Icefall

This book is incredible. I loved it. The plot is unpredictable, twisty, and riveting; the characters are compelling, complex, and well-developed; the writing style is masterful, tight, and achingly gorgeous; the setting is rich and believable; the themes and message are deep, wise, truthful, and powerful.

I adore the main character, Solveig. She was compassionate, kind, perceptive, empathetic, wise, and eventually very strong and courageous. She was an amazing storyteller once she allowed herself to be, and she knew what others needed and was able to help and heal others with her words. Everything about her was wonderful, though imperfect - but she didn't know her own worth. She doubted herself, did not love herself as she should, and show more thought she was less than her siblings, as all evidence, in her eyes, attested. She ached at the empty hole left by the lack of her father's love and approval, since he overlooked her and gave his pride and love only to her siblings. And she struggled to find her identity and the worth and strength within her, refusing to believe they existed. For how could they?

I share and strongly identify with Solveig's personality, qualities, growth, and struggles - and even her need to overcome fear of failure in order to be a storyteller. I hurt for her and felt her emotion as she went through pain, betrayal, and loss, and as she was dragged down by the weight of feeling worthless. And I rejoiced with her as she finally accepted her own freedom and found worth, identity, value, and strength within herself - not coming from another person. Her character arc and growth were phenomenally executed. I'm amazed that a male author was able to so skillfully and accurately portray such a wonderful female character - not many authors in general can, and both male and female authors often do not. Solveig was emotional and empathetic, but she was strong even when she didn't realize it. She's a girl that I and others can admire and identify with, and I wish I could have read her story as a teenager who struggled with lack of self-worth and self-esteem.

I also loved each one of her relationships with the other characters who are members of her family and household. She won each of their love and loyalty because of her amazing character and the way she treats everyone around her - things she doesn't realize about herself. And each of her friends and family, especially the truest of them, helped her overcome her obstacles and struggles and find who she had been all along. I cared about each of them along with Solveig, and the inevitable betrayal surprised me and caused me pain for her sake even though I and she knew it would come from one of her loved ones - the question was which one.

The plot was unpredictable and kept me guessing the whole time, and it drew me in with increasing questions and suspense from the very first page. I predicted a few things, but I was totally wrong about most others, and all of it happened in a way I didn't at all expect, over and over and over throughout the book. I was surprised again and again, and it all worked out in a way that made such a wonderful story. The foreshadowing was brilliant without giving things away. In addition to the plot, the development, reveal, and progression of most of the characters surprised me as well, even as it was all wonderful and natural.

There was heightening intrigue and danger through the entire book, sparking more and more explosively as it went along. Betrayal lurked under the surface and eventually burst to the fore. Everything ramped up in great intensity toward the climax, leaving me on the edge of my seat and sometimes emotional, wondering again and again what would happen as I kept reading and watched it all unfold. I could never have predicted how it turned out, but the end satisfied me and felt right even though it left my heart sore at what happened. It was bittersweet but so good, and I was glad to see Solveig overcome and arrive at a good place.

The setting was incredibly rich with just the right amount of realistic detail, making a historical setting feel real and alive. The book brings a Viking hall and Viking characters to vivid life, and it feels like it really happened - even if the events of the story, unlike the setting, do not seem to be based on any specific part of history.

The writing style was simply amazing from the very first. The author's writing is beautiful, skilled, and natural, and I could hear Solveig's voice in her POV the entire time. It really did feel as if she was telling the story herself - like I was listening to her own words. Every beautiful description, every vivid metaphor, every well-chosen word, every moment of the well-spun story was that of a born skald, or Viking poet and storyteller. Her wordcraft had incredible beauty and power. That speaks of the author's skill, as does the fact that it didn't even feel as if there was a modern author behind it. I also didn't even notice at first that the book was written in first-person present tense - a style which sometimes stands out too much and feels unnatural or forced to me, but which felt completely organic and natural in this book.

The themes and message of this book were beautiful and profound - and full of wise truth. And they weren't limited to the powerful story of Solveig overcoming her lack of self-worth and finding her strength. She and the other characters represented other themes as well, including sacrifice, trust, friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, hope, and redemption. The book explored what happens when a person can no longer trust their loved ones; what defines truth, lies, and identity; and what kind of loyalty spurs someone to protect and fight for another person till hope is lost and the end comes.

Also, the title and cover are gorgeous and represent the story well, even though the cover makes it seem like fantasy - which, I suspect, may even have been cleverly intentional. It seems to me like this book could be historical fiction, fantasy, both, or neither, leaving the genre ambiguous and bridging the gap between them - and between other genres it combines, including mystery adventure, and suspense, since it's all those but none at the same time.

One thing I slightly disliked, and the reason I wouldn't give this book to a younger preteen, was that the villain was a creepy and disgusting man who did not treat young girls very nicely. The author handled it really, really well, however, and made it very subtle and not over a line of my comfort zone. Also, almost all of the icky-ness was merely implied or hinted at, or consisted of unrealized potential, and it usually only resulted from me filling in the blanks as an adult reader, so a middle-grader might not catch all the implications. There was also a decent amount of violence, wounds, death, and blood that didn't bother me and were not gratuitous - but which might be too gory for younger readers. Also, as part of the realistic Viking detail, there were many references to Norse myths, legends, gods, and superstitions, including prayer to Odin, undead ghosts, and berserker rage. I'll give this book to my teen brother right now, but I'll probably wait to give it to my little sister until she's closer to his age.

I was thinking for most of the book I'd give it four stars, with moments that made me consider making it higher. But when the intensity of the climax came, I was so drawn in by - and emotionally invested in - the characters and the action that my rating did become higher. While I didn't love everything, I loved most things, and the ending won me over even more completely and caused me to give the book another half star. This book fully earned each of the 4.5 stars I grant it in total.

Overall, Icefall is in every way a well-written and compelling juvenile fiction or young adult novel. I would have loved to have read it when I was craving more good Viking books as a young teenager who dearly loved Viking historical fiction, but I loved it just as much now - and I do still love Vikings. I recommend it heartily to anyone, young teens and up, who loves complex plot and characters - and especially to any historical fiction or fantasy reader, since it will appeal to both groups even though it seems to be historical fiction. show less

[English below]
E' una vera e propria costellazione di storie che, insieme, ne formano una più bella e luminosa.
Tre fratelli in fuga da una guerra, dei feroci e imprevedibili guerrieri, un misterioso bardo che sembra sempre sapere più di ciò che rivela.
Inizialmente sembra un libro come altri, ma più si procede e più ci si immerge in questo mondo fatto di leggende e realtà, fiducia e sospetto, altruismo ed egoismo, amore e odio.
Seguirete passo passo lo struggimento interiore della giovane Solveig, convinta di essere inferiore rispetto ai suoi fratelli agli occhi del padre, ma che non ha ancora scoperto la vera sé stessa.
Scoprirete che a volte il coraggio può trasformarsi in codardia, la ferocia in affetto, la rabbia in forza. Ma show more ciò che mi ha colpita maggiormente è stata l'abilità dell'autore nel farmi affezionare in così poche pagine ai personaggi, tanto da farmi persino commuovere per ben due volte. Proprio come Solveig e Alric che incantano tutti con la loro voce, così M. Kirby mi ha affascinata con 300 pagine di emozioni e magia.

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It's a real galaxy of stories that, toghether, make a more beautiful and more shining one.
Three brothers escaping from war, fierce and unpredictable warriors, a mysterious bard who knows more than what he says.
At the beginning it seems a book like the others, but the more you go on the more you immerse yourselves in a world made of legend and reality, trust and suspect, altruism and selfishness, love and hatred.
You'll follow the interior pain of the young Solveig, convinced to be inferior among her brothers for her dad, but who hasn't discovered her true nature yet.
You'll find that sometimes courage can become cowarcice, fierceness can become love, rage can become force. But what impressed me the most was the ability of the author to make me grow fond of the characters. I got moved two times! As Solveig and Alric enchant everybody with their voices, so M. Kirby enchanted me with 300 pages of emotions and magic. show less

Brilliant! 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 show more of the wolves that are most often maligned. I love that Solveig is a character I'd like to meet. show less

Icefall 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 show more 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. show less

There is something ever so magical about middle grade fantasy. Rarely does it ever fail to pull me in and immerse me in prolific language and prodigious landscapes.

Icefall by Kirby was by far one of the best Norse MG fantasies I have ever read. The setting was brutal, the characters gruff and believable, I was able to sink into icy oblivion in the middle of the summer. Kirby’s story telling skills are incredibly verbose while not overwhelming the younger reader. I feel Kirby did an astounding job relating the viking culture and the religions and stories of Norse legend. I was swept away by Solveig and her story-telling scenes.

The mystery of who is sabotaging the fjord is incredibly believable and I had a great many theories that show more proved to be wrong while trying to decipher the whodunit. There are harsh moments, bloody battles and plenty of intense action to move the plot along. I was thoroughly dazzled by the pacing of the book and I felt like I read it in no time at all.

I think Icefall has re-readability stamina and readers will go back for a closer look at the culture and character development.

I urge you not to miss Icefall when it hits the shelves on October 1st. A brilliant icy way to begin the fall season. show less

I 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 show more 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. show less

This 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 show more 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. show less