Book Review: #776
Title: Prince of the Icemark
Series: The Icemark Chronicles - 4th and final book
Author: Stuart Hill
Comments: Prince of the Icemark, while isn’t as strong and solid as the first two books in the series, trumps over the third and is an engaging prequel, if a little bit more bloody and violent than expected. It follows the young Prince Redrought (aka Thirrin’s father) as he ascends the throne amidst a war between the Icemark and The-Land-of-the-Ghosts, a war that the Icemark is losing. This great battle of Redrought against the vampires and werewolves were heavily referred to in the first book so it is great to see how it unfolds. We know the ending, so the despair of the situation never gets to you as you know that it will eventually work out. The same can be said of the characters, since you know who will most likely die as they were never mentioned before in the previous books. The author fleshed out the obligatory romance of Redrought and Artemis and allows their relationship to be more realistic. There’s a charm and sweet innocence to their feelings that’s captured perfectly. As enemies, the vampires and werewolves are formidable and there are oftentimes where you are unsure how the Icemark will be about to trounce them. It is also a bit odd to consider them as enemies when they will become allies in the future. There’s a lot of foreshadowing here to events in the first book, to the point where it feels somewhat excessive and shoehorned in. The ending was somewhat rushed and with a length that’s nearly half the first book, the climax certainly felt like it could have been expanded upon, especially the reasons why Redrought should not kill the Vampire King and Queen. There’s a distinct lack of war strategy compared to The Cry of the Icemark and Blade of Fire, and you never quite get the same thrill when the allies arrive. Still, in the end, Prince of the Icemark is a fantastic companion piece to the original trilogy.
Rating: 7/10