Крижана колиска

Moonfall #2

by James Rollins, Джеймс Роллінс, Ганна Литвиненко (Translator)

«Крижана колиска» — друга частина бестселерної серії «Падіння Місяця» за версією The New York Times від майстра трилерів Джеймса Роллінса.

Це захоплива сага про пригоди, зраду, жагу влади та боротьбу за виживання в безжальному світі, що балансує на межі загибелі. Щоб зупинити наближення апокаліпсису, четвірка — воїн, злодій, загублений принц і дівчина — уклали союз, освячений невблаганною долею у передчутті катастрофи. Кожен крок спільної подорожі змінював їх: кував глибші узи — і таку ж міцну ворожнечу. Їх переслідували сили, що боялися правди, яку вони прагнули відкрити. Навколо не вщухали битви, цілі армії сходилися в кривавому герці.

Ця мандрівка мала високу ціну — плату кров’ю, втратою, розбитими серцями. Тепер відчайдухи змушені розділитись — пройти крізь крижані простори до столиці, яку досі знали лише з легенд і снів. Час невпинно спливає — і лише правда здатна врятувати всіх.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Adventure, Epic Fantasy

912 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2023

About the author

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)]

If you loved the first book, you will probably enjoy this one too. I had mixed feelings about book 1 but was intrigued enough by some of the plot and world elements to continue. I was hoping to see a marked improvement in book 2 and unfortunately that wasn't my experience. I had similarly mixed feelings about this one. In both cases I think the books are too long, not paced like what you expect from modern fantasy, and don't often do a great job with female characters or disabled characters.

The Cradle of Ice picks up where we left off and has some genuinely interesting reveals, and some very cool scenes, but for me it's just not enough to keep me invested. Characterization is sometimes good, but very much a mixed bag and women are too often sexually objectified (and by several different characters, so it's more than just character work for a shitty person). I like this sci-fantasy concept that blends AI with magic-feeling things and prophecy. But while I was engaged for portions of the book, it's excessively long and sometimes uninteresting while at other times being very uncomfy. (For instance, there's a scene where a character is looking at the scarring on a eunuchs genital area and pondering whether they feel resentment. It's a scene that adds nothing to the book and feels needlessly gratuitous and descriptive.) Unfortunately I think this just isn't the series for me. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Those of us who read Rollins' previous fantasy series (under the name James Clemens) already knew what a gifted fantasy writer he was, but he's truly outdone himself with the Moonfall books. Yes, there's going to be at least one more, possibly more than one. If Rollins has mentioned at all how many books he's estimating before his tale is told, I haven't heard. It's simply my best guess as a long-time reader. There are enough events that need to take place before the story's end, that I could see it taking two to three more volumes to squeeze them all in. The Wit'ch series lasted five books, so we know he's capable of it.

That said, The Cradle of Ice does reach an excellent stopping point. Yes, there are hints of dire things to come in the next volume, but it does end on something of a conclusion, everyone rested and healing and gearing up for the next stages of their various journeys.

As with the first volume, I'm fascinated with the deeply-imagined world that Rollins has crafted. This isn't your average medieval European setting with magic and dragons added in. This is a world that, although many of its peoples and creatures clearly were spun out of real world sources, is still very different from our own. There's a science fiction undercurrent as well–the world is tidally locked, with our heroes seemingly on a mission to use ancient machineries of incredible power to set it spinning again, despite the devastation and chaos that such an action would inevitably cause. Because to do nothing would still result in destruction when Moonfall occurs.

This mix of SF and Fantasy is reminiscent of such classics as Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine books, or Terry Brooks' Shanara series (it's been ages since I read them, but I recall hints of some sort of technological civilization in Shanara's distant past) or even Stephen King's Dark Tower books.

Also characteristic of Rollins' fantasy novels is that nothing comes easily for the heroes. The perils they face seem truly life-threatening, and the danger constant. Their foes seem ever just on the verge of winning. Rollins is the master of cutting away *just* at the right moment, when the tension is greatest. "Oh, you want to know what happens next? First, let's return our attention to the other side of the world, where the rest of our heroes were …" He's an evil, evil man, and I say that with the utmost love and affection.

I will admit that I lost track of the Sigma Force series somewhere along the way, and I'm not sure how many books behind I am, so I'm unfamiliar with recent developments. But I still think that the Moonfall series is some of the best writing James Rollins–or James Clemens–has ever done. Highly recommended!

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/02/17/...

Clocking in at almost 700 pages, The Cradle of Ice by James Rollins is the second book of the Moon Fall saga, and considerably longer than its predecessor but ironically feels a lot lighter on substance. However, if you were intrigued by the premise established in The Starless Crown, I would encourage you to continue with this series as long as you are prepared to put up with some pacing issues and the occasional aimless ramble.

The story picks up where things left off in the last book, following former Cloistery student and inconstant seer Nyx as she travels across Urth to find new allies in her quest to avert moonfall, the disaster she foresaw that would bring about the apocalypse. Their planet has stopped spinning, which would bring eternal winter upon most of the population, but that’s small potatoes compared to what would happen next—the moon crashing onto the surface of the planet, essentially destroying everything on it.

Now Nyx sails board the ship Sparrowhawk on her own, on a separate journey from her companions. She must venture into an icy region of the world known only from stories to find a solution to fix Urth’s axis, but will encounter many challenges and dangers along the way, including an act of deliberate sabotage to her vessel. Meanwhile, we also have Prince Kanthe, second born son of King Toranth, who has his own hands full trying to avert all-out war. His party has traveled to another kingdom to engage in politicking and fact-finding, but all the while they may be attracting unwanted attention from some malicious factions.

With the fellowship forged from the previous book mostly split up, there’s quite a few storylines to follow in The Cradle of Ice. Rollins doesn’t waste time getting right back into the thick of things either, so there’s not much breathing room for catching up before he’s throwing even more characters, settings, and ideas into the mix. Having been quite fond of the relationship dynamics formed in The Starless Crown, I’ll admit to not being a huge fan of our group going their separate ways in this one, but thankfully plenty of time is also given to developing those characters we already know, especially Nyx and Kanthe, whose backstories are explored and given more in-depth treatment.

Once more we fall into the familiar rhythm of a quest narrative complete with the old-school fantasy vibes, despite Rollins pumping this sequel up with bigger action, bigger adventure, bigger magic—bigger practically everything. But bigger isn’t always better, and as I alluded to before, there were times where I felt like he was losing control of the multiple threads and struggling to keep up the momentum in each. These efforts weren’t always successful, as evidenced by the sections which dragged or where the pacing frequently stalled, and for one felt far less urgency surrounding the apocalypse this time around.

At the same time, old habits from Rollins’ thriller writing clearly die hard as some of the quirks I noticed from The Starless Crown are carried into The Cradle of Ice—the immediacy of his “telling versus showing” prose, for example, or his penchant for simplistic solutions to complex problems, almost like he’s waving a magic wand to change the rules on the spot to suit his needs. The story is a bit formulaic, and the author’s style is definitely not subtle, which might not work so well for the delicate nature of the political intrigue, which is so heavily featured in this novel, but on the bright side it does make for some sensational battle sequences.

Bottom line, I have no problem with tropes, and sometimes they can even be a comfort to fall back on when you just want to kick back with an entertaining fantasy adventure. This feels like what James Rollins is going for with Moon Fall, though hopefully he can continue to deliver future novels in this series without getting sucked into the pitfalls of the epic fantasy genre like overwriting and bloated plotlines just for the sake of an epic fantasy page count. Overall, if you enjoyed The Starless Crown you’ll want to also pick up The Cradle of Ice. Despite some hiccups along the way, I felt this sequel was worth the read and was happy to be able to continue the story.

[Kenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short version:
I'm devastated to report that this was not good. Sure, a lot happens, but none of it seems to mean anything. Every obstacle is solved with the same solution, over and over and over. Any statements almost made are accidental. After how much I loved the first one, I'm very disappointed.

4.5/10

Long version:
Maybe it's just me. I've read like, twenty of this author's books, and so his writing style is rapidly wearing thin for me. I used to find it all very exciting, but now it all seems so meaningless. I thought a new fantasy series was just the thing to get away from the Michael Bay vibes of all the guns and technology and explosions and action for action's sake. Unfortunately, the series can't get by on novelty alone.

I just figured out why I keep thinking "this 600+ pages could have been an email": There is no discernible emotional arc. There was for sure an arc in the first one; it was a coming-of-age story in which a young disabled girl rises above her peers and embarks on a dangerous quest for truth. It was fun to see Nyx gain confidence and find her voice. This second installment has... well, to be fair it has her budding sexuality going for it. But there's nothing for her to really struggle internally against, it's mostly go here, avoid danger, defeat this, go there. A lot of the core relationships are already established, so they don't do much developing.

I think this also suffers from too many characters. I like being able to check in with different people in different places all over the world, no complaints there. What I mean is there are often too many characters in one place. Good lord, there are so many long conversations where like six or seven different people chime in, and there are still more characters who are there and apparently just standing still in the background, doing nothing. Even action sequences have an objectionable amount of dialogue because we have to hear from everyone. And splitting the party doesn't help this problem, because we have to catch everyone up to speed when they get back together. I was there for that part! The characters may need a recap but I don't. What I do feel I need a recap for is who the hell are all these people. I can't remember that many names, and so when something dramatic happens to Jormathan (name I made up) who's been in the background this whole time, I don't feel emotionally connected to it because I don't remember who that is, what they've done, and who cares about them & why. Maybe that's intentional; maybe the overwhelming number of characters are just redshirted cannon-fodder for future installments. That's so disappointing. That's creating an entire person just to be a waste of my time to get to know.

To address my main complaint in the short version, I will have to get into minor and unspecific spoiler territory, be aware. What annoys me is, the author has given his character a proverbial hammer, and has made every problem that arises in this story a nail. Obstacles get defeated so easily with no downsides. This does the cliche anime thing where they're like "Oh no, Character has used all their energy and doesn't have any left!" but then the power of friendship gives them the strength to do one last thing. Quite literally. We are told in no uncertain terms that the characters' magic is completely used up, in its entirety, and to use any more would actually literally kill them. They go on to use that same amount of energy four more times in a row and I'm not kidding. And then later they go somewhere else and use a life-draining amount of energy again a couple more times just for good measure. It completely ruins the impact of their "sacrifice" because it's not even hard to save them. What was the point, then? I mean it's cool that they're supposedly willing to die for the cause, but that seems kind of cheap when it doesn't put them in any actual danger because another character decided it shouldn't. No clever skirting of the rules, no dramatic rescue, no finding another way. Reminds me of an asshole kid claiming that actually, he has a laser that can melt through all shields and a shield that blocks all shield-melting lasers.

Conclusion:
I can only hope that these problems are just second-in-the-trilogy syndrome. I have no reason to believe this is a trilogy rather than an ongoing series, but it definitely has a clear overall problem that has to be resolved sooner or later. It would absolutely suck to try to continue past that point with no ending in mind. So assuming that there is a planned outline for a finite number of books, most likely the last one will have more meaning, better emotional beats, a firmer grasp on its own rules, a satisfying conclusion, and, frankly... fewer characters.
The only question is, do I feel betrayed enough by this one to not bother getting there? Time will tell.

[Mackenzie Schley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cradle of Ice picks up where The Starless Crown left off, following the two separate crews as they race to two different parts of the world in hopes that their salvation may be found there. Nyx’s crew journeys into the (mostly) unknown, far out over the uninhabitable ice only to find wonders they never even contemplated. Kanthe’s crew finds themselves embroiled in the all too familiar world of politics and secretive scholars in the empire. Both stories weave their way towards each other and towards the common goal of finding a way to save Urth despite the obstacles and surprises thrown their way. Rollins again weaves a captivating story that pulls in myth, magic, and science. This story builds upon the success of The Starless Crown hitting all of the same successful notes. Well written characters, interesting plot lines, magi, mystery, and intrigue galore. It is well worth the time of any epic fantasy fan, though I would most definitely suggest reading the first in the series to get a firm grasp on the world and characters Rollins has created.

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly i didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. Rollins says in the acknowledgments at the end “a second journey is where you get to stray off the road and it’s easy to get lost “. he then thanks those who “kept him on track “. but they did not entirely succeed. fantasy writers can often get drawn in too deeply by the realm they have created. sanderson is a prime example. rollins wanders off in some tangents that do little to further the story arc. the book could easily be 200 pages smaller. that said i imagine i will read the third book. but that will no doubt be a long time from now.

[Zoey Erby · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I was sent an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Have you ever given a book series a second chance? I’m not usually one for second chances, most of the time I have a hard time continuing a book series even if I really liked it. It’s just so hard to jump back into a complex fantasy world especially if you had to wait an entire year for the sequel to come out. But I digress. I read The Starless Crown (Moonfall Book 1) in 2021/2022 and I wasn’t too impressed. I think I gave it a 3 or a 3.5 because it just didn’t jive with me. I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't that into it. It was kind of middle-of-the-road for me. I won’t go into my review, you can look back if you’d like to see what I liked and didn’t like. So when I was contacted to read the sequel, I was a bit hesitant. My rating for the previous book wasn’t bad, but it was far from a shining recommendation. Eventually I conceded and agreed to the ARC and man, I’m glad I did!

The Cradle of Ice really stomps on the gas pedal and propels the reader into constant action. My copy weighs in at a whopping 650 pages (think the final copy is meant to clock in around 676 pages) but I read it in a couple of weeks, which is great for me. There was so much action that I felt like I couldn’t put it down! One thing I will definitely give Rollins is he consistently reminds the reader of events from the previous book. I personally enjoyed this addition as I had forgotten 75% of the events of the first book. The careful allusion to previous events that occurred in book 1, when relevant, helped keep the context clear. I will say, there is not much character development in this book, it’s mostly plot development with not much new from most of the characters, which I didn’t mind. Nyx was considerably less insufferable which definitely helped my enjoyment this go round. Really, the action and the drama of it all kept me hooked; all of the twists and turns were exquisitely done. There was also more done in terms of the world building. Past events and current issues were more carefully fleshed out, giving us a more rounded view of what led up to the events of this story and how they may stop impending doom.

That’s all well and good, but I didn’t give this book 5 stars, so what didn’t I like? My main issue, which was also an issue when I read book 1, is that there are so many convenient saves. How is tension meant to be built if characters are being saved at the last second by unwieldy means every time? I think this is a spillover from Rollins’ years of writing action thrillers where convenient saves are the norm. Or perhaps it’s just that killing off people has become par for the course in adult fantasy novels so that's what I'm used to seeing. Either way, I didn’t like it. Were all the characters safe? No. But there were still waaaaay too many convenient saves. My other problem was with the magic system. I think last time I praised the magic system, and I’m not taking that back, I just think its evolving into a magical catch-all. The magic system is based on singing/chanting, however you want to think about it. My understanding of what bridle-song was in the first book feels a lot different than my understanding of it in the sequel. Really, this kind of goes hand-in-hand with the convenient saves. I think that Rollins is making bridle-song catchall magic. Good magic systems have to have some limits. There seems to be no limit on what can be accomplished via bridle-song which seems unlikely given what the magic is meant to be. My understanding was that it was more or less kind of mind control in the first book? Which is very useful and has a lot of applications all by itself, but now it’s anything it has to be to further the plot.

Taken altogether, this was a really good follow-up book. It’s the type of book that makes you excited to talk about it. I know that I kept calling my friend to tell her what was happening, because it was so exciting that I couldn’t keep it in! The drama and action in this book are just phenomenal.The story itself is so good that it just makes you want to keep reading (convenient saves/magic included). The Cradle of Ice took a series that was alright and made it considerably better. Now I’m looking forward to the third book in the series because I'm dying to know what’s going to happen!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ragtag group of misfits have decided to stick together for the sake of the world but it also means splitting up. Most will go to the region of ice and cold while the other to a big capital city. It is amazing what this group will do and go through for their world even when the rest of the world seems against them, but they seem to find help in some of the least likely places.
This series is really good and I hope I get to read and review the third part as well. The characters are so inviting, well most of them anyways. The action is non-stop and the suspense will grab you from the start and not let go until the end, if then. I really enjoyed the series so far and hope everyone else does too.

[James…Couldn’t put It down! · Rating 5 out of 5]

James has done a fantastic job continuing on from ‘The Starless Crown.’ Thoroughly enjoyable. Lots and lots and lots of action, intrigue, and surprises. You guessed it - I couldn’t put it down.

[Katy Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started off a little slow but stick with it. The book just keeps getting better until the very end.

[Sarah Grace Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, that was absolutely epic- some of the most creative world building and diverse set of characters I’ve ever read. HOWEVER, I was really having to fight through it bc the writing style focuses too much on scene setting and not enough on the dialog / interpersonal relationships (like fr the best written character relationship is between a girl and her bat brother she keeps resurrecting into other bat bodies and I just 🫠)

If you like hella long / dense high fantasy honestly you would love this series!! I care enough to google the summary of the third book but I simply cannot slog through another one of these 😅

[Llona ❤️ "Così tanti libri, così poco tempo." · Rating 3 out of 5]

ritmo serratissimo
un pelino troppo

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just can't decide between 2 stars or 3. For now it's 3 because it's not a terrible book it just didn't grab me.

Interesting stuff happens but the author is fond of either deus ex machinas to get the characters out of trouble or having Nyx use strong feelings and her bridle-song power to win the day. There will be a confrontation that it seems our heroes can't get out of, and Nyx uses her power to try to defeat the bad whatever but she just can't do it. But then she tries harder and suddenly she's able to beat back the badness and win the day. Reminds me of those inspirational posters that are supposed to make you want to try harder. Just reach inside yourself and feel strongly and everything will be all right. Blah-de-blah-de-blah. I hate that stuff. And once the author does that once, when they get into another bad situation there's no sense of "OH NO! How will they get out of this one?" because we know that Nyx will just try harder and harder until she's able to defeat the whatever. There's no suspense. Just grueling blah-de-blah as the situation builds and builds and Nyx tries but oh no she fails and more bad things happen, etc. until the end when Nyx saves the day.

The story consists of two groups of people and what happens to them. Nyx and the pirates take the ship into the dark side of the planet (and you'd think they would all freeze to death but they don't because reasons!) where it's all ice. They actually meet people who live out there in a vast cave under the ice and it's warm enough for people to survive. The story spends a lot of time there dealing with the wariness of the people.

While Nyx is in the cold, the King's younger son What's-His-Name and allies fly down to the south in the heat. They meet the leader of that country and What's-His-Name ends up engaged to the daughter of the Sultan (he's not really a Sultan but I can't remember what title he uses so I'm gonna call him a Sultan). However Aalia, the daughter, is not happy about the forth-coming marriage. It's supposed to be an alliance between kingdoms to prevent war but it doesn't work. What's=His-Name's brother is hell-bent on finding and killing his brother and laying waste to the southern city. What's-His-Name is befriended by one of the Sultan's many sons and there's a strong friendship there but the son keeps dropping hints (well, not hints really because he just comes right out and says it) that he'd like to sleep with What's-His-Name, who is like 'NO freaking way!"

Okay I'm done. Now I have to read the 3rd book just to find out what happens. Rollins should just stick to writing thrillers in my opinion.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 50%. It's not bad, per se, but it's not good, and life is short, and my TBR pile is tall.

I think one of the reasons it's not good is that there's both too much going on and not enough happening: the classic problem of an author mistaking motion for action. The characters spend a lot of time running around on various errands, to little effect. There are also too many characters in too many locations, drowning in too much disparate lore... and none of it seems to be cohering. The story feels like a kid's toybox, where a GI Joe sits alongside a dinosaur and a Pound Puppy, and here's Superman with a Ninja Turtle and a Beanie Baby riding in a Tonka dump-truck.

Another reason it's not good is that my main criticism from Book 1 continues: the author does a perpetually poor job of grounding the story in physical terrain. By which I mean the story lacks spatial awareness. Where in a scene the characters are located in relation to each other is often vague and confusing. For example, a character might be talking to people on the ground, and then suddenly be high above the earth on an airship, and maybe if you read carefully you can intuit that he rode a balloon up there, but, like, what? It's especially notable because I've just started reading The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams, a master at creating environments that feel as real as waking dreams, and Rollins' work is sketchy and messy in comparison.

And this is just me, but I hated that the magic system is wielded through song, specifically literally singing. It requires the magic characters to stand around putting on a concert in the middle of an action sequence, and it felt silly to me every time it happened. The author quickly seemed at pains to find new ways to describe singing, too, so you eventually get a lot of stuff about throats.

I also hated the bats.

Also also, I hated the cloying vibe 0f one of the human characters referring to one of the bats as her "little brother," with absolutely bone-breaking earnestness.

There was one thing I was interested in: One of the male characters is bi and is continuously flirting with another male character, who seems to be maybe a Kinsey 1 or 2 -- not going for it but apparently not totally closed to the idea of some man-love. I wanted to know if anything eventually sparked between them. Still, you know it's bad when even the possibility of gay sex isn't enough to keep me reading.

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cradle of Ice
by James Rollins
Moonfall #2
Fantasy Apocalypse
Ages: 16+

Those who found the prophecy of moonfall to be true have now separated into groups, each hoping to bring the world together while searching for a key to stop moonfall, but one finds that stopping the coming moonfall will not save everyone.

But not everyone believes them. Some accuse them of being traitors, others want what is connected to moonfall for the power it could give them, and then there are those who want moonfall to happen.


Book two of the Moonfall series picks up after the first and while it is a great story, a thought-out plot, and setting, all that I enjoyed, there are WAY too many characters to get to know, let alone be developed enough to tell them apart.

At two percent into the story, around chapter three, there was such a huge character drop that left me confused about who everyone was, then it was made worse with another set of characters, and then another set, and I think there was even another, plus at least two new groups/characters the main characters interacted with. I think there are at least six characters who are MC, each using multiple chapters relating to their quest, and then there are a few others who get a chapter here and there to add to the drama.

Yeah, talk about confusing!

At the start of the chapters, it usually took me at least two pages, sometimes more, to figure out who the character was, what they were doing, how important their quest/input was, and if I cared about them. Only one character, Nyx, whom I will classify as the MAIN character, I could immediately identify, but with her companions, there was only one I could upon first reading their name, everyone else was a blur for a couple of pages.

I really did like the story, but all of the characters were overwhelming, making it a confusing and unenjoyable read.

Yes, I want to read the next in the series, but I'm dreading it because of all of the characters, which is why I couldn't give this one more star!

3 Stars

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cradle of Ice, the second book in James Rollins' 'Moonfall' saga, was reasonably entertaining. I liked it a bit better than the first book because the setting was a little more interesting and the character relationships were more established.

All of the things that made the first book good, Rollins brought in this one - fascinating world-building, entertaining plot, and compelling characters. Rollins really nailed the multiple-POV style in a way that kept the story fresh and interesting, and introduced some really cool new characters (Daal and Rami are my new favorites!)

Unfortunately, the things I didn't like about book one were also prominent in book two. Namely, you can very much tell while reading that this book was written by a man, and I mean this in the worst possible way. What is with all the random sexual fantasies thrown into the narrative all the time at inappropriate moments? These were borderline creepy, way too frequent, and were really distracting from an otherwise good story. If it weren't for how much I care about the main characters I probably wouldn't have finished this book because of this.

All in all, it was a decent read with some good writing and narrative structure. I'll definitely be sticking with this series whenever the next installment comes out. 3.5 stars.

[Cynde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Mesmerizing, fantastical, exciting,and absolutely wonderful is the 2nd book in the Moonfall series!!!!!!
Nyx and her group leave for the next part of their quest, across the Ice Shield and into the frozen wastes. No one knows what lies ahead for only a few have ever ventured beyond the Shield and none had returned. They must persevere and push on in their quest to stop the Moonfall from destroying the Urth. They are bound for the next site of a sleeper- a bronze person like Shiya and whatever challenges it holds.
Also Prince Kanthe and his group embark on their quest through betrayals , battles, friendships, marriage proposals, bombs, and many trials to complete their search for the other sleeper and what adventures that holds.
The reader is taken on an interchanging roller coaster of a ride with no guarantees that any of their quest will be successful enough to slow the inevitable. The book is of course a cliffhanger and I will anxiously await the third book in the trilogy. The characters in the book are well developed and you become attached to them and the outcome of their story. The book is Fantasy/science fiction and will be enjoyed by readers of both!!! This is an excellent read!!!!!

[Annoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very sad I’ve seem to have been hitting a bit of a reading slump recently without alot of avg 2-3 star books. This one just had way to many sub plots and the pace was like that grandmother crossing the road with a cricket at the start of Mulan.
I had a lot of trouble distinguishing between characters and what type of creature they were because there was like dinosaurs and birds and seals and unicorns I don’t know but it’s not a great start to my fantasy journey.
Thought I must admit, I did pick this book up because I decided from now on to end of November, I will only be reading books written in 2023 for the sake of choice awards, so I grabbed it off the bestsellers shelf due to the intriguing cover BUT I didn’t realise it was actually a sequel. With that said, a lot of the content was still obviously new and not connected to whatever happened in book one. And overall the biggest red flag was the snail pace.
I’m depresso expresso.

[Mark Von Rohr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book, but the pacing was off, the conversations too long, and the solution to every problem was the same one over and over again. I found myself skipping pages just to get beyond the bridle song stuff. I enjoyed Kanthe’s journey way more than Nix’s. The “sacrifice” at the end was just plain stupid. Stop killing your friend to solve your problems! There were some decent plot changes, but the I’m not sure I can sit through 15 pages again of what Nix and Daal are thinking when they touch and somehow keep tapping into powers they’ve already used up 5 times to solve another riddle with her powers. Aren’t they supposed to die when they do that? I’ve just tapped mine to empty, and I think I’m dead to this story.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first series by James Rollins and I have to say I’m really enjoying it. I’ll definitely be checking out some of his other books.

The Moon Fall series looked interesting and it has been. I’m enjoying the fact that the couples/pairings haven’t been preset in book 1. The relationships are still being developed and are ever changing in book 2.

Nyx being one of the MC, has evolved A LOT. Her relationship with Bashaalia has been a little weird, for my taste, but I think things are starting to clear up now that Daal is in the picture.

Again with the ending! I can’t take more cliffhangers!!!!!

[Permanently_Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cradle of Ice by James Rollins is the second book in the moonfall series. This was a chonker. The audio is read by Nicola Barber with the same perfection as book 1. I loved the narration but I was not as hooked on the plot. I felt the writing was overly tied up in length, extended dialogue and descriptives. The meat of the story was what I love in my fantasies with action, the connection between girl and loveable beast, a little romance and revelations. Overall a mixed bag of feelings but still entertaining. True rating 3.5/5.

[Johnna Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!

What a great book. Takes the first book in this series, The Starless Crown, and takes it to new heights. This book has everything you’ve come to expect from James Rollins. Really well done.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, wow, this was such a great sequel, so much happened, and oh, I had a really great time reading it, and I can't wait for the next book!

[Don Weymouth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, Lord of the Rings it is not.

[Italo De Nubila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jesus... had a really hard time reading this. Much less liking it. The characters are boring and void of life.

[Rigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 80%
I realized that I just don't care enough to slog through the rest of this book just to know how it ends.
Nothing. Happened. It's painfully clear that this is a transition book between the first and third installments. More frustrating still, Rollins would end one group's POV on a cliffhanger, transition to the other group's POV (which also ended on a cliffhanger), only to come back to group one and find an anticlimactic answer.
I was so excited at the idea this series presented... but it unfortunately fell flat on its face. Sci-fi and fantasy are my favourite genres, so you'd think a beautiful combination of the two would tickle me pink. The prospect of this series did just that, but the unfortunately this nearly 700 page book turned out to be a waste of my time.

[Dan Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you rather have a multi-month voyage to a freezing cold or scorching hot landscape?

"The Cradle of Ice" by James Rollins is book 2 in the Moonfall series. After getting the information at the end of the first the crew...takes time and actually plans where to go and time passes. One group, heads into the frozen wastes, where explorers never return from. The other, to seek an alliance with an empire at war with the kingdom. Both tasks are vital to obtaining knowledge and power to survive Moonfall.

Narrated by Nicola Barber, illegally excellcet voice. Going from pithy lines to emotional highs and lows superbly.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the copies!

Reasons to read:
-More information on the world before it lost chunks of history
-New and flirty allies
-OH he crazy-crazy
-Societies that are unique to my fantasy reading
-Excellent animals
-Stakes got higher again
-They took some time and grew a bit

Cons:
-A bit rough on the animals still for my taste, points at animal welfare science degree

[Hannah Christ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Many. Characters. Sometimes the amount of characters and the complexities of the world are hard to navigate, but overall it’s a rich and interesting story.

[Ryan Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, if a little long, sequel to The Starless Crown. Lots of moving pieces and point of view changes in this book as the group splits up at the end of the first book. Well done second book of a series--it moved the story forward and set up the final book in the trilogy.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very long saga that drifts at times. The writing is pure James. A lot of characters.