Frozen 2_Forest of Shadows

The night glittered—the air glittered—the world glittered—as a million ice
crystals of what looked like frozen rain hung suspended, like diamonds or glass
shards that had forgotten gravity existed. Beautiful and sparkling. Fierce and
deadly. Each crystal was razor-sharp, and each pointed in the same direction,
toward a figure who stood far away, alone in the night.

“Elsa?”
Her sister stood in the twilight, the waves of the Arenfjord behind her. And
though it should have been impossible for Elsa to see Anna from such a great
distance, Anna saw her sister shift—and lock eyes with her.
A brilliant white light in the distance shattered the darkness, illuminating for
a single breath the look of awe on Elsa’s face.
And then the ice crystals began to fall.
Anna flung herself away from the balcony, dashing through the halls and
down the stairs. Her feet thudded against the flagstones. Reaching the bottom
floor, Anna threw open the castle doors.
She stared at the ice crystals still suspended in front of her. “What?” she
asked herself. The ice crystals filled the night with an eerie whistle as they tore
through the air, only to end with a shout as they splintered across the
cobblestones at her feet, making Anna’s path to Elsa slippery and dangerous. But
when was it not? And when had it ever mattered?
Securing their mother’s scarf, she raced out into the streets to find Elsa. The
wind tugged at Anna, it howled, and then—the lanterns blew out. Something
was wrong. Anna passed villagers peering out of their suddenly dark homes. In
the place where Arendelle’s flags always flew strong, they had gone deathly still.
Darkness, once again.

MAGIC EXISTS IN MANY FORMS: in words, in art, and in story. Any magic
in this book is thanks to the incredible hard work of many people.

Thank you to my editor, Eric Geron, dream-maker, door-opener, and
Arendelle’s ultimate guide. This novel would not exist without his boundless
creativity and enthusiasm, careful eye, and willingness to discuss all things Anna
and Elsa at any time of the day. Spells might not exist in our world or in
Arendelle, but if anyone could speak a spell to make dreams come true, it would
definitely be him.

Much gratitude to the directors and producers—the magic makers!—of
Frozen and Frozen II, in particular, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, and Heather
Blodget, whose creativity and insight were instrumental in this tale. Thank you
for telling and promoting stories not only about strong girls, but about caring
girls, who seek to change the world around them for the better—and do.

A warmest thank-you to the incredible artistic talents of Mike Giamo, Grace
Lee, Winnie Ho, Al Giuliani, and Susan Gerber for the stunning cover and
inspirational beauty of Arendelle. Thank you, too, to Heather Knowles for
knowing the sisters inside and out, and to Alison Giordano for her help.

Crafting three-dimensional characters is always a challenge, but this
challenge was made a thousand times easier by Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel,
Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad, who have each breathed life into their characters
with their incredible nuance and heart.

Thank you to my agent, Stephen Barbara, whose support and guidance is
practically mythic. To my parents, Marguerite and Zoltan Benko, and my
siblings, Gabriella and Matthias, thank you for putting up with princess
obsessions for many years and for believing in my wildest dreams. In particular,
thank you to my husband, Andrej Ficnar, who has not complained about Frozen
playing on repeat throughout the home and who was always patient while I lost
myself in a fantastical winter wonderland.

And finally, thank you to the kids and grown-ups around the world who love
Anna and Elsa. Because of you, there are more opportunities than ever before to
tell tales about princesses saving the day. Thank you for making room for
complex heroines in your life and for coming on this journey with them.

complex heroines in your life and for coming on this journey with them.

Kamilla Benko is the best-selling author of the Unicorn Quest trilogy. As a

child, Kamilla built a snowgirl who she hoped would spring to life and become
her friend. Instead, her parents told her she was getting a little sister. Fortunately,
sisters don’t melt, and they remain best friends today. Originally from Indiana,
Kamilla now lives in New York, where she works as a children’s book editor.
You can visit her at kamillabenko.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter and
Instagram @kkbenko.