Review by Booklist Review
Following his ambitious Victorian-era The Clockwork Three (2010), Kirby's second novel takes readers even deeper into history. In an attempt to keep his children safe while he wages war, a Viking chief sends beautiful Asa, heir-to-the-throne Harald, and overlooked Solveig to winter in a distant fortress along with a cadre of berserkers. While the ice-locked fjord provides a perfect safeguard from outside threats, it also becomes a prison when it's clear there's a traitor among them. Over the course of the brutal winter, Solveig learns the delicate art of storytelling from her father's skald ( the poet of the living past ) and also forms a bond of mutual affection with the most fearsome berserker of the bunch. Her stories provide comfort, distraction, and hope for the starving people, but are tested to the utmost when blood begins to spill. Both elegant and exciting, this work recalls Jonathan Stroud's Heroes of the Valley (2009) in its treatment of the lofty spot that lore occupies in a warrior society and how stories give meaning to both life and death.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For their protection during wartime, the king sends his three children, including daughter Solveig, and a group of servants to a stronghold sealed in by mountains and a frozen sea. But as winter passes, it becomes clear that a traitor is hiding in their midst. Faced with suspicion, danger, and death, shy, plain Solveig discovers inner strength and courage, as well as an almost magical talent for storytelling that may have the power to save her life. Jenna Lamia's narration will captivate listeners from start to finish. Her rendition of Solveig brings the character to life and perfectly captures her initial self-doubt, growing strength and confidence, and storytelling ability. Lamia also creates unique voices for the other characters-her rendering of Solveig's young brother and the quirky, offbeat master storyteller are standouts. This winning audio edition of an original and imaginative tale is not to be missed. Ages 8-12. A Scholastic Press hardcover. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Stuck for the winter in a hidden fortress deep in the fjords, Solveig and her siblings spend long, humdrum days waiting for spring to come in Matthew Kirby's suspenseful tale (Scholastic, 2011).ÅThey worry about their father, a Viking king, who is away waging a war.Å He sent his three children-the beautiful and tragic Asa, the crown prince Harald, and plain Solveig-to a safe haven with some of his warriors to wait out the war.ÅSoon the fort becomes a prison when a traitor is discovered among them.ÅTo help keep peace, the king's skald (bard) tells stories and legends of the mighty Vikings.ÅHe realizes that Solveig also has the gift of storytelling and mentors her throughout the long winter.ÅTheir tales, filled with Scandinavian folkore, help everyone deal with betrayal, treachery, sickness, and death.Å Jenna Lamia gives Solveig a steady, sure voice that is perfectly pitched against the bleakness of the environment and the grim outlook for the family's future.Å Her pacing is excellent, and Solveig's confusion and innocence is authentically portrayed.Å Listeners will be enthralled.-Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MNÅ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Princess Solveig and her siblings spend winter trapped in a remote settlement. They wait to see if the king's enemies will find them--or if traitors in their midst will do them in. Solveig grows from a timid girl into a young woman who finally finds her voice. It's a slow process, but the courtly intrigue and a vividly realized setting keep things going. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The king's three children and a small group of warrior-protectors take refuge in a winter-bound steading on a northern fjord and discover there's a traitor in their midst.Beautiful Asa, the eldest princess, faces an arranged marriage, although she loves another. Harald, the youngest, will one day be king. But the narrator, middle daughter Solveig, is neither attractive nor particularly useful, until she begins to realize she has talent as a storyteller and could have a future as a skald, or court bard. As food runs low and bitter winter tightens its hold, someone in the group begins to sabotage the remaining supplies, and Solveig has a dream that foretells a tragic end to their efforts to survive. Interesting, well-developed characters abound, and Solveig's strong narrative voice adds authenticity as she grows into her new role, not just telling stories of the mythical Scandinavian past but creating tales to alter the behavior of those around her. Valid clues and occasional red herrings heighten the sense of mystery. The chilly, claustrophobic, ancient setting is vividly created, and the sense of impending doom generates a gripping suspense overarching the developingand deterioratingrelationships among the group, marking Kirby (The Clockwork Three, 2010) as a strong emerging novelist.Recommend this one to teens who crave a good mystery set in an icily different time and place. (Alternative historical mystery. 11-18)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
