Bunny's Reviews: Beneath the Scarlet Frost Review Spotlight

We’re celebrating new release Beneath the Scarlet Frost by Marissa Miller! Read on for more details about this beauty!

Beneath the Scarlet Frost is the first book in Marissa Miller’s The Fallen Reign series. Beneath the Scarlet Frost is Miller’s twist on a familiar fairy tale. Which fairy tale you may ask? Well, when you start this book...I promise you...it will dawn on you rather quickly. I may give you a hint later on, but for now...let’s let the suspense build a little. LOL!

Beneath the Scarlet Frost begins with young Sorrel as a child. She’s on the run with her family. They’re being hunted by people who wish for their deaths. Will they be able to survive? Her mother has already been wounded, but can they just hold out long enough for help to find them? Things quickly get more complex, and that’s just in the first chapter!

After the attack things change. Those who attacked her and her family, Wielders, are banished from the kingdom. They are feared because of their abilities and for a time, peace is achieved. But the fear lingers beneath the surface that they will return. While the story fast-forwards a few years. Peace is nothing but an illusion that the higher nobles place their trust in. Meanwhile, the peace is being disrupted in the streets. Change is brewing, but they have no idea just how close to home it intends to come. But the first ripple happens that very night when chaos breaks out among the common people. In the chaos hundreds are killed and even more are injured.

Sorrel is heartbroken at the loss of life. She has a bad feeling that something bigger is still to come, and she has no idea just how right she is. It won’t be long before it shows it’s face and forever changes her and her family’s life.

Beneath the Scarlet Frost is a slow to moderate-paced story. It has a slow to moderate beginning, but don’t let that fool you. The deeper you go into this story, the more intrigued and engaged you’re going to become. The author pulls you in a little at time, planting little clues along the way to let you know that not everyone or everything is as it seems. Sorrel has lead a very sheltered life. Trust me, she’s been kept from learning certain things about the world around her. The question rears it’s head – Why? Who didn’t want her and her siblings to learn certain things? Was it purposefully done to keep them ignorant? Or was there something more sinister at hand?

The deeper you go into the story the more the fairytale will become familiar to you in the event that you haven’t figured it out by now. Want a hint? Yes? Okay, I’ll give you a clue...it starts with an “A.” Okay, I’ll give you one more clue...there’s a movie, too. Have you guessed it yet? I’m sure you have, so if you have...grab this book!

There are layers to this book. It’s gripping, engaging, and absolutely dynamic. As this book is part of a series, prepare yourself for a cliffhanger. Sorry, not sorry, but that’s just how it goes. The first half of this book works to set the stage for what is to come, but the final chapters are going to be absolutely heartbreaking. It will leave you with the question of – what happens next. You going only wait to see where things go from here.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to the author, Marissa Miller, and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to what comes next!

Beneath the Scarlet Frost (The Fallen Reign Series)

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Shadows scream, whispers torment, and wishes curse.

The empire of Eisa once stood as a symbol of hope for purging the wicked magic that had plagued its lands. But, when Wielders are spotted within those borders, the sanctity that once acted as an unshakable foundation crumbles beneath Sorrel Zdraevit’s feet.

With the resurgence of Wielders on Eisan soil, protests are increasing in the streets, citizens are suffering, and everywhere she turns tragedy fractures the facade of peace that had sheltered her.

As the second eldest princess in Eisa’s imperial family, when war is brought to the kingdom’s door, Sorrel is forced to step into a new role, leading her deeper and deeper into the world she fears most. Desperate to protect her country against dark and twisted magic, and heal those around her, she must decide what it is she stands for when the world as she knows is rendered senseless.

Unsure of whom to condemn, and whom to put her faith in, Sorrel is faced with tainted realities that threaten to destroy everything she’s ever held dear. All that matters is keeping her kingdom and family safe against the monsters infiltrating her country. Secrets and lies drag her into the depths of her worst nightmare, where fighting through the calamities is the only way she will have any hope of making it out alive- If she can hold on to her own will to live.

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Available in Hardcover, Paperback. and at Barnes & Noble!

About the Author

Marissa Miller can often be found frolicking about in thunderstorms, drinking her weight in tea, playing with one of her numerous beloved pets, or with her nose shoved into a book. When she isn’t found any of these places, Miller is at her desk, writing one of her fantasy novels. Her works include a gripping middle grade contemporary fantasy, The Grim and The Fantastic, and her young adult mashup/retelling series, The When Wicked Series. Taking on high fantasy with a literary spin, Beneath the Scarlet Frost, upon its release, will be the first installment of her adult fantasy series, The Fallen Reign Series.

Miller believes fundamentally in the power of imagination and creativity, and seeks to use her expression of splendor, no matter the circumstances, to overcome whatever obstacles life throws our way. Not afraid to delve into dark or heavy topics, Miller’s works embody the motif that no matter the depth of darkness, and weight of topic, there is always a little light and a harrowing story to be found in the shadows. With an emphasis on character-driven narratives, her themes often touch on overcoming inner demons and trauma, the abstract of morality, and the intricacies of creative construct.

Marissa Miller