Name: Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr
ISBN: 9781368063616

Mari Mancusi

An exciting and romantic story in the tradition of Alex & Eliza, this will be a prequel to both Frozen and Frozen 2.The story of two teens-one learning what it means to be king while dealing with overwhelming odds, and one trying to survive with secrets that could lead to her doom in the world that is far different than her own-especially now that they have begun to fall in love.

Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr

Katy

Megan Isaacson

This book definitely exceeded my expectations!! I have always had a soft spot for Frozen and picked up this book after seeing Mari's TikTok.  It works very well as a prequel to the films and has a lot of fun connections, while also having its own strong narrative.  I love the lore and symbolism in the Frozen"verse" and this was a fun way to explore it.   

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr

Author: Mari Mancusi

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: In the movie it’s clear that Iduna is clearly meant to represent a native culture, but it’s not really mentioned or really described in this book.

Recommended For...: fantasy, Frozen, Disney, romance

Publication Date: November 3, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (romance, slight violence)

Publisher: Disney Press

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Iduna harbors a dark secret. On the surface, she is an Arendellian village girl, an aspiring inventor, and the best friend of Prince Agnarr, but she is also secretly Northuldra.

Ever since the day the forest fell, Arendellians have despised and distrusted Northuldra with a vengeance. No matter that the Northuldra-along with some of Arendelle's own-have been trapped in the Enchanted Forest behind an impenetrable wall of mist since the day of the battle.

Iduna doesn't know why the mist refuses to part, or why it descended to begin with. The only clear thing is that she must keep her identity from everyone, even Agnarr. Her life depends on it.

Fortunately for her, Agnarr doesn't know that Iduna is the Northuldra girl he saw seemingly flying on a gust of wind all those years ago, the day of the celebration turned disaster. The day Agnarr lost his father, the king. The day Agnarr himself almost died.

What Agnarr does know is that Iduna is a true ally in the face of his royal responsibilities and the expectations of an overbearing council and a well-meaning regent who will rule in Agnarr's place until he turns twenty-one and assumes the Arendellian throne.

As Iduna and Agnarr grow ever closer, however, friendship is no longer enough. If only falling for each other didn't mean risking their futures: Iduna's as a hidden-in-plain-sight citizen of Arendelle, and Agnarr's as imminent king.

But for a chance at true love, the risk might be worth taking

Review: I really liked this book! I’m not a huge fan of Frozen but I’m so intrigued by the backstory of Anna and Elsa’s parents. The book did better than the Disney movie, which is what I always look for in a Disney book. The book did great with character building and world building. The writing was amazing, the plot was intriguing, and I loved the pacing as well.

My only issue is the romance. It felt a little too much for a book that’s more targeted to younger audiences (and I mean the Frozen hungry 7 year olds), though it doesn’t go beyond kissing.

Verdict: Don’t let this go.

Erin 

I'm not gonna lie. This is not really that good. It's fanservice at best, with a few boxes ticked off in the name of feminism and making the characters really modern and "ahead of their time". But also...I just don't really care? I love Frozen. It's embarrassing. I'm an adult. But it's so much fun. And thus, this was fun and I enjoyed it. So sue me. Also, I loved getting to know Iduna and Agnarr and reading about their love story. While the writing is basic at best with a narrative that just isn't that riveting, it's not what we're here for. We're here because we love Frozen and we want more of it. We get it, and it's essentially movie format translated into book format, and feels like all book adaptations do when they start out first as movies, which is generally not good. But ANYWAY, I had a great time reading this and don't regret it at all. It probably didn't need to be a full on YA hardcover novel, but whatever. 

I loved Iduna and her background story. She's an inventor, and great at it. She's independent, and cares about the small people. She buys DOZENS of cookies for the children at the orphanage because she's worried they never get dessert. She teases Agnarr endlessly about his cushy life as a prince and how he takes forever to read books. Their story is the perfect story I dreamed about as a kid. They start off as inseparable best friends, until hormones get in the way, they both realise they want more, and spend nearly all their free time making out behind trees. Agnarr is supposed to marry a princess according to some dumb law and it throws a rift in their relationship. Of course, after a few awkward encounters with a neighbouring princess and the lovable yet meddling trolls, Iduna and Agnarr realise they love each other TOO MUCH to let that happen, this "law" is overrulled and they live happily ever after (well, ideally). 

Agnarr was quite boring, TBH, and I sped through his chapters quickly. The story starts with a "current day" event, then flashes back to the beginning when Iduna saves Agnarr in the Enchanted Forest. Despite this, Iduna in particular is written like she is an adult for the entire book, which is fine when she's 16 but really weird when she's 12 and demanding she's practically a woman and acting far too wise beyond her years. There's also a subplot about a neighboring kingdom blaming recent violent acts on the Northuldra, but honestly, it's fairly clear who is the real culprit. It does feel like a Disney book trying it's hardest to be *with the times* and have people blame the local indigenous tribe until they realise how racist those claims are (except they never do, because as we all know, Iduna and Agnarr perish and we don't find out her Northuldra connection and the truth about them for like another 20 years). But you know. They tried. We know how it all turns out anyway, it just sucks the Northuldra spend so much time as the perceived enemy.

It's short, it's quick, and if you love the cheesiness of Frozen, you'll probably find some joy in this. It's not meant to win a Pulitzer Prize. Or a Man Booker Prize. Maybe a Smarties Prize? But I liked it and it was fun and you know what, it was a distraction in 2020. So it was worth it in my books.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.