll be sure to like/comment/share and follow!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I really loved bringing
baking back onto my blog and I hope you enjoyed this little addition to my
review! If you want me to do more bookish baking, please do let me know and
feel free to leave any ideas below including which books they are for! I’d love
to hear your thoughts!
Have you read
Frostblood? What did you think? Or is it on your TBR?
28 happy thoughts
CAN I PLEASE HAVE A CUPCAKE. THEY LOOK DIVINE AND I THINK YOU NEED ME TO HELP YOU EAT THEM ALL. 😍😍😂 hehe But also I'm curious about Frostblood! (Aside from the cupcakes, too, go me for focusing on the book for a minute.) 😂 I do think the fire vs. ice thing is a bit overdone and that's sad you couldn't really connect with Ruby. But I'm still probably going to try it someday!
ReplyDeleteOFC CAIT! THEY ARE ALL YOURS! And yes you should read it because I really enjoyed it overall Thanks for reading and commenting lovely!
DeleteSOOO, I kind of skipped the review and went straight for the cupcake recipe! hahah, don't worry I read your amazing review after the delicious cupcakes!!! I hope you stick with the recipes its pretty awesome and different.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I appreciate it very much. Thank you again.xoxo
Hahaha no Helena, don't worry I am not offended! And of course! Thanks for stopping on mine and reading and commenting, even though you were distracted by the cupcakes! It takes real strength to turn away from sweet treats! ;)
DeleteOh this is one of my most anticipated read of the year, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's true that the fire vs ice thing is a bit overdone, but it's one of those tropes I can't get enough of either :) I'm sorry you didn't connect to the characters but I am happy you enjoyed the romance because hate-to-love tropes are another favorite of mine :) And I didn't know the sequel already comes out in September, that's so cool! Oh, and those cupcakes look delicious!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading and commenting Lindsey! AND YES I AM SUCH A SUCKER FOR THE WHOLE FIRE VS ICE TROPE EVEN IF IT COMES UP EVERYWHERE!
DeleteOMG your cupcakes! *licks screen*
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this one! I had a ton of fun with it too though I 100% agree it's not the most original book. The romance and OTP were my favorite part of the book as well. But did you see that the sequel has a love triangle? I'm so bummed out about it. :(
Anyways, fabulous review and love the inclusion of the cupcakes! :)
~Nick @ Nick & Nereyda's Infinite Booklist
HAHAH thank you so much Nick! And yes I did see the sequel had a love triangle and me and my friend were complaining about it over text the other day because Arcus + Ruby = perfection! Thanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteThere is something about this book that doesn't appeal to me. I think it might be the ice vs fire thing. Or just generally one power vs another, and the classist element that there seems to be. But I'm intrigued by all you're not allowed to say! I do love fantasy, it's one of my favourite genres, so maybe I'll give this a go. Thank you for the review! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that not every book is for everyone because I wasn't really pulled in by it either but the only reason I read it is because I had heard it was an anticipated release of a lot of people so I decided to give it a go just in case! Anyways, I appreciate you reading and commenting, even if you might not end up reading the book! :)
DeleteThis sounds just like what I'm in the mood for - some thrilling action and world building! I have this on my shelf and I can't wait to get to it. I know many have read the fire vs. ice scenario but this sounds like it has some nice twist to it. Great review and seriously scrumptious looking cupcakes, Anisha!
ReplyDeleteYES READ IT!!!! And thank you so much for reading and commenting! This makes me day <3
DeleteOh my gosh, love those cupcakes! They look so good - definitely makes me want to settle down with some of those with some hot chocolate and Frostblood!
ReplyDeleteAWW thank you so much Kelly!
DeleteThose cupcakes look so delicious!! I might try making them one day.
ReplyDeleteSo I mostly skipped over your review because I have a review copy of this to read soonish and, like you, I want to try and go in with minimal expectations. I'm glad to see you enjoyed it so much though!
Thank you! And yes oh my gosh try them because they are the yummiest!
DeleteI'm so excited to see that you liked this so much! I just picked up a copy and I can't wait to read it! I'm definitely going to need to try these cupcakes too! XD
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Cornerfolds
YESSS READ IT TRACY! It's amazing!!
DeleteWhat a fun idea to include in your post! I have been really intrigued by this series and I think that I will give it a try. I am sitting here on a gloomy, winter day wishing for some sun! I guess that we are always wanting what we don't have. I am glad that you found this one fairly enjoyable. :)
ReplyDeleteYESSS OMG READ IT IT IS AWESOME! And hahaha so true. I always want winter when it's summer and summer when it's winter!
DeleteOMG THE BOOK THE CUPCAKES!!!!! THE CUPCAKES!!!!! They look absolutely delicious *heart eye* and I haven´t read Frost Blood yet, but I´ll try to read it soon, great post <3 and again... THE CUPCAKES!!! AHHHHH
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO MUCH BECKY! AND omg you have to read frostblood it really is amazing!
DeleteOh yummmm! Those look absolutely delicious Anisha!
ReplyDeleteI read this one a few weeks ago and it surprised me so much how much I loved it. I had heard that it read like so many other fantasy / dystopian type novels with the same themes and tropes but in Frostblood, it really worked for me. I loved the banter and snarky romance as well. I can't wait for book two!
Brilliant review Anisha, really enjoyed it <3
Oh my gosh Kelly you are the kindest person! Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
DeleteAHHHH THE CUPCAKES LOOK SO. GOOD. I'll for sure have to try making them!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few mixed reviews on Frostblood but I'm happy that you ended up enjoying it! Maybe I'll have to give it a try someday...
Fabulous review <3
Thank you so much for reading and commenting Faith! And yay hope you enjoy the books and cupcakes!
DeleteThose cupcakes look yummy, Anisha! And they're gorgeous. I recently picked up Frostblood, and I'm excited to read this. :)
ReplyDeleteYAY OMG HOPE YOU ENJOY JESS!
DeleteLeave me a comment below! And feel free to leave your website URL so I can come visit!