Book Review by Ewen Keller
When I first picked up this book I was intrigued by the blurb on the back talking about Thirrin, a fourteen year old girl who must take up the burden of being queen of a little known kingdom, The Icemark, after her father is killed in battle. It mentions how she has to adapt to the role in the face of almost certain defeat and death at the hands of the evil Polypontian Empire but that her greatest strengths lie in her ability to forge very unlikely alliances against all odds.
Indeed the first chapter starts with Thirrin almost being killed by a werewolf that she is hunting, but this encounter and how she reacts subsequently, defines the very essence of the book.
Once started, this tale is a real page turner, with loads of amazing characters, some good and some not so, but things are not always what they seem. This world is set at a time very similar to that of the Roman Empire and Thirrin has a certain similarity to Queen Boudica but werewolves, witches, armies of trees and vampires take the reader into another realm. The book manages to balance a heady mix of action, battles, sadness and humour in such a way as to appeal to all ages and both girls and boys. The ending is brilliant but I’m not going to spoil anything by saying that the sequel which I am just about finished, continues the tale with Thirrin and her family and many familiar faces, both friend and foe.
All in all an excellent read, which left me wanting more.
When I first picked up this book I was intrigued by the blurb on the back talking about Thirrin, a fourteen year old girl who must take up the burden of being queen of a little known kingdom, The Icemark, after her father is killed in battle. It mentions how she has to adapt to the role in the face of almost certain defeat and death at the hands of the evil Polypontian Empire but that her greatest strengths lie in her ability to forge very unlikely alliances against all odds.
Indeed the first chapter starts with Thirrin almost being killed by a werewolf that she is hunting, but this encounter and how she reacts subsequently, defines the very essence of the book.Once started, this tale is a real page turner, with loads of amazing characters, some good and some not so, but things are not always what they seem. This world is set at a time very similar to that of the Roman Empire and Thirrin has a certain similarity to Queen Boudica but werewolves, witches, armies of trees and vampires take the reader into another realm. The book manages to balance a heady mix of action, battles, sadness and humour in such a way as to appeal to all ages and both girls and boys. The ending is brilliant but I’m not going to spoil anything by saying that the sequel which I am just about finished, continues the tale with Thirrin and her family and many familiar faces, both friend and foe.
All in all an excellent read, which left me wanting more.
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