Jennifer Kropf spent her college years bored to death (nearly) in marketing and advertising classes, and graduated only to discover once and for all that her true passion is telling stories. What if the only person who agrees to protect you has a dark past of letting those he’s meant to protect die?

The flock was their own blizzard of glittering feathers, their silken wings carrying them just above the human masses as they tweeted a melody in perfect unison like a well-practiced choir. A furry white creature grinned up at me, its long ears folding out from behind the crown of cotton atop its head. This fantastic winter tale is the perfect blend of classic portal fantasy and the magic world co-existing with our own. But I forced my cheeks to move out of the way for a smile, otherwise my grandma would know something was wrong.

The evening shadows and the glare off the glass encompassed most of his body, but I could see a boy watching me. After an eccentric girl opens Helen's eyes to let her see the realm of winter—a world with intersects tucked carefully into the cracks of our own, where monarchs have risen and fallen, it's forbidden to mention the name of the dead king of winter, and the currency is gold rings—Helen comes to realize the downtown confrontation was more significant than what the eccentric girl let on.

Powder speckled her apron, and I wondered how Sylvia would react to seeing my grandma sitting in one of the antique showpiece chairs in her state. A figure appeared on the other side of the window, and I stood straight when I realized I wasn’t alone. Pointy ears and long noses protruded from their heads, hidden only when they sipped from their steaming mugs. Sixteen-year-old Helen Bell understood tragedy better than most kids growing up—she knew what it was like to wear clothes from donation bins and be mocked by the beautiful girls in school. My own boots dragged through the slush, making more noise as I picked up speed to bend to my aunt’s wishes like the pushover I was.

A Soul as Cold as Frost is Jennifer Kropf’s debut novel, ideal for fans of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. I ate in silence, my toe kicking the leg of the table that was inconveniently located right where my feet would have naturally rested. The Winter Souls Series blends action and warm Christmas traditions, bringing the old forgotten tales of the season to life with new and grittier versions of famous characters out of old holiday legends, folklore, and myths; such as St.

I sighed, wondering if a good night’s sleep would fix me since most of the medical journals in the Waterloo Region Library advised that rest was the best remedy for people out of sorts. Her bushy fur coat caught a splinter on the doorframe, drawing a scowl from her face and a smirk from mine—the first smile I’d managed since the day began. As though summoned by the girl’s lunacy, a horn-like blast echoed down the city street, and I whipped around in alarm. It took shamefully longer than it should have for me to find my footing and I bit back an inappropriate cuss word. It was, after all, Sylvia who insisted on hosting Christmas every year to show off all the new treasures in her large, seven-bedroom house.My gasp was lost in the cold wind drifting down the walkways overcrowded with holiday lights and Ontarians in multicoloured mittens. He backed away from the window into the shadows, the reflection of the sign’s deep purple letters on the glass the only thing that remained. A Soul as Cold as Frost is Jennifer Kropf's debut novel, ideal for fans of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.

Pour your coffee, add your milk, splat a puff of whipped cream on top, and toss a pinch of sprinkles on top of it all. A rainbow of autumn tones adorned the table, and the whole room fogged with the sweet smell of cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, sizzling turkey, hot cocoa, melting butter, and a hint of crackling wood from the fireplace. Um… A dozen images flashed through my mind at once: smiling rabbits, sparkling birds, tree-sized people, a human-swallowing snow-tornado. Brilliant minds scribe papers and books, journals and lists, all in the name of trying to find the most supported reasons why things happen the way they do. 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.I thought I was dreaming, but I couldn’t peel my stare away, even though all I could think about was running for my life. Hoisting my book bag from the slush, I followed the animal in long strides, imitating the chimney across the street with my puffs of visible steam. What if one day you're walking in the city and suddenly you can see a whole other world tucked into the cracks of your own?