Summary
Elsa is the 18-year-old princess of Arendelle, and she is being trained to someday take over the running of the kingdom. As an only child, there were no other kids in the castle to play with when she was growing up. She’s lonely, focused always on her studies and the work of the kingdom.
Anna is the 15-year-old adopted daughter of the village baker in Harmon, a small town up the mountain from Arendelle. She’s an energetic, talkative girl who makes amazing snowman cookies. And she longs to head to the city for an adventure. When her mom’s best friend, Freya, comes to visit every couple of months, she tells Anna about the city. At her last visit, she said it might be time for Anna to visit Arendelle and meet Freya’s husband and 18-year-old daughter.
After Elsa’s parents die in an accident, she discovers magic hidden in her hands that is leaking out because of her grief. She’s been trying to control it for a few years, but in a moment of panic before her coronation, her life and kingdom are changed forever. And while Elsa’s world is icing up and falling apart, Anna can’t help feeling like someone in Arendelle desperately needs her help.
Review
This is book 7 in the Twisted Tale series, but it’s the first one I have finished. The story is maybe 75-80% the original Frozen movie. But one moment in the story, one thread of the tale, is changed. That leads to a small set of changes in how and where the girls are raised. That in turn changes how Kristoff, Olaf, and Prince Hans figure into the story.
I enjoyed this version of the story. I’m not sure it fundamentally changes anything. The twist doesn’t have any impact on Hans or Kristoff of course, so their characters are consistent with the movie. I don’t feel like I walked away from this book with new insights into the characters or Elsa’s magic. Frankly, I think the movie is stronger in the ways it addresses the emotions of the conflict – Elsa’s trapped feelings, her struggle for control, Anna’s desperation to help her sister, etc. This may present a stronger case than the movie for how essential Anna is to Elsa and to her control of her magic.
Fans of Frozen may enjoy spending time with the characters again or debating the merits of each version of Elsa’s story – I did. But readers looking for NEW content about Elsa and Anna, or new dimensions to their relationship might be disappointed. It seems like the folks at Disney didn’t give the author a lot of wiggle room to change the movie plot in any significant way. Readers might instead find something new to enjoy in some of the Frozen II books that released earlier this month.