From the Publisher
"Reese's splendid story skillfully combines everyday experiences with a fantastical world, and though the talking birds and ferocious frostfangs are a surface-level treat, they're also thoughtful explorations of selfdoubt and asexuality. A powerful testament to self-knowledge and boldly living in your truth." —Booklist
"Using frostfangs as a metaphor for the debilitating effects of self-doubt, this contemporary fantasy realistically examines Eren’s confusion, fear of alienation, and suffocation as she grapples with her true sexuality. Multidimensional supporting characters with their own identity issues and vulnerabilities add veracity and depth.." —Kirkus Reviews
"Reese gives equal weight to each storyline and captures how the urgency of self-identification and fear of your own truths can pervade every moment and feel just as catastrophic as the potential end of the world. It’s a comfort that Eren and her pals save the day—perhaps even more so that they each find new truths in themselves and each other. " —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Meanwhile, a conversation with Alex’s asexual, pan-romantic sister gives Eren the framework to consider her own sexuality. Eren’s relatable effort to find her own path is sympathetically wrought, while the conflict between the birds and frostfangs provides an alternate lens for a protagonist working through layers of feelings." —Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-02
Recruited by a magical bird to thwart encroaching creatures, an insecure teen explores her sexual identity.
Seventh grader Eren Evers likes escaping on her bike into the woods near her Oregon home, “away from school, her mom, and even her friends.” Ambivalent about boys and dating, Eren reluctantly accepts an invitation to a dance with classmate Alex Ruiz because her best friends expect it rather than considering what she really wants. After Eren rescues a small, frost-covered bird named Oriti-ti, it speaks, pronouncing her its champion in the war its nongendered bird community is waging against villainous frostfangs—icy, wolflike creatures who exploit self-doubt to undermine their prey. When Oriti-ti saves Eren and Alex from an attacking frostfang, Alex also commits to the fight. Eren’s friendship with Alex grows, and she develops clarity about her feelings through her friendship with his older sister, Luisa, who is asexual and panromantic. With a frostfang attack on the school dance looming, Eren must accept her true self: Asserting her aromantic identity helps her be strong and brave enough to stop the frostfangs. Using frostfangs as a metaphor for the debilitating effects of self-doubt, this contemporary fantasy realistically examines Eren’s confusion, fear of alienation, and suffocation as she grapples with her true sexuality. Multidimensional supporting characters with their own identity issues and vulnerabilities add veracity and depth. Eren reads as White; Alex is Latinx.
A timely middle-grade fantasy grounded in themes of friendship and truth. (Fantasy. 9-12)
