A good fellow up to the fist book! Took me a bit of time to get into, but a really nice read overall! I would have like to know some of caracthers more in depth. I'm exited for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Cradle of Ice by James Rollins follows a set of survivors during the Apocalypse.

I would give The Cradle of Ice by James Rollins a 2 star review because, I liked the description but I couldn't get into the story.

I devoured the first book in this series: The Starless Crown, and I couldn't wait for this title but sadly I couldn't finish it even though I tried coming back to it two different times. The story lost focus for me when every chapter was about a different character and their personal history. I understand the value of character building but in this instance many of them were supporting role and I honestly didn't care to know what drove them. I wanted much more of the main characters and to continue with their journey from the fist book. A great story teller but in this instance too far down a winding road.

This book was even better than the first. Seriously. I need the next book asap! I cried like three different times reading this book. I was not expecting that. The world building just keeps getting better and better and the characters keep developing in ways that really keep you engaged in the story. Loved it!

I unfortunately did not have a chance to finish this title before it was published despite having an interest in it. Rated 5stars, did not finish.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year coming hot off the tail of me finishing The Starless Crown. This series is everything that an epic fantasy should be. The characters are complex, the magic system is complex, the world building is complex. And it is all gloriously done! There is so much going on in this book, at times I did find myself getting a tad turned around at points, but it had more to do with me needing to slow down then the story. I can't wait to see this story continue and expand.

Interesting continuation of the story, but could use some editing down. Turned into a bit of a slog about halfway through, though the plot continued to be interesting.

This second installment in the Moonfall Series is full of adventure and action-packed. The story picks up where The Starless Crown left off and it was easy to get immersed into the story.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this was such a great read! I loved being in this world again, and watching them work to stop the end of the world was so great! Man, a lot happened in this book, and it was so great, and sometimes so hard, to read!

I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book. Don't get me wrong, I loved the first book, and all his other books that I've read. But it is a big book, and it's pretty intimidating. But once I started, well, the signature chapters and action scenes started coming and they didn't stop coming!

This book took us deeper into this world, exploring places that were just briefly mentioned, places that were in the plans that they drew up at the end of the previous book. I enjoyed learning more, especially Nyx's quest to the vast, unknown icy region.

There was so much going on in this book, with these characters that we got to know all split up again. They have this quest to prevent the moonfall. And while we've had these perspectives from the future that make it seem like they succeeded, who knows how it'll turn out! It was such a fast paced adventure, so much happened, and I need to know where it's going to go from here!

This was a really amazing book, and I can't wait to continue!

The world building Rollins is able to create through his words is honestly some of the best I've experienced. This book was daunting in length. At times, it felt a bit tedious and disjointed. In the end, however, it all melded together perfectly and left me aching for more. Rollins and fantasy go well together. I cannot wait to see how the story continues.

This second installment of the Moonfall series is intriguing and action-packed, with a well-developed colorful cast. Rollins has created a epic grim fantasy world with memorable characters, adventure and suspense.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

JRollins continues the second book in the series with the same intense focus and attention to detail that he did in the first book. Juggling and keeping straight multiple POVs and the correct perspectives is awe-inspiring. It really boggles my mind that someone is able to keep such a large cast of characters straight amen it comes to what they are doing; where they are; who they are with; etc - but somehow he does it.

In this book, everything is just getting darker and that ominous feeling that drove me to continue the series looms on the horizon. Magic and industrial metal mesh-up as dark magic continues to spread its inky roots across the land, poisoning everything it touch. It's a battle that even the gods may lose. Except for Nyx and those that have gathered around her, they plan to find to stop to the aforementioned doom. No matter what. Be ready.

** Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion **

I think this is probably more of a guy book. I wasn’t quite the target audience. It’s a solidly written grim epic fantasy with world ending stakes. I like character driven fantasy best myself and the characters were a bit weakly written but the action is great. So it’s good, it’s solid, but it’s not wonderful.

Nyx and the gang are back in book 2 of the Moonfall series. The story picks up a little after the happenings in The Starless Crown. Nyx and her compadres are headed across the Ice Shield in search of more like Shiya while Kanthe and group travel to Klashe to gather information about the prophecies. The epic journeys are wrought with action, conflict, and urgency as both groups are being hunted. Fans of book 1 will love this follow up. Rollins is a wonderful wordsmith creating worlds and characters that are unique and engaging. His world building is absolutely devine. In Cradle of Ice, the characters are fleshed out even further. With the groundwork set in The Starless Crown, Rollins is able to further develop the world, politics, and even magic system. New characters and places are added to the story making it even more rounded and robust. This is a definitely a 'to be read' for my patrons who adore fantasy. I recommend it often and have had very positive response from our library readers.

Overall, a wonderful read. Fans of epic fantasy will love the feel of the books as they harken back to some of the classic fantasy through history. The story and world building will suck you in, but the tension, action, and characters will keep you there.

This ragtag group of misfits have decided to stick together for the sake of the world but it also means splitting up. Most will go to the region of ice and cold while the other to a big capital city. It is amazing what this group will do and go through for their world even when the rest of the world seems against them, but they seem to find help in some of the least likely places.
This series is really good and I hope I get to read and review the third part as well. The characters are so inviting, well most of them anyways. The action is non-stop and the suspense will grab you from the start and not let go until the end, if then. I really enjoyed the series so far and hope everyone else does too.

I read The Starless Crown (thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read both books in this series) and struggled to get past the world and character building for about the first third of it, but I did finish it and, in the end, I was intrigued enough to read The Cradle of Ice. It moves along at a much faster pace, probably because of all of the foundational work in the first book. Rollins has created what I would call an epic fantasy here, as there is a huge saga taking place with complicated characters thrown into almost impossible situations, struggling with which path to take. Overall, it is quite a story that I imagine took Rollins a long time to figure out all of the details for. Much like the first book in the series, though, there are descriptions I found pretty graphic, and the treatment of the female characters to me left me unsatisfied. I felt like their characters weren't believable well-developed, which I found discouraging. In the end, it is an entertaining series, though, and I'm sure it will find quite a following with readers of dystopian fantasy.

The Cradle of Ice is the 2nd book in the Moon Fall Series from James Rollins.
This book picks up where the previous book stopped. A group goes one way to do some stuff. Another group stays behind to do some different stuff. Other groups in other places do some stuff that may or may not overlap another groups stuff.
So many characters and so many things going on. I love Rollins's writing. The first book in this series was full of great stories and fantasy and an enjoyable read. I'm not sure what happened to this book. There are too many storylines and too many characters. It's almost 700 pages and it drags. It drags because the world is so unfamiliar that a reader has to think about what they're reading - constantly. It does not make for fast-paced fiction. It would've worked much better as two or even three books. And you cannot read this without reading the first one.
Not sure what happened but I had high expectations for this book that were not met. This jumble of fantasy was not an enjoyable read for me.

If you read mainly fantasy, this is probably the book for you.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Cradle of Ice as an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler free with only mild hints at plot and themes. 4.5/5 stars.

James Rollins continues to deliver an intriguing and mystical world in this book. The Starless Crown was thoroughly enjoyable, and now Cradle expounds upon the lore of this world, the political intrigue, and the ever approaching danger. Rollins once again is able to write characters which feel real. They each feel like they have their own lives, their own personalities. I love that we continue to learn more about the world and the catastrophes which have come before and the apocalyptic events which could be looming. This book takes us to varying extremes of new locations, all of which seem to have been well thought out, and likely even researched. The story of this book continues to enthrall me. Starless Crown had me intrigued, and now Cradle has me hooked.

This series is going to be for the adult fantasy reader who loves a spicy political climate. Also if you like animal companions. While it is not grimdark, this series does not shy away from violence. And there is more to this book than a simple fantasy novel.

Source: DRC via NetGalley (Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

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Why did I choose to read this book?

The Cradle of Ice was actually the first book that caught my eye from this series. When I requested it from NetGalley as an advanced digital reader copy, I knew I had to read book 1 first (and you do by the way, if you don’t, you’ll be very confused in book 2). I chose to read and review this book because The Starless Crown was so good, and I was so invested in the characters that I needed to know what happened to them.

What is this book about?

Our intrepid crew breaks into two groups. One is headed into the Klashe to find a hidden Sleeper (no spoilers as to what this is) and the other is flying into the Ice Cradle, the side of the Urth that is always facing away from the sun and so is now completely ice. Both groups are following the direction of Shiya, the bronze woman who is a living metal being (think an AI-type machine that is very human in its appearance and behavior), in order to save the Urth from being obliterated by its own moon.

What is notable about this story?

The Cradle of Ice explores other cultures outside Halendii, and as the reader you have to think about what the consequences would be if Nyx and her followers are successful. If the ice melts or the molten lava of the other side of the Earth begins to flow around many people will die and there isn’t anything they can do about that. Averting a tragedy that would cause everyone to die (Moon Fall) with an action that would cause most but not all people/creatures to die is a heavy burden to carry. I am working very hard to avoid spoilers in this review and it’s so difficult!

I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the Klashe and its politics. I love Rami (4th son of the emperor). He’s a lovely trickster/flirt to play against Prince Kanthe’s prudish blushing. It was adorable and I’m here for it. The intrigue and tension happening in the Klashe definitely out-shined Nyx’s group’s journey. Mikaen (Kanthe’s older twin brother) continues to grow more and more unhinged as he makes the war with the Klashe reality. He’s losing his mind and the consequences of that are going to be very impressive.

Was anything not so great?

This book took forever to read. It’s a good book, but it’s not “on the edge of your seat” good, so I didn’t feel like I had to get back to the story right away. Add this to the fact that it’s an absolute unit like its predecessor, and you get a book that takes over a month to read. For a regular reader this isn’t a big deal. For me, having to get this review out on a deadline, it was very stressful. I felt like I had to read the book instead of wanting to read the book, which may have made me enjoy it a little less.

So if you’re going to read this series, be patient with yourself and read when you want to. It’s an excellent story, but you’re not going to want to feel rushed because you might give up on it, and you shouldn’t, because it’s a great series so far.

If I had to pick one thing to lightly critique it would be the bridle-song mechanic in the magic system. The number of times I had to read the word song or harmony rivals only Sarah J. Maas’ later books for the use of the words mate and feasting: it’s too much!! And the entire plot relies on using it ALL THE TIME and even with the addition of a new type of creature (on top of bats, dogs, and everything in the Crown) it’s just “they sang louder,” “she harmonized,” and “the song” over and over and over. The lack of diversity in the magic system is disappointing but understandable since this is basically Medieval Times on the top of the world. I wish there was something else, like rhythm or shouting or spellcasting to distract from the singing.

What’s the verdict?

I’m not letting how long it took affect my rating: 4 stars on Goodreads and I’ll be waiting for book 3 to pop up on NetGalley so I can grab it asap and take my time. If you’re in the market for a HUGE fantasy epic series, definitely pick this one up.

This is a large book. There are a lot of pages (672), a lot of characters, a lot of plot, a lot of world building, a lot of violence, a lot of bloodshed. There is just a lot to this book. At times, it all seems to be too much and begins to feel frenzied.

This is a big story, a very big story, and at times, I felt very overwhelmed by it’s telling. I didn’t like that feeling because it is such an exciting adventure that I’m truly enjoying. Maybe, I’m just not used to this kind of epic storytelling and the fault lies with me. Just be aware going in, this is big-time fantasy done on a huge scale and done exceptionally well. But, at times, it does feel like the author is trying to cram too much story into the book.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.