The Icemark Chronicles #1: The Cry of the Icemark
Grade 5-8–This epic fantasy has at its center a spunky 13-year-old warrior princess. When her father dies in a heroic battle with a gigantic invading army, Thirrin becomes queen of her small but hardy country, the Icemark. Having already made allies of the werewolves and found a friend and advisor in a young warlock, Oskan, she sets off with him to forge new alliances. They journey to the land of the Vampire King and Queen and persuade them to join the alliance, and then go on to the dangerous talking snow leopards, the leader of whom becomes a most valuable friend. The final third of the book deals with the extended siege of the capital city and the bloody battles in and around it, leading to the eventual defeat of the invaders. Characters tend to be two-dimensional and conflicts within and between them do little to influence the plot. Thirrin's shyness in personal encounters, for example, quickly disappears. Oskan goes through experiences that should be transformative, especially in a young person, but he shows no evidence of inner change throughout the book. In general, the writing tends to be explanatory rather than descriptive, and this leads to a flatness in what should be an exciting story. Nancy Farmer'sThe Sea of Trolls(S & S, 2004) tackles a similar northern setting with far more realism and suspense. While lovers of Christopher Paolini'sEragon(Knopf, 2003) may take to this novel, and its courageous female protagonist is laudable, in the presently crowded field of fantasies, it will struggle to stand out.–Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York CityCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.