Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Book Recommendation: ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby

Before I take my blogging break, I wanted to share one last book recommendation with you. I first heard about ICEFALL after reading Jenilyn’s review, and even though I hadn’t been too crazy about Mr. Kirby’s debut, she spoke so highly of ICEFALL that I decided to give it a try. That turned out to be a good decision on my part.

ICEFALL features young Solveig, a Viking princess with a penchant for storytelling. When a neighboring tribe attacks her father’s kingdom, Solveig and her two siblings--her younger brother, the kingdom’s heir, and their older sister--wind up at their father’s stronghold with a handful of servants and soldiers, all of them handpicked from among the court’s most trusted inner circle. With the fjord frozen over until the spring, the winter appears to be a long and boring one--until they discover they have a traitor in their midst.

That was my favorite element of ICEFALL--how the story morphed into an Agatha-Christie-style mystery. The cast of characters was fairly limited, and none of them seemed to have a motive for betraying the royal family, so the questions flew on ravens’ wings. I also loved the novel’s world building. Solveig’s world and time were lush with all kinds of little details that made me believe Mr. Kirby knew what he was talking about. In fact, reading ICEFALL made me want to write a Viking story of my own:)

If you love MG mysteries set against richly layered backdrops, definitely give ICEFALL a read. And if you have any other MG titles to recommend, feel free to leave them in the comments!

12 comments:

Jer said...

Thanks for the book rec--I've heard a lot of buzz about this one. I better add it to my list!

Best wishes on your upcoming new arrival!

Jenilyn Collings said...

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Good luck tomorrow!

Krista Van Dolzer said...

Jer, so good to hear from you! Yes, definitely add ICEFALL to your to-read list. I'm looking forward to sharing it with my kids in a few years (you know, once they're old enough to read).

Jeni, thanks for the recommendation (and for the well wishes)! I've been meaning to tell you that I loved it; I just haven't gotten around to it... *blushes*

Rebecca Gomez said...

I will definitely read this one. I loved The Clockwork Three.

Tonja Drecker said...

Thanks for the tip. I was looking for something to read, and now I know what it will be!

Liesl Shurtliff said...

This is on my 2012 reading list! I've heard such great things about it.

Unknown said...

I just added Icefall to my TBR on Goodreads. Thanks ~ I love MG adventure.

Btw, I don't know if you do them, but I gave you the Versatile Blogger Award on my blog. If you don't have time--which you prob won't--don't worry about it :)

Luck today!

Myrna Foster said...

This is one of my favorites from last year. It's been my birthday present book for the last few months. :o)

erica and christy said...

It's teh book my 5th grader bought at the last book fair, but hasn't gotten to yet. In fact, now that I look over, it's on the table right next to me, checking it out tonight!
erica

Patricia Marques said...

This sounds like a wonderful read, I will be adding this one to my TR list, thank you for the rec!

Kristen Wixted said...

Looks like a really good one. My kids would love this. I just finished the Incorrigible Children books, which are bizarre but well-written and funny.

Krista Van Dolzer said...

Hope you like it, Rebecca!

Always happy to add another book to someone's to-read pile, T. Drecker:)

I bet you'll like it, Liesl. You'll have to let me know what you think.

Thanks so much for the award, Lora! And I hope you like ICEFALL!

Why am I not surprised that you've already read it, Myrna? :) It's a good birthday present book.

Erica, I can't wait to be able to share books with my kids. Honey Bear actually just bought me this one for my birthday because I want our kids to be able to read it in a few years.

You're so welcome, Patricia!

Thanks so much for the award, Kelley!

I hope they do, Kristen! And I hadn't heard of those Incorrigible Children books. Perhaps I'll have to check them out (when I have time to read again).