The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Midnight Blizzard

Series: The Christmas Chronicles (Standalone Within This Series)

Author: Mary Mecham

Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Clean Romance, Holiday

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

An ice slipper wasn’t the only thing left behind at midnight…

Noelle Frost only has one chance to reclaim the inheritance stolen from her after her father’s death. With her stepfamily plotting to win the prince’s heart during his bride competition to secure their own power, Noelle must infiltrate the royal ball to confront her stepmother and reclaim her birthright before time runs out. But in order to get close enough, she must compete for a crown she doesn’t want—and a prince she doesn’t love.

The real danger lies in her growing feelings for Jack, the prince’s enigmatic mage advisor. As their forbidden romance ignites, Jack becomes Noelle’s only ally in a world of treachery, with access to the records that could restore her to her rightful place as the heiress of the Frostwood estate. The closer Noelle gets to Jack, the more impossible their future seems.

As the competition heats up and the prince’s attention turns to Noelle, her stepmother offers a risky bargain that Noelle can’t turn down if she wants to protect Jack, even if it means leaving the castle forever. After all, if Noelle and Jack can never be together, does she have any reason to stay?

As midnight approaches, Noelle must decide if she can truly leave her heart behind. – summary from Goodreads

The Midnight Chronicles is an absolutely amazing winter read!

This is a retelling of Jack Frost and Cinderella, and I loved every minute of it! This is such a unique retelling and idea, and I really enjoyed the outcome and how everything played out.

The world itself was very fascinating, which is something I don’t always notice. I loved how the world and government system was built up in such a short book- it was really well done and I could get lost in it.

The best part of the book, though, was the romance! The relationship between Noelle and Jack was everything! It was so incredibly sweet, and they had really great chemistry. There was some instant attraction, and their relationship did move pretty quickly. They did have a good bond and foundation, though. I liked how the bonded over dogs and the issues in their world and wanting to fix them.

Speaking of that, I loved how Noelle wasn’t a helpless Cinderella. Now I don’t mind those characters, but I also like it when main characters possess some backbone, and Noelle did. I also liked how her entire motivation was to help other people.

Noelle was a great character. She knew what she wanted and set out to accomplish it. She also didn’t back down which I enjoyed. Noelle was also kind, and in general a lot of fun to read!

I loved Jack! He was so great! I loved how he wanted to follow the law but also wanted to have fun. He also had a whole dog team, which I adored! There aren’t a lot of books with sled dog teams, so I loved the inclusion.

The twist at the end was genuinely shocking! I usually know the ending of books, and this one I guessed in part, but how we got there was a wild ride!

This book is technically a Christmas book, but I would put it in the category of a winter book. The biggest Christmas aspect was that Jack smelled like peppermint and pine. There were also references to the 12 Days of Christmas, but it was so covert, unless you knew to look for them you would miss it.

I loved the ending and the whole journey this book took me on! I was grinning like a fool reading this book! My biggest hope is that someday we could return to this world and these characters!

The Midnight Blizzard was a fabulous retelling of Jack Frost and Cinderella, with an amazing storyline, sled dogs(!), romance, magic, and winter vibes!