A Soul As Cold As Frost (The Winter Souls Book 1)

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It's the Chronicles of Narnia meets Harry Potter. This fantastic winter tale is the perfect blend of classic portal fantasy and the magic world co-existing with our own. It's a beautiful reminder of what is truly important in life." A Soul as Cold as Frost instantly transports you into a magical world that the whole family will adore. Fans of Chronicles of Narnia will be thrilled with this new wintery adventure!" (Nikki Mitchell, author of Nightshade Forest) The Quarrel of Sword and Bone was a death sentence for anyone who stepped into the arena with the deranged Queen, whose soul had crisped to frost in an age long since past. The figure appeared over my sprawled frame in snow-powdered boots with silk laces that gave off the potent scent of sweet spices and pending excuses. He or she was a solid shadow against the sun burning through the yellowish fog overhead.

I would rather stay in for the month of December and have my grandmother read us boring old Christmas tales to spare us the holiday drama. I didn’t go in right away; I stole a look around and swallowed, worried I’d been followed. But I saw nothing—nothing but regular vehicles, regular lampposts, regular pine trees covered in regular snow. Mix a smidgen of cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a tiny bowl (you know your own preferences about how much sweetness you like in your coffee, so make your measurements accordingly.) Throw this right into the filter with your scoops ofcoffee grinds. Slipping by Bertha, I tossed my book bag on a hook and leaned to glance in the kitchen where Aunt Sylvia was conversing with my Uncle Ted, likely grouching about me for not keeping up.

Never in my sixteen years of life had I believed in things unseen until that day. I had never created an imaginary friend as a child or believed in ghosts or the work of angels. But on that cold December afternoon, everything I knew went up in a gray cloud of smoke. Burly eyebrows framed hard silvery eyes that gleamed like dimes. My gaze shot to where my aunt still hadn’t come out of the bakery. My father used to roll his eyes at Sylvia’s collections and had always found excuses to leave the room to avoid my aunt. It was one of the memories that came easily in this house.

Are you alright, Trite? she asked again in a pressing tone that made me think she had somewhere to be. Her accent wasn’t one I recognized. Hide it! The girl snapped at the sight of me holding it up like a beacon. I’ll confuse them while you get away. No time to waste, Trite. Blink twice and chase the train! A twinkle lit the girl’s eyes. Your aunt tells me she had to leave you in the street to make it here on time, she said to me beneath the chatter of the room. The scolding in her voice was entirely overshadowed by the smirk on her face. My mittens rubbed my numb face as I looked to where Sylvia had disappeared inside the bakery. She was probably already shuffling a pie into her bag and digging through her purse for change.My gasp was lost in the cold wind drifting down the walkways overcrowded with holiday lights and Ontarians in multicoloured mittens. But the street wasn’t just busy with the usual Waterloo crowd, it was also busy with birds. There is a subtle Christian undertone to some of the story, in a very similar vein to Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, so if you’re a fan of Christian fiction you’ll love the added layer, but if you’re not looking for it then you won’t notice it’s there.

a sparkling glass city. Tall crystal pillars lined both sides of the street, curving inwards and holding up glass boxes … . Within the glass, red ribbons floated like sea snakes, slithering around each other and rippling in a choppy ballet. I had to drop it. I would drop the glass ball on the sidewalk and leave. And I would never, ever think about this moment again; the moment I realized I was losing my mind. Chapter, The SecondAs the conversations at my aunt’s dining table grew in volume, I noticed my grandmother’s focus fall distant behind the reflection of her family in her glasses. She was a body here, with a mind somewhere else. Like me. A furry white creature grinned up at me, its long ears folding out from behind the crown of cotton atop its head. My eyes crept over, and sure enough, there was that weighty sphere in my hand, clear as crystal, encompassing an ivory and gold haze that glowed ever so slightly like the active molten core of a planet.