*I was sent a copy of this book in advance in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: 4/5
“To stop the coming apocalypse, a fellowship was formed. A soldier, a thief, a lost prince, and a young girl bonded by fate and looming disaster. Each step along this path has changed the party, forging deep alliances and greater enmities. All the while, hostile forces have hunted them, fearing what they might unleash. Armies wage war around them. For each step has come with a cost—in blood, in loss, in heartbreak. Now, they must split, traveling into a vast region of ice and to a sprawling capital of the world they’ve only known in stories. Time is running out and only the truth will save us all.”
Have you ever given a book series a second chance? I’m not usually one for second chances, most of the time I have a hard time continuing a book series even if I really liked it. It’s just so hard to jump back into a complex fantasy world especially if you had to wait an entire year for the sequel to come out. But I digress. I read The Starless Crown (Moonfall Book 1) in 2021/2022 and I wasn’t too impressed. I think I gave it a 3 or a 3.5 because it just didn’t jive with me. I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't that into it. It was kind of middle-of-the-road for me. I won’t go into my review, you can look back if you’d like to see what I liked and didn’t like. So when I was contacted to read the sequel, I was a bit hesitant. My rating for the previous book wasn’t bad, but it was far from a shining recommendation. Eventually I conceded and agreed to the ARC and man, I’m glad I did!
The Cradle of Ice really stomps on the gas pedal and propels the reader into constant action. My copy weighs in at a whopping 650 pages (think the final copy is meant to clock in around 676 pages) but I read it in a couple of weeks, which is great for me. There was so much action that I felt like I couldn’t put it down! One thing I will definitely give Rollins is he consistently reminds the reader of events from the previous book. I personally enjoyed this addition as I had forgotten 75% of the events of the first book. The careful allusion to previous events that occurred in book 1, when relevant, helped keep the context clear. I will say, there is not much character development in this book, it’s mostly plot development with not much new from most of the characters, which I didn’t mind. Nyx was considerably less insufferable which definitely helped my enjoyment this go round. Really, the action and the drama of it all kept me hooked; all of the twists and turns were exquisitely done. There was also more done in terms of the world building. Past events and current issues were more carefully fleshed out, giving us a more rounded view of what led up to the events of this story and how they may stop impending doom.
That’s all well and good, but I didn’t give this book 5 stars, so what didn’t I like? My main issue, which was also an issue when I read book 1, is that there are so many convenient saves. How is tension meant to be built if characters are being saved at the last second by unwieldy means every time? I think this is a spillover from Rollins’ years of writing action thrillers where convenient saves are the norm. Or perhaps it’s just that killing off people has become par for the course in adult fantasy novels so that's what I'm used to seeing. Either way, I didn’t like it. Were all the characters safe? No. But there were still waaaaay too many convenient saves. My other problem was with the magic system. I think last time I praised the magic system, and I’m not taking that back, I just think its evolving into a magical catch-all. The magic system is based on singing/chanting, however you want to think about it. My understanding of what bridle-song was in the first book feels a lot different than my understanding of it in the sequel. Really, this kind of goes hand-in-hand with the convenient saves. I think that Rollins is making bridle-song catchall magic. Good magic systems have to have some limits. There seems to be no limit on what can be accomplished via bridle-song which seems unlikely given what the magic is meant to be. My understanding was that it was more or less kind of mind control in the first book? Which is very useful and has a lot of applications all by itself, but now it’s anything it has to be to further the plot.
Taken altogether, this was a really good follow-up book. It’s the type of book that makes you excited to talk about it. I know that I kept calling my friend to tell her what was happening, because it was so exciting that I couldn’t keep it in! The drama and action in this book are just phenomenal.The story itself is so good that it just makes you want to keep reading (convenient saves/magic included). The Cradle of Ice took a series that was alright and made it considerably better. Now I’m looking forward to the third book in the series because I'm dying to know what’s going to happen! If you are looking to continue the Moonfall series and start The Cradle of Ice, it’s available everywhere books are sold as of today, February 7, 2023! If you were looking for a sign to start the series, The Starless Crown (Moonfall Book 1) is also available in both hardback and trade paperback everywhere books are sold! Please read them both so that I can talk about everything that happened with Kanthe in The Cradle of Ice, I need to talk about it with someone.
Thank you so much to Tor Books for allowing me to read an advance copy! Good luck to James Rollins, I hope everyone else likes the Cradle of Ice as much as I did!