What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wolfblight Saga #4
Icemoon
The Isle Beckons...
After experiencing a dark and tumultuous journey to reach the city of Gallerheim, Ulva and her companions would be forgiven in believing that the worst of their troubles were behind them. In fact, they are just beginning.
Whilst John, Ulva and Brenna sequester themselves behind the city walls for their safety, Einar, Kit and their newfound ally Freki must travel to the Isle of Icemoon in search of a godly figure who may be able to provide them with the knowledge needed to craft a powerful artifact that could save Norway from the terrible Dark Wolf Fenrir.
But the dangerous journey forces Einar, Kit and Freki to walk frightful and mysterious paths that few tread and even fewer return from alive. In the meanwhile, Ulva struggles to contain her lycanthropy, which is beginning to spiral out of control.
After experiencing a dark and tumultuous journey to reach the city of Gallerheim, Ulva and her companions would be forgiven in believing that the worst of their troubles were behind them. In fact, they are just beginning.
Whilst John, Ulva and Brenna sequester themselves behind the city walls for their safety, Einar, Kit and their newfound ally Freki must travel to the Isle of Icemoon in search of a godly figure who may be able to provide them with the knowledge needed to craft a powerful artifact that could save Norway from the terrible Dark Wolf Fenrir.
But the dangerous journey forces Einar, Kit and Freki to walk frightful and mysterious paths that few tread and even fewer return from alive. In the meanwhile, Ulva struggles to contain her lycanthropy, which is beginning to spiral out of control.
386 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 31, 2026
An emotionally satisfying tale that is the strongest book in the Wolfblight Saga so far
Many plot-beats are brought to a head in Icemoon, as the consequences of Ulva’s actions while transformed into a werewolf finally catch up with her and the rest of her group.
Author Simon Steele highlights an all too familiar human failing about how we always need someone or something to punish for our sufferings in life. We the readers know that Ulva has no control over her actions as a werewolf, yet that does not alter the fact that those actions are the cause of much pain and misery for others. In the hands of a lesser writer, Ulva would simply be absolved of everything that she has done by her unrealistically understanding victims, yet Steele refuses to take the easy way out and makes it crystal clear that the wolfblight is a source of agony, both for those who suffer from it, and those whose lives are ripped apart by it in more ways than one.
Icemoon is an emotionally hard hitting novel that introduces shades of grey to a story that has been largely black and white up till this point; showcasing that that not all werewolves are the inherently evil monstrosities that society paints them as, as well as compounding the uncomfortable lengths that humanity is prepared to go to in order to protect themselves from them.
John and Ulva are given considerable development within the narrative as both of them are forced to confront their tragic past and begin the arduous journey of learning to let go of their pain. Steele weaves together a beautifully symbolic ‘taming of the beast’ which easily provides the narrative high point of the novel. The werewolves Halla and Jetta serve as a perfect foil for our two leads; being two people who have embraced their inner beast and are using the pain of their circumstances to lash out at the world for the sake of revenge.
The characters of Freki and Falbjorn provide a refreshing alternative outlook on the situation with the Cult of Fenris, as they are two people who are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep those they care about safe from harm, regardless of how unpopular it makes them with their own friends and family. In any other story, both characters would be one-dimensional straw-men who only exist to be proven wrong by the protagonists. Yet even their well-intentioned actions are not without consequences that Ulva and John end up being imperilled from at the novel’s conclusion.
One minor criticism I have is that the journey Einar, Kit and company embark on to seek the wisdom of Mimir on the Isle of Icemoon gets waylaid by two specific encounters near the end that could be cut from the book and nothing of significant value would be missed. Yet these ‘filler’ moments are not a deal breaker, merely a minor bump in the road in what is easily the best written of all the novels in the Wolfblight Saga so far. I shall be returning for the fifth book: Gleipnir, with great anticipation.
Many plot-beats are brought to a head in Icemoon, as the consequences of Ulva’s actions while transformed into a werewolf finally catch up with her and the rest of her group.
Author Simon Steele highlights an all too familiar human failing about how we always need someone or something to punish for our sufferings in life. We the readers know that Ulva has no control over her actions as a werewolf, yet that does not alter the fact that those actions are the cause of much pain and misery for others. In the hands of a lesser writer, Ulva would simply be absolved of everything that she has done by her unrealistically understanding victims, yet Steele refuses to take the easy way out and makes it crystal clear that the wolfblight is a source of agony, both for those who suffer from it, and those whose lives are ripped apart by it in more ways than one.
Icemoon is an emotionally hard hitting novel that introduces shades of grey to a story that has been largely black and white up till this point; showcasing that that not all werewolves are the inherently evil monstrosities that society paints them as, as well as compounding the uncomfortable lengths that humanity is prepared to go to in order to protect themselves from them.
John and Ulva are given considerable development within the narrative as both of them are forced to confront their tragic past and begin the arduous journey of learning to let go of their pain. Steele weaves together a beautifully symbolic ‘taming of the beast’ which easily provides the narrative high point of the novel. The werewolves Halla and Jetta serve as a perfect foil for our two leads; being two people who have embraced their inner beast and are using the pain of their circumstances to lash out at the world for the sake of revenge.
The characters of Freki and Falbjorn provide a refreshing alternative outlook on the situation with the Cult of Fenris, as they are two people who are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep those they care about safe from harm, regardless of how unpopular it makes them with their own friends and family. In any other story, both characters would be one-dimensional straw-men who only exist to be proven wrong by the protagonists. Yet even their well-intentioned actions are not without consequences that Ulva and John end up being imperilled from at the novel’s conclusion.
One minor criticism I have is that the journey Einar, Kit and company embark on to seek the wisdom of Mimir on the Isle of Icemoon gets waylaid by two specific encounters near the end that could be cut from the book and nothing of significant value would be missed. Yet these ‘filler’ moments are not a deal breaker, merely a minor bump in the road in what is easily the best written of all the novels in the Wolfblight Saga so far. I shall be returning for the fifth book: Gleipnir, with great anticipation.
November 26, 2023
”Do you think a werewolf could ever be loved by the people of this island? Could such a creature ever be seen as something more than just a monster?”
ICEMOON was a wonderful installment in the Wolfblight series, a wonderful dark fantasy/horror series with lycanthropy mixed with Norse legend. We start off with Ulva imprisoned by the people of Gallerheim for her actions while under the sway of lycanthropy. But she is rescued by an unlikely person… and as she confronts her rescuer, truths about the past are revealed. There are lots of truths revealed in this book, whether unrequited feelings, or parental relationships that finally come to light, and some characters are made stronger for the truth coming out, while others are less than pleased with what they now know. I love the journey that this book took Steele’s characters on and can’t wait for the next. 5/5 stars.
ICEMOON was a wonderful installment in the Wolfblight series, a wonderful dark fantasy/horror series with lycanthropy mixed with Norse legend. We start off with Ulva imprisoned by the people of Gallerheim for her actions while under the sway of lycanthropy. But she is rescued by an unlikely person… and as she confronts her rescuer, truths about the past are revealed. There are lots of truths revealed in this book, whether unrequited feelings, or parental relationships that finally come to light, and some characters are made stronger for the truth coming out, while others are less than pleased with what they now know. I love the journey that this book took Steele’s characters on and can’t wait for the next. 5/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews