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The Icemark Chronicles #3
Last Battle of the Icemark
Allied with Cronus, the embodiment of all evil, Medea has raised an army of the undead to invade her family's kingdom. Now in paperback, the thrilling conclusion to the acclaimed ICEMARK trilogy!
Oskan and Thirrin thought their bad-seed daughter was gone for good -- burnt to a cinder and cast out onto the Spirit Plain. But banishment did not kill It made her stronger. Now, allied with Cronus, embodiment of all evil, the young sorceress is plotting revenge. Queen Thirrin is distracted by a new invader whose troops ride huge triceratops-like beasts into battle. But the warlock Oskan realizes the true threat to the kingdom is the demon army assembled by his daughter. To ensure the Icemark's eternal safety, he knows he must destroy her soul--even at the risk of his own.
Oskan and Thirrin thought their bad-seed daughter was gone for good -- burnt to a cinder and cast out onto the Spirit Plain. But banishment did not kill It made her stronger. Now, allied with Cronus, embodiment of all evil, the young sorceress is plotting revenge. Queen Thirrin is distracted by a new invader whose troops ride huge triceratops-like beasts into battle. But the warlock Oskan realizes the true threat to the kingdom is the demon army assembled by his daughter. To ensure the Icemark's eternal safety, he knows he must destroy her soul--even at the risk of his own.
480 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2008
42 people are currently reading
2162 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Hill
39 books270 followersStuart Hill was born in Leicester, in the East Midlands of England, where he still lives today. His family heritage includes English, Irish, Romany and Jewish blood. As a student his grades were average at best, but he was fortunate to have a teacher who inspired in him a lifelong love of reading. Since leaving school, he has worked as a teacher and an archaeologist, and now balances life as both a bookseller and a writer.
The Cry of the Icemark is his first novel. When he was a teenager, Stuart lost "the real Thirrin," his red-haired sister Kathleen, to leukemia. The story of the brave young warrior-queen who faces impossible dangers is dedicated to her. The Cry of the Icemark won the Ottakars Prize for the best new children’s novel - Ottakars is one of the UK's leading book chains. Foreign rights have been sold to over 14 countries, and Fox have bought the movie rights.
Blade of Fire, the second in the Icemark Chronicles series was published in the UK in September 2006 and in the USA in February 2007.
Stuart says that his influences include H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Margaret Abbey—his former grade school teacher who is also a writer of historical novels.
The Cry of the Icemark is his first novel. When he was a teenager, Stuart lost "the real Thirrin," his red-haired sister Kathleen, to leukemia. The story of the brave young warrior-queen who faces impossible dangers is dedicated to her. The Cry of the Icemark won the Ottakars Prize for the best new children’s novel - Ottakars is one of the UK's leading book chains. Foreign rights have been sold to over 14 countries, and Fox have bought the movie rights.
Blade of Fire, the second in the Icemark Chronicles series was published in the UK in September 2006 and in the USA in February 2007.
Stuart says that his influences include H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Margaret Abbey—his former grade school teacher who is also a writer of historical novels.
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September 2, 2013
Before we get into this, a disclaimer: it has been a long time since I read the first two books in this trilogy. I know I read the first one in late grade school, so I must have read the second one in early junior high, maybe? I'm a 19-year-old sophomore in college now, if that gives you any indication of how long it has actually been. We are talking multiple years here. And, I don't know, maybe six-ish/seven-ish years or so isn't all that long, but the difference in mentality between a 12-year-old and a 19-year-old is huge. My point being, while I recall the first two books being awesome, there is a chance I am not remembering them correctly. So first, I apologize in advance if any of my statements about them are faulty or inaccurate, because memory is a fickle mistress. But also, my tastes and opinions have obviously grown, become more nuanced, and just generally changed since I last read this series. So perhaps they aren't even as great as I remember them being. My instinct tells me they were, and I have generally come to trust my instinct in such matters, but it is important to note that the chance does exist that 12-year-old me could have been operating under an outdated set of standards and opinions and is, therefore, giving 19-year-old me faulty information. Just keep that in mind. That being said, I remember loving the first two books in this series. I loved how they were based heavily on Norse mythology, and I loved that Thirrin felt like a true Norse warrior princess/queen, not just a fakey YA facsimile of one. I loved how the story was about her coming to terms with not only becoming a queen in charge of an entire nation at such a young age (14, I think), but becoming a queen in charge of a nation that was being invaded. And the story managed to be about and deal with these things without becoming a sappy romance or a teen drama. It involved teenagers, but the story was about war and leadership and friendship and so many other wonderful, meaningful things. I loved how in the second book, Sharley's story wasn't just a repeat of Thirrin's. Sharley wasn't a warrior because of his injury, and he had to come to terms with this. He wasn't thrust into a position of leadership, but instead had to find his own place in the world and forge it for himself. Both books told two very different, very excellent stories that both managed to thoughtfully and (mostly) realistically deal with themes of war, responsibility, family, etc. So, after all these years I finally got around to reading the finale to see how ends the story. I was beyond ecstatic to visit my old friends and return to the Icemark. Unfortunately, I found this concluding novel to be rather underwhelming and disappointing, especially after the epicness of the first two.
First, let's talk about the antagonists of this third book. In the first and second book, we had Scipio Bellorum (and to a lesser degree, his sons. And, if you count her, Medea.). He made for an excellent antagonist, because he was effective, dangerous, intelligent, and just cool in that smooth military general type of way. And it took two ENTIRE books to beat him, because he was that serious of a threat. This third book, on the other hand, has three main antagonists instead of one and only one book in which to deal with them all, which is something that can be done well, I'm sure. Unfortunately, this book didn't really establish any of them well, which is hilariously paradoxical considering how much of the book is actually dedicated to them. We spend a ridiculous amount of time seeing the world from their perspectives, but they all still felt sort of flat, rushed, and/or hastily beaten. I think this is because I didn't really care for any of them. And I don't just mean that I didn't like them as people. I'm usually not supposed to like antagonists as people because they are either warped in such a way as to be despicable individuals or they simply oppose the protagonist I love and am rooting for. But in Last Battle of the Icemark, I didn't like them as antagonists. None of them worked for me, and I will explain why.
The first of our disappointing Antagonists Three is Medea, who is my least favorite by far. Unfortunately for everybody, me included, she didn't die in the second book. She was my least favorite part of that one too, but there she felt very minor and secondary, so it was easier to shrug off my annoyance and focus on the parts I actually enjoyed. Book three, however, is very Medea-heavy. As in, she is the POV character of almost EVERY. OTHER. FREAKING. CHAPTER. My problem with her is that I never really identified or sympathized with her at all. She is a pouty, evil brat, but I never really understood why she is that way. She claims it is because Sharley was her parents' favorite and she was ignored, but I never really SAW any of that happening. I mean, early in the second book when war was looming, Sharley was the only one to be sent away for his own safety, but their parents' reasoning could arguably be that was because he was the youngest, wasn't a warrior, and was physically crippled on top of all that. It made sense that he should be sent away; at that point in the story, he was in need of the most protecting. If that was an instance of favoritism, it was one so subtle it had to have been unintentional on the part of Thirrin and Oskan. And that is literally the only instance that could even maybe be seen as favoritism; other than that one vague instance, there is absolutely no evidence that any favoritism is happening whatsoever. If there was any case of actual blatant favoritism, it happened entirely off-page or before we came in at book two. So I guess I just don't buy into her complaints because I never felt it happening and have only her word to go on that it exists at all. And I know this favoritism-turned-me-evil thing can be done well. Look at Stephen King's Eyes of the Dragon. I felt that favoritism and actually SAW it in play. Peter would be like "Hi, Dad." And his father would be like, "Hiya, Peter! God, I love you! Let's hang out today!" Then Thomas would be like, "Hi, Dad! I love you so much that I made you a present!" And the king would be like, "Oh. Hi, Thomas. That's nice, I guess. Whatever. So, Peter…" God, I felt Thomas' pain and understood completely when he then made some morally questionable decisions. But with Medea, I never felt it. Not once. So I can't sympathize with why she is being an evil bitch, because her reasoning is essentially nonexistent. So this makes all of her actions, her entire storyline in both the second book and this one, seem like an extended whiney, melodramatic teenage "My-life-is-so-unfair!" hissy fit, only she has the magic to actually do some damage. Which, again, wasn't as critical a problem in the second book because her role in the story was relatively minor and on the sidelines. But in this book, her story is in the forefront and takes up basically HALF THE BOOK. She was the POV of essentially every other chapter, and it got to the point where I would literally groan every time I saw a chapter began with "Medea…" Which means that half of the book was extremely unenjoyable simply because I was forced to read about her ridiculous storyline. If you want her to return as a villain, fine, but there is really no point in making her an active POV character, especially when only a cursory effort has been given to make her sympathetic, likeable, or even believable. Her half of the book was just ridiculous, boring, annoying, and pointless, and I really wish it wouldn't have been included.
On to our next antagonist: Cronus and his whole supernatural storyline. He was certainly more of a threat than Medea, whose tactical brilliance essentially consisted of failed plots, empty threats, and tantrums, and he wasn't as annoying, I guess, in the way a rock isn't as annoying as a screeching air-horn, but he was also rather boring. He just felt like The Big Bad, you know? He was essentially the Devil of this world: He rebelled against the Goddess, creator of all, failed, and was cast out of that world's version of Heaven. Now he is plotting his revenge on a massive scale, not only to take out the Goddess, but to destroy the physical world as well. That storyline actually has the potential to be somewhat interesting, but my brief summary is basically all the detail we get. He wasn't The Big Bad in a particularly new or unique way, he just WAS, which made him seem like an empty trope instead of a full-fledged character. As well as being a boring cliché obstacle, he also spoke in clichés. Almost every word he said was some form of melodramatic "taking-over-the-world!" villain monologue. It was always just some variation of: "I will destroy them! They will join with me! Soon my vengeance will be complete!" And ON and ON. Towards the end, it got to the point where it was actually kind of funny, and I don't think it was supposed to be. So as an antagonist, he was just rather dull.
Erinor was definitely my favorite of The Antagonists Three. She was the leader of a tribe of Hypolitan (this world's Amazonians, essentially), whose structure was matriarchial anyway, but Erinor goes full-on drow-society "SHUT UP, YOU USELESS MALE!" And it was awesome. She was clearly psychotic but in a way that was fascinating and fun to read about, and she definitely posed a threat. However, her general awesomeness was completely undermined by Cronus' supernatural storyline. Cronus completely used her as a pawn in his own scheme by controlling her, and I don't mean he used subtle influencing or gentle nudges. He full on hopped in her head and took control of her thoughts and, sometimes, of her body. But even worse, it is stated that he did the same thing with Scipio Bellorum. That he, Cronus, was responsible for the other wars with the Icemark. Um, NO! No, no, no, no, no, NOOOOOOOPE. WHY?! Not only do you undermine Erinor's awesomeness, but now you do the same with Scipio Bellorum and the first two BOOKS?! No. I'm not on board with that. I am honestly pretending like that isn't even canon. That didn't happen. I just don't understand. All those storylines, Bellorum's and Erinor's, were strong enough by themselves that they didn't need a lame supernatural explanation. It would be different if Cronus wasn't cliché and boring, if I cared about him or his storyline at all. But he is and I don't, so I don't appreciate the more interesting storylines (and the beloved storylines) being forced in with his. I honestly just wish the whole Cronus/Medea/supernatural crap storyline had just been discarded entirely. Then we could have had an awesome story about the Polypontian Empire breaking down, Erinor and all her awesome craziness invading, and the Icemark having to form an uneasy alliance with their hated enemies to save both their nations. That is a strong enough story on its own that it could have carried the whole book and felt more like an Icemark story in doing so. Then we could even have had time to explore a lot of things that were skimmed over or hastily done. Like, Cressida and Leonidas' romance. It's okay as is, but it doesn't feel organic in the slightest. I liked how Cressida approached wooing him in a tactical way, but I don't feel like she would be one to moon over anybody, especially someone she had never met. If they had met and she grew to respect and love him for his battle prowess during the war, it would have felt a lot more believable than the random forced pairing we received. Or how there are actually only a few battle scenes in this entire war. Like, we only actually get TWO battles with Erinor before she is lamely insta-killed by Thirrin. TWO! Why do we only get two hasty battles? Because we have spent too much time focusing on Medea and Cronus and their tedious plans for boring world-domination, so we have to hurry through the actual cool bits so the book doesn't get too long.
Speaking of hurrying through: THE PACING! The pacing was really off in this one. We spend a ridiculous amount of time slowly establishing these antagonists and the threat they pose (even though they all fell flat anyway), but then each conflict is resolved in the most rushed manner possible. As I said with Erinor, she is built up to be this HUGE thing, but then we only get two hurried battles before she herself is insta-killed. We spent even MORE time establishing Cronus and Medea as a threat, and then they and their army are whipped out by some of the most rushed deus-ex-machina storytelling I have ever seen. There were actually some cool skirmishes between their army and the vampires, but the way they are actually BEATEN is lame. First of all, the last battle (of the Icemark) against the Ice Demons was vague and poorly explained, especially by Stuart Hill standards. He is usually awesome at describing battle tactics and which parts of the army are doing what and where, but besides the second battle against Erinor, they all felt very hasty in this third book. But this last battle especially felt like "Both sides were fighting hard, and, uh, losses heavy. Yada yada. Ghost army comes in and decimates Ice Demons." LITERALLY. This ghost army just comes out of nowhere and saves the effing day. It wasn't pre-established ghosts could do this and there was no foreshadowing or build-up to this plot element AT ALL. I literally had to do a double-take while reading, because I was like, "Did that just say 'ghost army'? What ghosts? How did they do that?! WHY did they do that?!" Honestly, that was the lamest, most random deus-ex-machina I have ever encountered. Then Medea and Cronus are just blipped off the map by a magical loop-hole given to Oskan at the beginning. Which isn't terrible in and of itself, but their battle also felt forced and rushed like the author just wanted to hurry to the end. The ending of essentially EVERY conflict and storyline just had this rushed feel about it that was hugely disappointing and unworthy of the Icemark Chronicles. The last chapter, in particular, was the most rushed summing-up-of-events chapter I have ever read, which is particularly damning considering this is the end of the trilogy and this last chapter is supposed to satisfyingly bring all the different characters to the end of their stories. But, again, this last chapter had that "Um. He went here. They went there. They died. They got married. THE END!" quality to it that just wasn't okay. ESPESSIALLY considering this is the last book in the trilogy and this is the final goodbye to some very beloved friends. I don't want a hurried summary of what became of them; I want to linger a moment to say my farewells, but I never really felt like I got a good chance to do that, which is what the last part of the last book should be about. I feel there is a lot left unsaid between us, and I'm sorry we were forced to part on such terms.
This heavy focus on antagonists I don't care about also means that the main cast of characters I do love didn't have as much page time. Like, it makes me really angry that Sharley's entire storyline felt like a complete afterthought in this book. The only significant thing he was given to do was wander around the Plains of Desolation, which was a very weak storyline because all Sharley and Co. do is wander aimlessly for a couple of scenes before being rescued. That's it. The only real thing of import that happens is that they meet the Vampire King and learn about the whole "vampire soul" thing, which later becomes significant for the Vampire Queen's storyline. But I feel like that could have been introduced in another way, maybe in such a way that would also explain how freaking ghosts can appear in this world out of nowhere, thus not making the end quite so random. Like, it was said that the space between those worlds is thinnest on Halloween, which was how Sharley and Co. got trapped in that world in the first place, so maybe have the Vampire King show up earlier and explain his crap and talk about this Halloween loop-hole, then have the last battle take place on Halloween so it would maybe kinda make sense that there is this random ghost army. Or really ANYTHING except having them appear literally out of thin air. And besides this whole useless Plains of Desolation storyline, Sharley didn't have anything of import to do. There would be long stretches of time where he wouldn't be mentioned AT ALL. I would be reading and suddenly think, "Wait. Where the hell is Sharley?" Then the author would just kinda stick him in random places. Like suddenly he would be with Cressida's cavalry or suddenly he would be somewhere else just kinda tacked on. Which isn't okay. The second book was essentially Sharley's story. He was never like Eodred, where he always just kinda existed in the background (which is another shame, these last two books really could have used more Eodred); Sharley was an important primary character! It isn't that Sharley's story feels secondary in this one, which I would have been okay with, but that his story DOESN'T EXIST in this one. The one significant thing he is given to do is useless tacked-on fluff, and after that he is just sorta passed around between different groups or mentioned like a complete afterthought. And I'm very upset that there is never a confrontation between him and Medea. I mean, she was the one who trapped him on the Plains of Desolation, but after he is saved, she largely forgets about him. When Sharley himself is finally told that Medea suppossedly turned evil because she was jealous of him, he just kinda shrugs it away. But as this book even said, he was the Lindenshield most in touch with his emotions, so I feel like he would feel guilt for her doing these bad things because of him and empathy for her or SOMETHING and somehow try to make amends. That is what I feel like the Sharley I fell in love with would do. NOT shrug and never think about it again. Hell, that would even have given him something meaningful to do: He finds out about his sister's feelings and tries to rectify the situation. Whether he succeedes in bringing her back into the fold or is forced to take her down, that would still give both Sharley and Medea a more satisfying story than what they actually received. I'm just very disappointed that the character I fell in love with in the second book is treated like little better than an unimportant side character in this one. And, of course, this problem also means that we just generally don't get as much time with Thirrin and everybody else I love in this one.
Don't get me wrong, this book isn't bad. All the things I love about it are still there. The battle sequences (when we actually get them) are still exciting and mostly well described. The war still feels like an actual war, with all the blood and death and consequences that entails. And, most importantly, I still love all of these main characters, which can carry me a long way to overlooking a book's other faults. Loving the Lindenshields and the allies of the Icemark is probably the only saving grace of this book. Had this book been about other, less likeable characters, it would have been a piece of crap. But as it is, it was still somewhat enjoyable because I genuinely cared about the people who populated this world. It was just disappointing and underwhelming that it didn't live up to the promise of the first two books and that it was a forced, hasty goodbye to beloved characters. Definitely worth a read if you have traveled this far into the Icemark, but be prepared for some disappointment in doing so.
First, let's talk about the antagonists of this third book. In the first and second book, we had Scipio Bellorum (and to a lesser degree, his sons. And, if you count her, Medea.). He made for an excellent antagonist, because he was effective, dangerous, intelligent, and just cool in that smooth military general type of way. And it took two ENTIRE books to beat him, because he was that serious of a threat. This third book, on the other hand, has three main antagonists instead of one and only one book in which to deal with them all, which is something that can be done well, I'm sure. Unfortunately, this book didn't really establish any of them well, which is hilariously paradoxical considering how much of the book is actually dedicated to them. We spend a ridiculous amount of time seeing the world from their perspectives, but they all still felt sort of flat, rushed, and/or hastily beaten. I think this is because I didn't really care for any of them. And I don't just mean that I didn't like them as people. I'm usually not supposed to like antagonists as people because they are either warped in such a way as to be despicable individuals or they simply oppose the protagonist I love and am rooting for. But in Last Battle of the Icemark, I didn't like them as antagonists. None of them worked for me, and I will explain why.
The first of our disappointing Antagonists Three is Medea, who is my least favorite by far. Unfortunately for everybody, me included, she didn't die in the second book. She was my least favorite part of that one too, but there she felt very minor and secondary, so it was easier to shrug off my annoyance and focus on the parts I actually enjoyed. Book three, however, is very Medea-heavy. As in, she is the POV character of almost EVERY. OTHER. FREAKING. CHAPTER. My problem with her is that I never really identified or sympathized with her at all. She is a pouty, evil brat, but I never really understood why she is that way. She claims it is because Sharley was her parents' favorite and she was ignored, but I never really SAW any of that happening. I mean, early in the second book when war was looming, Sharley was the only one to be sent away for his own safety, but their parents' reasoning could arguably be that was because he was the youngest, wasn't a warrior, and was physically crippled on top of all that. It made sense that he should be sent away; at that point in the story, he was in need of the most protecting. If that was an instance of favoritism, it was one so subtle it had to have been unintentional on the part of Thirrin and Oskan. And that is literally the only instance that could even maybe be seen as favoritism; other than that one vague instance, there is absolutely no evidence that any favoritism is happening whatsoever. If there was any case of actual blatant favoritism, it happened entirely off-page or before we came in at book two. So I guess I just don't buy into her complaints because I never felt it happening and have only her word to go on that it exists at all. And I know this favoritism-turned-me-evil thing can be done well. Look at Stephen King's Eyes of the Dragon. I felt that favoritism and actually SAW it in play. Peter would be like "Hi, Dad." And his father would be like, "Hiya, Peter! God, I love you! Let's hang out today!" Then Thomas would be like, "Hi, Dad! I love you so much that I made you a present!" And the king would be like, "Oh. Hi, Thomas. That's nice, I guess. Whatever. So, Peter…" God, I felt Thomas' pain and understood completely when he then made some morally questionable decisions. But with Medea, I never felt it. Not once. So I can't sympathize with why she is being an evil bitch, because her reasoning is essentially nonexistent. So this makes all of her actions, her entire storyline in both the second book and this one, seem like an extended whiney, melodramatic teenage "My-life-is-so-unfair!" hissy fit, only she has the magic to actually do some damage. Which, again, wasn't as critical a problem in the second book because her role in the story was relatively minor and on the sidelines. But in this book, her story is in the forefront and takes up basically HALF THE BOOK. She was the POV of essentially every other chapter, and it got to the point where I would literally groan every time I saw a chapter began with "Medea…" Which means that half of the book was extremely unenjoyable simply because I was forced to read about her ridiculous storyline. If you want her to return as a villain, fine, but there is really no point in making her an active POV character, especially when only a cursory effort has been given to make her sympathetic, likeable, or even believable. Her half of the book was just ridiculous, boring, annoying, and pointless, and I really wish it wouldn't have been included.
On to our next antagonist: Cronus and his whole supernatural storyline. He was certainly more of a threat than Medea, whose tactical brilliance essentially consisted of failed plots, empty threats, and tantrums, and he wasn't as annoying, I guess, in the way a rock isn't as annoying as a screeching air-horn, but he was also rather boring. He just felt like The Big Bad, you know? He was essentially the Devil of this world: He rebelled against the Goddess, creator of all, failed, and was cast out of that world's version of Heaven. Now he is plotting his revenge on a massive scale, not only to take out the Goddess, but to destroy the physical world as well. That storyline actually has the potential to be somewhat interesting, but my brief summary is basically all the detail we get. He wasn't The Big Bad in a particularly new or unique way, he just WAS, which made him seem like an empty trope instead of a full-fledged character. As well as being a boring cliché obstacle, he also spoke in clichés. Almost every word he said was some form of melodramatic "taking-over-the-world!" villain monologue. It was always just some variation of: "I will destroy them! They will join with me! Soon my vengeance will be complete!" And ON and ON. Towards the end, it got to the point where it was actually kind of funny, and I don't think it was supposed to be. So as an antagonist, he was just rather dull.
Erinor was definitely my favorite of The Antagonists Three. She was the leader of a tribe of Hypolitan (this world's Amazonians, essentially), whose structure was matriarchial anyway, but Erinor goes full-on drow-society "SHUT UP, YOU USELESS MALE!" And it was awesome. She was clearly psychotic but in a way that was fascinating and fun to read about, and she definitely posed a threat. However, her general awesomeness was completely undermined by Cronus' supernatural storyline. Cronus completely used her as a pawn in his own scheme by controlling her, and I don't mean he used subtle influencing or gentle nudges. He full on hopped in her head and took control of her thoughts and, sometimes, of her body. But even worse, it is stated that he did the same thing with Scipio Bellorum. That he, Cronus, was responsible for the other wars with the Icemark. Um, NO! No, no, no, no, no, NOOOOOOOPE. WHY?! Not only do you undermine Erinor's awesomeness, but now you do the same with Scipio Bellorum and the first two BOOKS?! No. I'm not on board with that. I am honestly pretending like that isn't even canon. That didn't happen. I just don't understand. All those storylines, Bellorum's and Erinor's, were strong enough by themselves that they didn't need a lame supernatural explanation. It would be different if Cronus wasn't cliché and boring, if I cared about him or his storyline at all. But he is and I don't, so I don't appreciate the more interesting storylines (and the beloved storylines) being forced in with his. I honestly just wish the whole Cronus/Medea/supernatural crap storyline had just been discarded entirely. Then we could have had an awesome story about the Polypontian Empire breaking down, Erinor and all her awesome craziness invading, and the Icemark having to form an uneasy alliance with their hated enemies to save both their nations. That is a strong enough story on its own that it could have carried the whole book and felt more like an Icemark story in doing so. Then we could even have had time to explore a lot of things that were skimmed over or hastily done. Like, Cressida and Leonidas' romance. It's okay as is, but it doesn't feel organic in the slightest. I liked how Cressida approached wooing him in a tactical way, but I don't feel like she would be one to moon over anybody, especially someone she had never met. If they had met and she grew to respect and love him for his battle prowess during the war, it would have felt a lot more believable than the random forced pairing we received. Or how there are actually only a few battle scenes in this entire war. Like, we only actually get TWO battles with Erinor before she is lamely insta-killed by Thirrin. TWO! Why do we only get two hasty battles? Because we have spent too much time focusing on Medea and Cronus and their tedious plans for boring world-domination, so we have to hurry through the actual cool bits so the book doesn't get too long.
Speaking of hurrying through: THE PACING! The pacing was really off in this one. We spend a ridiculous amount of time slowly establishing these antagonists and the threat they pose (even though they all fell flat anyway), but then each conflict is resolved in the most rushed manner possible. As I said with Erinor, she is built up to be this HUGE thing, but then we only get two hurried battles before she herself is insta-killed. We spent even MORE time establishing Cronus and Medea as a threat, and then they and their army are whipped out by some of the most rushed deus-ex-machina storytelling I have ever seen. There were actually some cool skirmishes between their army and the vampires, but the way they are actually BEATEN is lame. First of all, the last battle (of the Icemark) against the Ice Demons was vague and poorly explained, especially by Stuart Hill standards. He is usually awesome at describing battle tactics and which parts of the army are doing what and where, but besides the second battle against Erinor, they all felt very hasty in this third book. But this last battle especially felt like "Both sides were fighting hard, and, uh, losses heavy. Yada yada. Ghost army comes in and decimates Ice Demons." LITERALLY. This ghost army just comes out of nowhere and saves the effing day. It wasn't pre-established ghosts could do this and there was no foreshadowing or build-up to this plot element AT ALL. I literally had to do a double-take while reading, because I was like, "Did that just say 'ghost army'? What ghosts? How did they do that?! WHY did they do that?!" Honestly, that was the lamest, most random deus-ex-machina I have ever encountered. Then Medea and Cronus are just blipped off the map by a magical loop-hole given to Oskan at the beginning. Which isn't terrible in and of itself, but their battle also felt forced and rushed like the author just wanted to hurry to the end. The ending of essentially EVERY conflict and storyline just had this rushed feel about it that was hugely disappointing and unworthy of the Icemark Chronicles. The last chapter, in particular, was the most rushed summing-up-of-events chapter I have ever read, which is particularly damning considering this is the end of the trilogy and this last chapter is supposed to satisfyingly bring all the different characters to the end of their stories. But, again, this last chapter had that "Um. He went here. They went there. They died. They got married. THE END!" quality to it that just wasn't okay. ESPESSIALLY considering this is the last book in the trilogy and this is the final goodbye to some very beloved friends. I don't want a hurried summary of what became of them; I want to linger a moment to say my farewells, but I never really felt like I got a good chance to do that, which is what the last part of the last book should be about. I feel there is a lot left unsaid between us, and I'm sorry we were forced to part on such terms.
This heavy focus on antagonists I don't care about also means that the main cast of characters I do love didn't have as much page time. Like, it makes me really angry that Sharley's entire storyline felt like a complete afterthought in this book. The only significant thing he was given to do was wander around the Plains of Desolation, which was a very weak storyline because all Sharley and Co. do is wander aimlessly for a couple of scenes before being rescued. That's it. The only real thing of import that happens is that they meet the Vampire King and learn about the whole "vampire soul" thing, which later becomes significant for the Vampire Queen's storyline. But I feel like that could have been introduced in another way, maybe in such a way that would also explain how freaking ghosts can appear in this world out of nowhere, thus not making the end quite so random. Like, it was said that the space between those worlds is thinnest on Halloween, which was how Sharley and Co. got trapped in that world in the first place, so maybe have the Vampire King show up earlier and explain his crap and talk about this Halloween loop-hole, then have the last battle take place on Halloween so it would maybe kinda make sense that there is this random ghost army. Or really ANYTHING except having them appear literally out of thin air. And besides this whole useless Plains of Desolation storyline, Sharley didn't have anything of import to do. There would be long stretches of time where he wouldn't be mentioned AT ALL. I would be reading and suddenly think, "Wait. Where the hell is Sharley?" Then the author would just kinda stick him in random places. Like suddenly he would be with Cressida's cavalry or suddenly he would be somewhere else just kinda tacked on. Which isn't okay. The second book was essentially Sharley's story. He was never like Eodred, where he always just kinda existed in the background (which is another shame, these last two books really could have used more Eodred); Sharley was an important primary character! It isn't that Sharley's story feels secondary in this one, which I would have been okay with, but that his story DOESN'T EXIST in this one. The one significant thing he is given to do is useless tacked-on fluff, and after that he is just sorta passed around between different groups or mentioned like a complete afterthought. And I'm very upset that there is never a confrontation between him and Medea. I mean, she was the one who trapped him on the Plains of Desolation, but after he is saved, she largely forgets about him. When Sharley himself is finally told that Medea suppossedly turned evil because she was jealous of him, he just kinda shrugs it away. But as this book even said, he was the Lindenshield most in touch with his emotions, so I feel like he would feel guilt for her doing these bad things because of him and empathy for her or SOMETHING and somehow try to make amends. That is what I feel like the Sharley I fell in love with would do. NOT shrug and never think about it again. Hell, that would even have given him something meaningful to do: He finds out about his sister's feelings and tries to rectify the situation. Whether he succeedes in bringing her back into the fold or is forced to take her down, that would still give both Sharley and Medea a more satisfying story than what they actually received. I'm just very disappointed that the character I fell in love with in the second book is treated like little better than an unimportant side character in this one. And, of course, this problem also means that we just generally don't get as much time with Thirrin and everybody else I love in this one.
Don't get me wrong, this book isn't bad. All the things I love about it are still there. The battle sequences (when we actually get them) are still exciting and mostly well described. The war still feels like an actual war, with all the blood and death and consequences that entails. And, most importantly, I still love all of these main characters, which can carry me a long way to overlooking a book's other faults. Loving the Lindenshields and the allies of the Icemark is probably the only saving grace of this book. Had this book been about other, less likeable characters, it would have been a piece of crap. But as it is, it was still somewhat enjoyable because I genuinely cared about the people who populated this world. It was just disappointing and underwhelming that it didn't live up to the promise of the first two books and that it was a forced, hasty goodbye to beloved characters. Definitely worth a read if you have traveled this far into the Icemark, but be prepared for some disappointment in doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2009
I usually don't comment about a book until after I'm done reading it. Before I started this book I kept wondering what was it going to be about. I thought, the general and his crazy sons are dead, so who will they fight in the last battle. Then I mistakeningly read the note from the publisher about how this book will reveal the dimension behind the family conflict, and right away I knew MEDEA was back. Immediately my heart started to race and I dove into the pages. I am only up to page 19 and this chapter is bring and old friend from a great book to memory. Oskan, for now is Mack and the Mother of All is Papa. Oskan has fell into one of his trance and was led by a beautiful messenger to witness the separation between the goddess and the evil one (Cronus). When Cronus, stood judgement before the goddess for the evil that had been done, Mother of All did not condemn him, but instead offered forgiveness and the opportunity to be reunited into the perfection of unity. The evil one, who was filled with hatred, defied the Mother of All, and swore to become victorious one day, even after having his army destroyed. Once Oskan awoke from his trance he didn't know what his role was in this situation(I feel that his daughter Medea is going to be a vital instrument in this evil plan to win the battle against the Mother of All). The messenger informed him that his duty was to stop the evil one and his army. Oskan will receive a weapon from the goddess that will help him defeat the enemy, but it does not contain a physical form, it is not a blade nor gun,fire nor explosion, the user of the weapon will be asked to offer up an unspeakable sacrifice. At this point Oskan is baffled. How is he going to beat this army? The Mother of All in her rightousness can not destroy the army because she(Papa) who is creator of all only offers forgiveness and reconciliation. I believe Oskan(Mack) is going to have to overcome his own personal stuggles, and give of himself what he thought he wasn't capable of giving. Which is? One of the fruits of the Spirit(Mack was asked by Papa to offer Missy murderer forgiveness). This is just my personal insight of this story so far. I can't wait to find out how it all turns out. So, bye for now!
I finished the book. It was Awesome and I was right. The goddess did ask Oskan to give a fruit of the Spirit; it was LOVE. This book was intense with so many battles going on. Erinor, the new Basilea in town is crazier than Scipio. When she was eight years old she sacrifices her pet because she believes this will make the goddes happy. So to ensure she wins the war against Queen Thirrin she sacrifices some animals, her tri-horn, and while she's at it, why not throw a husband in the mix. Then you have Medea the second or is it the third most powerful Adept, trying to take over the phyiscal world and the spiritual realm with her evil grandfather,Cronus. I love when the Vampire Queen calls her a brat having a tantrum. I was so happy when the Vampire King came back to get the queen with their children(that was made from their dreams and wishes). Much love to Oskan who is my hero. Each time he fought Medea he did it as a loving father. At one point I just wanted him to take her out. Forget about taking away her powers, she needs to go! Instead he is obedient to the commands of the Mother of All, who tells him how to deal with Medea. Which leaves him not feeling guilty about the whole situation. Didn't you just love Cressida and Leonidas, he was a nervous wreck and she was determined. It was so embarrassing when the werewolves and housecarls would make their little innuendoes at their expense. So I was thrilled when she asked and he said umm.. I..I think umm... yes.
Even though the battles were won, My heart aches for Queen Thirrin. She might have gained a son in-law, an alliance with the polypontians, and an Emperor who needs a mother, but none of that can replace her Oskan, who she will never see again until the last hair on her head becomes the silver of moonlight. As Oskan watches the Wedding reception with a crown of silver light upon his head, I am elated that he is among his family, but I'm sad that the story is over.
I finished the book. It was Awesome and I was right. The goddess did ask Oskan to give a fruit of the Spirit; it was LOVE. This book was intense with so many battles going on. Erinor, the new Basilea in town is crazier than Scipio. When she was eight years old she sacrifices her pet because she believes this will make the goddes happy. So to ensure she wins the war against Queen Thirrin she sacrifices some animals, her tri-horn, and while she's at it, why not throw a husband in the mix. Then you have Medea the second or is it the third most powerful Adept, trying to take over the phyiscal world and the spiritual realm with her evil grandfather,Cronus. I love when the Vampire Queen calls her a brat having a tantrum. I was so happy when the Vampire King came back to get the queen with their children(that was made from their dreams and wishes). Much love to Oskan who is my hero. Each time he fought Medea he did it as a loving father. At one point I just wanted him to take her out. Forget about taking away her powers, she needs to go! Instead he is obedient to the commands of the Mother of All, who tells him how to deal with Medea. Which leaves him not feeling guilty about the whole situation. Didn't you just love Cressida and Leonidas, he was a nervous wreck and she was determined. It was so embarrassing when the werewolves and housecarls would make their little innuendoes at their expense. So I was thrilled when she asked and he said umm.. I..I think umm... yes.
Even though the battles were won, My heart aches for Queen Thirrin. She might have gained a son in-law, an alliance with the polypontians, and an Emperor who needs a mother, but none of that can replace her Oskan, who she will never see again until the last hair on her head becomes the silver of moonlight. As Oskan watches the Wedding reception with a crown of silver light upon his head, I am elated that he is among his family, but I'm sad that the story is over.
September 21, 2010
The Icemark Chronicles always thrill me, and getting the chance to read this book made me so excited. Once I began, however, it took a while to get into the story. I was eager for more of the series' trademark battle scenes and drama, but the first chunk of the book held only the slightest hints of those elements. Instead I found a seemingly endless night of celebration for the hero(in)es and copious insight into the villains’ unfathomable evil, which resulted in more malicious laughter than actual conflict. I admit that I was slightly preoccupied while I read this, so blaming the slow pace on the book may not be entirely fair.
One element that delighted me right away was the number of scenes from Kirimin's point of view. Between her pranks and adventurous nature she is such a fun character, and I was so happy she got a bigger role in this book. As always Stuart Hill's thorough descriptions of both character and landscape were eerie and vivid, and despite my impatience it was wonderful to step back into the fierce world of the Icemark. This book holds an even wider range of fantastic creatures than those before it, and all my favourite furry or fanged monarchs were back (although some of them seem to have become rather laid back in their older age, judging by their ability to think of nothing but sandwiches and beer).
I wish I approached this book as a hefty destrier rather than a sprinting horse, and allowed it the time necessary to build up speed for its impressive charge. It certainly delivered everything I wanted in the end, with all the military brilliance and action of the previous books, as well as reunions and partings that made it difficult to keep the pages dry. Crowning a series like this is quite a feat, but the Last Battle of the Icemark does so perfectly and when I came to the last line it took quite an effort not to wipe my eyes and leap up yelling, "Blood! Blast! And Fire!"
One element that delighted me right away was the number of scenes from Kirimin's point of view. Between her pranks and adventurous nature she is such a fun character, and I was so happy she got a bigger role in this book. As always Stuart Hill's thorough descriptions of both character and landscape were eerie and vivid, and despite my impatience it was wonderful to step back into the fierce world of the Icemark. This book holds an even wider range of fantastic creatures than those before it, and all my favourite furry or fanged monarchs were back (although some of them seem to have become rather laid back in their older age, judging by their ability to think of nothing but sandwiches and beer).
I wish I approached this book as a hefty destrier rather than a sprinting horse, and allowed it the time necessary to build up speed for its impressive charge. It certainly delivered everything I wanted in the end, with all the military brilliance and action of the previous books, as well as reunions and partings that made it difficult to keep the pages dry. Crowning a series like this is quite a feat, but the Last Battle of the Icemark does so perfectly and when I came to the last line it took quite an effort not to wipe my eyes and leap up yelling, "Blood! Blast! And Fire!"
October 1, 2012
The Cry of the Icemark was OK. It took me a while to really get into it enough to not be annoyed. I did like some of the characters quite well and the concept wasn't too bad. The dialogue was pretty stilted and awkward sometimes though. The heroine, Thirrin, becomes queen at 14, after the death of her father. She immediately has to go to war to defend her country from the evil (Roman-ish) Polypontian Empire to the south.
Blade of Fire was absolutely my favorite of the three. The youngest son of Thirrin is sent to the Desert People to try and gain allies for his family in their war against the Polypontian Empire. This book seemed the most natural to me and was pretty fun to read.
The Last Battle of the Icemark contained no real surprises. Enemies become unlikely allies to defeat a common foe. Characters I liked die in battle and peace is achieved in the end.
Overall, not a bad series, but not great either.
Blade of Fire was absolutely my favorite of the three. The youngest son of Thirrin is sent to the Desert People to try and gain allies for his family in their war against the Polypontian Empire. This book seemed the most natural to me and was pretty fun to read.
The Last Battle of the Icemark contained no real surprises. Enemies become unlikely allies to defeat a common foe. Characters I liked die in battle and peace is achieved in the end.
Overall, not a bad series, but not great either.
July 15, 2015
A wonderfully fantastic conclusion to the amazing series! It's a shame who had to die for their peace, however Cressida and Leonidas were ridiculously adorable!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2020
If I had leave this series unfinished my favs would still be alive.
Not ok with this.
1 ⭐️ is for Thirrin, she will always have a spot between my favorite characters.
Not ok with this.
1 ⭐️ is for Thirrin, she will always have a spot between my favorite characters.
September 6, 2011
A final battle to end the misery that always over whelms the Icemark. This book although entertaining feel a bit short compared to the other two. Starting with a bit of a slow start and what felt like a rushed ending. That's not to say the story it self was not awful, it just did not feel as "evil" as I suspected it to be. Here we have Cornus and Media two powerful adepts. All they really manage to do is amass an army of ice demons that get decimated in 1 whole chapter towards the end. The flow of the story was about on par with the first two, transitioning between a battle, more information of the darkness as well as the point of view of Erinor.
The ending stayed true to the entire "vibe" of the series. A Happy style ending with a loss or two of characters. I personally feel the deaths of Ollie, and Olympia was a bit annoying. No real in depth explanation. Although secondary characters, Ollie was still a disappointing death since he was in all books. I like when important characters die. I don't like when they die just to kill off characters, and try to bring emotions that feel false. When the Thar and Krisafitsa where both in comas it just felt cheesy. They where both amazing characters with attachments, not to mention Erinor shoved quivers of arrows into the Thar's back. I thought that was it for him; little to my amazement he lived.
With that being stated the book was enjoyable, and still ended up to be a good conclusion to the Icemark Chronicles. We have some Fun loving characters, and although little progression happens with them in this book. The first 2 where next to amazing.
The ending stayed true to the entire "vibe" of the series. A Happy style ending with a loss or two of characters. I personally feel the deaths of Ollie, and Olympia was a bit annoying. No real in depth explanation. Although secondary characters, Ollie was still a disappointing death since he was in all books. I like when important characters die. I don't like when they die just to kill off characters, and try to bring emotions that feel false. When the Thar and Krisafitsa where both in comas it just felt cheesy. They where both amazing characters with attachments, not to mention Erinor shoved quivers of arrows into the Thar's back. I thought that was it for him; little to my amazement he lived.
With that being stated the book was enjoyable, and still ended up to be a good conclusion to the Icemark Chronicles. We have some Fun loving characters, and although little progression happens with them in this book. The first 2 where next to amazing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2018
The last of the series recommended to my by my son who has since completely gone off reading. (a source of constant pain for me, Mr Love reading. I cannot help but worry that my over enthusiasm has now turned both of my children away from a lifetime source of joy for me.)
I know that it is labeled as a YA book and so is sneered at by many who feel that they are somehow above all of this but I am very much of the opinion that a good book is a good book no matter who it is written for. Hence all the joyous memories I have of reading to my kids. Look to the Mog series, Fixit Duck or a little gem I recall called No Matter What. Books that have stuck with me for all the right reasons.
This is a good book. It takes the earlier tales to a natural conclusion. The ending is satisfying but not too sickly sweet and follows the logic of the rest of the series. More importantly it is pacey, with likable and interesting characters and does not talk down to its readership. The main protagonists are largely female making it accessible to all. I liked the fact that gender had no bearing on the strength of the characters or their abilities.
I was glad my son recommended this. I can see why he liked it so much and I just wish he would read a bit more.
I know that it is labeled as a YA book and so is sneered at by many who feel that they are somehow above all of this but I am very much of the opinion that a good book is a good book no matter who it is written for. Hence all the joyous memories I have of reading to my kids. Look to the Mog series, Fixit Duck or a little gem I recall called No Matter What. Books that have stuck with me for all the right reasons.
This is a good book. It takes the earlier tales to a natural conclusion. The ending is satisfying but not too sickly sweet and follows the logic of the rest of the series. More importantly it is pacey, with likable and interesting characters and does not talk down to its readership. The main protagonists are largely female making it accessible to all. I liked the fact that gender had no bearing on the strength of the characters or their abilities.
I was glad my son recommended this. I can see why he liked it so much and I just wish he would read a bit more.
August 17, 2009
A lovely conclusion to a wonderful series. I wasn't all that thrilled that book 2 of the Icemark Chronicles skipped ahead like 20 years, but having read Blade of Fire, this book nicely finishes off the trilogy. Stuart Hill mixes dark humor, potty humor, supernatural powers, and much more. At times, it felt like the book dragged a little and some of the characters' actions didn't seem all that radical, but the overall effect is still a fun read.
Some descriptions are very detailed, which is generally a good thing, but I wouldn't let a small child read it.
Some descriptions are very detailed, which is generally a good thing, but I wouldn't let a small child read it.
January 29, 2015
Grade/interest level:
Reading level:
Genre: Fantasy
Main Characters: Thirren, Sharly, Crono, Oskan, Cressidia, Medea, and Grisy.
Setting: Medevel.
POV: 3rd person.
Ever since Medea was exiled by her father, Oskan, she has been trained by the most powerful Adept in the universe. The empire that Thirren fought is a ally when a conquering army marks them as traitors. While the war happens, Oskan has to make a choice, Dark with his family, Cronos and Medea, or destroy them.
I think anyone who like suspense and myths should read this trilogy.
Reading level:
Genre: Fantasy
Main Characters: Thirren, Sharly, Crono, Oskan, Cressidia, Medea, and Grisy.
Setting: Medevel.
POV: 3rd person.
Ever since Medea was exiled by her father, Oskan, she has been trained by the most powerful Adept in the universe. The empire that Thirren fought is a ally when a conquering army marks them as traitors. While the war happens, Oskan has to make a choice, Dark with his family, Cronos and Medea, or destroy them.
I think anyone who like suspense and myths should read this trilogy.
July 13, 2015
The Polypontian threat is over, but Frostmarris is still in trouble. There are new enemies, and an additional threat from a supernatural plane, the Dark Realm, with its evil spirits invading the world of the living, trying to subjugate and kill them to get their revenge for old wounds.
The most complex book of the three, and a great conclusion to a great series. My only complaint is that the Royal Cubs got too little exposure - I would have loved reading more about them (maybe an entire book with a Snow Leopard POV?)
The most complex book of the three, and a great conclusion to a great series. My only complaint is that the Royal Cubs got too little exposure - I would have loved reading more about them (maybe an entire book with a Snow Leopard POV?)
June 17, 2014
I think Stuart Hill wrote a wonderful ending to the series. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for anything more than what was given.
April 13, 2015
I just finished this book for the second time, and I loved it!! (just like I knew it would ;) It was interesting to reread a book (I'm not usually someone who does that sort of thing) but I kind of liked seeing how much I remembered (after about *does math in head* 3ish years??? *does math again to make sure* yeah. 3 YEARS PEOPLE!!) Anyways, I still loved it but I will say, read the other two books before it, IN ORDER, before reading this book. The only reason, ONLY REASON, I was able to read this book again without the other two was because I had read it before. Even if it was 3 years ago... AND I LOVE THIS BOOK, NO MATTER WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE DOWN BELOW. THAT'S JUST A BUNCH OF RANDOM BLAH THAT JUST SOMEHOW GOT THERE ON MY CCOMPUTER SCREEN AND I LEFT IT THERE!!
**Note** all of these names are badly spelled so if you have read this book, just shake your head and move on because I know it's bad, I just don't have the book or enough will to care and change them and spell them right, because honestly. Who really does care? I'm just trying to get the plot across, not the fine points of pronouncing these names or describing their origin and meaning. NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL PLOT AFTER A MEANINGLESS RANT/THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE!! sorry about that, but again, I just don't feel like it's worth it to go through the 'hard' effort of deleting it so that annoying paragraph is going to stay, however much you hate it.
Therrin and Oskan are recovering from the last war (with the Bellorum clan I believe) but (like always) there's something not right in the spirit realm (the darkness/plain of desolation I think) and Oskan believes it's Medea, their daughter they outcast into darkness(in the last book). Anyway, not only that but there is a threat to the south of people Hypolitian (that was spelled really bad... just letting you know) and they are an undefeated force, trying to take over the Polypotian (also spelled really horribly) empire. So, Therrin and Oskan have to decide what to do when faced with impossible decisions with everything at risk. Because Medea is not alone. The most evil of all Adepts in growing in strength, and is almost ready to invade the Physical Realm (yes, it's supposed to be capitalized) and declare war on the Goddess. What will they be willing to sacrifice to defend their people and kingdom, when it might come to allying with the very people they've been taught to hate and fought against? Not only that, but is it possible for love to survive and flourish, as well as begin in this war torn place?
**Another note and quite possibly another tangent (maybe you'll be lucky and it'll be cut off because of the numbers of characters I have left. But probably not ;) AND SPOILERS! JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU KNOW!! and I don't know why I'm yelling...
I've noticed that a common theme in all a common theme in all three books is that Therrin and Oskan allways seem to be faced with 1) war It's like all the books are focused on a different war, one after another. Give an economy to replenish itself before plunging it back into war again! Geeze! 2) Heavily outnumbered It's like everything they do, more to the point every battle, they're outnumbered. True, it makes for a better excitement and action scene, but it's predictable. 3)There's always some kind of family struggle that ties in with a dark Vs. light deal. In this book, it was Medea and Cronus Vs. Oskan Witchfather. They're all related and two of them are dark, but one of them kind of just wants to be accepted and loved (I won't tell you who incase you haven't read the book but it's not that hard to figure out...) In the second book, it was also Medea Vs Oskan Witchfather, just without Cronus. In the first book, there was less, but I do believe that King something-that-starts-with-an-R-who-was-Therrin's-dad was murdered...
Anyway, if you've made it this far, I commend you (for what it's worth) and hope that you don't feel like you've wasted your time. Though I'd be lying if I told you you hadn't wasted at least five minutes reading this and continuing to read this nonsense that I don't even know why I, myself am writing. Maybe it's just because I'm procrastinating... Anyways, I've got stuff to do, stuff that I really should be doing instead of writing these worthless words, and so I'm going to do them now. So you to, yes you, the reader, you should probably go find something to do besides sitting there and doing nothing like I am. (No offense or anything, I just thought that maybe there was something that you should be doing and were procrastinating, like me. But I still am, so if you want, have a little more procrastination!). Anyways, seriously, I'm going to get off and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon/random time of day that you might happen to be reading this annoyingly long book review that isn't really a book review anymore, and have a wonderful day/week/month/whatever time period you need to be wonderful for however long you want it! Have a wonderful life! Unless it's opposite day, then have well, the opposite of wonderful, and happy, and amazing, and, well, whatever things you want the opposite of but make sure it's really opposite day or else you just might find those ugly things sitting at your doorstep. Now you see why I'm a writer! Usually it's better than useless chatter that no one's going to see anyways... But if you are reading this, I hope you'll like this any maybe comment about how you made it this far and how amazing/opposite of amazing you think this is JUST DON'T HATE! It took me, what *does math for the third time* thirty minutes to write this? About thirty minutes so don't bring me down or rain on my parade! It's a free country (at least where I am it's a free country...) Anyways, this is goodbye for real and I only had 14,000 characters that I could have spent wasting your time, but I have decided that enough is enough and I really need to do those things that I was going to do...FOR REAL! I'M GOING AND YOU SHOULD TOO AFTER YOU HIT THAT LIKE BUTTON!!
**Note** all of these names are badly spelled so if you have read this book, just shake your head and move on because I know it's bad, I just don't have the book or enough will to care and change them and spell them right, because honestly. Who really does care? I'm just trying to get the plot across, not the fine points of pronouncing these names or describing their origin and meaning. NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL PLOT AFTER A MEANINGLESS RANT/THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE!! sorry about that, but again, I just don't feel like it's worth it to go through the 'hard' effort of deleting it so that annoying paragraph is going to stay, however much you hate it.
Therrin and Oskan are recovering from the last war (with the Bellorum clan I believe) but (like always) there's something not right in the spirit realm (the darkness/plain of desolation I think) and Oskan believes it's Medea, their daughter they outcast into darkness(in the last book). Anyway, not only that but there is a threat to the south of people Hypolitian (that was spelled really bad... just letting you know) and they are an undefeated force, trying to take over the Polypotian (also spelled really horribly) empire. So, Therrin and Oskan have to decide what to do when faced with impossible decisions with everything at risk. Because Medea is not alone. The most evil of all Adepts in growing in strength, and is almost ready to invade the Physical Realm (yes, it's supposed to be capitalized) and declare war on the Goddess. What will they be willing to sacrifice to defend their people and kingdom, when it might come to allying with the very people they've been taught to hate and fought against? Not only that, but is it possible for love to survive and flourish, as well as begin in this war torn place?
**Another note and quite possibly another tangent (maybe you'll be lucky and it'll be cut off because of the numbers of characters I have left. But probably not ;) AND SPOILERS! JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU KNOW!! and I don't know why I'm yelling...
I've noticed that a common theme in all a common theme in all three books is that Therrin and Oskan allways seem to be faced with 1) war It's like all the books are focused on a different war, one after another. Give an economy to replenish itself before plunging it back into war again! Geeze! 2) Heavily outnumbered It's like everything they do, more to the point every battle, they're outnumbered. True, it makes for a better excitement and action scene, but it's predictable. 3)There's always some kind of family struggle that ties in with a dark Vs. light deal. In this book, it was Medea and Cronus Vs. Oskan Witchfather. They're all related and two of them are dark, but one of them kind of just wants to be accepted and loved (I won't tell you who incase you haven't read the book but it's not that hard to figure out...) In the second book, it was also Medea Vs Oskan Witchfather, just without Cronus. In the first book, there was less, but I do believe that King something-that-starts-with-an-R-who-was-Therrin's-dad was murdered...
Anyway, if you've made it this far, I commend you (for what it's worth) and hope that you don't feel like you've wasted your time. Though I'd be lying if I told you you hadn't wasted at least five minutes reading this and continuing to read this nonsense that I don't even know why I, myself am writing. Maybe it's just because I'm procrastinating... Anyways, I've got stuff to do, stuff that I really should be doing instead of writing these worthless words, and so I'm going to do them now. So you to, yes you, the reader, you should probably go find something to do besides sitting there and doing nothing like I am. (No offense or anything, I just thought that maybe there was something that you should be doing and were procrastinating, like me. But I still am, so if you want, have a little more procrastination!). Anyways, seriously, I'm going to get off and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon/random time of day that you might happen to be reading this annoyingly long book review that isn't really a book review anymore, and have a wonderful day/week/month/whatever time period you need to be wonderful for however long you want it! Have a wonderful life! Unless it's opposite day, then have well, the opposite of wonderful, and happy, and amazing, and, well, whatever things you want the opposite of but make sure it's really opposite day or else you just might find those ugly things sitting at your doorstep. Now you see why I'm a writer! Usually it's better than useless chatter that no one's going to see anyways... But if you are reading this, I hope you'll like this any maybe comment about how you made it this far and how amazing/opposite of amazing you think this is JUST DON'T HATE! It took me, what *does math for the third time* thirty minutes to write this? About thirty minutes so don't bring me down or rain on my parade! It's a free country (at least where I am it's a free country...) Anyways, this is goodbye for real and I only had 14,000 characters that I could have spent wasting your time, but I have decided that enough is enough and I really need to do those things that I was going to do...FOR REAL! I'M GOING AND YOU SHOULD TOO AFTER YOU HIT THAT LIKE BUTTON!!
October 26, 2017
"That's enormously kind of you, but I'm afraid I'm just an old reprobate who expects his drink to make his head spin when he's had too much. Sometimes the infidel is beyond help, eh, Mekhmet?"
Magieore Totus - pg 35. Sometimes people never change and certainly not in the third book of The Icemark Chronicles. We're back in Icemark as a new and more horrible threats are frightening the country. Now Thirrn, Queen of Icemark must lead her people against a more powerful enemy, Erinor and her uncountable hordes. Meanwhile, The Vampires are the only one who have caught on to a more spiritual threat to Icemark and must battle for every inch. Will Icemark finally fall against all these new threats? As the ever present allies of the North continue to stand with them, the Giant talking Snow Leopards will be there to present their strength in the north.
Magieore Totus - pg 35. Sometimes people never change and certainly not in the third book of The Icemark Chronicles. We're back in Icemark as a new and more horrible threats are frightening the country. Now Thirrn, Queen of Icemark must lead her people against a more powerful enemy, Erinor and her uncountable hordes. Meanwhile, The Vampires are the only one who have caught on to a more spiritual threat to Icemark and must battle for every inch. Will Icemark finally fall against all these new threats? As the ever present allies of the North continue to stand with them, the Giant talking Snow Leopards will be there to present their strength in the north.
July 12, 2024
I loved this series as a teenager. It's a good fantasy for teens, with a simple worldbuilding heavily based off our reality. The third book falls a bit flat for me in comparison to the previous two. The theme of light VS dark comes off trite, with the stereotipically horribly evil characters doing only Bad Things™️. The sudden importance of the Magical Realm and its laws feels like an afterthought, a retcon if you will. Where was all this stuff in the previous books?... The magic of the third book feels completely different than the first book.
It might be my problem, as I read the first two in Italian and only the third in English, so it could be that something got lost in translation and that's why the final book has such a different vibe. Anyway, a comfort read and a good gift for a teenager.
It might be my problem, as I read the first two in Italian and only the third in English, so it could be that something got lost in translation and that's why the final book has such a different vibe. Anyway, a comfort read and a good gift for a teenager.
March 26, 2017
It has been a while since I finished the previous two of the series. I always found them slow to start, except for maybe the first one, and this was much the same. But Hill has always done an astounding job creating an nerve wracking and exciting ending. When a book can move me to emotions whether nervousness, sadness, or make me laugh out loud, it has thoroughly met my approval. I am sad that the series is now over, but it was a great read, and best for me was the good ending that I would do very little to change.
January 7, 2025
Solid book. The storyline of working with their former enemy and coming to respect each other is nice. The paranormal with Medea seemed almost like the author was trying too hard to create a coherent magic system. Ultimately the magic piece was fine, and tied motives to people that helped the story line, but it wasn't quite for me.
December 19, 2025
I think it could’ve been edited a little, there was too much focus on one aspect of the fighting and I feel like the other part was ignored. I also felt like part of the family really didn’t have any significant part of the story and that felt wasted. But I still enjoyed it and it was a great conclusion to the series.
July 17, 2018
I think that Stuart Hill wrote this one in a hurry as if he just wanted to finish the series. Compared to the first 2, a bit of a disappointment. Still, the book had some good parts and the vivid imagination of the author is still great.
April 29, 2024
The worldbuilding ends up being too vague/incomplete and the antagonists become borderline comical and really disappointing in this last book. Pacing was also really weird and slow, it took me a huge effort in some parts to not start spacing out.
July 23, 2024
A decent conclusion to the Icemark trilogy with a touching ending that wraps things up nicely. The issue with the book is simply how rushed it felt towards the latter third with there being very little time for any real sense of threat or development of characters before we say goodbye to them.
August 13, 2017
I'd live to give this book 5 stars but it sucked… Poor Medea and still no dialogue between her and her mother you'd think her mother never loved her at all poor kid
August 24, 2017
I really liked the start of the book, but then I started reading two other books, and my interest in this book died. I simply wasn't interested anymore after I got to page 402.
January 14, 2018
i love medea!!!!!!
February 7, 2019
Great book, not as great as the second I do feel overall but at the end, it was quite emotional.
Great book, not as good as the second book overall, it end was emotional.
Great book, not as good as the second book overall, it end was emotional.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2020
What a emotional rollercoaster of a book best in the series. Plenty of action scenes and lots of drama
August 19, 2021
It was so great to get to know the rest of Thirrins children And I loved every shocking turn
January 18, 2023
Vibe and other stuff very much in line with the first two books in the series. If you liked those, you’ll like this.
March 4, 2024
Book 3...family dynamics...
August 27, 2025
The descriptions of the ice hordes and the evil mastermind POVs were a bit boring, but it was overall a great book.
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