My son and I greatly enjoyed this children's book by George R. R. Martin. As an avid fan of Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire series, I was intrigued to hear that he'd written a story for young readers. Many of his familiar elements are present in The Ice Dragon. The story is set in a land that seems to match the description of Westeros, in a time when armies still rode upon the backs of dragons. The main character, Adara, is a small girl who lives with her family on a farm in the north of the land. Adara is a child of winter, loving nothing more than the advent of snow and cold. She earns the trust of an ice dragon, a creature rarely seen, who glides through the winter air and breathes plumes of frozen ice. As war advances through the kingdom, Adara and her family witness the ravages of battle as the king's soldiers retreat, defeated, through their lands. Ultimately, Adara must take to the sky with her ice dragon to face the fire dragons of the enemy.

The Ice Dragon is brief but intense, and features descriptions of war, injuries, and brutality that are not appropriate for the very young. I believe the cover art and interior illustrations, while beautifully rendered, are slightly misleading, as they make the book appear much more suited for younger children who enjoy fairy tales and the like.

That said, my 8-year-old son and I were captivated by this tale.