The Cry Of The Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles)

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The Cry Of The Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles #1)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 4,549 ratings · 362 reviews

For use in schools and libraries only.

The Icemark is a kingdom in grave danger.

Thirrin Freer Strong-In-the-Arm-Lindenshield:
Fearless and flame-haired, the thirteen-year-old princess more than lives up to her impressive name. But when her father is killed and her kingdom, the Icemark, is threatened with invasion, Thirrin must become a true warrior, no matter the cost. Will...more

Paperback, 472 pages

Published (first published April 1st 2005)

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Nov 03, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of military fantasy

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, audiobook, library-checkout, warrior-woman, royalty, norse-mythology, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, werewolf, vampire, favorites, cats, hero-i-loved, heroine-i-loved, kickbutt-heroine, all-things-autumn-challenge, military-fantasy, 2011-reading

Cry of the Icemark was a stirring military fantasy adventure. The author really took the time to bring the cultures of this novel to life. I could see that Icemark people seemed to be modelled after the Scandinavians, while Thyrrin's mother's peoples, the Hypollitan must have been based on the Amazons. And the Polipontans seemed to be like the Roman Empire. The battle scenes were fantastic--thrilling and very well-written. I got the impression that Mr. Hill took these elements very seriously and...more Cry of the Icemark was a stirring military fantasy adventure. The author really took the time to bring the cultures of this novel to life. I could see that Icemark people seemed to be modelled after the Scandinavians, while Thyrrin's mother's peoples, the Hypollitan must have been based on the Amazons. And the Polipontans seemed to be like the Roman Empire. The battle scenes were fantastic--thrilling and very well-written. I got the impression that Mr. Hill took these elements very seriously and worked hard to get this part right and make it feel realistic. And I appreciated that, and I am sure that his younger readers probably do as well. Although not excessively gory, I felt all the inherent threat and bloody nature of battle. The element of loss is very evident in this story, and I definitely could appreciate the horrible odds that Thyrrin's people faced with an enormous invading force pitted against their smaller country. However, the Icemark people quickly proved that they wouldn't easily be conquered. Along with their fierce nature, there were elements of their rich sense of family and tradition, many aspects that would have been destroyed or wiped away by the Polipontans, who cared nothing for other cultures, only the assimilation of their lands and raw resources.

Thyrrin is a young heroine that I just loved. She was born to be a queen, and she showed a multi-facetedness to her character that brought her to vivid life. She's very strong and the kind of leader you want to have when you are facing a mammoth invading force who wants to wipe your people off the face of the earth. On the other hand, it's clear that she is very young and still learning a lot about leadership, courage, and humanity. I really wanted to give her a hug for all that she dealt with in this novel. I loved her friend, Oskan, Witch's Son too. He had a mystique, and a wisdom that was much greater than his young years. I also loved his wry sense of humor and the fact that he never took himself too importantly, despite his incredible latent power. He was a good companion to Thyrrin, able to deal with her sometimes hot-headed arrogance, and to soothe her very recognizable fears with the voice of reason and comfort when she seemed like she couldn't handle one more burden. In fact, most of the characters were well-drawn and excellently narrated by Heather O'Neill. This book really got me sucked in. I found myself cheering for Thyrrin and her warriors (the Hypollitan warrior women were freaking awesome), and hating General Scipio Bellaron. I loved the werewolves and the snow leopards, both groups having a ton of personality. The vampires were nicely creepy, and the wood folk (like the Green men and nature spirits of Celtic/Norse mythology) added a sense of majestic awe to this story. This book would have great as just a straight military historical fantasy, but the supernatural elements elevated it to an even more interesting level.

There was so much to like about this story. It really got me revved up. I was excited to listen to it, and sad but satisfied when it ended. It was definitely a five star listen for this reader. I look forward to the reading the other books in this series. Recommended!
(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Charissa Sophia de la Rosa rated it 5 of 5 stars

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I bought this book last 2010 in a book fair at my school and after reading it, set it aside. But now that I rummaged through my library and saw it again, I decided to read it. But then, after I read the first paragraph of the first page, I got hooked just like what happened to me two years ago! With this book, you'll never get bored!

What I Love:

-The plot and writing style! Excellent made and perfectly-written!
I'm not a fan of war books, but because of this masterpiece, it made a boring war s...more

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Apr 07, 2013 BCHS Hot Picks Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review by Shelby

“One of the most important lessons she'd recently learned was that looking strong and confident was sometimes all the people required of you.” (Thirrin, 155)

I am not the only one who chooses their book by the cover, and ever since I noticed the novel The Cry of The Icemark I was intrigued. It’s not every day you see a red haired beauty holding weapons of war. In this case the heroine is thirteen year old Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, (it gets longer as the story p...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Amanda Duarte rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I do not recommend this book if you are someone who is a fan of Tamora Pierce and other quality authors of the fantasy realm. The characters are flat, bland, entirely undeveloped and unoriginal, and half of them can't seem to decide what sort of overall voice they will have in the entire book. The young Thirrin, and mind you this is a 13-year-old-who-turns-14-in-the-book, is nothing more than a royal brat. She constantly loses her temper with absolutely no consequences to follow, and while I lov...more I do not recommend this book if you are someone who is a fan of Tamora Pierce and other quality authors of the fantasy realm. The characters are flat, bland, entirely undeveloped and unoriginal, and half of them can't seem to decide what sort of overall voice they will have in the entire book. The young Thirrin, and mind you this is a 13-year-old-who-turns-14-in-the-book, is nothing more than a royal brat. She constantly loses her temper with absolutely no consequences to follow, and while I love a female heroin who comes into her own I find it very unbelievable for her to have such an innate ability to acquire allies at the drop of a hat, move armies to their utmost potential without any advice from more experienced housecarls at her age. Really the only believable portion about her was her inability to understand why Oskan's actions irked her so through the wonderfully rosy glasses of puberty and even that gets old before you're halfway done with the book because there's no self examination by the character with which to form the resolution that yes she's attracted to the boy! Much of the story is very much glossed over, with a lot of telling without much expansion upon emotions, reactions... it's the naked itinerary of what could have been a very expansive and emotional epic, but I don't even want to give the author even that much credit, for he also seems to drop rather misogynistic viewpoints in the juxtposition of Icemark's very Norse yet somehow women aren't treated as housekeepers culture with the Hypolitan women rule the roost pov to which Thirrin finds "barbaric". The story seems to tease you with possible sub-plots of the rather aloof (and let's face it, just completely absent) thoughts of the Basilea, Thirrin's aunt, but it's then tossed away as the plot hurries on and on to rather repetitive descriptions of battle scenes that really aren't as exciting or sitting-on-the-edge-of-the-seat as one would hope. In addition the author seems to have a fascination with the number 100, which had appeared four or five times in the span of two short (like 2-3 sentence short) paragraphs as well as having to be the number of the king who rules one of the more animalistic allies Thirrin picks up. Other common (read modern) turns of phrases turn up in the novel which only distract you from the Norse/Greek/Roman/Anglo-Saxon world you are desperately trying to immerse yourself in. Let's be honest here, "new skin cells forming" is not a phrase I want to see in a novel set in a time where it would be perfectly reasonable to see Beowulf walking through the door of the Great Hall.

Bottom line, this is no book to waste your time on.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Catherine Fitzsimmons rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A children’s novel by a debut author about a young queen who must make allies with mystical neighbors and lead her people into war with a massive and highly advanced invading army that seeks to destroy her country. I had high hopes for this book based on the synopsis, and given that it was in the adult clearance section of the bookstore, I didn’t realize it was a children’s book until I started reading it. It was alright for a children’s book, again entertaining, but nothing to write home about....more

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Aug 12, 2012 Danny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read this when I was about 12, back then I thought it was a pretty great book, which in some ways it is don't get me wrong, but in other ways it fails miserably. The thing that really got me kind of annoyed in this book is that it portrays "science" like some kind of way of thinking and that it is possible for something to be "against science" or "unscientific" and therefore bad. It's like it uses the work unscientific to mean something that must be battled by people who are "scientific"...more I first read this when I was about 12, back then I thought it was a pretty great book, which in some ways it is don't get me wrong, but in other ways it fails miserably. The thing that really got me kind of annoyed in this book is that it portrays "science" like some kind of way of thinking and that it is possible for something to be "against science" or "unscientific" and therefore bad. It's like it uses the work unscientific to mean something that must be battled by people who are "scientific" (you know since the book says that science is some kind of way of thinking) which is just completely ridiculous to anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of what science is or how it works. Seriously its ridiculous, it actually says at one point that "science" says that anything that cannot be quantified or observed or tested MUST BE DESTROYED! which is totally not the case, if something like that existed it would be

studied

because that's what science is. It actually went on this theme on the next book at well and basically one of the motivations for the bad guy(s) is that the talking leopards and shit are unscientific and so they send hundreds of thousands of troops out to destroy them, which doesn't even make any sense in itself, even if Bellorum was the main commander of the army how the hell did he convince his nations rulers to go through with said idea? What kind of government would let like 70% of its fighting force march off because another nation didn't follow their ideals?
Then there's the plot holes! don't even get me started on all the plot holes! Not even tiger woods could fill all of the holes that are in this story! So first of all with the werewolf king in the beginning, why the hell was he there in the first place? what was a

king

of an entire species doing in enemy territory with no backup whatsoever? Did I miss something? Was he on vacation in enemy territory where he would be killed on site? And what kind of king gives full support to someone whom he just met just because he respects her? How the hell is he still king if he makes such poor choices for no reason except for some lame "I wanted to repay her for not killing me" (even though he did the same thing for her only a couple days earlier!) really though what kind of author writes rulers of entire species and being like this? The werewolf king (grinshark or some dumb goth name like that) just plays with his soldiers lives like that for no reason other than he wanted to repay a debt he never really owed in the first place!

(I'll come back to this later but its kind of late and i'm getting tired)(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Melies Buchlounge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Die 13 jährige Thirrin ist ein streitbares Mädchen. Als ihr Vater König Roderich stirbt, wird sie plötzlich zur Herrscherin über die Eismark und muss die Heimat gegen die erbarmungslose Armee von Scipio Bellorum verteidigen. Die Aufgabe scheint unlösbar. Mit ihrem Freund, dem Hexensohn Oskan, und mit den wilden Raubtieren als Verbündeten hätte sie vielleicht eine Chance. Ihre Vorbereitungen zur Verteidigung werden ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit.

Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Ich finde das Buch einfach richti...more Die 13 jährige Thirrin ist ein streitbares Mädchen. Als ihr Vater König Roderich stirbt, wird sie plötzlich zur Herrscherin über die Eismark und muss die Heimat gegen die erbarmungslose Armee von Scipio Bellorum verteidigen. Die Aufgabe scheint unlösbar. Mit ihrem Freund, dem Hexensohn Oskan, und mit den wilden Raubtieren als Verbündeten hätte sie vielleicht eine Chance. Ihre Vorbereitungen zur Verteidigung werden ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit.

Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Ich finde das Buch einfach richtig klasse. Der Autor beschreibt seine Gegend richtig gut z.B. die Wiese mit der schönen Blumen, den Wald und noch viele andere gegende. Die Personen sind super beschrieben ich kann mir König Roderichs rote Haare richtig vorstellen, aber auch die andere Geschöpfe.

Das Cover:
Auf dem Cover sieht man eine Armee oben drauf ist ein Pfeil zu sehen. Der Pfeil sieht richtig wetvoll aus. Davor sieht man aber auch noch eine Wiese mit vielen Blumen. Hinten auf dem Buch ist ein Berg zu sehen auf der Spitze des Berges liegt Schnee.

Die Personen:
König Roderich: Ein sehr lauter Mensch, er kann aber auch liebevoll sein. Er hat eine Pantoffel Sammlung und mag sein kleines Kätzchen Pfötchen. Er liebt die Geschichten von "Edgar dem Tapferen und seinen Krieg gegen das Drachenvolk von den Wolfsfelsen". Man sollte ihn nicht Erzürnen und er steht für sein Volk.

Prinzessin Thirrin: Sie liebt es wenn sie Kriegsführung erlernt als wenn ie mit ihrem Lehrer Naturwissenschaften, Mathe oder andere Fächer durchnimmt. Sie kann gut mit dem Schwert oder Axt umgehen und hat ein großes Temperament. Sie isst manchmal mit den Soldaten zusammen.

Oskan Hexensohn: Er lebt alleine in einer Höle im Wald er hat die Fähigkeiten von seiner Mutter geerbt. Er kann in die Zukunft sehen, Heilen, Wetter voraussagen und Blitze entstehen lassen. Bevor er lesen und schreiben gelernt hat konnte er die Sprache der Wolfsmenschen.

Maggior Tottus: Er träumt immer wieder das er in seinem südlichen Kontinent lebt. Er ist der Hauslehrer von Thirrin und später Königlicher Berater. Er interessiert sich für Wissenschaften.

Fazit:
Das Buch ist super geschrieben man ist schnell durch und hat lust weiter zu lesen. Zu dem Buch gibt es noch 2 weitere Bücher. Band 2 ist die Klinge aus Feuer und Band 3 ist The last Battle of the Icemark. Band 3 erschien leider nur auf Englisch.(less)

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Jun 08, 2012 Samantha Tsau rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is for the underdogs. I mean, it doesn't get much more "against the odds" than a thirteen year old girl ruling a small country, in a war for her country's survival against the biggest and most successful empire in their world. Enjoyed the respect that magic had in this world and how it lived WITH science, or in spite of science. Yes, there are vampires and werewolves (and some other amazing creatures that I won't give away... I want you to find out for yourself!) but you see them as an...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a debut novel with strong promises that the author will hone his craft as other books come along.; but it was a first novel, and it shows. There was a lot of telling of characters' thoughts and motivations (which I tended to skip because they often went on for pages), instead of *showing* their thoughts/motives in more powerful ways. Sometimes the dangerous action, especially in the early chapters, came out of nowhere and didn't seem plausible. Moreover, I was distracted by the feeling t...more

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Feb 21, 2012 JenBen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book a long time ago, but I felt the need to review it because I adored this book so much as a child that the book has actually fallen in half from all the love I gave it.

Thirrin is a fierce-tempered warrior princess from the small northern country of the Icemark. When her father the King goes to rage war against an invasion force coming from the powerful southern country, the fourteen-year-old must lead her people through this awful period. She soon befriends a young warlock by th...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Elizabeth Fitzgerald rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing

This was a nice light adventure that suffered a bit from being fairly predictable. The characters were lacking in depth, coming across as being rather simplistic and always being exactly as they seemed. At no point do they surprise you. A number of the characters seemed to serve simply as plot functions--the Wolf King in particular and he quickly lost his role to Tharaman.

This was published in the same year as Twilight and I think it has probably suffered in the wake of the hype. There are vampi...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2005s, magic-and-sparkles-and-shit, ya-baby-ya, x-series-bk-1, girls-rule-boys-drool, witches-not-bitches, putting-the-best-in-bestiality, faeries-and-elves, holy-shit-a-vampire-get-in-the-car, gods, reviewed, smells-like-pretentiousness, specialsnowflakes, did-that-animal-just-talk, court-intrigue, cool-idea-poorly-executed, historical-wotsits, island-of-hype

I started out liking Cry of the Icemark a great deal more than I did upon finishing. My disappointment is best summed up by Angel, here.

There are several reasons for this, but before I get into that - since I believe in delivering the good news first - I'll talk about what I did like about this book, in addition to providing a brief summary.

(Of course, if you're feeling a mite trollish, feel free to skip ahead to the section where I rant and rave.)

THE SUMMARY

Icemark takes place in an alternate h...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Ashton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this one. I've had it for a couple of years (given by a friend) and never got around to reading it until yesterday. It was fun, engaging, and keeps you interested the whole way. I am looking forward to the sequels to arrive at my library so I can pick them up!

Hill uses an interesting mix of the British and Roman Empires to model the Polypontians on - down to "vini vidi vici" being their announcement and so forth. Some of the parallels made me groan, but not for long. The story o...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Artemis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: I would say fans of Lord of the Rings and Narnia thought I've read neither. Haha!

Shelves: action, adventure, fantasy, favorites, historical, humor, magic, mystery, no-action-romance, ghost, vampire, war, favourite-book-of-the-year, the-really-favourites, favourite-heroines

If I can, I would've given it 7 stars. And even though I cannot rate it like that, I can still name it My Favourite Book of the Year. It was simply beautiful and stunning.

Princess Thirrin Freer Stong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, Wildcat of the North, the protagonist of this book just turned 14 when her country was being threatened by the best army of the known world, the Polypontian Army, led by the brilliant and ruthless general Scipio Bellorum. Her father, King Redrought, immediately set out on a...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Victor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

"The Cry of the Icemark" is an interesting book that takes the reader's mind back into medieval times in which the Roman Empire, supreme masters of the world saw to expand their borders. Although it is not the Roman Empire, but the mighty Poliponteans, we still get a sense that Stuart Hill is basing most of his content from historical events, and adds his own mix of fantastical creatures, traditions and customs.

Overall, the first book of the Icemark chronicles presents a strong female lead, Thir...more "The Cry of the Icemark" is an interesting book that takes the reader's mind back into medieval times in which the Roman Empire, supreme masters of the world saw to expand their borders. Although it is not the Roman Empire, but the mighty Poliponteans, we still get a sense that Stuart Hill is basing most of his content from historical events, and adds his own mix of fantastical creatures, traditions and customs.

Overall, the first book of the Icemark chronicles presents a strong female lead, Thirrin, who assumes responsibility of her country's defense after her father is killed in battle. Although a girl of fourteen, Thirrin does not hesitate in showing that she will do anything in her power to defend her lad and her people. Along with Thirrin, we have young and yet wise Oskan, who presents an interesting contrast to the lead in that he is very methodical in his approach of life.

Hill does an excellent job in describing military terms and is able in illustrating conflict and open warfare. His description of the invading forces is magnificent, and yet, he can let reader's down by incorporating some modern weaponry in a medieval setting. I have to say that his portrayal of Scipio Bellorum as a fearsome and able commander was superb, yet his use of the great "Scipio Africanus", a man that was label as too benevolent with his troops, as the model for the Polinpontian General let me with mixed feelings.

Oskan is perhaps one of the most brilliant characters I have read about in some time. Although you know his role in the story, he is another person that progresses fairly well throughout the story, as a person and as a wizard and; in a world filled with carnage and death, he is able to maintain hope and composure.

Even though Oskan was very enjoyable, Thirrin felt very flat. I like books with strong leads and I felt that Thirrin was worked too much. Only twice in the book she shows fear of some kind and in only one of those occasions, she develops on her feelings; the rest of the time she was just playing a brave soldier and commander and that made her too stereotypical. I felt that she could have been made into a more idnetifyable character, and she turned out to be too perfect.

The rest of the cast was very enjoyable and the book offers a nice conclusion/resolution, albeit not as creative as one could have expected. (less)

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Aug 04, 2009 Krista (One Love) (Critical) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-ab, werewolves, boring, ya

I'm not a big fan of war books, but I gave this one a try because I thought there would be more to it. There wasn't. The characters were intriguing, and some of them likable, but they had absolutely no development. One could argue that Thirrin grows stronger etc. but really...she was strong from the very beginning, and she never became any less arrogant, or any more likable. Then there was Oskan, the love friend/possible love interest who really was more of a slave for Thirrin to boss around tha...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Haley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: done4now

Today I was looking through lists on Goodreads for something new to read. I came upon this section that seemed promising and found this book. I looked it up and found this book. It looked promising and I began to read the premis. Then I felt this stir of something. I sat there and thought, with stupid and startling clarity that I had already READ this book. It just happened to be before I was on Goodreads. But anyway...I give this three stars for a few reasons. The first being I was young when I...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Aneuwoman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love fantasy books and this one definitely delivered on the goods. I love girls who can fight and Hill made me proud by creating such a courageous heroine in Thirrin. She is so young and yet so responsible. She is definitely a positive role model for young women. Even though she is 14, Thirrin isn't boy-crazy or pretentious. She's not even a "girly-girl". Instead, she is a mini-clone of her father. She is a warrior with a conscious. While the book was a little slow in reaching its climax, I wa...more

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Apr 20, 2009 aj rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 02, 2010 Jessi Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2010, teen-book-club-selections

Cry of the Icemark is the story of young Thirrin, a warrior princess to the land of Icemark. Shortly after her 14th birthday, she is officially made heir to the throne in the case of her father's death. Soon after, an army from the south begins to invade north towards Icemark hoping to overtake the small land and claim it as its own. After her father's brave death in battle Thirrin is then faced with the large responsibility of Queen. Knowing she cannot defeat the invading army she reaches out t...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Em-nat rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Cry of the Icemark" is one of the most sickeningly misogynistic YA stories I have ever had the misfortune of reading. I’m surprised at how many readers have managed to delude themselves into thinking that Hill has written a female role-model in Therin, considering how antagonistic and hateful she is toward all the other female characters she meets in the book (literally, all of them), and her constant insistence on surrounding herself with no one but men. Even her animal companions are male. At...more

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May 14, 2012 Bree rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When people start talking about books they dislike, this is always one of the first to come to mind. The author writes a pretty decent (albeit extremely gory) fight scene; unfortunately, he expects these to be able to carry his novel. When the characters aren't fighting, they're thinking about fighting in some way (making alliances, planning strategy, etc.), which would be fine, if it did not continue for THE ENTIRE BOOK. I only finished it because I hoped that there would be some sort of redeem...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

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 T...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was okay. Some parts were really boring. Other parts really intrigued me. Too much detail in an already boring chapter, bores the reader to death. When there were exciting parts, there wasn't enough detail. It was slow and dragging in the beginning. Then again, it was his first novel.

I personally didn't care for Thirrin. In fact, I found myself rooting for Scipio Bellorum and the Empire. I don't think this is what the author was going for. When the final battle began, I was confused. At firs...more

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Jun 30, 2011 courtney m rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an amazing book!! You feel as though you enter another world! Mr. Hill creates the world so well defined where ever Thirrin goes.
He gives each kingdom and empire their own personalities and giving us a little what our world may have looked liked if we had werewolves, vampires, great spirits, and giant snow leopards.

It shows the struggle a very young Queen has to face and grow up quickly to save her people. A war that shows you that alliances can be made with anyone and any race/species...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Mary Kirkpatrick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this book. It is one of my favorites because of the characters are realistic, the creatures are very cool, and the battles are engaging. The characters make it for me. Thirrin is firey and determined. She cares for her kingdom more than she does herself. She is faced with a ridiculous challenge, along with dealing with the emotional grief of her father's death. Oskan is a Witch's Son who doesn't know who or what he is in the beginning, but as he stumbles to keep up with Thirrin, he falls...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-ya

This is a delightful fantasy where a 14-year-old becomes queen of a small country when her lovable father (a jolly man who loves a kitten and his collection of fuzzy slippers) is killed defending the country. The invading army is the largest in the known world and is led by a intelligent and crafty individual who keeps adding country after country to the Empire. While the scenario seems unlikely this fantasy is fun, filled with adventure after adventure, and wonderful characters, including a tal...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Domi103 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those that love ancient history, this book is a great example of bringing 'look alike' history into a story. The invading force are similar to the Romans and the nations of the north have similarities to European countries. But, don't be fooled. This is a fantastical piece of fiction that creates no boundaries between what is, what was and what can be imagined. I love the strength and courage of the lead character as well as the nation she inspires to accomplish the impossible. Vampires, sno...more

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May 17, 2010 Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thirren Freer Strong-In-The-Arm Lindenshield is the heir to the throne of the great Icemark kingdom. With an undefeated army to the South and werewolves and vampiers to the North, the Icemark is always ready for battle. When Thirren's Dad dies, everything changes. She must take over the kingdom at age sixteen and make some very peculiar allies. Then Oskan the witches son is discovered and he might hold all the answers and a very big spot in Thiren's heart.
The Cry of the Icemark is undoubtably t...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is at least the third time I've read this book, and I really enjoy it! It's a quick read, and I'm having fun re-reading it and remembering all the small sub-plots that make the book so rich. It's good for anyone who wants a light, fun read. The plot isn't that creative, but it's simplicity allows us to get a better sense of the characters and their interactions - if only a little bit. I have to be frank, though, the ending is predictable and the writing stiff at parts. Despite this, however...more

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About Stuart Hill

Stuart 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...more

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Books by Stuart Hill

Blade of Fire (The Icemark Chronicles, #2)

The Last Battle of the Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles, #3)

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“To a happy war!' laughter echoed with all the insane glee of an army of psychopaths.” — 48 people liked it

“If you reach for the stars, you just might land on a decently sized hill.” — 45 people liked it

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The Cry Of The Icemark (The Icemark Chronicles #1)

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