Reviews

The Cradle of Ice by James Rollins

hirvimaki's review against another edition

3.0

I really wanted to like this. I really like Rollins' Sigma Force novels and was hoping this series would carry the same energy and sense of adventure, but much like his The Order of the Sanguines series, the Moonfall series is a bit too over-complicated and labyrinthine for me to be able to enjoy. I felt like The Starless Crown suffered from too much set-up time, but the story was interesting enough for me to look forward to The Cradle of Ice. COI, though mostly past the laborious exposition phase of world-building, is filled with political machinations and intrigue and it really slows down the action for me. At almost 700 pages, this felt like a slog to me. Again, as with Starless Crown, there is nothing wrong with Rollins' writing (he is a very good author) nor with the polish of this book, it is just long and, frankly, boring for much of the time. If Machiavellian plots are your thing and chess played out in real life (well, fantasy life) is what gets excited, you may enjoy this. I'd have preferred a much shorter tale with much less filler between the fun parts.

mylhibug's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

2.75

mystiquemac's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

This was super engaging to listen to. It got a little woke, which was annoying, so I gave it a lower rating for that.

krista_billings's review against another edition

3.0

DNF

keltaklo's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

faile12's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

natethegreatt's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

dayday_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

matteeoo's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

acmack's review against another edition

Could not for the life of me get into this book. Got about halfway through and lacked all desire to continue.