Customer Reviews

Icefire (Red Apple)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have recently read the first book, The Fire Within, and was pleased to see this second book. I cannot say this loud enough: I LOVED THIS BOOK! The first one touched on dragons and was sweet, funny and a joy. THIS one was thrilling and I could barely put it down, and since I'm the mother of 3, with a farm full of dogs, cats, horses and chickens, there is always something that needs doing, BUT I just couldn't put it down! I hate that I have to wait 8 days for the NEXT one! Way to go Chris, this was great. My husband will be reading this to our children, and they are NOT going to want him to stop each evening....Come on Fire Star! Okay, going back to re-read IceFire, it is so worth another look.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had bought it for my daughter who is 13, and she suggested that I read it. I was pleasantly surprised at the way the writer was able to appeal to both a younger and older audience much like J.K. Rowling. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in the unbelievable and enjoys fantasy.

If you enjoyed The Fire Within then the sequel Ice Fire will thrill you. This book expands on the dragons that were mentioned in the first book of the series. David Rain is attending college in a small town called Wayward and his new professor Dr. Bergstrom invites him to write an essay about dragons. David could win a trip to the Arctic and do some research with the professor. There are many strange perplexing incidents that occur in the story. When his friend Zanna accidently quickens an egg that belongs to Liz an ominous person shows up. Liz's Aunt Gwyneth moves into the house to help with the new dragon. David has a premonition that the Aunt is up to no good. With the help of his dragons and the professor he finds out the real reason for the Aunt's visit. Does He win the essay contest? I guess you will have to read the book to find out. The dragons are tricky, charming and they are able to elude the Aunt. The ending leads up to the next book in the series Firestar

This book is exellent!!!It may be long but it has so many swerves you will end up on the edge of your seat!!!You also, however, must pay close attention!!!This is NOT a book you should expect to wiz through & know every detail!!But it is interesting

I was a little bit disappointed by the first book (The Fire Within) since the cover promised us a story about dragons but none was seen. However, I really enjoyed the style and the spirit among the characters. That alone drove me to order (Icefire) and I have to say the story really starts here not in the first book.

The Fire within was almost about squirrels, which made it kind of silly for me as an adult reader. But in Icefire you get to know a lot about the dragons and the bears. The plot is much more intense and thrilling, new characters appear and the story broadens a lot.

You may notice that many things were mentioned in The Fire Within and you get confused about some names and details but you'll be safe when you continue so don't worry about it.

If you like dragons,read this book,if you like odd books,read this book. Icefire is a great book that almost everyone will like(at least that's what I think).

I think this book is head and shoulders above the original (The Fire Within)! It would help to read the first book before you read my review, since you'll know what I'm talking about. Here's the summary: at the beginning, David is trying to get "Snigger" published, but to no avail. Lucy is making him a wishing dragon which is soon dubbed, "G'reth." David is assigned a essay on the existance of dragons, and a he makes a wish with G'reth to know about the scale of Gawain. This brings about lots of trouble, not the least of which is a strange figure named "Aunty Gwyneth." David also has a new girlfriend, Zanna. A Goth wanna-be, Zanna helps bring about many complications in the story.

So, just who is Aunty Gwyneth, and why has she come around the Pennykettle residence? What do bears have to do with all of this? What new abilities will David uncover? And finally, how will Sophie feel about this whole David-Zanna affair? To find out, you'll have to read Icefire, by Chris D,Lacey!

Icefire is the second book in the Fire Star trilogy. It's a fun read although it is a kid's book. They set it at 7th grade and up, but I'd say more like 4th grade and up. The story is unique and the characters are very interesting. There are lots of things to learn about, the Artic, polar bears and, of course, myths and legends; or are they real?

First off, this book and the fire within are both worth a million dollars! I read this book and it was the best book I read in the world. This is a book i will cherish throuout my life. I used to think A Series of unfortunate events was best, but not anymore! This book is like all of those mixed with all harry potters! I highly recommend this book if you like animals. Especialy dragons. I have read this and the fire within about 3 times and am on my 4 time on The Fire Within. I am waiting intil October of 2005 for the 3rd book. I cant wait for it! I cant wait what awaits David and his friends. In the mean time, Gadzooks says hrrr.

Icefire is Chris D'Lacey's second book in the Last Dragon Chronicles, following up on The Fire Within and continuing the story of David, the Pennykettles (Liz and Lucy), and the clay dragons that are much more than they appear. As I mentioned in my review, The Fire Within seems a wholly different construct from the succeeding novels--simpler, more light in tone, feeling a bit younger in terms of target audience. Icefire begins the shift toward older, darker, more complicated storytelling.

Dragons play a much larger role in Icefire, as one might expect, and we start to get as sense of the clay dragons as distinct personalities. They still seem to lean a bit young to me in terms of readership, though one in particular faces some more mature, sophisticated moral choices. We learn more about the past history of dragons, the fate of the last dragon's tear and what makes it so powerful. D'Lacey adds another thread to this history by introducing a small group of polar bears who somehow became guardians of the tear and are now taking an active role once again.

As David learns more about dragon history and slightly more about Lucy and Liz's involvement with them, the Pennykettles become a bit more complex as characters. Meanwhile, we see another side of Mr. Bacon, the grouchy neighbor, who grows beyond the somewhat cardboard picture of him in The Fire Within. Relationships deepen and the story becomes more complicated with the addition of a new character--Zanna--a goth college student acquaintance of David's who works her way into David and the Pennykettle's lives. Another new character is one of David and Zanna's professors, a man with a mysterious past and a possible link to the polar bears.

The character with the largest impact, however, is a long-lived witch named Gwilanna who lusts after the dragon's tear and seemingly will do anything to find it. She is the major reason for the darker tone as she provides an out and out villain. In The Fire Within, the "villain" was Mr. Bacon, a grumpy neighbor who had a less than charitable view toward animals. Gwilanna is villainy on an entirely different scale: devious, cruel, deceptive, going so far as to manipulating minds and harshly interrogating a poor dragon.

Like The Fire Within, Icefire is a quick read, but D'Lacey has done a nice job of complicating plot, deepening characters, expanding story, heightening tension, and raising the stakes. It doesn't have the whimsical charm of the first book, but it balances that loss in a variety of ways, making it a strong second book and one aimed at slightly older readers than the first book-- probably up to age 12 or 13. Recommended.

Review addendum by my 9-yr-old son
I'd rank Icefire a strong 4.5. I thought it was more suspenseful, though I would have liked less about the history because I thought it became a little repetitive, especially in later books. I liked that there were more dragons and not so much on squirrels. My favorite part was when the dragon G'reth and the cat Bonnington were working together to get the dragon's scale from Gwillana. The fact that there was a villain made it better. My favorite characters were the same as in the first book: Lucy, David, and the dragons. Zanna, though, was a much more interesting female character than Sophie in book one. She made the book better, especially in the fight with Gwillanna. It was unpredictable (especially the part about Sophie) and kept me on my toes enough to enjoy it.