Icefall
Written by Matthew J. Kirby
Narrated by Jenna Lamia
4/5
()
About this audiobook
FORMAT: Unabridged
Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. A malevolent air begins to seep through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.
Those charged with protecting the king's children are all suspect and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. Can Solveig and her siblings survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he (or she) succeeds in destroying a king, his empire, and his children?
Matthew J. Kirby
Matthew J. Kirby is the author of the acclaimed middle grade novels The Clockwork Three, Icefall, and The Lost Kingdom, as well as one book in the New York Times bestselling series Infinity Ring. He was born in Utah, but with a father in the military he has lived in many places, including Rhode Island, Maryland, California (twice), and Hawaii. As an undergraduate at Utah State University, he majored in history. He then went on to earn MS and EdS degrees in school psychology. Matthew currently lives in Utah.
More audiobooks from Matthew J. Kirby
Spell Robbers (The Quantum League #1) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clockwork Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Icefall
117 ratings15 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Well written historical fiction, almost lyrical in its narrative, a rarely told timeperiod: Norse family, children of an important king, with a teen protagonist, Solveig, second sister, trying to figure out how she fits in. Her older sister Asa, beautiful and of age, is sought after by another local chieftan/king and Harald, their little brother, is destined to be king one day. Loath to give his daughter in an undesirable match, her father denies the chieftan, prepares for war with his band, & sends them away for safekeeping in a hidden fjord with Per, one of his most trusted warriors, their longtime cook, her son, and eventually some of her father's "beserkers", special warriors who hold no longterm allegiances and are known for the crazed battle behavior, feared by all.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brilliant! Brilliant characters with much depth; brilliant, suspenseful, emotional plot; brilliant setting that is alive and a character in itself. Though this book ends well and does not beg for a sequel, I would love to read more of Solveig as she develops her skald skills with Hake at her side.I love the pearls of wisdom about stories and storytelling, delivered mostly by Alric, but pondered and developed by Solveig. I love how Solveig finds the heart and gentleness in the berserker captain, Hake. I love how Solveig returns again and again to the glacier, wondering if it will be her doom or her savior. The glacier and the fjord are alive in Kirby's prose and set much of the story's mood. I love that Solveig sees the grace and beauty of the wolves that are most often maligned. I love that Solveig is a character I'd like to meet.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was so good I could read
It about 100 times more - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The book might be ok, although it wasn't fast paced enough for me to care what happens next -- I stopped listening because the reader decided to interpret the icelandic bard with a cockney accent. Too irritating to continue.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really love this book felt like I was transported back in time and put right into the character shoes every thought she had was the same thoughts that was going through my mind too the writer did a great job
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5children's fiction; adventure with girl protagonist. couldn't get into this one, but that could just be because I've a lot on my mind these days.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solveig, her siblings, and a group of people assigned to care for and protect these children of the king, are sent to a hidden fortress during a war. The fjords freeze in for the winter and the group is stuck there. When the food stores are sabotaged, the group begins to know there is a traitor in their midst. Solveig is a middle child, plain next to her beautiful sister and compared to her brother who is the crown-prince. But she is talented and brave, even if she doesn't see it in herself. She apprentices as a skald, a storyteller, and grows in confidence as she works to save the people she cares about. While Solveig doesn't have strong ties with her father, she connects with several other mentors including Hake, a beserker.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fabulous, atmospheric, engaging, and such wonderfully detailed and realized characters.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Opening: “The fjord is freezing over.”
Interestingly, although this book is in fact historical fiction, I somehow kept expecting it to become a historical fantasy. I don’t want to say that Kirby didn’t research his subject, because I’m sure he did. But if I’m trying to put that feeling into words, that’s what I keep coming back to: it felt like the world wasn’t entirely tied to our own. This isn’t exactly a criticism, and in fact I think it might help lure in readers who are wary of historical fiction. But it did unsettle me for most of the book, because I was expecting something thatnever happened.
In fact, though the book is historical fiction, it is also a mystery and a coming of age story. It wavers between these three, though I think in the end the coming of age story is the strongest thread. Solveig and her journey are at the heart of this book. That thread was probably also the one that worked the best for me. She’s a nice narrator–caught in the middle between her beautiful older sister and her younger brother, the heir. She’s forced to find her voice, quite literally, in difficult circumstances.
For myself, I found her story nice. At the same time, I kept thinking about Sophie, and Hathin. Solveig belongs in their category of heroine, but I never felt as close to her as I did to either of the others. It’s hard to say why this is–she is, I think, younger than even Hathin. And I think that a kid who’s just discovering this kind of story would like her very much indeed. (It’s a sad truth that the more we read, the less we really love.)
Actually, my biggest problem was the fact that portions of the book severely tried my suspension of disbelief. I think that, because Kirby was trying to keep the mystery intact (it’s one of those classic house party sort of mysteries), several of the characterizations suffered. I’m all for secrets and tricky characters, but the arc has to work. In this case, there were too many abrupt revelations that left me wondering what happened to the nice character five pages before.
All in all, I had several difficulties with this book, but it was still a pleasant read and I would recommend it to a younger crowd.
Book source: public library
Book information: Scholastic, 2011; upper elementary and up - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Princess Solveig and her two siblings are hidden in a frozen fortress to protect them from the war, but the enemy proves to be on the inside as well. Things I liked: it was a good story with high stakes, the berserkers were great characters, Munin was very funny, and the ending was very good. Things I didn't like: the author made them Vikings without it mattering to the story and the princesses are copies of Sansa and Arya Stark. The audio-version narrator is really great, but she can't pronounce the main character's name, which I thought was odd until I heard an interview with the author and it turns out he can't pronounce it either (Google-fu isn't that hard to acquire, people).
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book has it all. I laughed, I cried, and I stayed up until 2am just to finish it. Set in a frozen fjord high in the mountains, Solveig (the middle child and daughter of a King) is hidden away together with her young brother (the crown prince), her beautiful older sister, and an assortment of people assigned to protect them while their father is embroiled in a battle resulting from his refusal to let a neighbouring king marry his eldest daughter. When tragedy befalls the group, and Solveig's dream premonitions begin to come true, someone is expected of being a traitor, but who amongst the king's "loyal" servents could commit such a crime. The characters jump off the page and into your head. The author has a style of writing that sparks the imagination and touches the emotions. I have also read and recommend "The Clockwork Three" and will definitely look for future works by Matthew J. Kirby.
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- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I got this book to read because I loved Kirby’s Clockwork Three novel. This book was okay, it’s a bit slow. I did enjoy the mystery and all of the Norse mythology woven throughout though. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job. The narrator did a great job capturing emotions and giving all of the characters distinct voices.Solveig and her siblings have been sent to winter in a hidden fortress while they wait for their father to finish up a war. Solveig’s father has sent them there to keep them safe and he sends a group of Berserker warriors to help safeguard the fortress. However as winter closes in the fjord ices over and no one can go into or out of the area. The group is strapped for food and desperate for news outside the fortress. Then bad things start happening, things that could threaten their survival and are most likely caused by treachery within the group.This story is a very slow moving mystery. Most of the story revolves around the characters trying to keep themselves busy and survive a long winter in this abandoned fortress. There are long stretches of boredom broken up by acts of treachery that threaten the survival of those in the fortress.Solveig is the youngest daughter and not pretty, she has been told she is worthless for a long time. However, Solveig shows promise in her excellent story telling and her father’s skald, Ulrich, starts to train her. It was wonderful to watch Solveig realize her own worth and gain confidence in herself as the story progresses.Since Solveig is an excellent storyteller much of this book is stories within a larger story. Solveig tells stories about growing up and about other people who are wintering with her in the fortress. We get to learn more about the surrounding characters through these tales. All of the book is told from Solveig’s point of view, so it is only through her stories of others that we really start to see into the other characters’ minds.Both Ulrich and Solveig tell stories about Norse mythology and about the customs of the time. These were fascinating and fun to listen to. They were especially well done since this was in audiobook format and I was listening to the stories just like the other characters.The mystery that unravels is a bit predictable and very slow in its unveiling. I actually thought Solveig’s training as a Skald was more interesting than the surrounding mystery.The writing is very well done. The descriptions are beautiful and lyrical. The settings throughout really come alive for the reader and I never had any trouble picturing the harsh and cold surroundings.The story wraps up well and there is a very nice afterward explaining how Kirby did his research into Norse mythology. There is also an epic poem included that was seen as training for skald’s back in that time period.Overall a well done historical fantasy. This book is mostly about stories, with Solveig’s coming of age story, and a bit of a mystery involving treason woven in between them. It moves very slowly and very deliberately. This is definitely not a fast-paced or action-packed read. However, I did really enjoy the stories throughout and the Norse mythology. I also really enjoyed watching Solveig grow in confidence and gain some self-worth. Recommended to those who don’t mind a deliberate read and are interesting in Viking/Norse mythology.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is some delightfully well-written storytelling that contains everything a good middle-grade novel needs: strong characters, a compelling plot and conflicts, fluid writing that pushes plot AND theme along.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful read with well-developed characters. It's part coming of age and part mystery. The audio-book is well-read; one of the best I've listened to. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby is the story of a Viking princess, Solveig, who is sent, with her sister and brother, to a remote hiding place while her father fights a war. Solveig is neither beautiful like her sister, nor valuable to her father like her brother the crown prince. She is trying to find her place in the world, while feeling like a prisoner in many ways. While hiding at their remote hall, many of her father's soldiers sent to guard Solveig and her siblings are poisoned. It seems there is a traitor in their midst -- but who will Solveig suspect? One of her beloved siblings? A servant who has been with the family for years? Her father's most trusted warrior? The guard captain who has always treated her with kindness and respect? The skald (storyteller) who has just begun to teach her his craft? As hardships mount up and word from the king seems slow in coming, will tensions and suspicions tear the little group of survivors apart -- or will some outside force destroy them?I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that, for some reason, I was expecting fantasy (which it's not). Kirby really does a good job making Solveig's world real to the reader, and the characters all had strengths and weaknesses, so that there wasn't an obvious villain. I did think the pacing was a little bit slow in places, but not enough to really interfere with my enjoyment of the book. If you're interested in Nordic culture and enjoy books like Jonathan Stoud's Heroes of the Valley or Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls, you should definitely read this book.