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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was surprised to find a George R.R. Martin story for children. I thought it was a fairly good short story and if I were reading it as a child I would likely enjoy this much more than some Newberry winners. It has action, but the fiery/frosty death is toned down. There might be an implied ravishing, but I doubt many children would pick up on it.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Full disclosure - I am not a George R R Martin fan. Don't care to read about the gang rape of women. Nor do I like his brand of world building.
The Ice Dragon is an old Martin tale, written in 1980, first published in 2006. It is now being reissued with new artwork in light of the success of Game of Thrones, and being marketed toward teens.
There is so much wrong with this story in terms of its literary merit and its newer classification.
1. The writing is 3rd grade simplicity. Simple declarative sentences, simple words, simple, simple, simple.
2. The ending is abrupt and makes no sense as an ending. It felt as if Martin got a phone call or went to make a sandwich, and then forgot to come back to it, or the manuscript lost a few pages on the way to his editor.
3. The little girl is young, 8-9 years old by the end. Why market this for teens?
4. Answer to #3: Because Martin indulges his desire and love for graphic descriptions of war, in a couple of very brief passages in Chapter 4. Little Adara witnesses the effects of war much like a Mathew Brady photo from the Civil War. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
5. This tale is really a short story. expanded to 107 pages by beautiful artwork (the original stuff) and lots and lots of white space.
6. Metaphors? maybe Adara's coldness to everyone and to life is starting to thaw by the end because she doesn't touch the winter lizards, knowing her newly warm hands would hurt them? Why was she like this anyway? Just because she was born during a severe winter and her birth killed her mother? Nothing really made any sense to me, and it felt as if Martin was playing with a metaphor but never really fully developed it.
I am sure the new edition's artwork will be awesome, but readers will still be stuck with Martin's words. I think teens who pick this up will be sorely disappointed and feel cheated.
The Ice Dragon is an old Martin tale, written in 1980, first published in 2006. It is now being reissued with new artwork in light of the success of Game of Thrones, and being marketed toward teens.
There is so much wrong with this story in terms of its literary merit and its newer classification.
1. The writing is 3rd grade simplicity. Simple declarative sentences, simple words, simple, simple, simple.
2. The ending is abrupt and makes no sense as an ending. It felt as if Martin got a phone call or went to make a sandwich, and then forgot to come back to it, or the manuscript lost a few pages on the way to his editor.
3. The little girl is young, 8-9 years old by the end. Why market this for teens?
4. Answer to #3: Because Martin indulges his desire and love for graphic descriptions of war, in a couple of very brief passages in Chapter 4. Little Adara witnesses the effects of war much like a Mathew Brady photo from the Civil War. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
5. This tale is really a short story. expanded to 107 pages by beautiful artwork (the original stuff) and lots and lots of white space.
6. Metaphors? maybe Adara's coldness to everyone and to life is starting to thaw by the end because she doesn't touch the winter lizards, knowing her newly warm hands would hurt them? Why was she like this anyway? Just because she was born during a severe winter and her birth killed her mother? Nothing really made any sense to me, and it felt as if Martin was playing with a metaphor but never really fully developed it.
I am sure the new edition's artwork will be awesome, but readers will still be stuck with Martin's words. I think teens who pick this up will be sorely disappointed and feel cheated.
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Somehow I didn’t know this book existed but I have been dying to go back to Westeros and George R R Martin’s prose so this novella seemed like the perfect fit.
Unfortunately for me, it has only made me want to dive back into ASOIAF and the world GRRM has created around that series even more, but alas, I need to finish some other books before I can commit to a reread.
Anyway, this book is supposedly a children’s book, it’s about a 7 year old girl that was born in Winter and is truly a Winter Child (same, girl, same). It doesn’t really talk about Westeros or give any specifics about the politics of the time and you don’t really even know where in Westeros the book takes place (7 year olds aren’t concerned with things like that), but there’s a war going on with plenty of dragons on both sides so if you’re up on your history of Westeros you get a general idea of when the book takes place.
I don’t think it is a children’s book. It is a bit more violent and descriptive than I’d expect in a children’s book. It left me feeling a bit melancholy at times from the atmospheric writing.
But it is written in the style of a children’s book so do with that what you will.
Theres a lot of symbolism within this short story and a heartwarming lesson to be learned by the end.
Overall I really enjoyed this little novella regarding Adara and her ice dragon. I think it’s a must for GRRM and ASOIAF fans.
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this short dragon story. It felt like reading a book out of Shireen Baratheon's library.