Bookworm Speaks!- Icefall

Bookworm Speaks!

Icefall 

By Matthew J. Kirby.

****

Acquired: Barnes & Nobel Booksellers

Series: N/A

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2011)

Language: English

Subject: Historical Fiction

****

The Story: 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, as 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. But who can be trusted so far from their father's watchful eye? Can Solveig survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he manages to destroy a kingdom?

The Review: 

While found in the juvenile fiction section of bookstores and libraries, this book actually seems to be rather well researched in regards to the historical setting in which the story takes place. A more sanitized version perhaps to make it more palatable to young readers but still. Skalds and bezerker’s are real figures in Nordic cultures. 

There are several nods to Norse mythology which come into play, especially with the character of Solveig. Her pet raven, a tribute to the Norse god Odin is one of them. Where the book really shines though, is the character of Solveig herself and her growth as a character. 

One of the book’s weaknesses as that the second half is much better than the first, which is due to the fact that the protagonist is very much a scared, young girl with feelings of inadequacy. The aids to the book as a whole, as it illustrates how much Solveig grows, but to the casual reader it will be difficult to get through at least the first third as it is essentially a family snowed in for the winter. 

That quickly falls away though, as more of the outside world seems to determine to intrude on their icy sanctuary. The fear, dread, and uncertainty that the characters go through is palatable and witnessing Solvieg, the timid, middle child who laments that she is not a pretty as her older sister Asa, steps up. Its not a epiphany, she is very scared a lot of times, but that only makes her triumph even more profound. 

There is also a subtext behind the main story that again, casual readers and juvenile readers might miss. Solvieg is a character that does not fit in with the world around her. Her older sister Asa, is a prettier, more ladylike princess than she is and her younger sibling, Harald, is a boy. What else needs to be said? Ideally, Solveig should aspire to be more life Asa, a prim and proper princess who acts the part perfectly. As the story goes on though the cracks begin to appear in her act. Asa is not much use in tense situations later in the book, she does the whole ‘follow your love’ thing, so beloved by other writers of princess tales. No spoilers, but it does not really work out in the end. 

This book challenges readers to defy the princess trope. To awaken to the fact that Princesses, by design, don’t do much but sit there and look pretty. Girls should aspire to something greater. The truth of the matter is…we need skalds more than we need princesses. 

Bookworm won’t give away one of the final twists but even after rereading it multiple times, it still hits Bookworm right in the feels. The sheer emotional turmoil it causes the characters never seems to lose its intensity, in spite of it being a relatively quiet scene. In fact, the quietness makes the revelation even more profound. It awaken’s something inside of Solveig, something dark. The whole point of the story is growth and self-discovery and that also includes the parts of ourselves that may frighten us. Solveig discovered this part of herself. Her feelings practically leapt off of the page and Bookworm could feel her emotional upheaval. What makes the twist even harder is the other character in the scene. It is not entirely borne out of evil. Even if the whole book as described by Bookworm is not the reader’s cup of tea, the book should be read nonetheless for that scene alone. 

It also made Bookworm yearn for a sequel. 

This book struck Bookworm in a very sensitive place in his heart. The part of him this is a both a lifelong lover of stories and a storyteller on his own. 

Stories give us hope.

Stories make us think.

Stories have power. 

This book does have a few flaws, which keeps it from a full five stars. Again, the beginning is rather slow.

While Solveig may be an great character, the other characters struggle to be remembered aside from broad outlines regarding their characters. Perhaps it has been a bit too long since Bookworm had read it but the story as a whole does struggle to stand out. 

Final Verdict: Icefall is an excellent, epic adventure that tells one of best coming of age stories, Bookworm has read. 

The Saga of Solvieg is a tale worthy of the halls of Asgard. 

Four Glaciers out of Five

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