Monday, June 11, 2012

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Title: Icefall
Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Youth/Junior or Young Adult depending on your library Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Princess Solveig and her siblings are trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen fjord, along with her best friend and an army of restless soldiers, all awaiting news of the king's victory in battle, but as they wait for winter's end and the all-encompassing ice to break, acts of treachery make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst." (King County Library System)
Opinions:  I love tales surrounding Norwegian history or mythology, so I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this world and learning more about it.  I loved the intriguing characters. Solveig is, by far, my favorite, and I felt very connected to her and to what she learns about herself and others. I also love the complexity of the relationship between characters, especially between the classes and roles and what happens when events start to make preconceived believes begin to unravel.   Mr. Kirby's writing and use of words are beautiful and descriptive and draws you into the tails that Solveig weaves.  Icefall is a great tale of discovering the strength within yourself and a book that I had a hard time putting down.