This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Flames Over Frosthelm

Thank you to Escapist Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Marten and Boog thought they were investigating stolen jewels. But when magic erupts during their apprehension of the thief, and said thief quite literally ends up in pieces, they realize things might be a bit more complicated. When they begin to dig deeper into the stolen items and find a possible noble involved in criminal affairs, their guild is quickly silenced. Marten and Boog, ever the dutiful inspectors, continue their investigations despite the order to stop. And they will find there is a lot more at stake than missing jewelry.

The humor written throughout Flames Over Frosthelm is a constant subtle influence. Whether it’s characters sharing witty remarks, or stumbling through actions and creating a sense of slapstick humor. Readers will be sure to let out a chuckle or two at the antics of the characters. While the plot has heavy-hitting themes that follow an overarching mystery, the humor serves to lighten the mood.

The mystery itself takes readers on an investigation of multiple levels. While it seems like a simple enough story of stolen goods, it evolves into a complex string of events. Some of which the characters quite honestly stumble into. Being caught in the moment, trying to put the puzzle together served to engage me in the mystery. There was such a wide variety of characters and angles of involvement. And just as it seems Marten and Boog make progress, another piece falls to drag them back two steps.

Marten does have a tendency to stay in his own mind, mulling over situations and all the possible angles. While this is a great way to showcase his abilities as an inspector, it also tends to produce a lot of upfront information for the reader to process. I think if the large amounts of information were restricted to only Marten’s thoughts, it wouldn’t have slowed the story as much. I enjoyed diving into his thought patterns, but this writing style was used in dialogue and other elements of the story as well.

That being said, the characters are well written. Marten and Boog have a companionship known from their first time on the page together. The way they easily work together and share humorous moments is well worth the read. I especially enjoyed Boog being unable to use his signs correctly and mucking up his signals to Marten. The signals are used to notify a fellow inspector without giving away their positions. And of course, Marten would at first consider the fumbled words seriously, then realize after observation that Boog misplaced a finger again.

Flames Over Frosthelm is a wonderful jaunt into a fantasy mystery. Filled with humorous moments and delightful characters. Give this novel a try if you enjoy detective reads with a fantasy flare. ( )

This is a really long book. I’ve been listening to it for the last couple of days. It’s been an enjoyable few days for sure, but I’m very ready to move on to anything else.

The storytelling reminds me a lot of Bloodlines Reforged saga. It feels like a “buddy cop” (inquisitor) story set in a medieval fantasy world. It’s comedic at times, but it’s not a comedy. The characters are likable, determined, loyal, persistent. Despite bumbling around from one terrible situation to the next, they just keep going. Gotta give ’em credit for that.

The book rarely feels like it has a primary story. It kinda takes a back seat as the protagonists just keep moving from one encounter to another. Think of it like a TV series where the main plot plays out in the background over a number of episodes.

The author did a great job describing the world. The world and the combat are extremely descriptive. Often times I’d pause randomly, do other stuff or sleep for a few hours and pick up where I left off. The world is so well described, I was always quickly able to remember where I was in the story without missing a beat.

I did have to hear the narrator say “onvelope” one too many times. I’m going to lazily recycle this bit of my review from All Your Twisted Secrets: The narrator repeatedly says “onvelope” which drives me crazy. Envelope – envelop. If something were to be enveloped in darkness, you wouldn’t say onveloped in darkness. If you think I’m being nitpicky, you’re goddamn right I am! I can’t stand when people who are supposed to be professional narrators mispronounce basic words. Just search my blog for my mentions of “acrosst”, “carmel” or “farmiliar” to see other examples. I’m getting seriously sick of listening to people mispronounce basic words.

Aside from that annoyance, the character voices are all top-notch. They’re easy to tell apart, each character has their own, distinct voice to fit their personality. The narrator did occasional (rare) sound effects which were nice for immersion, but so rare that it seemed pointless. Maybe sound effects is the wrong word. When a character was spitting out grass or dirt (can’t remember), he made a spitting noise to accompany it instead of just saying it.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval. ( )

A terrific melding of buddy-cop and fantasy, with just the right amount of humor. ( )

**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Flames Over Frosthelm" was my introduction to Dobson's writing. I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.
Dobson finely balances action and exposition. The author did a very fine job of world building and character development as well.
This entertaining page turner takes us along as Marty, Boog and Clarice try to prevent the end of Frosthelm, or maybe even the world.
I highly recommend this book.
In the interest of transparancey: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion. ( )

This book starts off sounding like a D&D character introduction, but quickly grabbed my attention. I am 8% done with the book, and even though the writing isn't on par with, for example, Robert Jordan or Terry Brooks, I am invested in the protagonist and his partner.and look forward to reading the rest of their adventures.

The Chicken is Love. ( )