Cool book, but not sure if I would read it again. It was a little bit of a strange read for me. And the plot was kinda difficult to follow. Still I would recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting book to pass a rainy day.

A truly beautiful story with a strong leading heroine who is figuring out who she is, amazing similes, engaging story-telling, touching emotion and character experiences I can totally relate to, especially the heroine in particular.

During the long harsh winter, Princess Solveig, her siblings and an army of restless warriors wait in a hidden fortress between the Nordic mountains and the frozen sea. They are there on the King’s orders – for their own safety - which becomes much less certain when evidence of a traitor among them emerges.

really great book and is really awesome!

I discovered this book because of Battle of the Books, and didn't expect it to be that good. This book though, definitely met my standards. It is a perfect mix of action, heartbreak, and drama. There were some big plot twists and interesting bonds created in this book. After reading it, I immediately searched for other Matthew Kirby books because he knows how to create good, balanced stories. If you are looking for a book to read, search no more, read Icefall.

The fjord is freezing over. When a war breaks out the king sends his children and some of his most trusted servants to make a journey to a little town where the sea will freeze over for the winter and they will be safe. The king's three children; Asa, Solveig, and Harald along with Per, Raudi, Ole, and Bera are shipped up to survive the winter. They were sent on a ship in the middle of a random night, so they didn't have much time to pack, and even before the winter the winter starts they are running low on supplies, hoping and praying that the ship there father promises to come will get there before they are unreachable. Solveig spends her time bonding with her beloved goat, Hilda, waiting anxiously for the ship to arrive. When a ship does, but not the ship they were looking for. It is a Dreaker, suspected to be full of the other armies men. Will the ship be there to kill, or help them? Will they make it through the winter? Read Icefall and find out.

Lots of twists but not extreme drama. Well written. I liked this book because it talks about stories, storytelling, and the power of them.

The twists and turns in this thrilling story took kept me in anxious suspense awaiting the outcome. Solveig is a worthy main character and the book wraps up with a very powerful ending.

It's was good, but not as good as I thought it was going to be.

I was slow to warm up to Icefall, and even when I did finally get drawn into it I didn't end up liking it nearly as much as I wanted to. As much as I *should have* liked it, based on all of the other readers who have loved it and a description of its elements: A mythic-feeling, historical, Norse setting; First-person narration; A character-based story, focused primarily on the protagonist's growth and development; A thematic emphasis on the power of stories and storytellers; Tension and suspense about a mysterious betrayal. It has nearly everything the books I love most usually have, and I really wish I'd loved it instead of simply liked it fairly well. ----- And, here's the thing, my complaints are not usual complaints for me but instead the opposite; generally, when I think a book could have been better it's because of too much emphasis on plot and action at the expense of character, setting, atmosphere, and theme, but I felt this book suffered from a lack of action and tension. I don't care for the overwrought, but I wanted things in Icefall to be more dramatic. To have more emotional charge. To be more vivid and atmospheric and active and affecting. It just didn't feel like this story was quite *enough,* and I wanted more. ----- I'm inclined to think, based on what others have said, my experience with Icefall was due as much to distracted, detached reading on my part as to the quality of writing, so I must be honest about what I felt but also hope it doesn't scare away other potential readers. Give it a try and decide for yourself. ----- One final note: The general consensus seems to be that this is a fantasy novel, but I'm not seeing that. Yes, the setting and events are those most familiar from the fantasy genre, but nothing magical, supernatural, or fantastical actually happens. I think it's more accurate to call this mythic historical fiction.

Great sense of timing, with the tension ratcheting up chapter by chapter.